It's been a whirlwind four weeks for John O'Shea since being named Ireland interim manager, however, the former Manchester United man appears to be unfazed by the entire process.
The Waterford native revealed that he has been sleeping well, even on the night before the first match, he has maintained a relaxed demeanour throughout, and he has enjoyed every minute of camp with the players and his backroom staff, including his managerial debut, as he watched his side match the world number four ranked side, Belgium.
However, O'Shea admitted that nine minutes into the game, Caoimhin Kelleher did make his heart skip a beat or two, as the goalkeeper decided to cut back inside Belgium striker Lois Openda as he chased down a backpass into the Ireland box.
"Oooh, that first one got me, I have to say. That first one got me," said O’Shea, speaking to the media following the game on Saturday night.
"As I mentioned [about the quality of the goalkeepers], seeing the lads in training, he just did leave it a bit too long, but fair play to him, he's in a confident mood."
Kelleher repaid the manager’s faith in his selection by keeping a clean sheet at Lansdowne Road, with a top class save late in the game denying Thomas Meunier what could have been a match-winning goal.
And while O’Shea was full of praise for Kelleher, he would not get drawn into the big question over the keeper’s future and whether he needs to move away from Liverpool to become a number one at another club.
"Look, he's doing okay for everyone at the minute. Let him focus on that in the summer.
"He's got a big end to the season, a big game potentially coming up for Ireland, we'll see on Tuesday, we'll see what team is selected, and then he's potentially got a big end to the season as well for Liverpool.
"Ultimately, any player, you must want to get playing, whether you're a keeper, defender, midfielder, attacker, the key thing is to be playing, and I'm sure that's what every Ireland fan wants, when you see lads playing at a competitive level, in the team every week, it's really pleasing because you know ultimately it benefits the Ireland team."
O’Shea admitted that there were several close selection calls ahead of the Belgium game and no doubt, the choice of keeper between Kelleher and regular number one Gavin Bazunu had to have been a tough one for the manager to ponder.
And with O’Shea speaking about the need to freshen up the team for Tuesday night, there is every chance that he was planning to give the two keepers one game each, which could see Bazunu return between the sticks for the Switzerland match.
"Yeah, look we'll wait and see, there's every chance he will, but I won't be confirming anything about the team," said O’Shea, when asked about the chances of Bazunu starting.
As the manager mentioned, there will be some necessary and tactical changes, while O’Shea is also mindful of players' club situations, as the business end of their respective campaigns kick in after this international window.
"Look there's every chance we can freshen up and that's what we'll discuss tomorrow (Sunday) morning when we get everyone down to the training pitch," said O’Shea.
"The lads who did most of the game will be recovering, and we'll have Joe [Hodge] and Andy [Moran] arriving in too. There are good options for us to rotate a good bit, bring that freshness and intensity because it's that stage of the season too for clubs.
"Look, I'm focusing on Ireland first and foremost, don't get me wrong, but it's an appreciation of what lads have gone through this season as well.
"There'll be a couple of tweaks definitely, the buy-in and the intensity I've got from the lads and the closeness too of some of the decisions were in the selection for today's game would lead to some more tough decisions for Tuesday as well."
O’Shea could not look past the three Premier League central defenders to start the game against Belgium, however, he admitted that Lyon-based Jake O’Brien has impressed at training this week, and there is every chance that he will make his debut on Tuesday.
And the manager believes that it is Ireland’s strongest department, when you take into consideration the many other options that are not even in the current squad.
"You've Jake O'Brien pushing; Liam Scales, Shane Duffy, John Egan, younger lads doing well, Eirian Cashin is doing brilliantly. It's a solid area as it normally is for Ireland."
If Sunday was a recovery day for many of the squad, there will not be much time to work on anything new going into the Switzerland match, however, O’Shea did suggest that he might have to have a look at some aspects of decision-making.
The manager had no qualms with Chiedozie Ogbene opting to shoot in the early stages of the game, when there appeared to be a better option inside, however, he said that players need to take that responsibility to make a pass if someone is in a better position.
"We’ll discuss that later on, but goalscorers, he’s an attacker, he wants to go for goal," said O’Shea.
"That’s what we’ll have to discuss," said O’Shea, when asked did he realise Seamus Coleman was arriving into the box.
"We’ll see. We might do some extra training on that. Just getting on that quickly, that’s what we spoke about, the stuff we went through during the week in terms of where we can get through and then the options we have.
"That just comes down to the decision-making then. If an attacking player is in front of goal in that area, he is more than within his right to shoot.
"But sometimes if a fella is in a better position, then you’ll be arguing. That’s for sure."
