FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifying Group A: Republic of Ireland 0 Luxembourg 1
IT doesn’t get much worse than this. After just two qualification games, Ireland’s World Cup dream went up in flames in quite spectacular fashion on Saturday night.
Famously, the Irish suffered an embarrassing World Cup qualifying defeat to Macedonia in Skopje in 1997, which years later morphed into a humorous euphemism among Mick McCarthy’s squad.
The 3-2 defeat gave birth to the ‘worst trainer’ bib with the words emblazoned on it: ‘I had a Macedonia’.
Future Irish squads might follow suit and don a training bib that reads: ‘I had a Luxembourg’ - in memory of Saturday night’s calamitous 1-0 home defeat.
Given the rich talent the Irish boasted in the mid-to-late-90s – Roy Keane, Denis Irwin, Andy Townsend and Steve Staunton who featured in Skopje – the Macedonia loss is still jockeying for the number one slot as the worst-ever result in Irish football history.
There was the 5-2 humiliation to Cyprus in Nicosia back in 2006 during Steve Staunton’s time in charge.
Roy Keane, Robbie Keane, Damien Duff, Steve Finnan and Richard Dunne were part of the nightmare of Nicosia.
You could argue Skopje and Nicosia were worse results than Luxembourg, even though both happened on the road.
The players on show against Macedonia and Cyprus suggested things could still get better; that these were embarrassing blips, but blips nonetheless.
What was arguably more depressing about Saturday night’s result was the spiralling nature of Irish football in general.
Luxembourg felt completely different.
In one rudderless, utterly lifeless performance, everything seemed irretrievable. Lost.
Years of mismanagement and neglect from the top crystallised on the rain-drench field in stark fashion on Saturday night.
Hand on heart, who really believes Josh Cullen, Jason Knight, Alan Browne, James Collins and Ciaran Clarke have what it takes to ride out the roughest of storms and put the pieces back together again?
Gerson Rodrigues’s brilliantly struck winning goal in the 85th minute that gifted Luxembourg arguably the greatest result in their modest qualification history also shone the most unforgiving light imaginable on Irish football’s underbelly.
And yet, just three days earlier in Belgrade there was so much to admire about how Stephen Kenny set up his Irish team, and punched above their weight for long periods against a technically superior Serbia.
Seriously under-strength, Kenny’s men pressed and they passed and, in the end, were undone by some world class finishing.
But where do you start or begin to explain what happened in an empty Aviva Stadium on Saturday night?
How can a team fielding eight players who started in Belgrade look so limp three days later?
You have to ask questions of the physical conditioning of the Irish players and their inability to play two international games in a short space of time, as well as their mental fortitude to deal with an opponent they were expected to beat, not by a landslide, but by one or two goals.
Although their FIFA ranking – 98th before the match – might suggest as much, Luxembourg aren’t exactly a bottom rung international team like San Marino or Kosovo, as they did record impressive Nations League victories over Cyprus and Montenegro in the autumn and boast a clutch of players who are playing at a similar level as many of their Irish counterparts.
A quick glimpse at the forensics of the last week.
Ireland’s two best goalkeepers Darren Randolph and Caoimhín Kelleher were ruled out through injury. John Egan, Ireland’s best central defender, was also missing.
Conor Hourihane and Callum O’Dowda would be close to Kenny’s strongest XI but were late withdrawals for the World Cup double-header.
Shane Duffy, Jayson Molomby, Jeff Hendrick, Callum Robinson, Matt Doherty, Robbie Brady, James McClean, Shane Long and Troy Parrott have either struggled through poor form or injury to get minutes at club level.
Indeed, it would be quicker to name-check the Irish players who have been regulars at club level this season – and they were the ones Stephen Kenny generally went with over the last two games, even though the energy levels sagged a little in Belgrade and more so in Dublin three nights later.
For all the things that the manager got right in Serbia, he got as many things wrong against Luxembourg.
Undoubtedly hampered by absenteeism and a lack of international experience in parts of the starting team, Kenny still didn’t control the controllables well enough on Saturday night.
And that’s probably the most serious charge you could level at the Dubliner.
So what went wrong against Luxembourg?
The formation – 3-5-2 – wasn’t right.
Did the Republic really need three central defenders to quell Luxembourg’s attacking threat?
Just because 3-5-2 was the right strategy against Serbia, and worked well, didn’t make it the right one against Luxembourg.
