Well, what we want to see is Ireland storm to 3-0 by half-time, grab a couple more in the second half and then hear that Andorra have nicked a late winner in Moscow. But on a more realistic level, here is what Ireland must do tonight.
By Sean Nolan
Defence: Our defensive unit, despite having an almost constantly changing cast, has been superb. How long is it since we conceded a goal in a qualifier? Enda Kenny was only in the big job on Kildare Street just over two weeks when Macedonia’s Ivan Trickovski slipped the ball past Kieran Westwood just before half-time in Ireland’s 2-1 win at Aviva. Since then we have held out and even though Armenia are scoring goals for fun – 11 in three games – we have the players to shut them down.
Their best player, Henrik Mkhitaryan, has scored five and set up three in nine games. The Shakhtar Donetsk man is not the biggest but he is speedy. Richard Dunne and Sean St Ledger cannot allow him to get a run at them and we need John O’Shea to keep the left-back channel narrow as he will look to exploit us there.
Midfield: We expect lots of effort and very little creativity from Glenn Whelan and Keith Andrews. That will probably do us tonight but it is a bigger issue that needs to be addressed if we actually make it to Euro 2012. With Armenia probably playing five across the middle, with the wingers pushing on to make it a central three at times, our two lads will be busy and they need to avoid an early booking. More importantly they will need to use the ball well when they get it. It’s asking a lot but with Armenia pushing for a win, Andrews and Whelan must exploit the wings and release Aiden McGeady and Damien Duff when the opportunity arises.
Wingers: Duff and McGeady may well be the two best defensive wingers in international football. The final ball, especially from McGeady, when they attack can be frustratingly poor, but their work rate and importance to the system Giovanni Trapattoni employs is vital. They will be busy tonight, with Armenia using their wingers, Marcos Pizelli and Gevorg Ghazaryan, to great effect. But they must also be prepared, or allowed to, take a chance and surge forward into the inevitable space available tonight. And then, when in position to hurt Armenia, deliver a ball that can do some damage.
Forwards: We are still not over the shock of Simon Cox in ahead of Shane Long but we think that Cox will be asked to join the midfield battle if Ireland start to struggle there. The West Brom striker is, like most of Trap’s choices, a hard worker and won’t mind at all, even if we would all prefer to see him a bit closer to goal. It will leave Ireland playing 4-5-1 at times and luckily in Kevin Doyle we have a player who can lead a line on his own. It may not be pretty, and we may not craft too many chances, but Doyle looked more like his old self against Andorra and he is our best hope of a goal tonight. Just don’t totally isolate him please. Thanks.
Bench: Trap’s one trump card to play is Long, who will enter like a terrier if sent on. He will be fiercely motivated to show he should start and that may be the wily Italian’s plan. It’s the only reason we can think of anyway. Seamus Coleman, who has been having a fine start to the year for Everton, can also come on and add a bit of quality, while Keith Fahey has been in excellent form for Birmingham in the Championship. But realistically we have little real spark from the bench and if we are losing with 30 minutes to go, Trap will need to radically alter his thinking. Which is never going to happen, is it?
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