Our strongest Ireland XI features seven of the team that started against the USA.
Losing to, or even drawing with, an under-strength USA side was looking on the cards for a while at Lansdowne Road, on Saturday, but goals from Graham Burke and Alan Judge secured a welcome win.
Neither side are off to the World Cup in Russia this summer and, judging by some of their recent performances, it does not look as if they will be missed much.
Ireland finished out their international season with a 2-0 loss to France and the 2-1 win over the Americans. The bonus for Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane is that they have injected the squad with fresh faces and eager bodies [eight debuts handed out over the past week] and got a decent look a players in key positions.
Colin Doyle will rue his mistake that gifted France’s Nabil Fekir a goal but he was otherwise solid. It gives Ireland another decent goalkeeping option but one suspects Darren Randolph will return to take up his starting role, later this year.
Derrick Williams had a good game against France and now represents some competition for Stephen Ward at left-back but it was disappointing that Wolves’ Matt Doherty did not start one of Ireland’s two friendlies. The rest of the back four seems set in stone – Kevin Long and Shane Duffy in the centre and the excellent Seamus Coleman at right back.
The Irish midfield could look considerably different – in terms of personnel and positions – from the unit O’Neill often deployed in the World Cup qualifiers. James McClean is assured of a starting role but looks better when he has a fullback behind him rather than playing wing-back. Robbie Brady should return to the starting XI when he is fit again and we would put him wide right to link up with Coleman and provide some cutting edge [as he did on a few occasions with Burnley last season].
Jeff Hendrick is another who should be retained and hopefully that impressive Euro 2016 campaign was not his peak. Declan Rice has been talked up as a central defender by West Ham but he looks at home in the middle of the park. After the USA game, O’Neill said:
“I thought he was exceptional. He played with great maturity… He’s played a ball to James McClean [moments before Judge’s goal] in the last couple of minutes of the game – looked up, saw him and played that ball… It was a brilliant ball. It might have looked quite simple but it was a brilliant ball.”
Rounding out Ireland’s midfield five – as that it how they will line-up for most games – is a tough call but we are going with Bristol City’s Callum O’Dowda ahead of Harry Arter [Bournemouth] and Alan Browne [Preston]. O’Dowda got two starts in the centre of the park against France and the USA and should good flashes in both games. He is not the finished article yet but his willingness to take players on and play with his head up is encouraging.
That leaves one slot up front and it goes to Seani Maguire. As evidenced by his disappointing season for Southampton and a thankless slog against France, Shane Long appears to be on the wane.
A good pre-season under Mark Hughes may yet see Long returned revived for 2018/19 but Maguire, who took to Championship life effortlessly with Preston, looks our best bet.
IRELAND’S BEST XI
That leaves the likes of Colin Doyle, Derrick Williams, John Egan, David Meyler, Harry Arter, Shane Long, Alan Browne, Jon Walters and even Graham Burke [definitely worth an autumn call-up] in reserve.
Reasons to be hopeful.
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