Wes Hoolahan shines again
Given his side is hardly oozing with creativity, it is a constant source of frustration how sparingly Martin O’Neill has used his most creative player.
Wes Hoolahan wasn’t picked for Ireland’s trip to Serbia and was then named on the bench for the visit of Georgia - fixtures which delivered four points but in a decidedly torturous manner.
The absence of Robbie Brady and Jeff Hendrick meant Hoolahan’s inclusion in Moldova was a formality, and within two minutes he provided Ireland’s best moment of the qualification campaign - his deftly weighted ball allowing Shane Long to give Ireland an early lead.
After two turgid performances Hoolahan’s craft and guile were a breath of fresh air, and highlighted how he is the only player capable of turning Ireland from long ball merchants into a side who look to play football.
It is hardly something we didn’t know already, but the Norwich City schemer has proven yet again he has to start - not just for the good of the team, but also the sanity of supporters.
O’Neill needs to pick his partnership
Richard Keogh and John O’Shea began the campaign as the first choice centre-half partnership but both were demoted for the Georgia game, where Shane Duffy and Ciaran Clark started.
The duo then retained their places for the trip to Chisinau, where one moment of madness on the stroke of half time - with both caught horribly out of position allowing Igor Bugaev to scamper upfield and score - showed that Martin O’Neill needs to have a rethink about what his best partnership is.
Duffy clearly has a lot of the attributes needed to make a fine centre half but he remains incredibly raw and needs to play alongside somebody with the experience to keep him on his leash.
The Brighton and Hove Albion defender now has seven Ireland caps and has been partnered three times with Clark and Keogh, but only once with O’Shea - in a 1-1 friendly draw with the Netherlands earlier this year.
Granted, the Duffy-Clark axis has a 100 per cent record, with wins over Switzerland, Georgia and Moldova. However, O’Neill could be missing a trick not selecting O’Shea to play alongside Duffy - and his most experienced player could be the one to bring out the best in one of his most promising.
The two could prove perfect foil for each other, with Duffy’s dynamism making up for O’Shea’s creaking legs and the Sunderland skipper’s tactical nous can offer the ideal tonic for Duffy’s youthful indiscipline.
McCarthy facing make-or-break season
It is unfair to call out James McCarthy for his poor performances against Georgia and Moldova given he was thrown straight back into the international arena upon his return from injury, having had no chance to build his match fitness.
It is clear McCarthy needs a run of games, however he heads back to Everton facing a battle to try and force his way back into Ronald Koeman’s first team plans.
McCarthy has been fit for four of Everton’s matches this season and has appeared in two of them - against Yeovil in the League Cup and against West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League, where he suffered the indignity of being substituted after 38 minutes to make way for Romelu Lukaku.
Meanwhile, Idrissa Gueye has started every game for the Toffees alongside Gareth Barry, forming a good partnership and helping Everton to their best ever start.
It would be worrying for O’Neill if one of his key players - on paper at least - is not playing first team football for his club.
And with Brady, Hendrick and Hoolahan to fit into his side along with James McClean, O’Neill may decide an out-of-favour McCarthy is the most obvious candidate to make way.
The 26-year-old is entering a potentially key stage of his career, and what happens at Goodison Park over the next season could make or break the midfieler.
Captain Coleman is mustard
One player who will have no issue getting into the Everton side, however, is Seamus Coleman.
Captain Coleman was arguably Ireland’s best player during the international break, and has thrived since Martin O’Neill handed him the armband.
Ireland were sleep-walking towards a potentially terminal draw at home against Georgia until Coleman took the initiative and put his side in front after a Messi-esque run down the right was assisted by some Keystone Cops defending.
And in Chisinau the 27-year-old had the freedom of the right flank, feeding off Hoolahan’s threaded balls and constantly getting to the byline, providing the majority of Ireland’s attacking thrust throughout.
There remains the occasional defensive lapse, and there is a huge workload placed on his shoulders given the lack of dynamism he has in front of him.
However, Ireland simply look a much more potent side when their skipper is given the license to bomb on down the flank, and if he can produce a slightly cuter final ball Coleman will be the side’s most fruitful attacking outlet.
Results outweigh the performances
It was a conflicting international break given that while Ireland produced a maximum return they also delivered one of their most disjointed, turgid performances in a long time against Georgia.
Things were much better in the opening exchanges against Moldova, however there remained a lot to be desired in how they approached the middle period of the match.
Ireland now have seven points on the board and sit joint top of Group D alongside Serbia - and results elsewhere have put Ireland’s first three outings into perspective.
The point earned in Serbia now looks a very good one after Austria were beaten 3-2 in Belgrade on Sunday night.
And while the Georgia game was an utterly soul-destroying experience, the 1-0 win takes on greater significance after the Georgians went on to hold Wales 1-1 in Cardiff.
The fixtures against Austria and Wales - and the visit of Serbia - will ultimately decide who makes it to Russia, but by getting maximum points off the group minnows Ireland are giving themselves a fighting chance of qualification.
