Trapattoni named his starting XI yesterday for a game which will go a long way to defining his reign. Despite some disconcerting reports during the week, when it was revealed that McShane and Cox had lined up on the left side for the 'probables' team in training, Trapattoni's eventual line-up has a reassuring feel to it. O'Shea and Dunne resume centre-back duties for the first time since the 1-1 draw with Italy in 2009, while Wilson was deemed fit enough to take the left-back berth. Coleman will raid forward from the other flank. Whelan and McCarthy line up in central midfield, with McClean and Walters getting the nod in the intriguing wing positions. Brady is unfortunate to miss out, and his absence means there is no recognised set-piece taker in the side. Keane and Long start up front.
Though Pilkington and Brady would be considered Ireland's form wingers, the incumbents offer admirable work-rate and physicality. McClean is a strange player - his early EPL form for Sunderland was genuinely outstanding, but he can often look one-dimensional, one-footed and clumsy, depending on form and mood. His recent performances for Ireland have been good, however, since a lacklustre display against Poland. Walters, on the other flank, will keep his marker honest and provide a target for Ireland's more 'direct' phases of play.
In theory, Sweden are tailor-made opponents for such a big game. Under Trapattoni, the Irish midfield has often struggled against opponents who crowd the midfield, with a playmaker (Hamsik, Modric, Dzagoev, Alaba) thus allowed to dictate the flow of a game against an undermanned engine room. Sweden will line up with a relatively straightforward 4-4-2, potentially opening up space for the Irish midfield to get on the ball. It will be open, physical, fast-paced and not very pretty - in other words, an EPL-style game.
It seems likely that Sweden will deploy 37-year-old former Southampton player Anders Svensson alongside Kim Kallstrom in the midfield instead of the highly-rated Albin Ekdal, which gives the Swedish midfield a pedestrian look, and offers James McCarthy a genuine chance of imposing himself on the game. Furthermore, Sweden's full-backs seem to lack the attacking ability that Ireland possess (how strange it seems to be able to type those words) with Wilson and Coleman. Sweden are also missing Tobias Sana and Rasmus Elm - possibly their two most highly-rated players after Ibrahimovic. Ireland will not have a better chance to upset a higher-ranked team at home.
However, there are two reasons to be doubtful about Ireland's chances - the foremost and obvious one being Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He looked disinterested in Stockholm when marshalled by Green, O'Shea and Clark, and if Ireland manage to cut off his supply line, he can be nullified. No striker is unstoppable, and Ireland have the discipline and experience at centre-back to get the job done. However, this is the first game of genuine intensity that Richard Dunne will have played since Euro 2012, and approaching 34, it remains to be seen if he can restore past glories (though it must be pointed out that the likes of Paul McGrath, Kevin Moran and Kenny Cunningham turned in some immense performances for Ireland in their mid-30s). O'Shea gave away a needless penalty last weekend for Sunderland, and could be vulnerable if his confidence has been dented. Zlatan is capable of scoring from even the slightest of opportunities, so in a game which promises to be tight, Ireland need to be vigilant. Cast your mind to the home game with France in 2005, when Thierry Henry was arguably the best striker in world football. Well-marshalled and quiet for most of the game, but after one lapse, the ball was in the net, and Ireland were dealt a fatal blow in the group. Such are the margins at this level.
The other lingering doubt comes from the lack of 'winning mentality' in the Irish camp. It's been over six years since Ireland won a game at home against higher-ranked opposition - and that was against Slovakia during the Staunton era. Memories of stalemates against Bulgaria, Slovakia and Austria will be vividly evoked if Ireland find themselves playing without the ball for any extended periods. Kim Kallstrom - if he starts - has the experience and talent to counter McCarthy, take the sting out of the game, and ensure decent possession for his side. If Robbie Keane is not instructed to drop back into midfield and challenge Sweden's deep-lying playmakers, Ireland's strikers could become isolated and static - also, Long will not find it easy to win 50-50 challenges against Sweden's Leviathan defenders. Ireland's form at HQ has been the bugbear of Trapattoni's reign, with Cyprus and Macedonia being the highest-ranked teams to lose in Dublin. That statistic needs to change tonight, otherwise Ireland could well be out of the running with games to spare.
 |
| Sweden's last visit to Dublin in 2006 yielded a 3-0 win for Ireland. A good omen? |
There is genuine reason for optimism tonight, as Sweden are quite similar in style to Ireland, and their deficiencies are familiar ones, befitting of a team heavily influenced by the rough-and-tumble of EPL football. The visitors do have a trump card in Ibrahimovic, but Ireland should not be fearful. A stirring win at Lansdowne is overdue. The Austria game was agonisingly close to providing that victory, but Ireland look stronger and wiser now, and Sweden lack the tactical flexibility and overall technical ability that Alaba and his comrades brought to Dublin. A victory tonight can provide a much-needed confidence-boost before those daunting trips to Vienna and Cologne. Here's hoping the Irish team can live up to expectations.
Ireland: Forde; Coleman, Dunne, O'Shea, Wilson; Walters, McCarthy, Whelan, McClean; Keane, Long.
Sweden (probable): Isaksson; Granqvist, Antonsson, Nilsson, M Olsson; Larsson, Svensson, Kallstrom, Kacaniklic; Ibrahimovic; Elmander
No comments:
Post a Comment