Ireland vs. Latvia - Review

After the interminable, over-analysed circus of media conferences, football mercifully took centre stage on Friday night, as the Martin O'Neill reign began. Although the opposition must be taken into account when analysing such a performance, there were plenty of positives to take from Ireland's 3-0 victory over Latvia. All round, Ireland's players showed much more urgency and willingness to receive the ball, make angles, create space, link up, and move the ball forward to create chances. These factors should form the basis of any competent performance at international level - particularly given the increasing technicality of modern football - but Ireland's execution was a class apart from anything that the same players produced under Trapattoni. Even the more impressive wins against similar opposition under the Italian (Northern Ireland, Oman, Faroe Islands, Estonia, etc) were devoid of the subtlety that we saw on Friday night. For the first time at the new Aviva stadium, we saw consistent application of a modern, technical game-plan from the home side.

In possession from the back, Ireland's back four was encouraged to spread wider than usual, allowing a deep-lying midfielder to come to a 'first-receiver' position. With full-backs already in advanced positions, Ireland could create outlets and options for that first receiver (usually McCarthy) to spread the play. An intriguing development was the deployment of Wilson as a 'footballing centre-half' to assist in bringing the ball into midfield, allowing Whelan or McCarthy to push on. Ireland's problems under Trapattoni lay in the two sitting midfielders being outnumbered, receiving little help from elsewhere, as the rigidity of the 4-4-2 formation forbade any fluid movement in possession. Against Latvia, three of the back four could expect to be involved in the build-up, while Keane and Hoolahan took turns to drop back, crowding out the Latvians. Accordingly, Ireland kept possession, McCarthy and Whelan had options, and chances inevitably came. Ireland scored thrice, but could have scored more but for sloppy finishing and good goalkeeping. For a change, it seemed as though Ireland's midfield posed a genuine threat.

Obviously, against better opposition, there will be a risk of being caught on the counter attack with such a fluid gameplan. Ireland's tactic against Latvia was to press and harry high up the pitch, once possession had been lost, to stymie counter attacks at the source, and revert to a more rigid system once the ball reached the middle third. A simple system, based on tactical principles which are accepted as common practice among Europe's best sides. It was refreshing to see an Irish team carrying out these fundamentals with such aplomb, as Westwood did not have one significant save to make.

One aspect of O'Neill's pragmatism which came into notable effect was the deployment, from the start, of players playing in their correct positions. Left-footed players (Ward, McClean) on the left, right-footers (Coleman, McGeady) on the right. Ireland had a balance and natural width which really aided the quick build-up and fluidity of Ireland's attack. Unfortunately, Stephen Ward - the only Irish player to seem remotely uncomfortable on Friday - remains the only left-footed left-back available to Ireland at any decent level. An alternative needs to be promoted - or fished from the progeny of the diaspora - as quickly as possible.

Poland on Tuesday will be a tougher test, but with O'Neill set to rotate dramatically from the first-choice in order to 'give everyone a run', it may be difficult to get a real sense of where Ireland are heading in the grand scheme. The injured Pilkington, Brady and Gibson are also set to come back into the reckoning at some stage of the next year, with the likes of Stephen Quinn and David Meyler also likely to play themselves back into contention, so the starting XI against Poland could bear little resemblance to anything O'Neill may field again. Forde, Kelly, Clark, Green, Andy Reid and Walters are all in contention to start. It will be interesting to see if O'Neill persists with a similar gameplan to that of Friday night, and how effective it can be away from home against a team of similar rank.

End the Anthem Butchery

The only piece of negativity from the Latvia game, in my view, was the decision by the FAI to retain the services of model Nadia Forde, who once again butchered the National Anthem with her Americanised, egotistical, dragged-out warblings.

The singing of the National Anthem is a special moment; a bond between team and fans. It is part of the ethereal 'X-factor' of a home game - an expression of pride and the intangible common bonds of ancestry and culture that unite the players and those who have come to will them on to victory. It, in a way, defines the tribal magic of International football. It is contaminated, homogenised and infuriatingly bastardised when a solo singer leads the procession. It should be about team and fans singing  together above the music. No third party should interfere with that bond - and certainly not distract from it with narcissistic note-milking. And yes, I would say the exact same if it were a male vocalist. Contrast the singing of Amhran na bhFiann in Poznan last year, or in Croke Park in 2007 for the Ireland - England rugby game, to Forde's cringe-inducing efforts.

It has been pointed out that the FAI does have quite a strong link to Denis O'Brien these days - a man who has made some capital from promoting the likes of Forde, and other Irish models, in his media publications. O'Brien would surely need to have dealings with their agencies, to keep the 'respectable' Sunday Independent brimming with fresh masturbation aids. Call me a cynic, but there seems to be more to this than meets the eye, given how unpopular the idea of solo anthem singers has proven, and the ridicule that Forde's performance has attracted from the Irish fans.