We’ll take that.
Ireland discovered their Uefa Nations League draw today and we will be up against familiar foes Wales and Denmark.
That fun does not start until later this year and Martin O’Neill will be hoping to have a few new faces to add to the squad of players that reached the World Cup playoffs before falling to the Danes.
Nothing we haven't seen before – unfortunately https://t.co/KzTSJDlB1d
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) January 24, 2018
It will take a while to get used to the new format but, effectively, there are a lot less friendlies on our horizon.
In the past, managers often used friendlies to give newcomers a chance to get a taste of the international set-up before fully blooding them in competitive matches.
The only thing about that, in the eyes of Fifa at least, is that players who feature in friendlies can still switch allegiances if they have not appeared for a country in a competitive match. Such players, of course, have to be eligible to play for another country if they are indeed contemplating a switch.
So, while the Uefa Nations League will only see countries get world ranking points in line with friendly matches, football’s governing body will deem each fixture to be competitive. That means any player Ireland cap in the Nations League will then be tied in to representing us in the future.
That means the likes of Michael Obafemi [Southampton], Scott Hogan [Aston Villa] and the West Ham duo of Declan Rice and Josh Cullen could all get competitive Ireland caps before the end of the year. All four players have dual nationalities, in the eyes of Fifa, while Obafemi can also line out for Nigeria if he so chooses.
Cullen, Rice and Obafemi have all played underage football for Ireland but that does not rule them out of representing another country, if eligible, at senior level. Hogan has declared his allegiance to Ireland but has yet to line out for O’Neill’s side.
Ireland do have friendlies coming up against Turkey [March] and France [May] so these competitive games, in the new league, will not kick in until September.
By then, Rice, Cullen and Obafemi may have some more Premier League experience and Hogan will be well on his way with Villa.
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