Sweden v Ireland, 22 March 2013 WCQ

[BonnieShels]

To take the match discussion out of the squad thread, I give you...

Anyway, I'm gonna go for Ireland 2-1 win.

[tricky_colour]

So far so good, been all Ireland so far!!

[Maroon 7]

Been all Ireland the first 10 minutes but two good chances missed.

[BonnieShels]

Just about to say Mccarthy is making a difference and then he did that.

Still though. So far so good.

[geysir]

It has a nil all draw written all over it.

[AlanOB]

I did not expect things to go down like that.


My pre-match expectation, going on the news that Green was to man-mark Zlatan, was that Sweden would exploit us in the middle through either Kallstrom or Elm being left free. In actual fact, Green did not do a pure man-marking job on Zlatan. He followed him out of his zone when he was on his side (the right side) of the pitch, but did not follow him when he drifted to the other side (or when he swapped with Hysen and went upfront obviously). When this happened, Green moved up to pressure Kallstrom, with McCarthy permanently occupying Elm (who was poor on the night).


On the other hand, if Green was marking Zlatan, Keane shocked the world by dropping back and occupying Kallstrom quite effectively. No-one was more surprised than me at Keane's performance. He also did well drifting to the flanks to create overloads, with one such occasion almost producing a headed opportunity for Walters.


This was far more of a 4-4-1-1/4-2-3-1 than we're used to from Ireland, and it wasn't the only surprise. The positioning of the full backs was also a huge shock - with both men getting licence to not only support, but to overlap. A completely new departure. Unfortunately the final ball from wide areas was poor. McClean, for example, worked hard (and had a couple of dribbles) but showed why his cross completion ratio is one of the worst in the Premier League this season.


It's a testament to how well we matched up in the middle that Sweden were forced to hit it long so often, eventually swapping Zlatan with Hysen in order to compete aerially. In the second half, we dropped off and allowed them possession in the middle, so Zlatan came back into the number 10 role. I think Trap wanted to hit them by surprise in the first half and nick one. He was not prepared to play an aggressive, pressing game away from home for 90 minutes.


Roll on Tuesday.

[NeverFeltBetter]

Very happy with that. Less of the long/hoof ball dross, more pressing, more involvement of the central midfield, more possession. Seemed like a completely different side to the one that played Germany.

Forde, kicking needs a bit of work, but aside from that a good performance, some great saves, some great ball handling. Defence, O'Shea had his best game in ages, did more to shut Zlatan down than anyone. The rest all did sterling work too, especially Wilson moving up the field when required.

Midfield, Mccarthy showed just what he can bring to the side, and I really hope he doesn't get left behind Whelan anymore. Green had a good game, not spectacular but solid. Between the two of them they bossed the centr for long stretches, really made a difference to the impact Ireland can make. When the ball was kept low and worked through them, Ireland were able to create stuff. Walters, out of position., but ran well and did his bit. McClean was the best I've seen him in ages, but I wish his dead ball delivery was better.

Upfront, it was somewhat disappointing Keane, aside from that early cross, didn't seem to add much, and was late to several crosses that could have been attacked. Long ran, made space for himself and got in a few decent crosses, but his early miss was a howler and it just seemed like he was hesitant to pull the trigger. Would have swapped Keane out earlier, but I understand that Trap was hesitant about going for it.

I think the win was there to be taken if Ireland had just risked a little bit more going forward. Sweden seemed so impotent (Zlatan looked exhausted from the start) that I just thought they could have pressed on a bit. A lack of pace on the counter-attack, more than once I saw Walters calling for players to play the ball to when he was moving forward.

I really hope we can move on and beat Austria now, and really get the quest for second on a solid footing. Trap's changed his team and his tactics, now he has to stick with it.

[NeverFeltBetter]

Also, I should have mentioned, a certain intangible thing: more heart, more commitment, more grift. Maybe its a bit of a blowback from the Germany disaster.

[geysir]

For all Walter's honest effort, I would prefer a bit of 'creativity' out there. I hope Brady will pass Trap's psyche test on Monday.

[mark12345]

For all Walter's honest effort, I would prefer a bit of 'creativity' out there. I hope Brady will pass Trap's psyche test on Monday.

Agree entirely. I like John but he just wasn't in it today. But don't ever rely on Trap to do what you want him to. Green in instead of Hoolahan today? And Brady kept on the bench for so long when Walters was tiring and out of it? The worst thing about this game is that it will go down as a success. We could and should have won it. We were the better team. Suppose fair dos to Trap for that aspect of things, but it is so annoying that he won't go for the jugular when the game is there for the winning. This team is crying out for a creative force like Hoolahan.

[Yard of Pace]

That game was reminiscent of a match between two Championship sides or lower-EPL sides. I'd say Wes was sitting on the bench thinking "jaysus just let me on and do my stuff and we'll win this one".

[SwanVsDalton]

Upfront, it was somewhat disappointing Keane, aside from that early cross, didn't seem to add much, and was late to several crosses that could have been attacked.

