O’Neill’s bench management to be key in Georgia

With his starting 11 long since decided upon, it seems, Martin O’Neill is weighing up who might be used from the bench in Ireland’s opening European championship qualifier in Tbilisi on Sunday evening (5pm Irish time).

O'Neill said his team selection for the game against Oman on Wednesday had been made with the question in mind and that he is pleased to have gotten some game time into the legs of players who have been on the margins back at their clubs. Some will need it, he suggested, ahead of a game that will be played in temperatures significantly warmer than back in Ireland.

"It will be very interesting, yes," he said, "I would imagine if it's going to be hot as they say it is then you might have to make obvious adjustments. It is played in the evening time but temperatures might still be up. I've never been to Georgia but obviously the experiences before of people I'm listening to say it can still remain pretty hot in evening time. All of those things will bear some consideration when we come to Sunday.

“So it’s a matter of choosing your substitutes carefully. This was the whole idea of the game against Oman way back when I felt that some players who didn’t play any football would force their way into the 23.

"Obviously Darron Gibson because of injury but Stephen Ward and Kevin Doyle too. Even though they had been involved in Wolves they had not played any first-team football until Stephen went to Burnley. I had to take all that into consideration. Fitness is going to be very important and we'll treat it accordingly."

The comments suggest again that O’Neill is already fixed on his starting line up and that those who have not been playing for their clubs, including Shay Given, were at a considerable disadvantage as he weighed it up.

Jon Walters, meanwhile, was still regarded as minor doubt as the team travelled yesterday, despite having apparently come through the squad's final training session in Dublin without any obvious problems.

Séamus Coleman, on the other hand, is considered fully fit after recovering from the hamstring problem that disrupted his preseason to play in Everton’s most recent couple of league games. The full-back is a key player for the team and O’Neill says he is not unduly concerned that the 25 year-old has not yet to produce the goalscoring side of his game for his country.

“The very fact he’s getting forward and into good positions is important,” he says. “Like everything else, there’s a very big difference to playing for his football club, he’s playing there week-in, week-out and knows the system inside out.

“He gets himself into those sorts of forward positions for his club which is very good. But he might be asked to play differently at international level, I don’t mean just with me but maybe before, and it’s a case of getting used to different surroundings.

“I always wonder about this idea of replicating something at international level when you don’t play half as often as at club level. There, you hit a routine, suddenly you hit a goal from full-back, next week you’re thinking about doing the same again. But I’m quite sure he’s capable of getting into those positions to score.”

Coleman himself is also relaxed about the subject. “No, I haven’t scored but hopefully I can. The forward players and midfield players, it’s their job to score and mine to defend but if I can pop up with a couple of goals then so be it.”