In Gibraltar, winning is all that matters

If nothing else, victory in Gibraltar would help eradicate the memory of another tumultuous week for Irish football.

Negative headlines surrounding CEO John Delaney’s temporary loan, a seemingly endless stream of FAI statements, plus the resurfacing of Declan Rice’s ill-advised IRA tweet has heightened the need for Ireland’s senior team to create positive vibes.

Mick McCarthy will be quizzed on his formation, tactics and selection policy over the next two years. For now, the returning Irish manager’s immediate focus is securing his country’s first European Championship qualifying victory of a potentially difficult campaign.

Bottom line, it doesn’t matter how Ireland win as long as they come away with all three points from their trip to Gibraltar. Any other outcome would put McCarthy and his players on the back foot heading into Tuesday’s clash with Georgia.

Gibraltar’s defensive rock

Despite their lowly FIFA ranking (194th), overcoming Gibraltar on their home pitch will be far from easy.

Uruguayan manager Julio César Ribas made a name for himself during his time in charge of 23-time Gibraltar Premier League champions Lincoln Red Imps.

Ribas oversaw a 1-0 defeat of Celtic in a 2016 Champions League qualifying tie before taking the reins of a Gibraltar international side that registered UEFA Nations League victories over Armenia (1-0) and Liechtenstein (2-1) within the past six months.

The Republic of Ireland will most likely face a five-man defence protected by a midfield bank of four and solitary striker. Patience will be key against a team happy to get numbers behind the ball and frustrate their opponents.

Here come the good times?

Relegation from UEFA Nations League B marked a low point in the Republic of Ireland’s recent history and the end of Martin O’Neill’s managerial tenure last November.

Re-enter Mick McCarthy and a backroom team including Robbie Keane to help boost Ireland’s confidence heading into their latest qualifying campaign.

Optimistic comments emanating from a string of Irish players on press conference duty this past week suggests the feel-good factor has returned to the international setup.

Matt Doherty, Sean Maguire and Shamrock Rovers’ Jack Byrne are just some of the Irish players who praised the upbeat tone set by Mick McCarthy in the build-up to the Gibraltar game. All well and good but only a win at the Victoria Stadium will add credence to the Irish manager’s positive rhetoric.

Time to be positive

Scotland’s humiliation in Kazakhstan should serve as a timely reminder that total concentration and self-belief are required if the Republic of Ireland wishes to avoid disaster in Gibraltar.

Mick McCarthy’s starting line-up needs to have both the courage and conviction to take the game to their opponents. Sitting back against an ultra-defensive Gibraltar is not an option.

James McClean and Matt Doherty appear the best options on either flank while the in-form Sean Maguire and David McGoldrick deserve a chance to make their mark up front.