'Upfront' perhaps disappointing, but Robbie put in some shift, particularly in the first half. His deep pressuring of Sweden's midfield allowed Green and McCarthy to step up and dominate that area. As a defensive performance it was crucial.

It did mean he was a bit behind with attacks but I thought he played very well but understandably tired. Also him and Long don't seem a natural partnership, don't have the telepathy yet.


Agree entirely. I like John but he just wasn't in it today. But don't ever rely on Trap to do what you want him to. Green in instead of Hoolahan today? And Brady kept on the bench for so long when Walters was tiring and out of it? The worst thing about this game is that it will go down as a success. We could and should have won it. We were the better team. Suppose fair dos to Trap for that aspect of things, but it is so annoying that he won't go for the jugular when the game is there for the winning. This team is crying out for a creative force like Hoolahan.

Would you have made that swap? They're in no way like for like. I accept your overall point about creativity, but that wouldn't swap wouldn't work for me.

Only place for Wes is in Robbie's position. Drop Long or Keane. Tough call either way. Wouldn't be against it but that's the only way I could see it working.

Also thought Walters played well. He wasn't exactly anonymous (of the four attackers I reckon he was probably on the ball the most, ahead of Long). Linked excellently with Coleman and intelligently popped up in the middle or left occasionally to keep the Swedes guessing.

I would agree that the three main attackers (Keane, Long and Walters) wern't really on the same wave length. But that can improve.

[elroy]

I wonder in hindsight is the a mild opportunity lost (Us Irish are never happy). We couldve won that game, but given by the reaction of the players at the end, their goal was a draw.

The positives far outweigh the negatives. For us Trap supporters, these are the types of performances we know he can get the team to produce. Very hard to beat, can play nice football and create decent chances. A huge plus is the willingness of our full backs in particular and McCarthy to carry the ball rather than hoofing it. There were numerous instances tonight where the full backs or our wingers took on the ball and used the ball well as opposed to hit and hope.

Hard to fault anyone really. Perhaps we couldve expected a little more end product up front and from our set pieces. No shot on target. Very happy for Forde who put in a very solid performance.

Need to win Tuesday night now to back this up. Ireland under Trap have proven to be more successful away from home than at home. The home games against Austria and Sweden are now two massive opportunities to reverse that.

[Murfinator]

It was always said that take Ibra out of the equation and Sweden are a very average side. Trap and Green did just that and did it fantastically, their attacks broke down and he could never get into the game. Suddenly we faced very mediocre opposition but it shouldn't be taken away from the setup, we made them look ordinary.
In attack we had a strong 20 minutes with well worked chances for Long and Walters who both scuffed them poorly. We didn't see any other chances.

Despite RTE's best efforts to big up McCarthy I didn't think he was contributing amount in the final third, a tidy link player in the centre but 2 wayward passes in the final third attempting to play an attacker into space were overhit out of play. In a game with few attacking chances that's quite poor.

Forde's save at the free kick was quality, we see those creep in very often. Centre backs never really exposed which was good since I'm not sure how Clark would have coped.

McClean has no end product and constantly did something good followed by something stupid all night. Given Walters industry down the other side I'm not sure he'll have any business in the matchday side when McGeady is back.

Keane was excellent throughout, in the early stages he was integral in attack with his cross to Walters being judged to perfection. For the rest of the game he hassled and harried Elm and Kallstrom especially preventing them playing their game.

Long was poor, great work ethic and some good effort but faltered at crucial moments.

Biggest difference between today and the Euros is the full backs, all our moves used to break down there but now we're getting plays going with them connecting with our teammates. Players like Green who aren't there to be on the ball get bypassed as they should and everything is a lot less frustrating.


Forde - 7
Wilson - 8
JOS - 7
Clark - 6
Coleman - 8
Green - 8
McCarthy - 6
McClean - 4
Walters - 7
Long - 4
Keane - 7

Overall a lot of good things but no cutting edge, we've always been good at playing that kind of game away from home but we'll need to see something we haven't shown before and beat a team of some worth on Tuesday.
Positive things and the point is good but I think the real battle in this double header is Austria who a lot of people don't seem to appreciate just how good they are. I'd take a draw at this stage but at some point in the group we'll need to show we can convert dominance to goals and actually win games.

[NeverFeltBetter]

We cannot accept a draw at home to 4th seeds. That cannot be seen as an acceptable result.

[Charlie Darwin]

For all Walter's honest effort, I would prefer a bit of 'creativity' out there. I hope Brady will pass Trap's psyche test on Monday.
I suspect Tuesday will be the same 10 with Brady replacing Walters. Playing at home creates a certain expectation and Trapattoni will want a player who can do more on the ball than Walters.


Despite RTE's best efforts to big up McCarthy I didn't think he was contributing amount in the final third, a tidy link player in the centre but 2 wayward passes in the final third attempting to play an attacker into space were overhit out of play. In a game with few attacking chances that's quite poor.
I don't know why people expect more from McCarthy. He is exactly as you described him - a tidy link player and a vital player in our team. I would have him in the team for every game but I wouldn't expect him to be creating scoring opportunities because it is not his game.


