Always look on the bright side of international football. Everything can change off the back of one signature win by the Republic of Ireland at Lansdowne Road.
I do not expect this to happen on Sunday night against the Netherlands. But we live in hope. That’s pretty much all we have been able to do since Stephen Kenny became Irish manager in 2020.
Hope that Kenny’s desire to adopt a progressive style would get Ireland to a major tournament once again. This has not worked out. All is not lost, but a draw or defeat to the Dutch would leave the Republic out of contention to qualify for the Euros with three games to go.
Greece in Dublin next month could be a damp squib. That would signal a new low for Irish football.
Evan Ferguson is an enormous loss in this window but perhaps Ireland can still scramble to Germany 2024 via the backdoor. Maybe they can sneak into a play-off.
To be clear, I do not believe that can happen. I hope that sentence is shoved down my throat on Monday morning because there is plenty of hope to cling to this weekend, simply because a Dutch team of Marten de Roon at the base of midfield, Daley Blind and big Wout Weghorst up front is nothing to fear.
Nathan Collins or Shane Duffy can take care of Weghorst. None of the Irish players will be intimidated by the Netherlands.
I am harping back to yesteryear, but the teams I played on would relish a cut off them. De Roon is no Mark van Bommel. They are flattered by their Fifa ranking of seventh in the world just as they were barely tested by a desperate Greek performance on Thursday.
How Greece’s failure makes Ireland better off, considering that they were dismantled in Athens on June 16th, might be hard to see.
The high-energy Greek display that Gus Poyet inspired against Ireland was nowhere to be found this week. It was over at half-time in Eindhoven.
It was over in Paris after 19 minutes when Aurélien Tchouaméni scored from a magnificent strike. But Kenny’s defence keeps making the same mistakes. The concession of long-range goals has become a self-fulfilling prophecy as all the research on Ireland demands a shoot-on-sight policy.
The inability to keep it tight just after half-time, moments after the coaches have had the players in the dressing room, seems damning.
Chiedozie Ogbene should have made it 2-1 in Paris with 40 minutes still to play. Adam Idah could have taken on his man and engineered a shooting opportunity instead of turning and allowing the French defence to get set, although it worked out as James McClean sent a lovely cross onto Ogbene’s head. He tried to place it back across Mike Maignan’s goal. It was a strong arm save from by the AC Milan ‘keeper but it was also a weak header.
There ends the Irish attacking story against France. Thursday night was a cautious performance. The French back four defend high up the pitch and John Egan, recognising this, sent an early ball up to Idah.
Right, I thought, who is with him? Idah had nobody to link the play. Enda Stevens was not leaving space in behind for Ousmane Dembélé and Jason Knight was too attached to his high-pressing defensive duties.
Ireland went for a low block against France and when Gavin Bazunu was forced to go long there was no one collecting second balls off Idah.
It was effective in that they avoided a 5-0 or 6-0 drubbing but it created a passive attacking attitude that needs to be strained from the group before the Dutch come to town.
Also, there was a lack of hard challenges from Irish players that screamed at the French “you are in a game lads”. It was a disciplined approach but more physicality needs to be evident at the Aviva Stadium. I’m not calling for Jayson Molumby to lunge two-footed into Xavi Simons. More the sight of the midfielders and wing backs hunting in packs.
Kenny has been unlucky. Ferguson’s injury is worrying in both the short and long term but all the goodwill – and there has been an unprecedented amount for one of our own as the national manager – came unstuck in Athens.
Greece are not a top side. If they were the real deal, they would have shown up in Eindhoven.
That same standard must be levelled at Ireland. Simons and Cody Gakpo are quality attacking options for Ronald Koeman. Denzel Dumfries was brilliant at the World Cup in Qatar but his defensive lapses can be targeted. In Nathan Aké and Virgil van Dijk, the Dutch possess two of the best defenders in the business.
They are beatable but, being realistic, Kenny has tried and failed to change the face of Irish football. He does not have the players. The Irish public cannot expect to travel to a major tournament and remain competitive without a forward passing, progressive midfielder. There has been no purpose to our play while in possession.
No more excuses. This team and their manager have avoided the grief visited upon previous Ireland squads because the public know how we ended up in the ongoing financial mess. It’s the chickens coming home to roost after 20 years of mismanagement at board level.
Let’s see if that has changed in the coming weeks and months. Another gutsy showing that ends in a heroic draw is pointless. We all watched Athens and the first half against Gibraltar. No more talk about Ireland blooding 18 players and acting as if Covid only hurt them.
The past is gone. Now is the moment for Kenny’s Ireland to secure a memorable result.
