Ireland manager Stephen Kenny paid tribute to skipper Seamus Coleman, claiming that he is one of the "best ever" to captain his country.
The Donegal native has maintained his captaincy, having also been captain throughout Mick McCarthy’s tenure, however, the Everton defender has lost his place in the starting XI.
Matt Doherty was named at right-back for Ireland’s opening game in this new Kenny era, while Coleman was left on the bench, however, it remains to be seen as to whether the new Tottenham signing can keep Coleman out of the team as the manager said that the decision was "marginal".
Coleman was the first choice right-back during the McCarthy era, with the former boss toying with the idea of playing the two men, but scrapped that experiment midway through his first game back in charge.
Kenny said that Doherty was under-utilised in an Ireland shirt when he took over as the Ireland boss, so it was no surprise when the Dubliner was handed the shirt for the Bulgaria match on Thursday night.
Shane Duffy was captain on the pitch in Sofia, however, Coleman still played a captain’s role and showed real leadership as he sat alongside the new manager at the pre-match press conference, most likely knowing that he was not set to start the game.
And the new manager said that not only has Coleman had an incredible career for both club and country, but he also believes that the 31-year-old is still in fine form and regards him as one of the best defenders in England’s top flight.
"Seamus Coleman has been such an exceptional player for Ireland and he is such a great ambassador for football in Ireland," said Kenny, speaking at the pre-match press conference on Saturday afternoon.
"It’s just one of those situations that we have, two of the best right backs in the Premier League.
"But apart from that, he is a quality player and he showed it this year after the lockdown he got himself in really good nick, as he always is, he was injury free for that period and he defended really, really well, and got forward as well.
"They have both had great seasons, and these are all marginal decisions.
"Seamus, he is a brilliant captain and one of the best captains that we have ever had."
The manager, of course, would not offer any clue as to whether he will keep the same defence for the Finland game (Sunday 5pm), and he was also quick to heap praise on the new man in the jersey, Doherty.
"Matt Doherty has had a season that has gone brilliantly for him and played a phenomenal amount of games," he said.
"Wolves had some season where they played a lot of games and Matt played in nearly all of them and obviously it has culminated in him getting a move to Tottenham."
Reflecting on Thursday night’s game, having had a couple of days to digest the emotional rollercoaster both on and off the pitch with an stoppage-time equaliser and an international managerial debut, Kenny was still, overall, quite pleased with the performance of his side.
The former Dundalk manager said: "It was a good performance, we performed well overall, I think the players expressed confidence, and the balance of the team was good overall.
"We controlled the game, we just got punished when Kraev scored that goal against us.
"The players expressed confidence, and the balance of the team was good"
"Our front three showed the individual skills that they have. They can all dribble, they all have good movement and they showed flashes of that and I think we created a few chances but couldn’t quite score, so it was great that Shane Duffy came up with the equalising goal. It was a terrific header.
"We had to keep going and to be fair to the team, in the campaign they managed to score late goals and they backed that up again by getting another late goal.
"So credit to the players, it shows the mentality is right with the players."
But Kenny acknowledged that there is work to be done to get the side performing the way he would like and saw room for improvement on Thursday’s performance.
"Our back four would want to be more cohesive," he added.
"We got exploited on at least two occasions, and we need to be cohesive as a back four and make sure we have the correct balance in there.
"In midfield, our passing was exceptional with a lot of good movement but maybe did not penetrate the Bulgaria back line enough. They were very well drilled and to be fair to Bulgaria they defended well.
"We had 91 percent pass completion and what we need to improve on is more penetrative passes, try and open defences. We've analysed that and looked at our play. That's one area we need to improve on.
"And I think that because Bulgaria did not press as high or defend with a high line, sometimes you cannot utilise the speed that you have got in the team and space is at a premier when that happens."
And the manager also heaped praise on midfielder James McCarthy, who was back in a green shirt following a lengthy absence, and Kenny believes that the best is yet to come from the Crystal Palace man.
"James is a really, really exceptional player, he's got a brilliant range of passing, he's got every pass you need for a midfield player," he said.
"Plus he also offers protection to the back four. He reads it so well and he's quick over the ground. He’s a really good player but he's in pre-season, and we have have to manage James as well, he's in pre-season. You have to be cognisant of that. It is early for him, he hasn’t played a league game yet."
The manager was asked about some of the online criticism aimed at his side’s performance – perhaps a reference to a prominent former player who was not too complimentary of the showing in Sofia.
But Kenny was not concerned, stating: "Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I never ask anyone.
"Everyone can think for themselves. It's subjective. I have no problem with that, that's part of the game. I would never lecture anyone on that."
Follow Republic of Ireland v Finland (KO 5pm) via our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app, or listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1's Sunday Sport