Forde's save at the free kick was quality, we see those creep in very often. Centre backs never really exposed which was good since I'm not sure how Clark would have coped.
Forde was super. Clark is our new centre half. Even if Dunne regains fitness - which I don't think he will, and I don't think he will ever play competitively for Ireland again - I think O'Shea and Clark is our best central defensive partnership and I look forward to 2-3 years of that before O'Shea retires, hopefully to be replaced by Mark O'Brien.

[NeverFeltBetter]

I think, certainly, players like Dunne and Whelan will have looked on the performances of Clark and McCarthy with a sense of dread for their future international prospects.

[elroy]

We cannot accept a draw at home to 4th seeds. That cannot be seen as an acceptable result.

In fairness to Trap, he more or less said in post match interview that we need to beat Austria at home.

I wonder if Long had scored that early chance would we have put in such a solid performance? Or would we have reverted to our type that has happened so often when we lead away from home (e.g. Bulgaria, Slovakia, Macedonia), where we try to defend the lead while offering little attacking. I think we might have done so.

Having said that, the second half against Poland and the match tonight have been encouraging.

[Charlie Darwin]

I wonder if Long had scored that early chance would we have put in such a solid performance? Or would we have reverted to our type that has happened so often when we lead away from home (e.g. Bulgaria, Slovakia, Macedonia), where we try to defend the lead while offering little attacking. I think we might have done so.
I don't think so. In those games, we didn't "revert to type", we just stuck to the gameplan and allowed the opposition to play their game. We let Sweden play their game tonight, but their game was very limited. That wouldn't have changed much if we were 1-0 up.

[tricky_colour]

Some highlights here.

http://eurorivals.net/sweden~republic-of-ireland-highlights-video-22-03-2013

[the doc]

Great Result, we did what we had to, thought the lads did their jobs well.

Roll on Tues.

In Trap we Trust

Nothing more to say is there really?

[p2011]

Good stuff indeed last night. Fair play to Forde particularly, great passion and jersey his to lose now. Keane very alert and fresh too, fair play

However in Trap I do not trust and there is plenty more to be said. Only 15 mins for Hoolahan? Dropping McCarthy effectively? Bringing on Sammon instead of a pumped up Doyle (think Kazakhstan!)? Wilson and Coleman were great, they make us look like a modern football team pushing up like that, but why weren't they in team a year ago?

Have thought for a while that we have the makings of a decent team,but Trap isn't getting best out of us. He's a liability IMO.

Team for next year or two:
Forde
Coleman Clark O'Shea Wilson
MacCarthy Gibson
Brady Hoolahan McClean
Long
with Keane Walters Green Doyle McGeady all on the bench to change things around.
Decent flexible side, where was it the last 12 months.

Beating the likes of Sweden competitively at home hasn't been our strength for around 10 years now. Big ask. Vital we go for it on Tuesday now.

[p2011]

Good stuff indeed last night. Fair play to Forde particularly, great passion and jersey his to lose now. Keane very alert and fresh too, fair play

However in Trap I do not trust and there is plenty more to be said. Only 15 mins for Hoolahan? Dropping McCarthy effectively? Bringing on Sammon instead of a pumped up Doyle (think Kazakhstan!)? Wilson and Coleman were great, they make us look like a modern football team pushing up like that, but why weren't they in team a year ago?

Have thought for a while that we have the makings of a decent team,but Trap isn't getting best out of us. He's a liability IMO.

Team for next year or two:
Forde
Coleman Clark O'Shea Wilson
MacCarthy Gibson
Brady Hoolahan McClean
Long
Keane Walters Green Doyle McClean all on the bench to change things around.
Decent flexible side, where was it the last 12 months.

Beating the likes of Sweden competitively at home hasn't been our strength for around 10 years now. Big ask. Vital we go for it on Tuesday now.

[geysir]

It's tempting to say that Sammon looked like a fish out of water out there.
No matter what way you look at Trap's fixation with Sammon, it's Trap's most bizarre selection, there's no football justification for his presence in the squad, never mind coming on a sub.

[Grafter]

Seemed like a great pre-match atmosphere last night, the anthems being sung would make the hair stand on your back..... was the music pre-kickoff a sample of "faster kill faster pussycat"by Paul Oakenfold..... really created worked anyways!;)

[NeverFeltBetter]

Our Anthem was butchered all to hell though. Even in a loudish pub I could tell the guy was getting the words wrong.

[Stuttgart88]

A prominent Irishman in Stockholm and an occasional poster here arranged the anthem singer I'm told. Fair play to him I say, a genuine local legend by all accounts.

Anyway, very decent performance in a great arena and super pitch. We actually looked fluent, cohesive and purposeful - pretty much everything I want to see in our team.

Agree with Murfon Fordes save from the in swinger. Absolute class save, showing experience and judgment. Safe hands throughout and bar one flap and a couple of iffy kicks it was as assured a goalkeeping performance as any of his more illustrious predecessors have put in.

However our setbpieces were poor and I wish we used McClean to take frees from the rhs - in swingers like the Swedes did all night. Mccleans delivery from open play was poor but I think we could have troubled them more with in swingers.

