Holland and Breen impress Mick most

Matt Holland and Gary Breen are the players who have impressed Mick McCarthy most in the World Cup spotlight.

Damien Duff, Robbie Keane and Shay Given were expected to shine on the world stage and have lived up to expectations for the Republic of Ireland in these World Cup finals.

But manager Mick McCarthy tonight picked out Matt Holland and Gary Breen as two other players who have responded to the World Cup spotlight.

Both players have set up lucrative moves for themselves with their displays so far here in Asia.

Ipswich skipper Holland is already being targeted by bigger clubs and the East Anglian outfit will find it difficult to hold on to him after being relegated from the Premiership.

As for Breen, he is without a club after being released by Coventry because they could not afford to keep him on, and is already being linked with a top flight move.

McCarthy said: "I have to be honest, I think Mattie Holland has been exceptional and one

guy if I’m going to single anybody out is Gary Breen. He has been outstanding, his contribution and his defending.

"I didn’t think we defended great in the first 15 minutes or half-an-hour against Cameroon as a team, but Gary’s been excellent. For a guy who is perhaps the first unemployed player to score in the World Cup, maybe he will make a good quiz question.

"As for the others, Shay Given does not have a lot to do in the game but then when he’s called up he does it very, very well. I think Duffer and Robbie have got the ability to cause any defenders problems. I would put my faith in them to cause trouble for anybody, Spanish defenders or anybody

else."

It is Spanish defenders who the Irish will be up against on Sunday in Suwon for a place in the quarter-finals, and after Tuesday’s victory over Group E minnows Saudi Arabia, McCarthy is looking forward to being the underdogs again.

"Suddenly we become the underdog again and the pressure is not the same," said McCarthy. "The pressure for Spain will be having to turn out and win against a team supposedly not as good as you which is horrible in football.

"We’ve all seen giant-killings, France are out, Argentina are out and it is a difficult pressure to deal with as France found out coming here as World champions. That’s pressure, that’s expectation.

"I always remember my experience of that playing at Celtic and winning the double the first year I was there. The second year the weight of expecting to do it again had a big effect on us all. I think going into the game with people expecting you not to win is a far easier way to go into it."

Despite being the underdogs, McCarthy does not fear Spain and knows his team is capable of winning in this one-off situation. "There are too many shocks in football around the world to suggest we can’t win this game," he said.

"Anybody who suggests we can’t win it must be crazy because our results and performances have been too good over a long period of time.

"To suggest we are just going to turn up and Spain are going to beat us is nonsense. The Spanish manager will be confident because he has good players, but I have seen it too often against the Irish where teams turn up and they are very confident - they go away with a bit of a spanking.

"The bigger they are the harder they fall and the smaller they are the farther they go.

"Spain yesterday were excellent but I think we’ve got some very skilful players as well. The team spirit is a big thing with us but it is not the whole thing, we’ve got some good players and I believe as a team we’re quite capable.

"They’ve got good players, they won their group quite comfortably, and of course we’ll endeavour to put ourselves as firm underdogs in the game because we’ll enjoy that. They’re a very good side but we won’t worry about them any more than anybody else.

"Perhaps Spain are the bigger and better side - but it doesn’t mean they are going to beat us."