Tonight’s clash with Georgia should prove an ideal indicator to discover what sort of shape the Ireland international side are in, as they attempt to qualify for World Cup 2018.
Martin O’Neill’s team opened their qualification campaign with a hard-fought 2-2 draw in Serbia last month, but tonight’s encounter (7.45pm, live on RTÉ2) with familiar foes Georgia should give a much better idea of whether the team have grown in confidence and improved since their impressive Euro 2016 outing in the summer.
Ireland’s group for this campaign is arguably a lot easier than the previous one, which included world champions Germany and an impressive Poland side, however, the process should prove a lot more difficult getting to the World Cup in two years’ time.
With only the group winners guaranteed a place at the finals, and four comparable sides in this group, Austria, Serbia, Wales and Ireland, all vying for that one automatic place, the road to Russia should prove long and arduous for O’Neill’s side.
However, coming off the back of their successful summer, the week ahead should really have been one for the Ireland manager to look forward to, playing the two perceived weakest teams in the group with a chance to get six points on the board.
But even if the manager has a lot more belief in his players going into this campaign, it was barely evident this week with the ex-Celtic boss reluctant to even concede that these are must-win games in their quest to top Group D.
“I’m not even looking at the Moldova game,” said O’Neill, before urging extreme caution regarding the dangers that Georgia will bring to the Aviva Stadium.
Not necessarily the words of a confident man, however, what O’Neill says out loud, and believes in the sanctity of the dressing room, you would hope, are completely different things.
O’Neill’s pre-match caution is akin to the approach that he took in the last campaign, which served him well, so perhaps he is loathe to change.
The pre-Euro 2016 Ireland side beat Georgia twice in the last campaign.
In the away match, Ireland performed poorly yet still came away from the hostile Tbilisi venue with all three points, while in the home game, Ireland looked comfortable throughout even if they could only secure a 1-0 victory.
So this if this post-Euro 2016 Ireland team are now an improved and more confident side, they should really be relishing such encounters, especially with tougher tests further down the line.
O’Neill’s side must take all that they garnered in France, using these two games as confidence building matches, while sending out a statement of intent to the rest of the group.
The James McCarthy Dilemma
The manager said that he will wait to see how McCarthy feels on match-day before deciding whether or not to select the Everton midfielder.
McCarthy has not played since August, yet has trained all week and has fully recovered from his groin injury, so the player will, no doubt, be eager to play.
But O’Neill has to make a call on whether that is the right decision for Ireland and for the player, while he must also consider his club, whose manager urged caution regarding McCarthy’s potential involvement in this week’s double header.
Fellow Evertonian Seamus Coleman was in the exact same predicament going into the Serbia game, and while not 100% match-fit, the captain came through the game unscathed and that international start actually aided his full rehabilitation, returning to his club fitter than when he left.
Likewise, O’Neill will probably believe that an 80% match-fit McCarthy will offer more than other options in his injury-hit squad, so expect the Toffees man to play.
Should McCarthy play and Ireland enjoy a favourable result, the manager might be wise to leave it at that and send McCarthy back to Everton instead of bringing him to Moldova for another game three days later.
Surely even this weakened Ireland squad can win away in Moldova without McCarthy’s services.
Where to play Robbie Brady?
The Euro 2016 hero’s role in this Ireland team remains unclear, and will again be hotly debated going into these two matches.
The manager was forced to concede defeat in his attempts to fit Brady into his midfield in Serbia, as O’Neill had to re-shape his side when the hosts were overrunning the middle of the park, having gone 2-1 up, with the game slipping away.
Brady was sent back to fill the left-back berth and while that may still be his future role in games against the stronger teams in this group, tonight’s match should offer the manager the perfect opportunity to hand the Norwich midfielder a more advanced, creative role.
Brady’s set-piece delivery will still be key from wherever he plays, but with a serious lack of goalscoring threat in this Ireland team, the sooner the manager can establish the former Manchester United youngster in an attacking role, the better.
Shane Long – Not a natural goalscorer
Roy Keane spoke about the possibility of getting “proper goalscorer” Scott Hogan to declare for Ireland, while the manager again today spoke of the need to unearth a natural goalscorer to fill the Robbie Keane void.
Perhaps this talk is a way of putting more pressure on Shane Long to step up and start scoring more goals in the green jersey.
Long’s work-rate and ability to stretch defences with his lightning speed is a real asset to this Ireland team and while the Southampton striker has often been criticised for his lack of instinct around the penalty box, perhaps a goal or two against the group’s weaker sides can help him to, at least, start to contribute more goals.
Adam Rooney has eventually made it to the match-day squad but O’Neill has toyed with the idea of trying out the Aberdeen hit-man before without ever really believing that he was the answer to his goalscoring woes. It is unlikely that he will change his mind this week.
Ireland’s Number 1
We watched during those final days before the 23 for France were eventually picked, as four experienced goalkeepers competed for three places in the squad.
Shay Given and David Forde appear to have disembarked the international ship for good, while Keiren Westwood is ruled out of this game through injury, so suddenly Darren Randolph is the only established name in the squad.
All going to plan, that should not be an issue going into these two games, but all it takes is an injury or a clumsy Randolph challenge, resulting in a red card,to catapult either Danny Rogers or Ian Lawlor (above) into the spotlight between the sticks.
Considering Dundalk’s Gary Rogers was considered a better option than these latest two new arrivals, just last month, O’Neill must be hoping that the question is not asked on this occasion.
Having said that, 6ft 4in Lawlor looks like he could be the future guardian of Ireland’s number one jersey and perhaps, like when Randolph was thrown in against Germany, a baptism of fire may just be what is needed to establish the Manchester City youngster in O’Neill’s future squads.
The Opposition
It is perhaps noble of Ireland manager O’Neill to take the Georgia threat seriously, and while Vladamir Weiss’ side do appear to be improving, compared to the team that played in the Euro 2016 qualifiers, Ireland should not fear tonight’s opposition.
Granted they only lost to Austria by a single goal in last month’s opening qualifier, but as the home side, they failed to establish themselves throughout as the visitors controlled the game for large chunks and took a commanding and comfortable 2-0 lead.
Naturally, panic set in for the final 15 minutes when Georgia pulled one back, but despite all the home side’s huff and puff, they rarely showed any quality to break down the Austria defence.
Georgia’s long-ball into the box tactics should be meat and drink for Ireland’s combative defence and while tonight’s visitors will no doubt have their moments, they really should not threaten the result.
Valeri Kazaishvili is certainly one to watch, as the Legia Warsaw man was unlucky to see his header come back off the post against Austria, while JanoAnanidze showed his danger from around the box grabbing the goal in the 2-1 defeat.
The lively Giorgi Chanturia was sprung from the bench as Georgia went in search of an equaliser but, despite his undoubted ability, too often chose the wrong option.
But Ireland can exploit several weaknesses at the back, most notably keeper Giorgi Loria, who was badly exposed for both Austria’s goals, while their defence can be both slow and cumbersome.
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