A few others came of age last night. Clark justified his call up and looked totally at home. McCarthy and Green were both very good bar a few sloppy errors. Mccarthys overhit through balls were surprisingly poor from a player of his quality. Coleman was class and Wilson very solid. Walters put in a good shift but like Geysir I'd like to see more of a creative threat from that position.

I was behind the goal in among the Irish and from there it was clear that the final third was crying out for Hoolahan. Trap called the substitution right but maybe a bit too late.

Trap may have got lucky with McCarthy over whelan but by and large he got most things right on the night.

Maybe a win was there but I'm happy with that but we now have to beat Austria. I think the team will feel very confident and if it's not blowing a gale on Tuesday I expect the same type of performance, with maybe more intent on winning rather than making sure we don't lose.

[Charlie Darwin]

I disagree with you on the free kicks - I haven't seen McClean put in a good cross in months. It's bizarre because when he emerged at Sunderland, he was hitting 80% in terms of successful crosses. If Brady had been playing, I think he'd have been taking them instead of McCarthy from that side.

Clark looks the part, completely, and I dare say he's a class above the doc. He stood out last night with O'Shea beside him to coach him through the game. That's something he's been lacking all season at Villa with Dunne out and Vlaar is not all he's cracked up to be. He might be a Dutch international but Clark is the better player.

One thing that disappointed me in the first half was when Clark took the initiative and looked to run with the ball into a huge space in midfield, but McCarthy took the ball off him and told him to go back, when he should really have let Clark go and filled in at centre half. On one hand, it's good to see McCarthy demanding the ball, but on the other it was tactically poor whether it was McCarthy's decision or instructions from the boss.

[tommy_c12000]

I disagree with you on the free kicks - I haven't seen McClean put in a good cross in months. It's bizarre because when he emerged at Sunderland, he was hitting 80% in terms of successful crosses. If Brady had been playing, I think he'd have been taking them instead of McCarthy from that side.

I'd agree. McClean's set pieces were very poor last night. We never really looked like threatening from them. Two changes I would make for Tuesday night are Hoolahan for Keane, and Brady for Walters . . . with Brady taking over set piece duties. Under Trap we have found it extremely difficult to break down defences from open play at home. Set pieces on Tuesday night will be our best chance.

[Stuttgart88]

I believe the weather is foul in Ireland. Are there any doubts over Tuesday's game? Will the pitch be in decent nick? You had to have seen last nights pitch to believe it. like a billiard table. It'd have been a crime to play our usual hoof ball on it!

[Olé Olé]

Very happy with that performance. Forde was assured enough in goals and won some corners at crucial sides. Excellent performance aside from one or two scuffed clearances and flap at a corner (which could easily have ended with a goal) aside.

At the back, the two full-backs most of us have been crying out for acquitted themselves very well, both defensively and offensively. I thought Wilson was excellent and put his stamp on the position. He offered so much that Stephen Ward is incapable of doing. Coleman was very good going forward, a trait of which we are all aware. Defensively, he tried to do a little too much and Kacaniklic tended to drift inwards with his dribbles. Although, it really demonstrates the irrational commentary some have made of a dearth of ability between Ireland and Sweden. Seamus Coleman wouldn't be caused any problems by Kacaniklic in a Premier League game. Entrusting him on the international stage is, consequently, rational.

In midfield, Green worked hard and gave away the ball on two or three occasions. I felt McCarthy gave a Carrick-2012/2013-type performance. He didn't close down space like Green did. What he did do, was make some well-timed interceptions and keep play ticking over. He dictated a lovely pace to our play and ensured things rolled forward.

On the flank, I thought McClean was excellent. He caused Lustig such problems and didn't run down blind alleys like he is so capable of doing. Twice, he turned back and fed the ball to the supporting Wilson. The end-product wasn't always brilliant, I agree. However, there was one occasion in the first half when he tucked in alongside Wilson. The Swedes played a diagonal ball into the far corner and McClean was there to win it.
Walters offered similar work ethic but his aerial touch appeared off. He didn't look like causing any issues in the final third for the Swedes but worked well. Can be proud.

Up front, Keane was quiet but not bad. Long worked tirelessly and could have done so much better with that opportunity in the first-half. I'll expect him to tuck away a chance like that Tuesday.

The final third was the concerning area for Ireland. There seemed to be an inability on our part to make the most of corners and decent balls in. This ensured our threat was very diminished because our play seemed to focus on the flanks and narrow attacks were few and far between. In fact, one of our only central attacks provided us with our best chance of the game when Long's effort sailed over.

The solution for this is quite simple, isn't it? Wes Hoolahan. I think Ireland need to bring him into the side, but ensure that we don't lose presence in Austria's area. I'd advocate a 4-2-3-1 as follows; Forde; Coleman, O'Shea, Clark, Wilson; Green, McCarthy; Long, Hoolahan, McClean; Keane. It's asking a lot of Long and McClean to contribute a lot to attack and defence but who else is as quick, fit and powerful as these two in our squad?

