The August Snooze - Wales vs. Ireland Review

Ireland continued their dismal August record with an uninspiring 0-0 draw in Cardiff on Wednesday night. Since the inception of the maligned pre-season international window in 2001, Ireland have won just three out of twelve games (Finland 2002, Australia 2003, Denmark 2007) in the late summer; with players visibly focused on the start of their club seasons, there tends to be very little to learn from these fixtures. Trapattoni deployed the exciting combination of Hoolahan and Long in the attacking third, in a 4-4-1-1 formation which may indicate that Trapattoni is willing to abandon the policy from the Austria game of playing two out-and-out target men, in favour of a more progressive approach.

The extra man in midfield was evident throughout the first twenty minutes, as Ireland controlled possession. Brady, McCarthy and Hoolahan were predictably to the fore, but the Welsh defenders, led admirably by Ashley Williams, were able to snuff out Ireland's attacks. Brady went close on a couple of occasions, but Long had the best chance of the first half; after a McCarthy pull-back and a clever Hoolahan dummy presented the Tipperary man with a clear chance from nine yards, he inexplicably ballooned high and wide. Ireland conceded a lot of first-half possession to the Welsh, but even with Liverpool's Joe Allen pulling the strings, they could find no way through a well-drilled and notably disciplined Irish side. For all Trap's perceived eccentricities, it must be pointed out that the team is generally very astute and diligent off the ball, which often gets taken for granted.

Clear chances were not forthcoming for either side, until mid-way through the second half, when Long was denied from close-range by Myhill. Hoolahan had some nice touches, but was muscled off the ball too easily on a couple of occasions, and was not as influential as he could have been. Walters put in his usual hard-working shift out wide, but his limitations were obvious, and it would be more interesting to see an Irish team with two out-and-out wide midfielders instead of a shoe-horned striker. The Irish defence was rarely troubled, but Wilson stood out for his use of possession in linking up with Brady and substitute McClean, and O'Shea commanded his area well despite some hoofed and wayward passes early on.

Although Ireland lined up with ten EPL players, the substitutions revealed an unsettling lack of quality in the current Irish squad. O'Dea, Green, Keogh and Sammon added to their caps, with Yeovil striker Paddy Madden coming on for his first cap. The ex-Bohs man was lively, forcing two saves from the Welsh custodian, but the others made little impact. O'Dea, Kelly, McShane, Green, Cox, Keogh and Sammon have now won 165 caps between them without adding a great deal to the squad, nor showing any substantial ceiling for improvement. With these players continuing to keep the likes of Joey O'Brien, Meyler, Quinn and Pilkington down the pecking order, Ireland will be two or three injuries away from serious trouble in the upcoming games.

The game petered out to little consequence, and the talking point among Irish fans was the poor finishing on display, most worryingly from Long. With Keane absent, Ireland definitely lack a cutting edge, even against weaker sides, and the strikers must shoulder the blame. Madden looked lively, but he was notorious for being wasteful in front of goal in the League of Ireland, and though his League 1 form was excellent, it remains to be seen whether he can finish consistently at Championship level. If Madden gets into double figures, he would certainly present a better striking option than many of the misfit forwards in the current Irish squad; Andy Keogh got seven goals, Cox five, and Sammon eight in the English second-tier last season. Leon Best is also an option, but he will have to desist from calling Trapattoni 'pathetic' in public. Anthony Stokes is scoring goals for Celtic, but questions remain about his attitude and suitability for an Irish side devoid of big egos.

With Keane to return for the Sweden game in three weeks, Ireland should pose more of a goal threat, but the sight of Ibrahimovic at the other end will be most disconcerting, considering that he scored a hat trick against Norway on Wednesday. To add to the anxiety, Ireland will be without Sean St. Ledger and, most likely, Richard Dunne, who has not yet started a league game for QPR. However, O'Shea and Clark did little wrong on Wednesday, and they handled the Swedes well in March. Trapattoni's use of a more fluid formation, the improved possession, and the chances Ireland created against Wales offer some encouragement, as the clumsy, direct tactics from the Austria game will not work in games that Ireland really need to win.

Highlights from Wednesday's game can be found here.