Republic of Ireland V Senegal - Friday, 6th June 2025 - Friendly

[Eirambler]

Here's a link to the match highlights - obviously only the first half is of relevance from an Irish point of view.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzELAPEoDnI

[Exgrad]

Yes HH prob playing to the gallery / smart (depending on your view) with this selection. Just what we need, a lad who gets beaten for headers in the box by someone a foot shorter than him. Good stuff.

[Stuttgart88]

Young player with great potential makes mistake shocker

[Exgrad]

Young player with great potential makes mistake shocker

Just looking for him to jump up and head the ball away. Its a relagation play off, kinda important.

[Stuttgart88]

Yep, as you say, just what we need (for a friendly against Senegal)

[Exgrad]

Yep, as you say, just what we need (for a friendly against Senegal)

The basics would be nice all right yes.

[Eirambler]

It was a poor piece of play to be fair, he completely failed to impose his size advantage on the attacker. For me he always looks a bit passive when I've seen him play, and kind of like he doesn't really belong at the level he has been thrown in at. My suspicion is that he'll be given a cap in June and assessed by Hallgrimsson, and will then be nowhere to be seen when the big games come around in the autumn.

[elatedscum]

i actually don't think it's anywhere near as bad as people are suggesting. attacking player is running onto it, has momentum, Finn is initially moving backwards, opens his body up to head it away from goal and leaves a path for the attacker to go straight through. He reaches the right height which is why he doesn't jump. It's a pretty common criticism of zonal marking is that the player underneath the ball is always vulnerable to an oncoming attacker with the advantage of a run.

[pineapple stu]

I think "player beaten to header for goal" is a relatively light stick in fairness; there'd be no goals if no-one was beaten at some stage.

The fact Finn is in and out of a relegation-threatened French side is probably more useful info. Yet to be honest, do we have many better options if we're leaving out playoff players?

In other squad news, Troy Parrott is on the bench for Alkmaar this evening. First time in the squad in seven weeks

[ifk101]

In and out of the team yet he has played a lot of minutes for Reims, if you consider where he was prior to joining them. Before the move, the bulk of his playing minutes are with Getafe’s second team – who play in the fourth tier of Spanish football. Spanish football is regionalised from the third tier down with 90 clubs competing in the fourth tier. Difficult to put this in the context of the English football system, but guessing the level of football of Getafe’s second team is comparable at best to a team competing in the 6/7 tier of English football. That’s quite a jump to move from that level to a Ligue 1 team and a senior international call-up.


He reaches the right height which is why he doesn't jump. It's a pretty common criticism of zonal marking is that the player underneath the ball is always vulnerable to an oncoming attacker with the advantage of a run.

He does get off the ground and the attacker connects with the ball to his side rather than above him. For me, he simply does not read the flight of the ball. Get that right, and his physicality and height advantage wins the ball. There is plenty of criticism of players, especially younger players on the forum, and don't really want to add to the negativity but .... there’s just too much rawness in him for my liking and it’s not just this passage of play that concerns me from the bits I’ve seen him play.

[seanfhear]

Sure a run-out with the Irish international squad shouldn't do him any harm anyway !

[pineapple stu]

Coleman and Szmodics out of the squad; Moran added.

Moran didn't play the playoffs but gets the attacking spot ahead of Cannon, who did

[tetsujin1979]

Senegal squad was announced a few days ago
Sadio Mané is the notable omission
https://www.instagram.com/p/DKJ536gtFTF

[tetsujin1979]

The game will be available on Amazon Prime for UK-based fans. Not sure if it'll be streamed outside the UK

[pineapple stu]

I know the site was down for a couple of days - but still quiet ahead of tonight's game!

Not altogether sure what way HH is looking at it with so many players left out by choice. We also have the problem of some players just back from injury (Parrott, Ebosele) and probably unlikely to start both games. Is Ferguson even match fit at this stage? RTÉ reckon (https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2025/0605/1516904-republic-of-ireland-v-senegal-all-you-need-to-know/) Knight, Smallbone, Kelleher, Brady are definite starters, while Parrott is doubtful.

So I don't know -

-------------------Kelleher-------------------
O'Brien------O'Shea------Collins------Brady
Doherty----Knight----Smallbone----Manning
--------------------Taylor--------------------
--------------------Idah--------------------

That's a very conservative XI though, but do Phillips/Finn/Moran really have a place in the starting line-up? And it feels there's a real lack of choice in the wide positions. Finn, Moran, Taylor, Phillips and McAteer are all very central players I think? So we're overstocked there.

