Mick McCarthy: 'If we win the first one, I think we'll win the second'

If Ireland beat Slovakia in their play-off semi-final next month, Mick McCarthy believes that his team will go on to qualify for the Euro 2020 finals.

While not underestimating the challenge of trying to win back to back away games against the Slovaks and then either Northern Ireland or Bosnia, the manager is confident that victory in the first game will drive Ireland on to victory in the second.

“We all know it’s hard,” he said yesterday. “But we’ve got to believe we can do it. The first one is the key. If we win the first one, I think we’ll win the second one. We’ll get momentum (and) we’ll win the second one.

"But we’ve got to beat Slovakia first and they are no mugs by any stretch. They’ve only lost once at home (in qualifying) and that was against Croatia.”

If the two Irelands do prevail in their semi-final games, the decider will take place in Belfast, a prospect which McCarthy maintains should hold no fear for himself or his players.

“I’m not going to be intimidated going to Windsor Park. And I don’t think the players are going to be, if that’s where they are going.

If Darren Randolph and the Doc or Seamus and Duffer and John Egan and Enda Stevens and Glenn Whelan, all those boys, are getting intimidated by going anywhere, then we’ve got a real problem, I don’t think that’s the case.

"But it might be the case if we’ve got kids playing.”

This was a theme for McCarthy when he addressed the media in Dublin yesterday — as INTERSPORT Elverys were unveiled as title sponsor of the FAI Summer Soccer Schools — beginning with his observation that a loan move, rather than a new contract at Spurs, would have been better for Troy Parrott’s immediate senior international ambitions.

“Playing U23 reserve team football is not the platform for him to get in this squad,” he said.

While McCarthy said he was not excluding anyone at this point, he made it very clear that his tried and tested players will get preference for the game in Bratislava.

There’ll be no big change. And if the lads who’ve been playing are fit, they’ll be first in contention. It’s not a game for debutants to come in and be expecting to play.

This was also the context in which McCarthy addressed whether or not rising U21 star Jason Molumby of Millwall could benefit from Glenn Whelan dropping down the divisions to play for Fleetwood Town.

“I understand the questions when they’re doing well in the Championship but I also understand the size of the task of making your debut as a senior international. And I made it as a hard-nosed pro. What was I? 25? With nearly 300 league games under my belt.

But Denmark away in a World Cup qualifier? Different ball game altogether. So Glenn, who for me has been probably the star man in three or four of our games, he has the edge on those, without any doubt.

But while McCarthy had indicated he will favour players who have already featured for Ireland in this campaign, two notable exceptions could be James McCarthy and Shane Long, both of whom are back in the mix for, respectively, Crystal Palace and Southampton.

“The exception is that he (McCarthy) has played before, he wouldn’t be coming in and making a debut,” said the manager. “It wouldn’t be alien to him and he wouldn’t be nervous about it.” Ditto, Shane Long.

“Nobody’s doubting his ability. It’s great that he’s got in and is playing some games. He’s got a much better chance if he’s playing, it’s as simple as that. He’s got no chance if he’s not playing.”

For McCarthy and Ireland, the game in Bratislava on March 26 will be the first time they play under the scrutiny of VAR. Asked if he is concerned that the controversial technology could emerge as the game’s headline-maker, the manager grinned and replied:

”I’m not completely against VAR, just how it’s been used at the moment: if they are offside it might be a toenail or half a foot. But I do think there have been some great decisions by it. The right team should win if the decision is right.”

Will he feel the need to control his emotions should Ireland score?

”Nah, I don’t give VAR that much consideration that I would be thinking about it as soon as the ball goes in the net. I’m seeing managers now telling players to hold on and calm down until VAR.

But we’ll wait and see what I do. Let’s hope we put it in the net.