A lot has happened since Ireland’s opening Euro 2016 clash ended in a 1-1 draw with Sweden at Stade de France on Monday evening.
External factors have shone an interesting and revealing light on Group E in the four days since a dominant Ireland were left rueing missed opportunities, departing the northern Paris fortress with two points lost rather than one gained.
But before that exhausted Ireland team had even arrived back at the team’s headquarters in Versailles, the other group opener between Italy and Belgium was throwing up some very interesting talking points.
The unexpected, yet not surprising, strength and composure of Antonio Conte’s Italy, coupled with the many flaws on show of one of the tournament favourites, Belgium, led to an opening-day victory for the Azzurri.
And then on the eve of Ireland’s second outing at this summer’s showpiece, where they take on Marc Wilmots’ Belgium in Bordeaux on Saturday, Italy and Sweden missed out on an extra day’s recovery to fulfil their fixture on Friday afternoon.
There was very little to choose between the two sides in a match that lacked real quality, yet a rare moment of magic from Eder snatched a late win for Conte’s side to send Italy through to the last-16.
Ireland will play Italy in the final group game and the Italian manager has already confirmed that he will be resting key players as well as those in danger of yellow-card suspensions.
So whatever happens in Bordeaux on Saturday afternoon, Martin O’Neill’s side already have that second bite of the cherry waiting to be sampled in Lille on Wednesday night.
You might say it has been a good few days for the Irish, without even kicking a ball.
But O’Neill is loath to look beyond a Belgium side whose pride was badly dented on Monday.
The Ireland manager still believes that Belgium could go on to win the tournament and added that he would not start looking at permutations until after Saturday’s encounter.
O’Neill will only concentrate on the “next game”, although he did concede that he feels Ireland now need to win a match to get out of their group.
And perhaps the subtext from today’s press conference suggested that O’Neill believes that he can win that game as soon as possible, which would also send Ireland through with a game to spare.
Of course, the Ireland manager would not state such a thing on public record but the Derry man was quick to emphasis the need to take all the positives from Monday’s game into the Belgium fixture and to “draw strength from the performance”.
Whatever happens in Bordeaux on Saturday afternoon, Martin O’Neill’s side already have that second bite of the cherry waiting to be sampled in Lille on Wednesday
That strength being the team’s style of play, which the manager felt had a real air of confidence and belonging about it.
O’Neill was never going to talk tactics ahead of such a big game and, in fact, the only nugget of actual information that he divulged at the obligatory pre-game press conference was confirmation of the worst kept secret in Versailles - that Jonathan Walters was unavailable through injury.
The manager did say that he would take the same approach to this game as with the opener against Sweden, while also stating that due to the nature and quality of Saturday’s opponents, the tactics and strategy will be completely different.
There was obvious method to the manager’s madness, as he will expect the players to take the same approach to their own game, being assured and confident, while perhaps following a completely different set of management guidelines against such a technically superior side.
The manager is enforced to make at least one change due to Walters’ injury, but expect more than one, most certainly in a positional sense, if not in personnel.
O’Neill has a string of strong defenders that he completely trusts on the bench to step in and do a job, if called upon. So perhaps Robbie Brady will be pushed forward to shuffle Stephen Ward or Ciaran Clark in at left back.
It is a safe assumption that the manager will not play two centre forwards as well as Wes Hoolahan against a team with Belgium’s quality.
But we know O’Neill is still looking for the victory and should leave something creative there to allow for more strategic incursions into the Belgian final third.
The manager might line out with a similar back four, with another bank of four midfielders in front, blocking off all routes to goal through the centre of the pitch from the halfway line to the edge of the box, while leaving the flank play to his full backs.
Hoolahan (pictured) could then be accommodated in the hole behind Shane Long, who can be sprung into counterattacking mode whenever possible.
And if the Norwich and Southampton men do occupy those front-two positions, they will need clear energy-saving instructions in a game which will see Ireland with a significantly inferior possession percentage.
And while Brady’s set-piece delivery, Long’s pace and Hoolahan’s playmaking ability will still prove Ireland’s most realistic route to goal, Jeff Hendrick has raised his head above the parapet, showing on Monday that he is primed to become a pivotal player in the Ireland midfield with a right foot almost as accurate as his former St Kevin’s Boys team-mate’s left.
But whatever XI is selected, the entire team will need to be very well drilled and maintain concentration, as the manager spoke of avoiding a “lull” and “being mentally tuned in”.
James McCarthy picked up an early yellow card against Sweden and others, like James McClean – selection pending – must be warned to pull back from unnecessary challenges and avoid giving away free-kicks in dangerous areas of the pitch.
This Belgium side have shown that they are a collection of talent rather than a great football team and, as a result, possess flaws which Ireland can exploit, be it their lack of spirit or perhaps the inexperience of the makeshift back four.
But on their day, they really do possess the talent to rip through any team and have the potential to really punish Ireland should everything click into place.
Belgium’s performance will undoubtedly be better than what was on offer against Italy, but the chances of them getting it absolutely right following that display are pretty unlikely.
The last four days really have levelled the playing field in Group E, and maybe, following several days of constant rain on the now heavy pitch, while being roared on by a passionate travelling Ireland crowd, O’Neill may not even have to worry about those particular permutations after the game at all.
