After a rollercoaster year since taking charge of his first senior international, Stephen Kenny now has seven months to ponder his selection ahead of his next competitive fixture.
The UEFA Nations League starts in June, the third edition of the relatively new competition, and one that has been handed added importance since the manager suggested that his side were capable of winning their group.
Perhaps not the wisest of predictions considering the team's results in the first two outings, yet considering how the past two months have transpired, the manager will feel even more confident ahead of the December draw, where he will find out our group mates for the summer of 2022.
The manager has seen a lot of players over his 15 months in charge and has had to throw certain youngster in at the deep end to see if they are ready to cope at that level.
Some have hit their stride immediately, while others have a bit to go but will have learned a lot from their involvement with the senior side.
So how could Ireland line out when that first game eventually does come around in June?
GOALKEEPER
GAVIN BAZUNU
An easy one to start. Gavin Bazunu was handed the gloves for the home game against Luxembourg, and even though it was a poor performance from the team, the teenager’s performance stood out. It was the one redeeming feature from a night to forget.
Bazunu has been an ever-present since in the competitive games and looks undropable - his world class save in Luxembourg when the scores were level a timely reminder of the quality that he possesses.
Caoimhin Kelleher will remain part of the conversation, while Mark Travers’ club form suggests that he is also going to prove a top-level performer. Spoilt for choice in this area for the next decade by the looks of things, such that Darren Randolph’s name has barely been mentioned in recent months.
Bazunu may be asked to sit on the bench at parent club Manchester City in the near future to become the number two keeper at the Etihad, however, having sampled a taste of top level football, you might imagine that he would rather move on to guarantee that he is only ever a number one.
CENTRAL DEFENCE
SHANE DUFFY
The emergence of young players like Dara O’Shea into the squad last year helped Ireland to deal with the fact that it looked like Shane Duffy was a long way from getting back to his best.
But the big Derry man came bouncing back at Brighton at the start of the season and has been as good as he ever has been at club level, while bringing the form into the international set-up since September.
Some suggested that he would struggle under Stephen Kenny’s possession-based football and emphasis on playing out from the back, however, Duffy has looked as comfortable as any of the back three in that department, and while there was the odd stray pass in Luxembourg, he reminded us that he has still got that uncanny ability to grab a goal when most needed.
JOHN EGAN
A stalwart in the heart of the Irish defence at this stage, and the move to a three-man unit at the back has probably most suited the big Cork man, who has hardly put a foot wrong in the heart of the defence.
Egan is proving just as dangerous as Duffy at set-piece play and showed his quality to finish with the opening goal in Portugal.
The Sheffield United man is in his prime now and it shows on the pitch in his own game and the way that he is helping every other Irish player on the pitch.
SEAMUS COLEMAN
Injuries have caused Seamus Coleman to miss more Ireland games than he would have liked in recent years but when fully fit, the Everton veteran consistently proves his worth on the pitch, whether at full back, wing-back or in a three in the middle.
Coleman was at his brilliant best at home to Portugal, and was well able to go again three days later in the Luxembourg victory, which suggests that there is plenty in the tank for the next couple of years at international level.
Andrew Omobamidele is the next man in, having taken Dara O’Shea’s place in the first Portugal game. O’Shea should be well back at full tilt next summer and both youngsters will want to be playing regularly at club level to be in with a decent shout of displacing one of the three experienced performers.
WING-BACKS
MATT DOHERTY
A position made for Matt Doherty as the Dubliner all but perfected the role during his days at Wolves, which earned him a move to Tottenham Hotspur.
Still playing catch-up in terms of the amount of caps that he should have by now, Doherty looks to be the number one in that position for the foreseeable in green, and has been getting better and better throughout the Kenny era.
Renowned for his marauding attacks up the flank, Doherty is just as valuable with his distribution, as proved with his link-up play with Chiedozie Ogbene in recent games, while he remains a goal threat, arriving late at the back post.
Doherty will hopefully get a decent run in the Spurs side this season to complement his games with Ireland.
