OpinionUpdated at 18.00
OF THE 11 that began the game against Georgia, Stephen Ward was the only player not to have started a game with their club this season.
Yet the Burnley star was actually one of Ireland’s more solid players on Sunday, at one point memorably putting in a crunching tackle to halt a Georgian attack.
However, if he continues to struggle for first-team football with his club, his place in the Ireland side will inevitably continue to be questioned.
Nevertheless, left-back is an area where Ireland are short of options as it is, with Marc Wilson needed at centre-back and Joey O’Brien injury-prone, which is why it’s vital Ward starts to get some game time at domestic level.
(Mark Noble his currently considering his options at international level)
It’s understandable why a young player such as Jack Grealish is reluctant to declare for England or Ireland just yet, but at 27, surely Mark Noble needs to now definitively commit to one country or the other.
The West Ham star indicated recently that he’d make his mind up in the “next couple of weeks,” and he would certainly be a welcome addition to the Ireland squad if not necessarily the first XI for the upcoming fixtures against Gibraltar and Germany.
However, any more procrastination following his already lengthy delaying tactics would render the situation farcical, so a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ is surely required before the next squad announcement.
Shane Long is undoubtedly Ireland’s best striker right now — can you imagine any team paying £12million for any of his rivals for a place in the national side?
Yet against Georgia, Long was snubbed in favour of Robbie Keane.
The LA Galaxy man deserves considerable respect for his incredible goalscoring record at international level (62 goals in 135 appearances), but against Georgia, he was plainly ineffectual in a role that he is clearly ill-suited to — the lone frontman position.
Against Germany, Long’s pace and power should win him the sole striker role — Keane, by contrast, is a luxury player that the Irish team can no longer afford to accommodate in games where defending needs to be prioritised.
While O’Neill’s preference for an out-and-out goalscorer such as Keane against a weaker outfits like Georgia was understandable to a degree, his extended period spent as an automatic pick for Ireland should be brought to an end against Germany (if not necessarily Gibraltar).
(James McCarthy was asked to play in an unfamiliar attacking position against Georgia)
While he created the assist for McGeady’s first goal, for the most part, James McCarthy looked uncomfortable and was largely uninvolved in the play in a more unfamiliar attacking midfield role against Georgia.
From hereon in, this failed experiment needs to be ditched, and McCarthy should be granted license to do what he does best for Everton — breaking from the sitting position and starting attacks rather than finishing them.
Along with Seamus Coleman, the 23-year-old is potentially Ireland’s most invaluable player judging by his club form, but the national team’s management must first figure out how best to employ his undoubted talent.
Whether or not you agree with O’Neill’s decision to leave Hoolahan on the bench in the Georgia game, he is surely needed more than ever against Germany.
Ireland will struggle as it is to keep possession playing away from home against the world champions, but why exacerbate this problem by leaving out the team’s best passer of the ball?
Moreover, Germany showed on Sunday against Scotland that they are vulnerable on the counter attack. Of all the current Irish players available, no one else (arguably apart from Andy Reid) has the ability to play the kind of incisive through balls for a pacy striker such as Shane Long to run onto.
(Darren Randolph was dropped after being called up to Ireland’s provisional squad)
In his selection for the most recent squad, Martin O’Neill appears to have ignored club performances in certain cases.
Rather than calling up two goalkeepers who were playing regular football in the Championship in the form of Stephen Henderson and Darren Randolph, he instead chose two goalkeepers who have struggled for first-team football in recent years – Shay Given and Rob Elliot.
While Given’s inclusion is understandable to a degree owing to the experience and leadership he can offer, Elliot’s presence in the squad when others are clearly performing better at club level seems strange.
It’s a minor issue, but one that should not be overlooked, as while Elliot has never let O’Neill down, there should be no room for sentiment in football.
There has long been a perception in certain Irish footballing circles that Germany are virtually unbeatable.
One of the more telling indicators of the side’s inferiority complex when it comes to the world champions was evidenced by then-caretaker boss Noel King’s comments that Ireland should be “proud” of their 3-0 loss away to the Germans in the last qualifying campaign.
Since then, there have been similarly defeatist comments coming from the Ireland camp, to the point where players are suggesting that the Germans are effectively guaranteed to finish top of their group.
Of course, perhaps they’re trying to lull Joachim Loew’s side into a false sense of security by hyping them up, but if Ireland players truly believe Germany can’t be beaten, then they will likely face another humiliation as happened in their 2012 6-1 hammering at the Aviva.
Germany may be the best international team in the world, but inferior sides such as Scotland, Ghana and Algeria have caused them considerable problems in recent months. Should Ireland get their preparation and tactics right, there is no reason why they can’t aspire to reach similar heights.
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