Seamus Coleman’s horror injury on Friday night cast a real shadow on this international week for Ireland with the manager admitting today that “even the result on Friday evening was secondary”.
So Ireland boss Martin O’Neill could be forgiven if he and his squad just went through the motions of playing, while not really competing, in tonight’s friendly international against Iceland at the Aviva Stadium, kick-off 7:45pm.
However, the opposite is probably the most likely outcome with the encounter against the Euro 2016 quarter-finalists and slayers of England in France, proving a very welcome distraction for the Ireland manager and his squad.
O’Neill kept it curt with the media on Monday when reflecting on Friday night’s incidents and proved much more insightful when discussing the merits of tonight’s game and the benefits it could produce for squad development on the road to the June clash with Austria and on to the group finale in September and October.
Ireland’s already threadbare squad was reduced even further at the weekend as old-timers Jonathan Walters, John O’Shea and Glenn Whelan were sent back to their clubs, while the injured James McCarthy also set sail for Merseyside.
The manager indicated that most, if not all, of the remaining starting XI would have a limited role in tonight’s game as a mark of respect to their club sides whoare entering a crucial stage of the season.
Robbie Brady will captain the side against Iceland in Coleman’s absence and while the manager is always loath to name his starting XI until the very last moment, the powers of deduction offer a fair idea of what team will line out in the green this evening.
Patient Pearce should get chance to impress
There was a lot of talk from the manager about the uncapped players in the squad and how some, if not all, will taste international football for the first time.
But O’Neill also spoke about players who had been around the squad without playing too often. Alex Pearce is certainly in that category and as one of the most senior central defenders remaining with the squad, the Derby man should get another chance to impress.
The fact that Pearce has been in so many squads shows that the management team have earmarked him as potential for the future.
But at 28 years old, he really needs to make an impact as John Egan and Andy Boyle are now knocking on the international door with Shane Duffy and Ciarán Clark already gone past him in the pecking order.
After a pretty poor season at club level last year, Pearce is now back with Derby and playing regularly alongside Richard Keogh.
It makes perfect sense to play the two together to start against Iceland, which would at least give a strong foundation to build the makeshift team around.
However, the manager also mentioned that most of Friday’s starting XI would not start tonight, so perhaps Pearce will be sent in to chaperone one of the new caps to see how he fares.
Four hopefuls eyeing maiden cap
O’Neill admitted that it was imperative to try to get some of his fringe players international experience to offer options when his squad is depleted by injury and suspension.
But the manager also emphasised that he will only cap a player when they are deserving of that privilege, which perhaps offers an insight into the process that O’Neill uses when picking players and squads for international games.
O’Neill has a habit of naming an extended squad, at times more than 40 players, and it would appear that this is his way of telling players that they have a chance and are being watched.
Players have been named on provisional squads but have not made the final cut, while Daryl Horgan and Andy Boyle were included at the end of last year when they were still at Dundalk.
And while some thought it just a token following the Lilywhites excellent season, the duo’s inclusion this time around shows that the manager must have been impressed.
Out of the four uncapped players, Horgan is probably closest to a starting berth tonight, while Conor Hourihane could be thrown into the midfield to see how he handles the international experience.
Boyle discovered after his move to Preston that it is not as easy for a centre-half to break into a settled team and likewise, John Egan is also looking for a run out in the middle of the back four.
“An international game, it’s up to them and the best way to try to impress is to go out there and do it on the international stage”
And the quartet can take the manager at his word when he says that this is their chance to impress. It would appear that O’Neill would put their performance in the green jersey ahead of their club form and tonight could see one or two really put their hands up for regular first-team action.
“Absolutely, this is their opportunity,” said O’Neill. “An international game, it’s up to them and the best way to try to impress is to go out there and do it on the international stage.”
Captain Brady – a short-term solution?
Robbie Brady appeared as surprised as the rest of us on Monday when he was named captain for tonight’s clash in place of Séamus Coleman.
Granted there are not too many options remaining as John O’Shea has returned to his club, likewise Walters and Whelan.
Richard Keogh remains with the squad and was surely the obvious choice but with Brady the one player guaranteed to start having missed out on Friday, perhaps it was just the easy option for the manager.
