John O'Shea 'frustrated' as Ireland fail to take chances against Belgium 

The interim boss saw his side draw with the Red Devils on Saturday evening.

Republic of Ireland interim head coach John O'Shea. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Small but significant steps were the main takeaway for John O’Shea to derive from a sedentary stalemate in Ireland’s first action of 2024.

Belgium, lofted fourth in the world rankings, were the guests but holding the scoreless has been measured against the experimental approach taken by Domenico Tedesco.

He called it straight, unwilling to indulge in hyperbole for a game that lacked incisiveness as much as anything else.

“It felt like a summer training match. It wasn't our best match. The pace was very low, it was boring. Especially in possession, we played too slowly. The result says it all, I was happy when the referee blew the whistle.” 

Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku were held back for their midweek trip to Wembley as the Italian shapes his squad for the Euros in the summer.

Ireland won’t be there but will have an envious eye, one also comparing against what they have to conquer to compete in the Nations League campaign later this year and, more importantly, next year’s World Cup qualifiers.

John O’Shea is doing the legwork while the new gaffer holds fire to give the instructions.

Though keeping the seat warm, he gave all the impression of someone acting as if he was in charge for what’s to come.

“It's a frustrating one,” he said after a game in which Evan Ferguson saw his first-half penalty save.

“You appreciate Belgium had a decent bit of possession but we felt beforehand we wouldn't mind that as we knew the damage we could create against them on the break.

“If we take those chances when they arrive in the game, it would open up Belgium in the game and we could exploit it even more.

“A frustrating one in that sense: you're playing Belgium in Dublin, you'd take a clean sheet but a little bit disappointed in the end too.” 

On the topic of relying on counterattacks and the set-piece artillery of the returning Robbie Brady, he was keen not to crib about the former reign of Stephen Kenny.

He said: “It's just a mix in the current situation, in terms of where the players are at with their clubs, the opposition you will face.

“It's just for the here and now, it's not about a previous situation. It's what we felt would be most beneficial for us to get a win.” 

For the onlooking boss, there were glimpses of the material he’ll inherit. Debutant Sammie Szmodics was impressive over his 70 minutes on the pitch and Séamus Coleman proved he’s still capable at 35 on his first international for a year.

“The two wing backs, Seamus and Robbie, that's what I thought about straight away when I saw the potential of our three centre-backs playing in the Premier League.

“They have that experience around them to keep playing, to keep pushing them. It was never going to be an issue for me as I know the type of people and players they are.” 

O’Shea's temporary stint ends on Tuesday against Switzerland, a game he’s promised changes for.