Goodbye August friendlies, you won't be missed

That was never going to live too long in the memory, August internationals never have, but the air of disappointment from the Irish camp that they didn’t end up with a win over Wales was, if you are to extract some positives from yesterday evening, refreshing.

 

 

When these two met in 2011 during the similarly forgetful Nations Cup, the Irish starting side had quite a different complexion to the one that turned out last night. Only three of that XI at the Aviva kicked-off in Cardiff and after undergoing such a transformation since last summer’s European Championships, the players’ disappointment was a sign of progress.

 

 

Before, say, the scoreless draw in Sweden last March, there were regular references to a team in transition and time was required for things to come together. That time has passed now and, internally, there is a greater expectation from the players, hence their frustration at the end.

 

 

But what did we actually learn from last night’s game? Being honest, not a whole lot and it is never really worth reading too much into any friendly, nevermind such an awkwardly positioned fixture.

 

 

One thing, however, that is for sure is if Ireland are to make it to Brazil they will need to be far more clinical when afforded a chance in front of goal. And as pointed out by several seasoned observers when Shane Long skied a glorious chance heading towards half-time, Robbie Keane would have had Ireland in front last night. Long, too, spurned another good chance in the second half when shooting at Wales’s goalkeeper Boaz Myhill and more will be needed against Sweden and Austria.

 

 

John O’Shea referred briefly to Keane’s absence afterwards, suggesting that his poaching skills are still what makes him Trapattoni’s first-choice striker. And once he keeps plundering them, nobody can really argue against that. 

 

 

Conversely, another clean-sheet bodes well - even if Wales were missing two of their most creative players in Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey - and going on Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s form, having scored a hat-trick for Sweden against Norway last night, they will need to be watertight to keep the Malmo magician at bay.

 

 

Keiren Westwood, a couple of nervy moments with his feet in the first half aside, had little to do and, largely, it was hard to fault any of the back four. But to reiterate the point, from the moment the full-time whistle blew, the focus was always going to switch instantly to the do-or-die nature of next month’s double header. 

 

 

As for the August games, it would be safe to say they are not going to be missed by, perhaps, anybody. The sparse crowd showed how little the fans are bothered. Cardiff will be the latest city to host the Premier League this month, this didn't contain the same sort of glamour. 

 

 

Though the travelling contingent was smaller than usual, you couldn’t really blame Irish fans for not fancying the trip. Why spend your hard-earned readies on a trip across the Irish sea for what was always going to be a drab affair when there is the potential (without putting a jinx on it) for a great night in Vienna next month? 

 

 

The sight of Shane Long limping off the field, meanwhile, summed up why players and their club managers alike always detested this mark on the calendar. Long is, more often than not, happy to stop to speak to the mere mortals in the mixed zone after internationals but, understandably, he played the now all too frequent I’m-on-the-phone trick when hobbling past last night and although his injury certainly doesn’t appear serious,even the slightest niggle is cause for concern in the week before the beginning of the Premier League.