JOE casts our eye over how the Boys in Green did this evening in the crucial match against Sweden
A hugely important game for Ireland saw them take the lead, but retreat back into a pattern of play that is all too familiar to Ireland fans.
David Forde: 6
Not much he could do about the first Swedish goal, but he should have done a bit better on the second as he was beaten at the near post. Controlled his area well, was determined, and read the play for when he needed to come out and claim and when he could leave it to his defence. Made a great save against Larsson in the 55th minute, and he didn’t really deserve to concede two.
Seamus Coleman: 7
Did his defensive duties well enough, and was happy to get up the pitch and support attacks, whipping in some fantastic crosses that were very inviting indeed. As the game progressed and Ireland needed to get a goal, he pushed on into the box and had some good spells, but to no avail.
Richard Dunne: 8
Solid, as one would expect on the anniversary of his heroic Russian performance. Hard to criticise him or O’Shea for the first Swedish goal as it was a brilliant cross and a great header, and the second was the fault of Whelan, not the defence, who had smartly played Svensson offside. Extremely physical, and is an asset to the team, one of the best players in the squad. Deservedly named Man of the Match.
John O’Shea: 7
Although the team conceded two, the defence was actually pretty good. Not much either of the centre backs could do about the first, but he made some important tackles and organised the defence well.
Marc Wilson: 6
Looked comfortable on the ball, was handy with a bit of skill early on and played the odd lovely pass. He made a fantastic block on Ibra in the 15th minute to make up for being caught out on the high ball, but as the game wore on and Sweden looked more dangerous, both he and Coleman struggled to support the front line as Ireland couldn’t hold on to the ball.
James McClean: 7
Got a few shots on target, but once again he can be slightly predictable in his play. He got through an incredible amount of work though, with one notable tackle at the start of the second half to stop a Swedish shot on goal, and a huge tackle in the 55th minute that brought the crowd to life. Was substituted, but no surprise as he’d run his socks off.
Glenn Whelan: 4
He was at fault for the second goal, as he didn’t need to track the runner who’d gone offside, and he kept him on, which ended up costing Ireland the game. He got booked late on in the game for a poor challenge that he didn’t particularly need to make, and while he does get a good bit of flack from Irish supporters, a performance like he put in tonight won’t help his case. He took a few free kicks, but the less said about them the better.
James McCarthy: 5
Another game where it seemed to pass McCarthy by. The system isn’t exactly set up to help a creative player flourish, but he also needs to play his part and step up, taking control of games if he’s to show his talent on the national stage like he has at club level. He’s still young, as his manager will be keen to point out, but he seemed to spend this match passing the ball sideways.
Jonathan Walters: 6
Playing wide on the right doesn’t exactly suit his strengths but he was once again a good outlet for the high balls up front, and knocked down a fair few into productive positions. He also got through a good defensive workload from the front and is adept at holding up the play and keeping attacks going. He was substituted for Simon Cox when he looked to be totally exhausted.
Robbie Keane: 7
He scored the goal with some great determination and made a few other opportunities, but the second half was torrid for him and the rest of the team. He gets a lot of criticism but there is no arguing with his record, as he grabbed his 60th goal tonight for his country. He looked a danger, but the ball simply didn’t make it far enough up the pitch tonight to allow him to get a second.
Shane Long: 5
Repeatedly made bad decisions when he got into the box, taking too long to make up his mind about what he wanted to do with the ball. His pace and bullishness created the odd opportunity, but he just made the wrong decision too often, and took an age about making it. He might have been struggling with a tight hamstring that he seemed to twinge in the first half, but he still appeared to be running well. Disappointing from a player who promises so much.
Substitutes
Anthony Pilkington: 6
Good beard, and was strong on the ball. Showed a good touch and was trying to inject a bit of pace into the game. If nothing else, good to have him finally capped, but he had no chance of making any impact by the time he came on as Ireland were just lumping the ball up in desperation.
Simon Cox: 5
Really didn’t do much when he came on, as, like Pilkington, it seemed that it was too little too late. He started up front in a slightly more attacking formation, but he eventually moved wide where he saw little of the ball.
Manager
Giovanni Trapattoni: 3
His team started the game brightly and scored first, but once that happened they shrank back into their shells and coughed up the lead. Even after half time, when they needed a goal, they seemed to be playing with the same plan and the same lack of ideas that plagued them after the concession of the first goal.
The game was crying out for any type of creative force as Hoolahan watched on from the bench, and there were some obvious subs that should have been made in Whelan and maybe even McCarthy. Seemed to persist in a system that doesn’t make proper use of the players at his disposal, and the team looks entirely disjointed, where the midfield doesn’t connect well with the defence or the forward line. The only answer or tactic that they look to have in reserve when things go bad is to launch the high ball up top, which created nothing. You’d be hard pushed to remember once decent opportunity they created in the second half, bar the one that Long should have played early to Keane.
