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Ireland get their Euro 2016 preparations underway with Switzerland and Slovakia travelling to Dublin to take on the boys in green this week. It has been over 9 months since Ireland’s last international friendly and with the European Championships drawing ever close, Martin O’Neill’s window to experiment and look at new players is rapidly closing.
Here’s some of the main talking points ahead of the game.
1) Who will play in goal?
Ireland’s manager has an abundance of riches to choose from when it comes to selecting his number one because the position of ‘keeper is arguably the most competitive one in the squad. Only three men will be on the plane to France though so O’Neill’s selections over the coming few days could be telling.
Shay Given hasn’t played since coming off injured in the famous 1-0 win over Germany but in his absence, Darren Randolph has proven to be a more than capable deputy and he’s all but assured of a place in France.
The West Ham shot stopper has been used sparingly by Slaven Bilic this season though and David Forde is in a similar position, the former Galway United and Derry City man is behind Jordan Archer in the Milwall pecking order.
Newcastle ‘keeper Rob Elliot is in the exact opposite situation for his club though and O’Neill has stated that both men will feature in the coming week. “I wanted Darren Randolph to start one of the games and I wanted Robbie Elliot to start the other one,” the manager said. Both shot-stoppers will be eager to impress and keep a clean sheet in the process.
2) Will Matt Doherty feature at left-back?
Robbie Brady has frequently proven his value to Ireland during Euro ’16 qualification but there’s no denying that the Norwich City man does his best work higher up the pitch.
Despite only featuring in 19 games for Burnley this season, Ward played in the home win against Germany and away leg against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The Irish manager clearly trusts the former Bohs man but the left-back position been a problematic one for Ireland in recent years and with Marc Wilson facing a race against time to be fit for France due to his medial ligament injury, the versatile Doherty is certain to feature.
The defender is more comfortable when playing on the right side of defence but he has also been used on the opposite flank by Wolves this season. Could this versatility prove to be important when O’Neill makes his final decision on the squad for France?
3) Long term thinking.
While there’s no point in making wholesale changes to a team that’s got momentum behind them, the Irish management aren’t going to learn a lot from these fixtures by stubbornly persisting with the same tried and trusted players that got us to France.
There’s no doubting that O’Neill will experiment and see if some of the newcomers to the squad will swim or sink in the international arena.
The Irish manager has even said that “one or two players, I am quite sure, the older players, might feel as though this is their last tournament, so I just want players to be prepared and be ready so if they step into the international arena, they are not over-awed by it.”
We’d be amazed if the Irish starting XI for both matches doesn’t strike a balance between experience and youth. With Jon Walters, Robbie Keane and Jeff Hendrick all ruled out, expect Eunan O’Kane, Shane Duffy, Stephen Gleeson, Alan Judge and Jonathan Hayes to get a look in at some point.
4) Will we have a bolter?
James McClean was the late arrival into Ireland’s squad for Euro 2012 squad and O’Neill has been at pains to stress that he’s keeping an open mind when it comes to the final 23 for France.
One of the main issues of contention for Irish supporters heading into Euro 2012 was that the team seemed to be set in stone with a predictable starting XI and tactical setup, a feeling that manifested itself within the camp in Poland. Here’s hoping that some of the new faces can create a sense of healthy competition and rivalry as we build towards Sweden in Paris on June 13th.
While O’Neill will already know the makeup of 80% of his squad for Euro ’16, there’s still the very real possibility for someone to force their way into ONeill’s thinking.
Alan Judge’s form for Brentford has been exceptional so far, he’s scored 14 goals and set up 10 more in just 36 games this season, while Stephen Gleeson’s cultured passing has been a key factor in Birmingham’s rapid rise up the Championship table in 2016.
Ireland’s manager must be disappointed with Harry Arter’s late withdrawal from the squad, he has been excellent for Bournemouth so far this season, but his clubmate Eunan O’Kane should see some minutes on the pitch.
5) Right now, where are Ireland?
Switzerland started their European qualification poorly with defeats to England and Slovenia but there’s no denying that there’s quality in their squad, we all remember how close they went to knocking Argentina out of the World Cup in Brazil.
Swiss stars Stephan Lichtsteiner, Xherdan Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka (a gifted footballer that’s set for bigger things) and Haris Seferović should all provide a stern test for the Irish rearguard while Slovakia won’t be holding anything back when they come to the Aviva, especially since Ireland will provide the perfect warmup for Ján Kozák’s side with games against England and Wales on the horizon for them.
This being said, there’s a sense of energy and optimism about this Irish team right now and two wins in the coming days will only add to this.
COYBIG!
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