Decisions, decisions. Not too many though. You think of Johan Cruyff’s departure and realise the rest of us are just ordinary coaches with ordinary players trying to achieve the extraordinary.
That’s the challenge this summer for Martin O’Neill’s team. History tells us this is possible.
I presume this was experimental. Surely we are not going to face Sweden in our opening game at the Euros with a 4-4-2 formation and expect to get a result by welcoming them onto us as we did Switzerland last night.
We know the effort and resilience of the current Republic of Ireland squad is above the norm, the average, the ordinary. There was no Jonathan Walters here so it’s hard to play an effective 4-4-1-1.
O’Neill must settle on 23 names and that’s what this timid dance with the Swiss was about. I imagine his mind is mostly made up but we should glance through the maybes.
Goalkeepers: Rob Elliot has passed out Keiren Westwood as third choice behind David Ford and a solid-looking Darren Randolph. No room for Shay Given anymore.
Assured performance
Defenders: John O’Shea, Ciaran Clark, Séamus Coleman, Richard Keogh, Stephen Ward and Cyrus Christie are going to France. The seventh man will be Marc Wilson, if fit, leaving a gang of lads – Alex Pearce, Shane Duffy, Matt Doherty and Paul McShane – trying to get that last spot.
Leaving out a guy like McShane behind would be tough but plausible after Duffy’s assured performance.
The 24-year-old Blackburn centre half took his chance within seconds, climbing above Timm Klose to head on Robbie Brady’s corner on for Clark to score. He showed serious pace to snuff out an early Haris Seferovic chance and made a few more interceptions while looking physical.
The Derry man, alongside an equally secure Clark, was the most positive return from this friendly. He was deservedly named Man of the Match, but O’Neill knows he can rely on his other centre halves. Duffy at least gives him food for thought.
Still, there is very little room for a bolter in the squad simply because so many men delivered during qualification. What went on in those 12 games matters more than last night and against Slovakia on Tuesday. Even Christie did well in the heat of battle against Germany.
That’s what really counts.
The midfield is even more established. Robbie Brady gets into this bracket, for convenience but concerns about his ability to play left back remain as he keeps getting caught out positionally.
James McCarthy, Jeff Hendrick, Glenn Whelan, James McClean, Aiden McGeady and Wes Hoolahan are certainties.
We were reminded what McGeady can do and what he cannot. I would bring Harry Arter and David Meyler as well. My mind wasn’t changed by Alan Judge and Stephen Quinn who both needed to do something exceptional.
Judge was on the right then left flank which made it difficult to make a lasting impression. He kept hustling and got scythed down by Granit Xhaka before he was replaced by McCarthy.
Quinn was playing in the middle where he got caught in possession three times in the opening 20 minutes. Considering the stakes, that can only sap a player’s confidence.
The Ireland midfield nowadays is about accommodating Wes with Hendrick, McCarthy and Whelan keeping us competitive, hunting possession and ensuring we survive against more technically gifted opponents. Our holding men can’t afford to be sloppy. We notice Glenn Whelan when he’s not there.
Kevin Doyle immediately signalled the need to come off when some Swiss studs went down his left leg. It was a shame to see Kevin stretchered off as he had been eager to impress.
It’s almost inconceivable that O’Neill will leave Robbie Keane out even if he already initiated the end of his international career by benching him for crucial qualifier matches. If Doyle had proved his value then Keane would have been sacrificed, not Daryl Murphy who started against Bosnia and brought a powerful presence last night.
Shane Long and Walters are nailed on in that department, of course.
Major decisions
Maybe a midfielder will be sacrificed to bring Robbie and Doyle but that might not matter anymore.
The other major decisions are already made by leaving Westwood and Darron Gibson out of this squad.
The best those on the periphery can do is get into standby summer slots. Duffy seems to have done more than that, Quinn and Judge a little less.
Ordinary football on a unique night in Dublin, over a rare old weekend.
Good Friday is always different although you wouldn’t know it at the Aviva Stadium. Plenty of pints kept many supporters under the stand.
Ah, maybe I was a bit harsh on Martin. He’s no ordinary manager (neither is his assistant).
We patiently await the extraordinary from O’Neill’s Ireland.