What about bringing in Sammon and Keogh when we could have nicked a goal? Baffling stuff. Why not bring in Brady? I know we were away, but momentum was on our side for much periods of the game. Sammon and Keogh offered absolutely nothing and contributed less. Keogh looked uncomfortable on the ball and one occasion a ball was played upfield to Sammon he made something resembling a leap and flapped his arms aimlessly, coming nowhere near threatening the centre-half (Olsson, I think) for the ball.

And on a final note, nice to see Clark come through a game without an error. It demonstrates that with a screening midfielder and an experienced partner, he is a very assured and capable centre-half who offers us many years of defensive promise.

[Stuttgart88]

I'd agree. McClean's set pieces were very poor last night. We never really looked like threatening from them. Two changes I would make for Tuesday night are Hoolahan for Keane, and Brady for Walters . . . with Brady taking over set piece duties. Under Trap we have found it extremely difficult to break down defences from open play at home. Set pieces on Tuesday night will be our best chance.
im not saying mccleans set pieces were good, they clearly weren't. But several occasions cried out for an inswinging free rather than a floated outswinger. I'd still have trusted McClean but Coleman, for example, could havevtaken one orbtwo from the left. We never varied it once. Keepers hate a good in swinger. A bad in swinger can be more dangerous than a bad floated out swinger.

[Charlie Darwin]

I believe the weather is foul in Ireland. Are there any doubts over Tuesday's game? Will the pitch be in decent nick? You had to have seen last nights pitch to believe it. like a billiard table. It'd have been a crime to play our usual hoof ball on it!
It should be fine. It hasn't rained since last night and the Aviva presumably drains very well. Plus Ballsbridge is at a higher elevation than most of Dublin so it should be fine. A good gauge will be if the UCD match tonight goes ahead, which I suspect it will.


What about bringing in Sammon and Keogh when we could have nicked a goal? Baffling stuff. Why not bring in Brady? I know we were away, but momentum was on our side for much periods of the game. Sammon and Keogh offered absolutely nothing and contributed less.
Keogh was inches away from latching onto a Hoolahan pass from which he likely would have scored. Neither McClean nor Walters made a single run like that in the entire game.

[Olé Olé]

Keogh was inches away from latching onto a Hoolahan pass from which he likely would have scored. Neither McClean nor Walters made a single run like that in the entire game.

He didn't latch onto it though and he didn't score. That almost-latch-on aside, he offered nothing offensive in his, admittedly short, appearance when the game was more open. Brady was left sitting on his hands. McClean was never offered that supply and Walters was entasked with a defensive job and treated to higher balls, with which he could have dealt better.

Hoolahan feeding our most dangerous attacking players would seriously sharpen things up in the final third.

[Charlie Darwin]

He didn't latch onto it though and he didn't score.
Because the pass wasn't good enough.

[geysir]

In the first half, McClean's corners were good until the last one. His first half performance was the best out of all the players. Not one mistake and not one misplaced pass.
His basic duties went well and he added to our impetus with some 4 or 5 good pieces of play.
Just for the record, like.

[the doc]

Clark looks the part, completely, and I dare say he's a class above the doc. .

I bet you were claiming McShane was the new Paul McGrath after his game against Czech Rep too?

Clark did well last night, but Sweden forwards never got a run at him or put him under pressure.


Ask the Villa fans who watch him every week what they think about him?

I think you are being disrespectful to St Ledger who has never let us down in over 30 plus caps.

If Clark can do that THEN you may be able to say such things as Clarks a class above.

What to bet on that?



Really pleased we won last night, but some of the rubbish sprouted by posters on Foot ie if we win or lose is laughable.

In Trap we must Trust!

[Closed Account]

Really pleased we won last night, but some of the rubbish sprouted by posters on Foot ie if we win or lose is laughable.

In Trap we must Trust!
You are a very odd chap doc.

[Stuttgart88]

What did we win last night?

Anyway, you're being a bit too sensitive. Clark was very good last night and who cares what villa forums say?

Forde, Long, McClean, Coleman, Hoolahan, Sammon. 6 ex LOI players played last night. Interesting stat. Can't believe Doyle was omitted and Sammon picked instead but still.

[MeathDrog]

My match ratings:

Forde - 8: Very impressed. You cannot really argue with him holding down the keeper's spot.

Coleman - 7: Was caught out positionally a few times but defended well and gave Walters help on the attacking end.

O' Shea -7 : Solid, one of his better games recently.

Clark - 7: No real complaints. A bit slow to clear his lines but did well.

Wilson -7: Hopefully we will never see Ward in an Ireland jersey again.

MIDFIELD

McClean -5: Not a very clever footballer. Bet his man a few times but crossing was dire. Not a step up from McGeady.

Green -6: Didn't pass the ball well but did better than expected by plugging the hole in front of the back 4 and cutting out through balls.

McCarthy -8: Needs to impose himself more on the game but does the simple things right and effectively.

Walters -5: Didn't look fully fit and we suffered for creativity down the right hand side when Coleman wasn't forward.

FORWARDS:

Keane -6: Played ok but never threatened and faded out of the game.

Long -6: Didn't link well with Keane at all. Had our best chance and got fouled a lot, the majority of which weren't called.