A lot depends on who's actually fit of course; I'm not considering Festy, Parrott and Ferguson as starters but they could all change things.

[Fixer82]

Is Azaz injured?

[texidub]

Hard to be optimistic in terms of the result. Expecting a 0-2 but will be happy enough if we're competitive/show some bottle.

[pineapple stu]

Is Azaz injured?
Left out - all the Championship players not in the playoffs were left out (except Brady, because we've no-one else there)

[Kingdom]

Is Azaz injured?

No, Castore ran out of 'Z's in the print shop

[Fixer82]

No, Castore ran out of 'Z's in the print shop

Makes sense. they've been asleep at the wheel for too long

[Razors left peg]

https://x.com/IrelandFootball/status/1931040895144497615

Think the midfield 3 of Knight Smallbone and Taylor has possibilities... not sure about Manning in front 3 though

[tetsujin1979]

Starting XI stats
https://www.instagram.com/p/DKka1iZgx3Q

[Crosby87]

Lots of intrigue with this one.

Not everyday we get to play Robbie Keanes boyhood club Senegal.

[Crosby87]

Is Mendy starting at keeper? And what do we do with Pape Matar Sarr

[Eirambler]

McAteer making his case to start the qualifiers in the autumn, looking very lively in everything he is doing.

[passinginterest]

Looking like a decent football team. Before the goal McAteer had a couple of good moments but was let down by his decision making for the final ball. Senegal look very open at the back.

[pineapple stu]

Senegal's bench is quite strong (stronger than their starting XI I'd say) if they want to go for it second half and keep their 20 match unbeaten run going.

But don't think we should mind that. There's enough positives already to take from a June friendly. Be good to see what would happen if Senegal upped things

[Razors left peg]

This has been as good as we could hope for in a June friendly. We look organized, trying to play good football and having a go. Very impressed

[Eirambler]

Yeah, you don't want to read too much into it when you can't know for sure how hard the opposition are going at it. But in general it has been good and I'm liking us having the extra out and out central midfielder in there.

Also enjoying our mixed style of play, some nice short stuff, but some smart balls in behind too. Refreshing that we're not wedded to one particular style of play based on a managerial philosophy of how the game should be played, regardless of whether the players we have suit the approach or not.

[Razors left peg]

Regardless of the opposition I like our attitude and what we are trying to do

[pineapple stu]

Really poor from Smallbone there; that could have set us up nicely

[pineapple stu]

And that's a phenomenal save from Kelleher onto the bar

[Eirambler]

How many seconds was Andrew Moran on the pitch before he sold the jersey in the run up to that goal?

[Nesta99]

Overall not bad at all. We have been watching awful stuff for so long that Im not sure if people are easily impressed or were we actually good even for a friendly. We have to put in a huge amount of work compared to opposition and not always the return, Senegal off the woodwork twice, the scrappy goal, yet we busted a gut. Smallbone chance yu have to be taking those to if you get them v Portugal and other in WC qualifiers. But not a hard game to watch tonight which is progress in itself.

[pineapple stu]

Have to acknowledge too that Senegal left Jackson, Mendy, Koulibaly and Gueye on the bench throughout, possibly with England on Tuesday in mind. We were solid but didn't create that much, especially after Smallbone's miss. Senegal value for their equaliser.

But still we played ok; continues to feel better than the Kenny era. McAteer lively and deserved man of the match. Idah anonymous for 90 minutes. Phillips a bit of energy about him but would need to see more to see if he's a real option. Finn to get 20 minutes on Tuesday maybe?

[Eirambler]

Notable I think that Phillips got the nod off the bench over Finn. I'd say he might give Finn a few minutes the next day to keep the social media looneys off his back, but there's little in his club form to suggest he should be involved.

[tetsujin1979]

That's a bit harsh on Idah, he was right in front of where I was sitting in the second half. Be never stopped running and was hassling the defendce throughout, all while feeding off scraps.

[Eirambler]

He's fairly pointless in that kind of game though, doesn't hold the ball up anywhere near well enough. There's a case for him starting against a stronger team where we're going to play counter attacking football, or off the bench against a team we're beating or drawing with and who are chasing a goal against us. But there's nothing in his game that will unlock a well organised defensive setup.

