Takeaways from Ireland's stalemate with Belgium

Belgium's Timothy Castagne (left) and Republic of Ireland's Evan Ferguson battle for the ball.

Judging the opening scene of the year’s show is difficult when the main actor is absent.

There was more to be heartened than horrified by in Saturday’s stalemate against Belgium but the passing of time and arrival of manager will be required to quantify the worth of this exercise.

That it won’t be John O’Shea appearing from behind the curtain as the permanent boss was clear from the afternoon he was unveiled as stopgap for this window on March 4.

Director of Football Marc Canham spoke of contractual obligations delaying the big reveal and nothing has changed in the meantime to alter the timeline for the name being issued once the April 9 women’s Euro qualifier against England at Lansdowne Road is done.

If that commitment prevented the chosen one from watching events at Lansdowne Road play out live, he’ll have reviewed it by now.

O’Shea’s tenancy expires once Tuesday’s second home workout in four days against Switzerland concludes.

The newcomer will have the pair of June friendlies to impart his methods on the squad before they embark on a Nations League campaign in September, with promotion and a World Cup playoff berth as twin priorities.

So what will the heir apparent have learned from a game that visiting manager Domenico Tedesco derided as “boring”?

Reaction by his temporary predecessor O’Shea to several noteworthy matters will probably interest him.

There were parallels with the Stephen Kenny regime he was part of towards the end, insofar as an identical 3-4-2-1 formation and going short from goalkicks but differences prevailed elsewhere.

Here’s just a few of the takeaways from the first outing of a busy 2024:

Sammie seizes the spotlight:

Whatever about passport and personal matters interrupting Szmodics’s journey to a debut, it’s clear he was overlooked by Kenny in November. O’Shea rectified it by throwing the Championship’s top scorer straight into the starting line-up, partnering Chiedozie Ogbene behind Evan Ferguson, and he injected spark operating in a slightly wider role to that he functions in for Blackburn.

“It was a shame he didn't get on the scoresheet but I was really pleased with his debut.” O’Shea said of his spurned chance approaching the break. “Sammie is in confident form and will get into those positions.” 

Robbie’s revival:

A year ago, Kenny drafted Robbie Brady into his squad late, deployed him in training to deliver free-kicks and corners, only to then cull the winger from the 23 matchday players against France.

This was his first Ireland outing since saving Kenny’s bacon by scoring a late winner against Armenia in November 2022.

How Brady wasn’t assigned penalty duties again here was baffling, for his accuracy is renowned. Evan Ferguson, another of the St Kevin’s Boys alumni, had missed his last one for Ireland too in the U21 Euro playoff defeat to Israel. Brady showed his repertoire exceeds beyond merely deadballs with clever passing and a cross on the run that Ferguson should have nodded home.

“I know the kid for a long, long time,” said his former Manchester United colleague O’Shea. “I know Robbie’s ability and his personality for the group, which was going to be a big help this week.” 

Doc takes his medicine:

It stretches back to Martin O’Neill’s time for when Matt Doherty was previously dropped.

Brady’s gain counterbalanced as a loss for his fellow 32-year-old. It could hardly be attributed to club form, as several others are in the same peripheral phase he is for Wolves.

Whereas Kenny solved the Séamus Coleman/Doherty dilemma by redeploying him on the left, O’Shea favoured going orthodox with a natural left-footer.

It was the sole marginal call O’Shea was forced into when it came to his squad and team selection, yet to illustrate the phony situation caused by FAI tardiness, the incoming gaffer could reinstall Doc as the jewel in his crown.

Smallbone’s small step to midfield:

Last June, the Southampton man Ireland career was already on the ropes after his competitive debut in Greece saw him floundering in an advanced position. O’Shea worked with the playmaker as part of his duties with the U21s and Stoke City, where the 24-year-old spent a season on loan. Filling that gap beside Josh Cullen is uppermost on the to-do list and, while Joe Hodge seems more suited and may show it against Switzerland, Smallbone has amassed the games to deserve his crack.

Goalkeeping gold:

A changing of the guard might be imminent, given the decision to promote Caoimhín Kelleher and yet O’Shea all but confirmed the previous owner of that role Gavin Bazunu will start against the Swiss.

One world-class save by the Liverpool stopper from Thomas Meunier with 15 minutes left preserved a clean sheet, albeit some of his casual dribbling skills had his boss petrified. “Ultimately, you want to see any player getting games,” O’Shea said about the likelihood of Alisson returning to unseat the Corkman. “Ultimately it benefits the Ireland team.” 

Greener shoots:

A paucity of goalmouth action kept the vocal cords idle among the disappointing turnout of 38,128 for lengthy periods, the gloom occasionally lifted by cheers at the sight of Brian Kerr appearing on the big screen.

The Greener is back where he belongs influencing Irish football after 18 years in the wilderness. If the soon-to-be-anointed supremo craves insight and intelligence to smooth his transition, Kerr will be retained along with O’Shea among the backroom backbone. That’s when the entertainment really begins.