“You can reflect after a game and analyse it and say, if we’d taken one of the chances would that question need to be asked?” reasoned Kenny.
“But we didn’t. There were various things we could have done. We put James [McClean] to play on the left, we pushed Robbie Brady into the 10, we put Alan Browne on the right to give us extra penetration.
“We introduced Shane Long, introduced Troy Parrott. All of the five players we introduced, they’re not playing at their clubs, [they’re playing] bits and pieces, not playing regularly but it’s just been an unfortunate time with injuries.
“[But] I have to accept criticism, it's not a system that I always play. I traditionally play with a back four the majority of the time, but I just felt with the wide players that were unavailable or not fit recently at all, to expect them to start was a bit too ambitious.
“You're not getting those players at full tilt, you're getting players that have just rocked up having hardly trained. You have to weigh that up and pick players who are playing or who are training all the time. Some of them are very good players playing in positions they are accustomed to but, ultimately, we didn't do enough.
“I can't sit here and say we were unlucky because that wouldn't be the case. We had more chances than they did but we should be creating more than we did.”
Of course, had James Collins converted from close range in the early throes of Saturday night’s clash, the Irish most probably would have protected the lead and gone on to win their first game in 10 attempts under Kenny.
Formations would have taken a back seat in the post-match conversation.
But as it was, Collins didn’t find the net and the manager didn’t react quickly enough to change things.
There were fires starting all over the field and there was nobody throwing an urgent hose on them. Kenny made changes – many of them the correct ones – but it was the timing that was all wrong.
It would have been a bold but the right move to sacrifice Ciaran Clarke before half-time in order to revert to a flat back four, but that change wasn’t made until 61 minutes.
Matt Doherty was clearly not running freely after going down feeling his hamstring in the early stages.
As it turned out, Doherty wasn’t withdrawn until half-time even though Ireland’s right side was disabled for much of the first 45 minutes because of his injury.
It was a game crying out for a back four. It was crying out for Robbie Brady being shoehorned somewhere into the attack.
It was a game crying out for the intensity of a James McClean and Shane Long’s insatiable harassment of defenders – even if they wouldn’t last the 90 minutes.
Brady was fit for the second 45 minutes but might have been better utilised in the first 45 to unnerve Luxembourg and get the job done then.
What greeted the visitors instead was a nice, pedestrian pace which enabled Vincent Thill and Gerson Rodrigues to settle and carve pretty patterns in front of the Irish defence.
Every tactical and personnel change from an Irish perspective seemed belated.
Still playing in a back three, Seamus Coleman broke forward in a bid to raise the intensity levels, but the captain really needed others to step up.
Josh Cullen and Jason Knight were busy in central midfield but neither knew quite what to do to wrestle control from their opponents in the second half.
Both men were hesitant to leave their sentry positions and as a consequence were never going to affect the game in any meaningful way.
As the minutes ticked by in the second half, Gavin Bazunu was digging Stephen Kenny’s side out of a hole with a fine save to deny Vincent Thill on 62 minutes.
Alan Browne should have converted Robbie Brady's cross while Collins was unlucky with an overhead kick. But most of Ireland's attacking play was powder puff.
It was during Luxembourg’s second-half ascendancy you wondered what a pragmatist like Mick McCarthy would have done.
McCarthy most probably would have stuck with a back four and made space for Robbie Brady and Jeff Hendrick in the starting line-up.
Things might have felt a little less complicated.
In his second stint in charge, McCarthy steadfastly resisted entering a phase of transition by recalling Glenn Whelan and managed to get a tune out of the 36-year-old.
Kenny embarked on a different route and boasted in his programme notes on Saturday that 13 of the squad had come through the underage teams from U15 to U21.
With some justification, the failing Jeff Hendrick project had been shelved by Kenny as he looked to Jayson Molomby as a natural successor.
But Ireland’s greatest foe – game-time at club level – decreed the out-of-favour Preston NE man could only manage three-quarters of a game in Serbia and was kept in reserve against Luxembourg.
In some ways we've reached the crossroads every Irish fan wanted to put off.
This is what real transition looks like for the Republic of Ireland.
A couple of fine displays against Slovakia and Serbia, which didn’t ultimately yield anything, and the desperately erratic show against Luxembourg on Saturday night.
This is what Ireland have become – a nation using a World Cup qualification campaign as a painful instrument for transition.
Transitioning into what exactly is the worry. What can this group of players really achieve?
