Armenia V Republic of Ireland - Saturday, 4th June 2022 - 2022/23 UEFA Nations League

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Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

I meant if he was not effective playing in the withdrawn role against a team who were packing the defence, why persist with him up front against five defenders?
I made the same point about Obafemi - he came on and played in the same position, but was equally ineffective.
What's the definition of madness, again?

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Kenny’s in-game management is questionable. None of the subs that came on had an impact + no evident tactical changes made. I think I would have put Hourihane on simply for his dead balls deliveries as given how deep Armenia were playing after their goal, a set play was our most likely chance of getting a goal as there wasn't the space to get in behind them to stretch them.

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Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

I think we missed the urgency and leadership that Doherty brings, and of course his quality. He got forward into dangerous positions in a few of our recent games. I think Stevens has generally been very solid for us but I thought he was especially awful on Saturday. Maybe their 5 at the back negated our wing backs but I thought he was ponderous and careless. His time may be coming to an end. I was surprised Ebosele didn't make the match day squad. I like the disruption he beings to games and I think he'd have been an option from the bench and in a few possible positions.

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Yeah, Doherty has been our best player under Kenny so certainly missed. I thought it was evident early on that Ogbene's pace was troublesome for them to deal with and that's something we didn't fully capitalise on (although the ref didn't help us here on occasion). If we had pace on both flanks, with Ebosele as well, maybe ...

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Originally Posted by ifk101

Yeah, Doherty has been our best player under Kenny so certainly missed. I thought it was evident early on that Ogbene's pace was troublesome for them to deal with and that's something we didn't fully capitalise on (although the ref didn't help us here on occasion). If we had pace on both flanks, with Ebosele as well, maybe ...

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Doherty aside, I think all the other players mentioned are only good when attacking space,using the ball in behind and running into/onto space/that. It worked in the first half but Armenia copped onto it and sat deep and countered our high line by using the space we'd left and going down the outside. We were out manouvered like a rook coming up the side of a chessboard.

It's been mentioned already bit parrot seemed most effective coming in off the wings into the central position and playing behind a striker why didn't that happen the last day? Why didn't Robinson try coming off the left, was he not match fit to play that role we know he can do it? Why bring on obafemi to play high up when his best seems to come from attacking in behind defenders or near 1-2s and go around the defender? We really lacked any sort of astuteness it's like I've said before when all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail.

Also been mentioned about players floating a lot, it can be confusing from tv to figure out who's where but I wouldn't say it's a bad thing if we used it effectively - which we did on a couple of occasions with Hendrick spraying the ball about in the first half

The best performance for me was away to Azerbaijan, where we started with the attitude that we were just better then them, and we showed them we were better right from the start, and had them broken as a team before halftime.

It was a rare 90-minute performance. So often it takes us ages to get into the game, or else our play peters out after a decent first 20 minutes.

In some of the other games where we got good results, we were still very shaky in spells, such as the Luxembourg game, where it took us an hour to finally make them look like the minnows they are.

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Doherty aside, I think all the other players mentioned are only good when attacking space,using the ball in behind and running into/onto space/that. It worked in the first half but Armenia copped onto it and sat deep and countered our high line by using the space we'd left and going down the outside. We were out manouvered like a rook coming up the side of a chessboard.

It's been mentioned already bit parrot seemed most effective coming in off the wings into the central position and playing behind a striker why didn't that happen the last day? Why didn't Robinson try coming off the left, was he not match fit to play that role we know he can do it? Why bring on obafemi to play high up when his best seems to come from attacking in behind defenders or near 1-2s and go around the defender? We really lacked any sort of astuteness it's like I've said before when all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail.

Also been mentioned about players floating a lot, it can be confusing from tv to figure out who's where but I wouldn't say it's a bad thing if we used it effectively - which we did on a couple of occasions with Hendrick spraying the ball about in the first half

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The 9 cant be the empty space, the 9 must be someone, of course running diagonally and then ogbebe or the other forward end up as 9. Ireland can't afford playing 9less. It is silly even the difference between El Loco and Guardiola. Bielsa plays a 9, whilst Guardiola doesn't all the time. Because of the players at disposal. Ireland is not Man city's Josep.

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Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Isn't Connor Ronan more like the kind of player needed to unlock a packed deep-lying defence? Parrott should have been used in that type of role though, so it's not like there wasn't anyone like that available to us.

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I think they both can do it tbh
Its more to have a plan B when we need a change of strategy. When we went down with 19 mins to play including injury time. I honestly don't think anyone thought we would score.

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Originally Posted by Jd2793

A fit jack byrne would be the only loi option i think. hes a lot better than mandriou but his workrate off the ball is probably something kenny would need improved. has sykes not moved to wing back this year? desperate for smallbone and kilkenny to kick on , badly need midfield options.

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I don't think it makes much difference when yiu play that 523 shape. You end up with the 2 wide front players taking the space you want your wing backs getting into. Then you have nobody in the box for all the endless crosses that go in.

I think we need to try to play a 532 with a narrow front 2 who complement each other maybe obafemi and parrott with knight as the most advanced of the midfield 3. It leaves you space for your wing backs to actually move into and gives you a chance of having players in the box for crosses.

I'm not sure Coleman and stevens have the legs for it though. I think it's ogbene and ebosele s best positions though neither are skillful but both have great pace and power well suited to coming on to the ball rather than taking the ball with your back to goal in forward positions. There likely defensive frailties need to be covered by a back three(otherwise what's the point of 3 centrehalves) along with Cullen working across the pitch.

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Originally Posted by liamoo11

I don't think it makes much difference when yiu play that 523 shape. You end up with the 2 wide front players taking the space you want your wing backs getting into. Then you have nobody in the box for all the endless crosses that go in.

I think we need to try to play a 532 with a narrow front 2 who complement each other maybe obafemi and parrott with knight as the most advanced of the midfield 3. It leaves you space for your wing backs to actually move into and gives you a chance of having players in the box for crosses.

I'm not sure Coleman and stevens have the legs for it though. I think it's ogbene and ebosele s best positions though neither are skillful but both have great pace and power well suited to coming on to the ball rather than taking the ball with your back to goal in forward positions. There likely defensive frailties need to be covered by a back three(otherwise what's the point of 3 centrehalves) along with Cullen working across the pitch.

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Exactly right. We have proper wing back options available and emerging with frightening pace. With Coleman and Stevens struggling to get forward our 2 wider front players are drifting wide leaving whose ever in the centre isolated. Parrot snd Obafemi are ideally suited to complement each other as 9 and 10. Despite all the pessimism I think we are one midfielder short of being able to put out a useful team and formation. Assuming of course we have a manager who can pick and coach the right players in the right positions.

Agree with these posts re wing backs. Stevens looked poor. Coleman looked tired. They provided no width or dynamism or invention between them. Reading analysis and listening to coverage since, shouldn't Kenny have subbed a centre half for a forward or midfielder and switched to a formation that might better suit us against 5-4-1? Coleman and Stevens would have done fine at full back against Armenia. Wing back they were just poor. And it made life difficult for the likes of Parrott and Robinson, in particular.

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