Scary, if we don’t feel we can dominate Georgia
In the end, Ireland got the win which, added to the draw in Serbia, makes for a satisfactory points return from the opening two games of World Cup qualifiers. But scarcely masked by the 1-0 result against Georgia was a performance which, especially in an abject first half, served up far more questions than answers about where this Irish team is at under Martin O’Neill.
I’m sure that the manager was expecting a vibrant performance in Dublin after nicking that good result in Belgrade but, instead, what we got was something so lethargic that it was, frankly, alarming.
In selecting Shane Duffy and Ciarán Clark instead of John O’Shea and Richard Keogh as centre-backs and, despite his injury lay-off, picking James McCarthy ahead of Glenn Whelan in midfield, Martin’s selection put the emphasis on a combination of youth and players in good form for their clubs. In my opinion, his overall intention was probably to put out something close to the team which did so well against Italy and in the first half against France at the Euros.
It was clear from their opening game against Austria that if you allow them to, the technically accomplished Georgians can play a bit. So, in the first half in Tbilisi, the Austrians didn’t give them any time or space on the ball, repeatedly forced them into making mistakes and were rewarded with a two-goal lead at the break. And that was how I was expecting us to set out our stall. Instead, shockingly, we stood off them, almost as if the players thought it was going to be a relatively easy night. Either that or they simply lack the confidence, as a team, to believe they can go and dominate a side like Georgia. Which is a scary thought.
If, in preparing for the game, the management had shown the players exactly how you could upset the Georgians, by being physical and pressurising them, then it’s hard to understand how you’d get a performance like we saw in the first half. I also wonder if uncertainty among the players about what the team will be — they seemingly only find out a couple of hours before kick-off — is having a detrimental effect on them.
Certainly, what is glaringly obvious on the pitch is a lack of leadership in terms of setting the right example, as if the players still aren’t experienced enough at this level to know how they should approach a game. But, again, it’s hard to put your finger on exactly why, knowing that the opposition were useful on the ball, an Irish team would go out and afford Georgia the amount of time and space we did.
It was much better in the second half but I’ll bet it took a hell of a lot of harsh words at half-time to make the players realise what they had to do.
Yet, even though things improved after the break, we still never really had a firm grip on the game, and there continued to be evidence of another disturbing aspect of the night’s overall sub-standard performance — the sloppy manner in which the players gave the ball away.
Seeing that happen, time and time again, it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that this Irish team doesn’t handle the pressure of being favourites very well. It’s almost as if they prefer to be on the back foot, trying to nick something from a match, rather than having to dictate the play and control the game.
Yes, we stopped the Georgians causing us problems in the second half, but our inability to retain possession remained a liability.
And that, I have to say, is mainly down to a failure to take responsibility on the part of the players. For what he contributed physically to the game, James McCarthy showed that Martin O’Neill was right to pick him but, from a football point of view, he was hugely disappointing again, even if he did improve after the break. It just looks to me as if McCarthy doesn’t want the ball when, more than any other, he is the player who has to get on it if we want our defenders to go through midfield.
Which brings us to the Wes Hoolahan question. There’s no doubt in my mind that he should have been in the starting XI on Thursday. Wes is a player who asks questions of the opposition, gets turned on the ball, moves forward and develops the play, whereas McCarthy and Jeff Hendrick are more likely to go backwards or sideways.
Five years ago, I’m sure Martin O’Neill would have been of the view that Wes had to be in his team, but now, it seems, the player’s age — and the fact that he’s not as physical as others at the manager’s disposal — stand against him.
However, I would argue that if want you to show players how to take responsibility and make things happen on the ball, then you couldn’t get a better example than Hoolahan.
ith Hendrick and Robbie Brady out of tomorrow’s game in Moldova, then Wes must come into the team. Martin O’Neill spoke earlier this week about how he has excelled at unlocking defences at home but I wouldn’t have any concerns about playing him in any match. I think it’s a myth that he’s a liability in away games. Okay, you might not always get him at his brilliant best but, at a minimum, he’ll work as hard as anyone else for the team.
If, as I suspect, O’Neill, in looking to the future, is now trying to develop the team that finished the Euros, then he might well have thought that playing Wes against a side like Georgia was a step backwards. But, given the circumstances, I would regard now him as a certain starter tomorrow night. And we’ll be the better for having him.
Our dearth of attacking options remains a real concern but, against Moldova, I think we should have enough about us to get the win.
I would expect the back four and goalkeeper to stay the same. In midfield, because we’re away from home, Glenn Whelan will come in and, assuming he suffers no reaction to Thursday, James McCarthy will retain his place, with Hendrick suspended.
Hoolahan should replace Robbie Brady and then you’ll have James McClean — who did well in the second half against Georgia — Jon Walters and Shane Long.
And, when you consider that Moldova have shipped seven goals and scored none in their opening two games, that should be more than enough to take the modest team we’re up against.
But if we are going to deliver, then a critical lesson these Irish players must learn is that when you’re taking on so-called inferior opposition, you have to put the work in to make them look inferior. The better attitude Ireland showed in the second half against Georgia is the one they must start off with in Chisinau. And if that grim first half at the Aviva does act as a wake-up call, then at least it will have served some useful purpose.