Stephen Kenny’s weighty task is trying to turn water into wine on the international stage.
Does he possess the alchemy?
His tactical indecision on Saturday night didn't do him any favours - and the court of public opinion will judge him harshly.
It’s a long way back for the Dubliner after ‘having a Luxembourg’.
Rep of Ireland: Bazunu,Coleman,O'Shea,Clark (McClean 61), Doherty (Brady 46),Knight,Cullen (Molumby 88),Stevens,Browne,
Collins (Parrott 88),Robinson (Shane Long 73).
Subs Not Used: Horgan,Christie,Lenihan,O'Hara,Travers,Duffy, Hendrick.
Booked: Stevens,Cullen.
Luxembourg: Moris,Da Graca,Chanot,Mahmutovic,Jans, Martins Pereira,Vincent Thill (Deville 79),Olivier Thill, Barreiro,Rodrigues,Sinani (Gerson 90).
Subs Not Used: Muratovic,Schon,Fox,Dzogovic,Mica Pinto,
Skenderovic,Rupil,Bohnert,Sebastien Thill.
Booked: Olivier Thill,Sinani,Jans.
Goals: Rodrigues 85.
Ref: Fran Jovic (Croatia).
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND RATINGS
Gavin Bazunu: Making his debut, the Dubliner displaced third-choice Mark Travers which illustrated the lack of experience Ireland had between the sticks for the start of this campaign. No chance for the goal but made a couple of good saves and was alert in using every inch of his box. 6
Seamus Coleman: Ireland’s best player, which wasn’t difficult to achieve on a desperate night. The Everton man showed some urgency and leadership but needed others to step up. Broke forward out of the back three when he could and was restored to the right back role when there was a tactical shift. His go-forward approach never altered. 6
Dara O’Shea: When you sift through the rubble of Saturday night, Dara O’Shea still has a bright future ahead of him in the Irish defence. Made a few errors, a couple of unlucky breaks, but can emerge from this qualification campaign with credit in the bank. 5
Ciaran Clark: Never looks comfortable in possession and gave away a couple of needless fouls. Reluctant to push forward as he did in Serbia. Replaced on the hour mark but for the sake of balance of the team, the change should have been made much earlier. 3
Enda Stevens: You need your best players to turn up in tournament qualifiers. Stevens didn’t. Off colour display in Serbia and wasn’t much better on Saturday night. 3
Matt Doherty: Didn’t seem fully fit after feeling his hamstring in the early stages and should have put his hand up rather than waiting until half-time to come off. Or rather, the manager should have made the decision for him after 20 minutes. 2
Jason Knight: Narrowly missed out on a starting berth in Serbia, the Derby man came in for Jayson Molomby in the centre of midfield but lacked presence and was too conservative in his play when the game demanded he push forward to put Luxembourg under pressure. 3
Josh Cullen: Lacked conviction in his tackle on Gerson Rodrigues who was allowed to fire the winner. Had to be mindful of Luxembourg schemer Vincent Thill. Showed urgency but lacks physicality and presence in the central midfield area. Passing just okay. 3
Alan Browne: After his first few passes went astray, the Preston man’s confidence seemed to sag badly. The manager stuck with him because he can always pop with a goal. Moved out to the right in the second half and had a great headed chance that he should have at least got on target. 2
Callum Robinson: As he did against Serbia, the West Brom striker got some joy down the left side and put in a great cross for James Collins early on, but didn’t have the same zip in the legs as in Belgrade. Lasted 73 minutes. 3
James Collins: He had Ireland’s two best chances on the night, but international football is a bit of a stretch for him. Good movement that enabled him to have an effort on goal from close range and unlucky with a second-half scissor-kick that hit the side netting. 3
Subs:
Robbie Brady: Offered the only bits of quality to the Irish attack on Saturday night. Put two fantastic crosses in for Browne and Collins’ chances. After that a few of his passes were wayward. If there was a half in him, it probably should have been the first half. 5
James McClean: Hard to know how fit the Stoke City man was over the last few days. Put one great cross in. Was worth a punt to start the game if only to offer an intensity that few of his international team-mates can replicate. 4
Shane Long: Didn’t make an impression after coming on for Robinson in the 73rd minute. Guilty of a desperately lazy foul which enabled Luxembourg to go up the field and score. 3
Troy Parrott: Not on long enough to be rated.
Jayson Molomby: Not on long enough to be rated.
