While it will be wretched luck for Mick McCarthy should Lansdowne Road be deemed unplayable this morning, it is nonetheless worth taking a look at the state of both the Irish and English international sides as the build-up to the World Cup qualifiers resumes.

It is interesting to observe McCarthy's evolution as a manager from England where, of course, the same post is in a permanent state of flux. Sven-Goran Eriksson is the sixth English team manager in the last five years, which is an absolutely ludicrous state of affairs. That the FA have given the Swede a five-year appointment is highly laudable because it is glaringly apparent that all managers need time to shape and fashion a side.

Mick McCarthy is a perfect example. A cursory glance at the side he has chosen for the Danish match demonstrates that he is assembling the nucleus of a very attractive squad. Of that starting 11, only Roy and Robbie Keane could be classified as absolute certainties to line out against Cyprus. And yet the team has a nice balanced look about it. I'm a big fan of both Steve Finnan and Mattie Holland and it is imperative that they be given the opportunity to develop at this level. Kenny Cunningham has resurfaced and, I think, will eventually reclaim a central defensive role. Shay Given has a chance to reassert himself.

It has taken some time but now McCarthy has got a budding young squad bubbling with confidence. The English FA should learn from that.

I think Eriksson will do the same, provided he is given time. I am a great admirer of the Swede and the island mentality, the poorly-disguised xenophobia that followed his appointment was depressing to witness. Eriksson is an academic when it comes to the game.

He joined the BBC team for Liverpool's game against Roma last week and he was telling us that while he once believed that players were there to adapt to a given system, he now holds faith with the opposite. Eriksson will try to implement a framework, a system, around the players at his disposal. David Beckham and Paul Scholes will be central to his blueprint and he has plenty of time for Wes Brown. I think that Emile Heskey will play a big part in Eriksson's England, with either Robbie Fowler or Michael Owen up front. Football players, purists, are what Eriksson seeks and his arrival could hasten the conclusion of a number of England careers.

I think that if he is given time and a fair shot, he could have a radical effect on England's international fortunes. Even the most jingoistic of England fans would shudder at a return to the lows of Euro 2000 and tactically, Eriksson is too learned to ever allow anything like that to happen again.

Eriksson demonstrated his pragmatism by selecting his mammoth 31-strong squad for the friendly against Spain. It was a clever move, totally neutralising all controversy.

Mick McCarthy is, I think, showing an increasingly pragmatic nature as he goes on. No longer are there rows about rigid formations or the selection of personnel. I think McCarthy has his core stable - Roy Keane, Kinsella, Robbie Keane and Niall Quinn, Cunningham (when fit) and around those, he just wants players that are getting first team football.

And now, most encouragingly, he has options and has created an environment where there is a healthy competition for places. With friendly games, when the team is very strong, it is just like a practice match. This team is peppered with young players with points to prove. Kevin Kilbane will be eager to showcase himself again. David Connolly must be chomping at the bit to get running again. Gary Breen and Richard Dunne will, of course, be aware of Cunningham's return. And you can bet that the regular players not lining out for this match will take a very keen interest in the performances of their replacements.

Even if the Denmark match is cancelled, at least the squad met up again and got the chance to sharpen their focus on the long-term objective. A competitive game would be great preparation and the Danes would be perfect opposition as they bring a very honest, wholehearted application to all occasions.

Either way, the Irish team can look ahead to Cyprus with guarded confidence. It is a trickier assignment than many imagine. Ireland can get the job done though. Win or lose against Spain tonight, Eriksson has a long road ahead. There will be a brief honeymoon period and the knives will come out. We will have to wait to see if the FA have learned what the FAI seem to have grasped long ago: patience brings its own reward.

In an interview with Keith Duggan.