Stephen Kenny backs his system ahead of trip to take on Malta in final game of the year

It is late on Thursday night at the Aviva. Outside, the stadium staff are scurrying to catch one of the last departures from Lansdowne Road station.

Stephen Kenny remains in the bowels of the west stand, explaining why he still believes his Ireland team are going in the right direction.

Clearly, others have doubts. Ireland were hampered by injuries for Thursday night’s friendly defeat to Norway, nonetheless the lack of creativity and endeavour in the first half was worrying. In that opening 45 minutes Ireland were about as much threat to Norway’s goal as a vegetarian is to a platter of hot dogs.

The front two of Michael Obafemi and Callum Robinson struggled to find chemistry in their partnership and while the midfielders worked hard there was little in the way of ingenuity or putting the visitors on the back foot.

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Unquestionably, Ireland brought more urgency and penetration to the start of the second half, and for that third quarter they were the better side.

Callum O’Dowda was bombing down the left while Matt Doherty started attacking space wide right. Josh Cullen showed more ambition with diagonal passes and Alan Browne was buzzing around like a kid in a playground determined to get on the ball as often as possible, and preferably in goalscoring positions.

But the energy of that period drifted away during the last quarter and when Ireland failed to deal with a defendable free late on, Norway punished them. It was the kind of ball Shane Duffy, currently absent for personal reasons, has cleared countless times over the years.

“That’s true,” says Kenny. “Other players have other attributes and that’s one of Shane’s attributes, he defends the box brilliantly.”

Kenny again went with three at the back on Thursday – Nathan Collins, John Egan and Dara O’Shea – and says he does not intend reverting to a back four in the foreseeable future.

“I just think the characteristics of the team, the players we’ve got, this definitely suits the team and playing in the way that we are,” argues the Ireland boss.

“We’ve a lot of central defenders, we’ve got wing backs and we’ve got to maximise the talent that we have and I think it’s a system that suits the players that we have.”

O’Dowda’s spirited performance on the left was a plus for Kenny, but the Cardiff City player does need to produce a more consistent end-product with his deliveries.

“He’s not a natural defender, of course, he’s a natural dribbler. He just needs to believe in himself that he can play at this level, because he can,” Kenny adds.

Another positive was a senior international debut, albeit a brief one, for 18-year-old Evan Ferguson. Still, it is unreasonable for Ireland fans to be heaping too much expectation upon the teenager.

“He’s different, it’s another weapon for us. I don’t think we’ve got a striker like him,” suggests Callum Robinson.

“But he’s 18, he’s got a way to go. There is no pressure, he has got so much that he needs to work on to be that finished article.

“But it’s nice to have him and I think the main thing for him at 18 in the senior squad is it’s an achievement for him and his family.”

The aim now for Ireland is to finish out the year with a win in Malta.

“It is important, because when March comes around we obviously have a massive game [France at home on March 27th] and you don’t want to go into it with a loss against Norway and not getting a result on Sunday,” says Robinson.

There will be changes to the starting team when they close out 2023 in Malta. Beyond that, where the Stephen Kenny project ultimately winds up, that very much remains destination unknown.