[Nesta99]

Have to acknowledge too that Senegal left Jackson, Mendy, Koulibaly and Gueye on the bench throughout, possibly with England on Tuesday in mind. We were solid but didn't create that much, especially after Smallbone's miss. Senegal value for their equaliser.

But still we played ok; continues to feel better than the Kenny era. McAteer lively and deserved man of the match. Idah anonymous for 90 minutes. Phillips a bit of energy about him but would need to see more to see if he's a real option. Finn to get 20 minutes on Tuesday maybe?

Yeah I though Idah's off the ball work looked good. He made runs and showed for every ball that never arrived. Few times Senegal pushed up with a high line I think to try and get a foothold in our third and it was screaming for a quick ball over the top for Idah to run on to, he was screaming too Im sure. A lot of players would have quit making those runs and drifted deep to get more of the ball in frusration. So I dont think anonymous so much as the old didnt get the supply. A little more long vision maybe and he could have tretched the legs. Senegal quit the really high defensive line not long after they tried it as at some point they'd have been turned. Thats probably the satisfying aspect of tonights performance, they didnt expect much and ended up in a feisty mood by the end after having to try a few things to get a pinball goal.

[pineapple stu]

If the ball didn't come through to him, it's partly because he was offside so often. He gave up possession too often too. He can run around all the likes but ultimately he has very little real impact. Only site I can find with ratings (fotmob) has him our lowest-rated starter on 6.2. Don't know how reliable the site is but it has McAteer, Brady and Kelleher as our top three players which seems reasonably

It's only a June friendly so not exactly going to get caught up on it. But hopefully Parrott is fit for Tuesday so we can see if he continues his March form

Edit - I should say the only Opta-style ratings. Balls.ie and the Irish Times give him a 5, for example

[Razors left peg]

Notable I think that Phillips got the nod off the bench over Finn. I'd say he might give Finn a few minutes the next day to keep the social media looneys off his back, but there's little in his club form to suggest he should be involved.

I think Finn would have come on if Brady didnt have to go off when he did. Wouldnt read too much into it, Phillips looked miles off the standard when he came on.

I was happy with this game over all. I get that any time we do well against anyone we must say that the opposition werent really trying yada yada yada, but we can only look after ourselves. We have a long history of being sh1te in June games and I thought this is the most focused and organized we've looked in a while. Even after we scored we still tried to continue on the front foot and we mixed it up really well.

Smallbone should have scored at the start of the 2nd half, Manning should have picked out Taylor when he could inside just after that, and then the subs kinda changed the game. I thought he took of the wrong player when Taylor was subbed. I would have taken off Idah instead, mainly because I thought Taylor was very good. He wasnt flashy but I thought he really kept the ball moving well. Was always available and made quick simple passes. When he went off I thought our control of the ball went down, and then the rest of the changes kinda compounded it.

For September I think Azaz improves us and I'd start him ahead of Smallbone, with Taylor dropping deeper to where Smallbone was tonight. Knights energy was good so I think Id keep him there instead of Cullen.

I like how Hallgrimsson has us playing. There is a sharpness even in a friendly that has been missing for quite a bit of time and Im looking forward to see how we carry it into the qualifiers.

[Exgrad]

Current manager has taken the team up a few levels, admittedly from close to rock bottom. Really well organised now, lets see how well that organisation holds up in the qualifiers. Apart from miss that was best ive seen Smallbone play for us. Centre backs and keeper a really good unit. Less said about Morans cameo the better.

[Eirambler]

I honestly can't understand why Moran keeps making squads. Looking at our qualifying group there isn't a single game I'd be happy seeing him play in. Even Armenia at home could be a banana skin if we don't go at it 100%.

I've said it before but the lad is absolute powderpuff, hasn't offered a whole lot when we have had the ball and worse than a man down when we don't have it, as he showed tonight.

[samhaydenjr]

Not a bad result against a team at the level we need to be competing with. Sure, it wasn't their main line-up, but then we were missing, or didn't start about half a dozen players who arguably make us better... Plus Senegal had God up front.

[Razors left peg]

I honestly can't understand why Moran keeps making squads. Looking at our qualifying group there isn't a single game I'd be happy seeing him play in. Even Armenia at home could be a banana skin if we don't go at it 100%.

I've said it before but the lad is absolute powderpuff, hasn't offered a whole lot when we have had the ball and worse than a man down when we don't have it, as he showed tonight.