ENDA STEVENS
Still getting back to his best following injury, Stevens, like Doherty is perfect for the wing-back role, and has been excellent since breaking into the Ireland team.
A solid defender, Stevens really shines going forward and offers quality delivery from deep or further up the pitch.
James McClean has impressed in recent months and has laid stake to the position and Kenny certainly sees a role for both, especially when playing with a more narrow unit up front.
Other that those two, Ryan Manning is a player that the manager likes, yet he would really need to be lighting it up at club level to have a chance of moving up the ladder before next summer.
MIDFIELD
JOSH CULLEN
Perhaps the main benefactor of the Kenny era so far, the Anderlecht man has become integral in Stephen Kenny’s system.
Players like James McCarthy and Harry Arter have been plagued by injury since Kenny took over and as a result Cullen has been given time to grow in the role.
Sitting just in front of the defensive line, Cullen’s reading of the game and positional sense has looked effortless throughout the past 12 months, while he has also started to offer more from an attacking perspective as confidence in the team grows.
Liam Brady’s opinions did not go down too well with Stephen Kenny supporters over the past few matches when it comes to contract decisions, however, the former Arsenal maestro has been very impressed with Cullen’s contribution. No greater compliment from a master of midfield.
JEFF HENDRICK
Club form may have hampered Hendrick’s chances of establishing himself in Stephen Kenny’s side, however, the Dubliner was back to his best in Portugal in September and has backed it up in every game that he has played since that narrow defeat in Faro.
Ireland play without a natural number ten, but when Hendrick gets time on the ball and a chance to look up, he has been pulling the strings from both deep and advanced positions. Another quality moment for Ireland’s second goal in Luxembourg as Hendrick fed Jason Knight to set up Chiedozie Ogbene.
If the team are to get the best out of their emphasis on possession, they need players like Hendrick who can not just pick a pass, but pick the right pass.
JASON KNIGHT
One of those players who immediately clicked at senior level when thrown in at the deep end under Stephen Kenny’s reign, the young Derby County prospect is a serious talent for Ireland’s future.
A player to build a team around, no doubt, Knight possesses all the attributes to make it to the very top, and proved as much with his performance off the bench against Luxembourg.
The close control and confidence to take players on led to the opening goal, the run and awareness to play the back-heel for the second and the generosity to feed Callum Robinson for the third when no one would have begrudged him had he opted to try a diving header or a volley at goal following the lung-busting run to reach James McClean’s searching cross.
Jamie McGrath appeared to have moved ahead of Knight in the pecking order, while experienced heads like Conor Hourihane and Alan Browne are also vying for the position, but you might imagine that by the time the summer fixtures arrive, Knight will have the position nailed down.
ATTACKERS
CALLUM ROBINSON
A talisman tends to emerge in every Ireland side and Callum Robinson has cheerfully taken on that role in recent months with six goals in his last four games.
The West Brom forward was always considered a firm favourite of the new manager, but Robinson was hit badly throughout the Covid crisis and has only really got a run of games recently, while also working out his best position.
That appears to be working the front from the inside left role, however, it looks like Robinson can roam wherever he likes in that final third, and it appears to be working.
Other hopefuls for that position have come and failed to impress with Troy Parrott and Aaron Connolly perhaps still a bit away from becoming regulars in the side.
CHIEDOZIE OGBENE
The Cork native has been fast-tracked into the senior side, and all on his own merits since impressing in a very short cameo against Hungary during the summer. Ogbene backed it up with a goalscoring appearance off the bench in Baku and was worthy of his starting position for the following game against Qatar.
Ogbene played 90 minutes against Portugal – subbed off for injury time – and ran the star defensive line ragged throughout, while doing something similar in Luxembourg, picking up another international goal and the player of the match award en route.
The Rotherham forward has jumped past Adam Idah in the starting line-up and that is probably down to the fact that he has that bit more club experience, which shows on the international stage.
Idah will, no doubt, be learning from Ogbene and may fancy a loan move in the New Year to get that bit of bite in his game to allow him to compete for that jersey come the start of the Nations League campaign.
