O’Neill targets dangerman Lewandowski

As he bids farewell to his first full year of international management, Ireland boss Martin O’Neill recognises his European Championship fate could well hinge upon one of the continent’s foremost strikers.

Robert Lewandowski skippers a Polish ship arriving into Dublin for the March 29 qualifier with a three point buffer on the Irish in pursuit of a coveted automatic voyage of discovery ticket to France in 2016.

With O’Neill echoing the common view that Germany will recover to claim top spot in Group D, the Derry man admits only a twin-track strategy of suppressing the Bayern Munich marksman’s threat and having service delivered to his own famished strike force will suffice for the desired turnaround to materialise.

“We’ve got Poland and Scotland up next at home, a tough order, but of great significance and games that we need to try and win,” said O’Neill yesterday.

“Poland have the bit between their teeth and they have Lewandowski who, at this minute, is playing as well as any centre forward playing in European football.

“I think it doesn’t necessarily follow that a great performance gives you the result. But an excellent performance, a strong attacking performance, is something that we will try to look to. And with the onus on us as the home side to come and attack, and try not to leave too many gaps at the back.

“I think that, when all is said and done, Germany will still win the group. They will get their act together in 2015 and have probably dropped more points than I think they would have imagined, even at this stage of the campaign.

“But what has happened is Poland have gone and beaten Germany and drawn with Scotland at home, so perhaps our victory in Georgia may still turn out to be three very important points.”

An early injury scare was presented to O’Neill is midweek through Stephen Ward’s unfortunate ankle fracture. The prognosis on the Burnley man is such that the resumption of the qualification series in three months’ time is well within reach but injuries have afflicted the manager during the campaign already for him to be plotting a contingency at left-back.

Newcomer Cyrus Christie has suggested he’s agreeable to switching berth across from right-back but the indications from the boss are that Robbie Brady’s display against USA last time out positions him the role of able deputy.

He said: “I think that young Brady did very well at left-back against USA. In fact, he scored two goals. I know one was a free kick but I thought he did excellent. And if he continues to show the same form at club level, he would be well in contention.

“I haven’t seen Cyrus play left-back for his club and you wouldn’t want to throw someone in immediately without that. So, if we have ideas like that, not just that one but a few other ideas, then we have got some time to practice them in the week leading up to the matches.”

Another Robbie consuming O’Neill’s mind this week was his captain and newly-anointed MLS Most Valuable Player and title-winner. Suspicions on whether an ageing Keane fits the spec for the boss in this campaign were raised last month in Scotland when he was dropped, yet O’Neill stores him in similar high regard as the Americans do.

“It was a great year for Robbie and I was hoping to actually get out to see him (in LA),” explained the 62-year-old, who was last night deciding over the choice of today watching the Premier League game between Crystal Palace and Stoke or making the shorter trip to Brentford, where Shane Duffy will marshall the Blackburn defence.

“I spoke to Robbie about the possibility of it if they got to the final last week. It never materialised — just things caught up with everyone.

“He had the final to concentrate on so I was delighted and sent him a few messages of congratulations. I’m sure that, having started the year with his Achilles problems and end it in the manner he did, is a great credit to him.

“Robbie is our most prolific goal scorer, and I think regardless of the age — and I know age catches up on everyone — he remains a very strong element in the team.”

Meanwhile, O’Neill reckons Irish women’s international Stephanie Roche’s strike deserves to edge out James Rodríguez and Robin van Persie for the FIFA Puskás Goal of the Year Award on January 12.

He said: “You would have to say, of the last three, it is the outstanding goal. I know that there is a difference —people will say the others were scored in the World Cup, and Stephanie’s wasn’t — but not at all. In terms of execution, it is definitely the best goal of the three that are left in it.”