Of course, O’Neill will need a captain for the World Cup qualifier in June and perhaps even into September and October, depending on Coleman’s recovery, so could Brady really be an option as a stand-in and future skipper.
A trend emerged a while back to hand the armband to the marquee player, with David Beckham getting the nod as England captain the obvious example, so perhaps O’Neill might be thinking along the same lines with Brady in that he might curry more favour with officials.
“I’m not sure, it’s my first time, we’ll see how it goes”
O’Neill could also be testing Brady to step up to the mark and take on more responsibility on the pitch, which will certainly be required should he wear the armband on more than this occasion.
Brady has not captained a team since he played under-age international football for Ireland but he passed his first test on Monday by being extremely honest with the media when asked what sort of captain he would be.
“I’m not sure, it’s my first time, we’ll see how it goes,” he replied.
O’Neill’s Mantra – One game at a time
Friday night’s game signalled the half-way point in the group and despite dropping two points at home, Ireland sit joint top of the table with 11 points, four clear of both Wales and Austria.
But O’Neill was reluctant to start hypothesising whether or not Ireland were on course to qualify for the World Cup.
“We’re only half-way through the group stage,” said O’Neill. “I did say before whoever finishes ahead of Serbia will probably win the group, but I am not ruling out Wales or Austria at this stage.”
O’Neill made reference to the last qualifying campaign where Ireland finished the campaign strongly to overtake Scotland, so he suggested that the same could happen in this group with the other teams.
“Teams will take points off each other again and all we have to do genuinely is focus on the game coming up against Austria in June.”
The Opposition – Iceland keen to maintain momentum
As was the case on Friday night, expect another derby-type encounter tonight as Iceland play the game very much in the style of the rough and tumble of the top tiers in England.
As Wales impressed at the Euros, Iceland absolutely knocked it out of the park as they made it all the way to the quarter-finals, with the mighty English the last of their conquests.
And this Iceland side are similarly impressing in their quest for World Cup qualification from their group, so they too will be looking for a decent performance tonight to maintain their momentum.
So while on a footballing front, this game is unlikely to be too pleasing on the eye, however, it should be a lively affair at the same time.
The Ireland XI
Robbie Brady is the only confirmed starter for tonight’s game and it remains to be seen if the manager goes for wholesale changes or a mix of regulars and fringe players.
The manager will still be keen to maintain an experienced side so as mentioned, he could opt for Richard Keogh in the middle of the defence alongside Pearce with Cyrus Christie at right back, with Stephen Ward or perhaps Brady at left back.
The midfield will see at least one change with Whelan missing, while either David Meyler or Jeff Hendrick will probably be rested.
Eunan O’Kane (above) was left out of the match-day squad on Friday until the late withdrawal of James McCarthy, but the Leeds United man is possibly the best option to replace that ball-playing role sitting in front of the defence, while Hourihane will also be in contention to start. Brady could also be utilised in a number-10 type role.
James McClean surely deserves a well-earned break after the emotions of last week, so Callum O’Dowda, Aiden McGeady, Jonny Hayes and Daryl Horgan are probably competing for the two wide positions.
Shane Long also put in a gruelling shift on Friday and perhaps if he is dropped, Kevin Doyle might return to the starting XI.
Kieren Westwood will most likely start in goal.
The Verdict
Despite O’Neill speaking about coefficients being affected by the results of friendly games, the actual result tonight will not be a barometer of whether the outing is a success or not.
Last March Ireland played two friendly fixtures and O’Neill’s side actually played better in the fixture that they drew against Slovakia rather than the win they earned against Switzerland.
So this game is all about player performances, partnerships on the pitch and maintaining the now-famous Irish team spirit that continues to produce results despite, on occasion, below par performances.
As mentioned in the press conference yesterday, this time last year, Shane Duffy was very much a fringe player with an outside chance of going to Euro 2016. A year later he is probably the number one centre-half in the squad.
Over to you, Daryl, Conor, John and Andy.
Watch highlights of Republic of Ireland v Iceland on RTÉ2 from 10.30pm. Listen to live commentary on RTÉ 2fm from 7pm.
