Italy -v- Ireland - opinion
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On Saturday night, the majority of the nation was left disappointed with a draw. Last night though, at the boot of Italy the predominant emotion was one of delight despite it being ‘just’ a point.
We saw a different Ireland last night to the one that most have been forced into becoming used to. After going one goal down, the chances of catching Italy at the top of Group 2 became all so slim, therefore, Trappatoni had no other option than to take an excerpt from the Jack Charlton book of Footballing Philosophy, and instruct his lads to ‘put ‘em under pressure’.
The introduction of Caleb Folan to do exactly that seemed to work. Keogh, without trying to sound too harsh, was at fault for the goal as much as McShane. One of the rudiments of playing on the wing is to track back when you don’t have the ball, something that he didn’t do properly last night. While some might use the excuse that Paul McShane hasn’t played much football recently, a full-back should still be able to do the basics.
Who else can replace McShane though, with Steve Finnan continuously injured? John O’Shea swapped with him last night but McShane could have also been found out in the centre of defence if the Italian’s were willing to push more then one man forward during the second period.
It was that reluctance to push forward, as well as the steely determination of the Irish that meant the boys in green came home with a point. When the artful Pirlo was taken off at the break, it meant that Italy would sit back and this invited the Irish onto them. More often than not, when the Azzurri pull down the shutters, there is no getting past them. The Irish have now joined Lithuania and France as the only two teams in recent years to have taken a result home with them from Italy.
Darron Gibson seemed to bring something extra to the fore after he replaced Keith Andrews as the Irish showed patience that Gibson has clearly become used to at Old Trafford. They sprayed the ball side to side looking for the right pass at times and while the goal ultimately came from a typical ‘Big Jack’ scenario, it was heartening to see the Irish playing some good football against the world champions.
Will we now see a different Ireland in future internationals? If we take the lead, then certainly not but if we do go behind I’m sure Trappatoni will not be a tad hasty about sending players forward in search of a goal. Column inches had been filled and pub conversations fulfilled about his unwillingness in introducing a substitution. Last night changed that though, as he acted quickly with the Keogh change, as well as introducing both Hunt – who is trying to claim the goal – and Gibson.
Overall, they deserved the point and a result in Bulgaria in June will all but make sure that we will be in a play-off at least come the autumn. While the result was great, from a personal point of view the football played and the effort shown was the best thing about last night. However, if you were to ask any of the players which would they have preferred- a moral victory or another point on the board? I’m sure they would have all gone for the latter.
We saw a different Ireland last night to the one that most have been forced into becoming used to. After going one goal down, the chances of catching Italy at the top of Group 2 became all so slim, therefore, Trappatoni had no other option than to take an excerpt from the Jack Charlton book of Footballing Philosophy, and instruct his lads to ‘put ‘em under pressure’.
The introduction of Caleb Folan to do exactly that seemed to work. Keogh, without trying to sound too harsh, was at fault for the goal as much as McShane. One of the rudiments of playing on the wing is to track back when you don’t have the ball, something that he didn’t do properly last night. While some might use the excuse that Paul McShane hasn’t played much football recently, a full-back should still be able to do the basics.
Who else can replace McShane though, with Steve Finnan continuously injured? John O’Shea swapped with him last night but McShane could have also been found out in the centre of defence if the Italian’s were willing to push more then one man forward during the second period.
It was that reluctance to push forward, as well as the steely determination of the Irish that meant the boys in green came home with a point. When the artful Pirlo was taken off at the break, it meant that Italy would sit back and this invited the Irish onto them. More often than not, when the Azzurri pull down the shutters, there is no getting past them. The Irish have now joined Lithuania and France as the only two teams in recent years to have taken a result home with them from Italy.
Darron Gibson seemed to bring something extra to the fore after he replaced Keith Andrews as the Irish showed patience that Gibson has clearly become used to at Old Trafford. They sprayed the ball side to side looking for the right pass at times and while the goal ultimately came from a typical ‘Big Jack’ scenario, it was heartening to see the Irish playing some good football against the world champions.
Will we now see a different Ireland in future internationals? If we take the lead, then certainly not but if we do go behind I’m sure Trappatoni will not be a tad hasty about sending players forward in search of a goal. Column inches had been filled and pub conversations fulfilled about his unwillingness in introducing a substitution. Last night changed that though, as he acted quickly with the Keogh change, as well as introducing both Hunt – who is trying to claim the goal – and Gibson.
Overall, they deserved the point and a result in Bulgaria in June will all but make sure that we will be in a play-off at least come the autumn. While the result was great, from a personal point of view the football played and the effort shown was the best thing about last night. However, if you were to ask any of the players which would they have preferred- a moral victory or another point on the board? I’m sure they would have all gone for the latter.
About Alan Smith
Alan Smith works as a sub-editor for the Guardian newspaper in London. Originally from Cork, he freelances for several other newspapers and websites. Follow him on twitter @alansmith90. View Full Profile