[Charlie Darwin]

I bet you were claiming McShane was the new Paul McGrath after his game against Czech Rep too?
No. Any more questions?

[mypost]

Agree entirely. I like John but he just wasn't in it today. But don't ever rely on Trap to do what you want him to. Green in instead of Hoolahan today? And Brady kept on the bench for so long when Walters was tiring and out of it? The worst thing about this game is that it will go down as a success. We could and should have won it. We were the better team. Suppose fair dos to Trap for that aspect of things, but it is so annoying that he won't go for the jugular when the game is there for the winning.

The team was crying out for a result, and that's what we got. As for not going for the jugular, Trap is Italian. Italians don't go for jugulars.

Delighted with the point, we got what we went there for, and the unbeaten away record stretches to 6 years.

[Stuttgart88]

I think we approached the game well. I told the guy beside me at half time that it reminded me of Paris and, much earlier, Amsterdam. I said I was glad we were actually prepared to engage a team rather than stand back. He said "that approach didn't work in Kazakhstan" and said we'd be mad to attack too much in the second half and asked what I'd do. I said I'd tell the players I trusted them to play their game and if they sensed it was there, they should commit. I think that's how they went about it. A couple of better passes and we'd have probably scored.


I think we could have brought on Wes earlier but I've no issue with the other subs. With 5 mins to go there the draw was looking like a good result and I think erring on the side of caution was ok. As p2011 said though, and as Geysir alluded to, seeing Doyle come on in place (plaice?) of Sammon would have been infinitely more sensible.

[geysir]

Another for the record.
Green hit 2 poor passes in the game, one was intercepted by an outrushing player and taken out of the danger area, the other missed Coleman and went out to touch.

[noddy102]

My take on the game last night;

Forde was excellent. I was worried before the game that Zlatan was going to produce some magic, and that we'd need a keeper to make some big saves. Zlatan didn't produce much magic at all last night, but regardless we needed a keeper to step up and make some great saves. I think in all he made four excellent saves. The first he held with both hands, and that was such a confidence boost for the man and the whole team around him too. Then there was the Kallstrom free which nobody got on the end of which was curling into the net only for Forde to watch it all the way and parry it wide for a corner. I think there was another one somewhere between the first and second half, but even that very last save, when everybody in defence had switched off, with their minds already in the dressing room, Forde was as sharp as ever. His release of emotion and passion at full time whistle was a great and symbolic and iconic image for the whole display last night. Fair play to him. To have a man step up to the plate and be a hero on a night like that was so important and he delivered.

Coleman was very good too. Whether it was Trapattoni allowing him do so, or simply his own style and choice to do so, it was so refreshing to see him overlap Walters on the right channel last night and add an option down the right flank. He was extremely calm on the ball and his defensive positioning was excellent, and although he did get himself into a couple of dangerous situations by dallying on the ball a bit, he recovered himself on each occasion. I think his performance last night will prove to Trap that he's now ready to be number one choice at right back defensively, which surely was the only doubt Trapattoni had in him. He's one of our best performers at club level these days, having got his Everton career back on track this season, and he's really growing as a footballer. Great to see.

O'Shea was amazing last night. I have for a long time doubted whether he has the mentality to lead from the back, and whether he is a truly capable centre half, but last night he was brilliant in the air especially. Countless times he cleared the lines effectively and convincingly. Granted there were many times he and Clark only had to deal with Hysen, as Zlatan was dropping a bit deeper, but from set pieces O'Shea was on hand to deny Zlatan on at least two occasions, when we needed him to do so. Overall he was good on the ball too, and although some of his long balls were woeful, he did play some really great passes like so too. I think he worked really well with Clark too and it's really promising that the two have had two clean sheets in a row now.

Clark did his job very well, although there were one or two errors which almost cost us if I remember correctly. I think it's only fair to give the lad time to develop as a centre half. He's clearly full of talent and he will be a great leader for us when he gains more experience. He's had a very tough season with Villa, but mentally he is growing stronger all the time. I think given the circumstances of it being a very important away game, he did his job well alongside O'Shea and should be applauded for doing so.

Wilson was very good too. I agree with the above sentiments that he's a breath of fresh air in contrast to Ward. He was very calm and composed when on the ball last night and his defensive positioning was very very good. I think we saw last night a lot of frees being given away on our left flank, through a few rash challenges from both Wilson and McClean, so there are some criticisms to be given there, but overall Wilson wasn't at fault otherwise. I recall he headed over a vital clearance for a corner, when Zlatan was lurking at the back post from one of those free kicks in the second half, and that individual moment in itself was pivotal for his own performance.

Green was very good too. Given the fact he was being slated a lot prior to the game, for even being picked he did the job asked of him excellently. He played a shielding job between defence and midfield, and the complimenting roles of his and McCarthy's worked effectively against the Swedish midfield. It's easy to single out the two wayward passes he made, and yes they were shockingly poor. But everything else he did was vital. Often football people say that when a player like Green, doing a defensive job in midfield isn't visible notably during a football game, then you know they've done their job effectively, and quite frankly that was exactly the situation last night. Not once did he lose his shape in midfield and not once did it feel like the Swedes had broken through our midfield during the game. Kudos where it's due.

