RSS
ATOM
advertisement
World Cup Comment: I Hope Ireland Do Well In Dublin Against France, But Not Too Well
Goal.com's Peter Staunton analyses the status of the Boys in Green as a team that is hard to beat, but finds victory elusive too...
|
Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £100 in free bets! |
|
Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
Sign up with Paddy Power for a free bet up to £50 |
Nov 12, 2009 3:36:54 PM
'That Italian goal really calmed my nerves', were my words to a colleague after Mauro Camoranesi nodded home the Azzurri's first equaliser against us in Dublin last month.
What had followed Glenn Whelan's stunning opening goal was an intervening 20 minutes period of gut-wrenching anxiety; watching the World Cup winners advancing further and further forward, making better use of their important components, as many a visiting team seems to do against Ireland in Dublin, brought with it only dread and a sense of the inevitable. We were going to concede.
And when we did, it was a relief. No more nerve jangling, no more fear. We were finally able to knuckle back down to obey our basic instinct of not letting an opponent beat us. Indeed, after Sean St. Ledger nicked the go ahead goal, through our tactical trump card, le set-piece, we hoped we could win, but deep down I don't know if anyone believed. Alberto Gilardino's goal, a late equaliser, may have been ugly, but it was predestined, certainly in my mind's eye.
Therein lies a crucial difference in the basic mentality of the Irish team than there is in others; we don't lend ourselves well to leading games, or winning easily the games we are expected to win. It's not our style.
In San Marino, three years ago, Steve Staunton's confused outfit scraped a 2-1 win on a ground where Germany hit 13. Similarly, Brian Kerr's reign began to unravel when Israel fought back from 2-0 down to register a draw in Dublin in June 2005. It would be ludicrous to suggest that any other nation serious about its football would permit such an aberration.
Indeed, it seems, no matter if it's Giovanni Trapattoni, Staunton or Kerr in charge, the best of us is only brought out when the flames of adversity are singeing the seats of our pants and we are chasing rather than holding off. It's our default position.
Our qualification campaign for the 2010 World Cup, unbeaten as we are, again highlights the vices and virtues which have, time and again, prompted 'il Gaffer' to extol the importance of seeing games out while simultaneously being able to praise his charges for their resilience or in more accurate football parlance, 'bouncebackability'.
We go one down against Georgia at home, we put the bit between our teeth and win the game 2-1. We go one up on Bulgaria, twice, and fail to augment our scoring stats or even see the games out and relinquish four points. In Bari, we lose a goal, we chase to draw.
The away game against Cyprus, similar to the home draw against Lippi's Nazionale, gave us the two sides of the coin. We lead, we concede, we chase, we get a result - in this case a win. Then, after the heart-stopping melodrama of the Italian tie, Montenegro come to Croker and those in attendance expect a hammering but instead watch us play out the most putrid of 0-0 draws.
Which is why I hope we do well, but not too well against France on Saturday in the World Cup play-off first leg. Going to Saint Denis with a two-goal lead strikes me as perilous as a two-goal deficit. Should we make tracks for the continent down an away goal, or mercifully level, then we stand a better chance, as a strange as it sounds. Sitting back, two to the good, invites only pressure to a side like ours which is admittedly not as strong or assured in possession as our Gallic counterparts.
Ireland, man for man, are certainly not as strong as the French, but have devised a cohesive unit that functions effectively - a facet of play that has eluded Les Bleus until very recently. Would Keith Andrews or Kevin Kilbane be in a starting position for any other sides in the European zone play-offs? Doubtful, but both are part of the system. It may not be pretty, but, in contrast to the French, at least we have one.
Peter Staunton, Goal.com
What had followed Glenn Whelan's stunning opening goal was an intervening 20 minutes period of gut-wrenching anxiety; watching the World Cup winners advancing further and further forward, making better use of their important components, as many a visiting team seems to do against Ireland in Dublin, brought with it only dread and a sense of the inevitable. We were going to concede.
And when we did, it was a relief. No more nerve jangling, no more fear. We were finally able to knuckle back down to obey our basic instinct of not letting an opponent beat us. Indeed, after Sean St. Ledger nicked the go ahead goal, through our tactical trump card, le set-piece, we hoped we could win, but deep down I don't know if anyone believed. Alberto Gilardino's goal, a late equaliser, may have been ugly, but it was predestined, certainly in my mind's eye.
Therein lies a crucial difference in the basic mentality of the Irish team than there is in others; we don't lend ourselves well to leading games, or winning easily the games we are expected to win. It's not our style.
In San Marino, three years ago, Steve Staunton's confused outfit scraped a 2-1 win on a ground where Germany hit 13. Similarly, Brian Kerr's reign began to unravel when Israel fought back from 2-0 down to register a draw in Dublin in June 2005. It would be ludicrous to suggest that any other nation serious about its football would permit such an aberration.
Indeed, it seems, no matter if it's Giovanni Trapattoni, Staunton or Kerr in charge, the best of us is only brought out when the flames of adversity are singeing the seats of our pants and we are chasing rather than holding off. It's our default position.
Our qualification campaign for the 2010 World Cup, unbeaten as we are, again highlights the vices and virtues which have, time and again, prompted 'il Gaffer' to extol the importance of seeing games out while simultaneously being able to praise his charges for their resilience or in more accurate football parlance, 'bouncebackability'.
We go one down against Georgia at home, we put the bit between our teeth and win the game 2-1. We go one up on Bulgaria, twice, and fail to augment our scoring stats or even see the games out and relinquish four points. In Bari, we lose a goal, we chase to draw.
The away game against Cyprus, similar to the home draw against Lippi's Nazionale, gave us the two sides of the coin. We lead, we concede, we chase, we get a result - in this case a win. Then, after the heart-stopping melodrama of the Italian tie, Montenegro come to Croker and those in attendance expect a hammering but instead watch us play out the most putrid of 0-0 draws.
Which is why I hope we do well, but not too well against France on Saturday in the World Cup play-off first leg. Going to Saint Denis with a two-goal lead strikes me as perilous as a two-goal deficit. Should we make tracks for the continent down an away goal, or mercifully level, then we stand a better chance, as a strange as it sounds. Sitting back, two to the good, invites only pressure to a side like ours which is admittedly not as strong or assured in possession as our Gallic counterparts.
Ireland, man for man, are certainly not as strong as the French, but have devised a cohesive unit that functions effectively - a facet of play that has eluded Les Bleus until very recently. Would Keith Andrews or Kevin Kilbane be in a starting position for any other sides in the European zone play-offs? Doubtful, but both are part of the system. It may not be pretty, but, in contrast to the French, at least we have one.
Peter Staunton, Goal.com
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £100 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power for a free bet up to £50 |
|
Thank you for your comment!
Please enter your name
Please enter your location
Please share your comment!
6 Comments
Advertisement
Inside Goal.Com
-
Capello remains one of the greats of the game
After tasting success wherever he had gone previously, the coach will look upon his time at Wembley as an incomplete job rather than a complete failure
-
Can Suarez repeat Cantona's grand comeback?
The divisive Uruguayan can look to history when he starts against United on Saturday for the first time since receiving an eight-match ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra
-
Key battles: Manchester United v Liverpool
The former Reds defender believes that the Uruguayan must put controversy to the back of his mind when his team face the champions
-
The importance of Champions League qualification
The Ruhr side's remarkable run in Europe's elite tournament saw their revenue unexpectedly soar last season, but some teams are structured to depend on such results to survive
-
Cartoon: Capello's managerial merry-go-round
Goal.com cartoonist Omar Momani gives us his unique take on the football news of the day ...
Advertisement
Advertisement