Would I be right in saying that Moran was only there because of withdrawals? Ive been a big fan of him in the past but he has definitely regressed. Fella needs to get in the gym, hes been in senior football 2 years now and hasnt put on an ounce of muscle. You can be a small player and be impactful in midfield but not when you can be blown over by a strong gust of wind.

[Eirambler]

He was, but we weren't meant to be picking Championship players who didn't feature in the playoffs, which will have contributed to him not being in the original squad. But then he still somehow ended up in there anyway.

[Predator]

Leaving aside the fact that Senegal stood off us a lot, a positive performance, with plenty to be happy about. Kelleher's save was top class (further cementing his status as our No. 1 IMO), Knight's industriousness and willingness to play it forward (thinking particularly of the moment where he played it first-time round the corner into McAteer in the first half) and McAteer's enthusiasmus (to quote an old Trap-ism). Doherty and Brady both did well too, with Doherty's clever pass to Manning showing his quality. A reminder that we need not be so quick to write off our veterans, especially when they're still operating at a high level.

I thought Collins and O'Shea had a few hairy moments, the sort you'd hope would be ironed out by now in a CB partnership, but they kept a good shape at the back too. I remarked to a friend that they don't seem to attack the ball as violently from set-pieces as Egan and Duffy did. They're around the same size as those two, but seem lighter, if that makes sense. Maybe it's just that opponents have just learned how to handle our approaches on that front too, though. The goal we conceded was disappointing - just didn't react quickly enough in the breakdown.


I'd say he might give Finn a few minutes the next day to keep the social media looneys off his back...
That's an interesting thought. Do we really think national team head coaches concern themselves with the opinions of a handful of random people online? :)



For September I think Azaz improves us and I'd start him ahead of Smallbone, with Taylor dropping deeper to where Smallbone was tonight. Knights energy was good so I think Id keep him there instead of Cullen.
This is the main dilemma facing HH right now. I think there is a world where Smallbone and Azaz can fit into the same midfield, but it might be strictly for games where we're going to be in control. Azaz looked phenomenal in the last window, but Smallbone has more to his game defensively.

[Eirambler]

That's an interesting thought. Do we really think national team head coaches concern themselves with the opinions of a handful of random people online? :)



A handful of random fans - no. But do smart head coaches play to the gallery a bit, yes of course they do. We only have to look at how long Kenny lasted in the job despite his obvious inability to get results to get a sense of the benefit of having the support base onside.

Hallgrimsson knows full well that calling up the likes of Finn and Honohan will curry favour with a sizeable section of the support, even though the reality is that the two of them will be nowhere to be seen once the serious stuff starts, barring an absolute injury crisis. He has nothing to lose by naming them in extended squads or capping them in friendlies.

The reality is that national teams in particular are prone to having sizeable sections of their support who know little to nothing about football - international football cuts through into the public domain to an extent that mid rank club teams like Ipswich or West Brom or whoever never can. It's what kept the likes of Dunphy relevant for 30 years. So yes, keeping people onside is part of the reality of the job.

[Predator]

A handful of random fans - no. But do smart head coaches play to the gallery a bit, yes of course they do. We only have to look at how long Kenny lasted in the job despite his obvious inability to get results to get a sense of the benefit of having the support base onside.

Hallgrimsson knows full well that calling up the likes of Finn and Honohan will curry favour with a sizeable section of the support, even though the reality is that the two of them will be nowhere to be seen once the serious stuff starts, barring an absolute injury crisis. He has nothing to lose by naming them in extended squads or capping them in friendlies.

The reality is that national teams in particular are prone to having sizeable sections of their support who know little to nothing about football - international football cuts through into the public domain to an extent that mid rank club teams like Ipswich or West Brom or whoever never can. It's what kept the likes of Dunphy relevant for 30 years. So yes, keeping people onside is part of the reality of the job.
A good summation of the point. I actually agree on the broad idea of coaches playing to the gallery and keeping fans/media onside. I just wonder to what extent it figures in the thought processes.

[pineapple stu]

The goal we conceded was disappointing - just didn't react quickly enough in the breakdown.
It was also offside btw - Senegal player standing right in front of Kelleher when the initial shot came in. VAR would have ruled it out, but as it happens the world is still turning today without it.

In defence of technology though, I did like the round of applause in the ground for the replay of Kelleher's save onto the bar. Nobody had seen it was a save at the time and the spontaneous, delayed, acknowledgement was nice