McCarthy played really well. Given that he wasn't even supposed to start on Thursday evening he came in and proved a point. He got forward and tried some creative and ambititious passes. Some of these passes, when we were in the final third didn't work because he over-played the ball or whatever and that's a shame. But he was trying these passes and that's where he should be congratulated. It's clear he has bags of talent with the ball at his feet, and hopefully he'll play on Tuesday because we need him and need him to perform if we want to win. Again, given more experience he'll grow into being a vitally important player for Ireland. But last night, he was excellent for 90 mins, against a good Swedish team, and his interview after the game shows he's mentally strong and is not ego-driven in the slightest. We're so lucky to have him.

Walters wasn't the best, but he did his job very effectively from a defensive perspective. Sweden weren't much of a threat down our right flank, and it was due to the work from Walters and Coleman that they were unable to expose us down this flank. So in that way Walters was good. But he was very poor from an attacking or creative perspective. He didn't look comfortable on the wing when on the ball and he looked rather laboured when the ball was at his feet. Come Tuesday I will want Brady on the flank instead of him. I think Trapattoni decided not to play Brady given that it was an away game we couldn't afford to lose. But there will be no questions of whether Brady is 'mentally ready' for the home game. We simply need Brady to play because he's got the keys to unlock a defence with his left foot. Thanks Walters for all the effort last night, it was important.

McClean was good. He was dangerous especially in the first half and turned Lustig inside out a few times. I think he got poorer and less effective as the first half went on and he wasn't very good in the second half. But he did his job defensively and given that there are lots of question marks over him this season at Sunderland about not only his attitude but his performances, he at least proved last night to the doubters in the Irish public that he can do a disciplined job when he's focused.

Keane was good too. Again like McClean he was more effective in the first half than in the second half. He dropped deep quite a lot and he slowed down the Swedish in possession on a numerous occasions simply be closing them down or tracking back that little bit. He provided a bit of creativity early in the game, but as the first half rolled on, he seemed to be getting in the way of other players on a few occasions. He should have come off around the 65-70 minute mark for Hoolahan, because at that stage he was clearly ineffective. I'd still be happy for him to start on Tuesday, but he'll need to put in a very very good game if he wants to keep his captain's armband and starting position for the rest of this campaign.

Long wasn't the best on the night. He worked hard in the air against his clubmate Olsson, and there were one or two signs of his capabilities, but that one chance where he worked so hard to fashion himself some space was poorly finished by him, and that was the best chance we had all night realistically. He'll need to up his game on Tuesday.


Very happy overall with last night. A draw is what I wanted and what we needed and we got that with a very good performance too. The game was arguably there for the taking, but if we had scored Sweden would have woken up too, depending of course when in the game we scored.

Trapattoni once again proved last night that he knows what he is doing. His system is archaic up against teams like Spain and Germany, but otherwise there aren't many teams that can break down his tactics. His system is all about making us competitive, but the crunch is when we're at home and where we need to win the games, and I don't think it's necessarily down to his system's flaws where we lack the ability to win such games. We just don't have the quality to do so.

His team selection last night was right. I was delighted with the back four chosen to play and when he did have to pick McCarthy due to the enforced injury change, I was happy with the midfield.

Here's hoping the players are confident and rested for the big game on Tuesday. At least we the fans are confident and hopeful once again.

[DannyInvincible]

Managed to watch the game on RTÉ as my brother got it working through a proxy. Always more fun watching Bill and the boys engage in their handbags stuff, although "Dunphy the Intellect" and "Bill the Omniscient" do spout an unbelievable amount of semi-ignorant drivel of the "alternative populist" persuasion. I noticed Dunphy will never commit to a positive; he'll just remain critical and dwell on the negative. It's all too easy to snipe from the side-lines, of course. Just one example; he was loading praise on Green, perhaps with a hint of criticism of Trap in there too, for good measure, maybe for not having selected Green earlier or something - can't remember exactly - but when Bill penetrated further and asked would Dunphy start him on Tuesday were he manager, Dunphy, of course, responded from the fence, stating in avoidance that he'd merely "consider" starting him because he was wasteful.

Tony O'D's contrived questioning of Trap grates with me also. I don't dislike Tony, but his line of questioning often seems overly forced; like he's been told to push a particular line or he's attempting to appease an audience of baying Trap dissenters behind their television screens.

Anyway, the game itself... Not had a chance to read the forum or much of the analysis since as had an early start in work this morn, but I think 0-0 was a very fair result. Neither team had any real clear-cut chances and I think Sweden played a game that suited us, but I was still very much heartened by our performance. I was actually a bit crestfallen immediately after the game; not out of some empty feeling from apparent passion lacking or anything, but given that we did have some decent half-chances to win it outright. In hindsight, however, and with a more considered and analytical look back at the game overall, one can't complain. It's a great away point and you'd like to think we can power on now with a victory over Austria on Tuesday so that the home game against Sweden really does become a "cup final" affair. They're certainly beatable and should not be feared in Dublin.

Forde was excellent in goals. His kicking still has me biting my nails every time, but he's very good on his toes and he made some terrific quick-action saves. Did well with the corners and crosses, bar one where he went for a punch and allowed Ibrahimovic to get a head to the ball before him. I'd feared for possible costly errors or lapses in concentration from the sometimes-prone Clark and O'Shea but they handled proceedings well and were never massively troubled with so little of the Swedish ball on the ground around the Irish goal. If Ibrahimovic had played with his feet a little deeper and Sweden had kept the ball out of the air up around our box, we might have felt more pressure, but you can only deal with what your opponents can muster. We were well able to sweep up most of what they threw our way in the final third.

Coleman was my man-of-the-match. He looked very competent and creative going up the wing and also dealt with his defensive duties in a confident and composed manner; even when seemingly lacking in space and options, he'd still invariably manage, somehow, to find a way out of the corner hole by utilising his speed and skill to make a clearance, and a decent one at that, rather than hoofing it up into row Z. Wilson also did a good job in what has been a real problem area for us in recent times. It was an all-round very promising defensive display and there is definite hope for the future in the full-back positions.

I sensed RTÉ may have given McCarthy their man-of-the-match in order to stir the pot a bit; "How can Trap see this guy as second-choice/drop him for Austria?" That's not to take away from McCarthy's performance, however. His partnership with Green was so much more involved and far less anaemic than that we've come to expect of Andrews and Whelan. He was effective and purposeful going forward and was unfortunate that some of his through-balls didn't actually work out. Had he managed to put McClean through in the first half, or Keogh later on, we'd be celebrating a victory. Unfortunately, his touches were a bit heavy. Whelan's injury a possible blessing in disguise, then. His booking was also ridiculous, by the way. Great to have some real competition in the midfield now and he's hopefully given Trap some real food for thought for Tuesday. Green was determined and made a number of good interceptions but also wasted some possession with poorly-placed passes. Still, he was a much better player than the one so many of us expected to be so easily over-run. I'm happy to admit he proved my doubts wrong. When people ridicule Trap for allegedly comparing his ability to that of Gattuso or Stiles, I fear they're misreading Trap (perhaps intentionally), or reading him too literally even. There's something lost in translation there. I'd doubt Trap is comparing their respective talents; rather, he is comparing the roles. But, of course, when the media want to twist a dagger in someone, ambiguous language is a perfect weapon for them to exploit.

Walters gave his all; a very spirited performance. He was clearly tiring by the end but you couldn't fault his effort throughout. He's growing into a real favourite of mine. McClean was also excellent; another stand-out performance, I thought. He started especially well, although faded later on before being substituted. Nevertheless, a welcome and relieving resurrection from a player whose career we all know finished a few months ago… Was Lustig taken off due to injury or because he was being given the run-around?

Robbie started well and chased down a lot of ball, but as the game hit a lull half-way through the second-half he became ineffective and should have been taken off for Hoolahan a bit earlier. After the mid-second-half lull, we were on the ascendancy again and Hoolahan's introduction cemented that. Long worked hard and did OK but really should have done better with the early opportunity he wasted by blaring it over the bar.

I can't really judge Sammon or Keogh as they didn't really do a huge deal or have enough time to make an impact either way.

My overall ratings:


Forde: 7.5
Wilson: 7
O’Shea: 6
Clark: 6
Coleman: 7.5
McClean: 7
Green: 6
McCarthy: 7.5
Walters: 6.5
Robbie: 6
Long: 6

Hoolahan: 6.5

Trap: 7

Also great to see two former Derry City players in our starting line-up for a World Cup qualifier, and to see another come on later in the game, of course.

[PatJR]

I thought Long was very poor last night particularly in the first half. The centre defence started shaky I thought but solid performance from both. Green, McCarthy both excellent. A thorough selfless performance from Keane, ran himself stupid and don't think I've seen him play so deep for such long periods, linked the play well but obviously not in position enough to be a real goal threat. What I don't get is why people think its Keane or hoolahan. If hoolahan starts then the one striker who should be on the pitch is Keane! He's been crying out for a decent midfielder to give him service. I would nominally play Wes right midfield with instruction to drift inside, Keane pushed right upfront with either long or Walters.

[geysir]

"great to see another(Derry City player) come on later in the game, of course."

I don't know if many would share that sentiment Danny ;)

[Stuttgart88]

Wrt PatJR's post, I agree that the received wisdom of Keane not being a line leader isn't critical. There's no better player than Keane to make the runs that Hoolahan could pick out. Keane probably is the man to start upfront, though I would deploy Hoolahan (nominally) centrally / advanced and persist with an orthodox wide right player, be it Walters, Brady or maybe Long.

[DannyInvincible]

"great to see another(Derry City player) come on later in the game, of course."

I don't know if many would share that sentiment Danny ;)

Ha, perhaps. In the sense that it can only promote the reputation of the club/League of Ireland, however, it's positive that so many former league players are featuring so prominently in our competitive first team now.

With the exception of Sammon then, if it keeps you happy... :p