Serbia V Republic of Ireland - Wednesday, 24th March 2021 - World Cup 2022 Qualifier

I didnt see many comments on the foul on Connolly, that was a penalty from every angle. In my opinion.

Another thing,,,,, I watched on twitter and youtube Brian Kerr, your very own José Pekerman, making heavy remarks on the team, and the choices Kenny did. Very vocal about it, alongside that tall guy Delaney. Both very critical in one aspect that I agree, Kerr said why 3 at the back now, when he had like 7 matches to try 3 at the back and kept on 4 at the back. He also noted that too many youngsters at the same time wasnt good, because errors were meant to be. The goalie, our last man, the two center mids, and the two strikers.

I like Kerr the way he sees football he is old school like Liam Brady and the other two guys

I'm sorry Predator but to say Serbia never got out of 2nd gear is an absolute nonsense statement. Yes they were the better team but they were not coasting to an easy win in that game

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Originally Posted by Razors left peg

I'm sorry Predator but to say Serbia never got out of 2nd gear is an absolute nonsense statement. Yes they were the better team but they were not coasting to an easy win in that game

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I'm sorry you feel that way, Razor :D
Fair enough maybe that's being a bit generous to them, but I think once they got the equaliser they definitely got into a groove and even got a bit blasé as the slack defending for our second showed. I imagine they will give Portugal plenty of problems.

I've watched Connolly's penalty claim a few times and I still can't decide. From the Serbian goal side it looks like the defender got the ball first, from behind it looks like he's taken Connolly out first

I wouldn't be certain either way on the penalty call either. The referee seems positioned well enough for it, but it is very hard to say.
I do wonder how much those theatrical jolts work against or for players when it comes to getting the foul. You see some very soft fouls given when attacking players throw themselves to the ground outside the box at the slightest contact, but refs are somewhat more judicious when it's in the box!

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Originally Posted by Predator

I'm sorry you feel that way, Razor :D
Fair enough maybe that's being a bit generous to them, but I think once they got the equaliser they definitely got into a groove and even got a bit blasé as the slack defending for our second showed. I imagine they will give Portugal plenty of problems.

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Yes I think once they went 3-1 up they might have taken the foot off the pedal a bit and they were the better team over all but they were not playing in 2nd gear. They are good side and we caused them problems, I think with a crowd in Lansdowne we could beat them.

I think there's a point there from Predator on the second gear, in that they were very comfortable and neat in their build-up play, but they didn't really create that many chances out of it. We were struggling to keep possession at times and while we defended well, I thought Serbia would probably feel annoyed they didn't create more. So in that sense, I did feel they had an extra gear in them, but it was more that they let themselves down at times in the final third rather than that they weren't bothered. If that makes sense.

I'd be slightly worried Portugal will play the same way but create more chances, though I don't think the Portugal games are going to be all that relevant for us here.

That Connolly tackle does look like the guy got the ball to me. Certainly you can't look at it and ignore the Coleman call a few minutes later.

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

I think there's a point there from Predator on the second gear, in that they were very comfortable and neat in their build-up play, but they didn't really create that many chances out of it. We were struggling to keep possession at times and while we defended well, I thought Serbia would probably feel annoyed they didn't create more. So in that sense, I did feel they had an extra gear in them, but it was more that they let themselves down at times in the final third rather than that they weren't bothered. If that makes sense.

I'd be slightly worried Portugal will play the same way but create more chances, though I don't think the Portugal games are going to be all that relevant for us here.

That Connolly tackle does look like the guy got the ball to me. Certainly you can't look at it and ignore the Coleman call a few minutes later.

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I think Portugal are the type of team that could put 5 or 6 past us, yet they struggled to a 1 nil against Azerbaijan yesterday. They always have some weird results in qualifying so hopefully we can get something from them. Id take 1 point from the 2 games and beat Serbia at home.

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Originally Posted by Olé Olé

Would Jovic, Kostic and Mitro not be in the front 3? What about Tadic and Vlahovic?

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Jovic and Mitro are their established strikers. Vlahovic only got his 5th cap last night. Kostic is more of a winger.

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Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

They've been picking the best Irish player, rather than a overall man of the match, for a while now

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Eh, it’s player of the match. #triggered.

The reality is that the Serbs have almost 2 teams they could put out that are better than our best starting 11 right now. We have 4 lads (Coleman, Clark, O'Shea, Stevens) getting a game in the English top flight and a few warming benches who haven't had a good game for Ireland in 5 years. Of the 4 playing, 2 are rooted to the bottom of the league. The rest are playing or struggling to play in the Championship.

Serbia, first choice 11 or not, had lads playing and doing well in Seria A, La Liga and the Eredivisie and better on the bench. I saw someone say they are playing in mid table teams in those leagues....what we wouldn't give for that! These were in form players who were fighting to keep a place in the team ahead of the stronger players they were able to spring from the bench. While an odd number of Irish people have bought into Sky's marketing around the EPL being the be all and end all of leagues we see the proof of how strong those other leagues are every year in the CL. Italy and then Holland are lower down the order in fairness but I'd take a player playing week in week out and scoring/assisting in those leagues over a lad struggling to get into an EPL or Championship outfit. Form, fitness and confidence are important, particularly in international football when prep time is only a few days. Our midfield in comparison to theirs had 1 lad playing regularly in Belgium, one who can't get a game in the Championship and one who does well in the Championship. And midfield wasn't even our main issue! Up front they had their backup playing. He has 12 in 27 in Seria A. Meanwhile our most prolific option has 2 in 15 in the EPL, a **** haircut and wasn't even fully fit.

I started laughing when I saw us bringing on the triple threat of Brady, McLean and Collins. Has to be the worst lineup of subs we've ever brought on at the same time in a real game. To be fair to Collins he did his job and is probably worth a shot up front but it was funny nonetheless. We are in a huge period of transition. People need to take a dose of reality and realize that Irish football needs a lot of work before we can properly compete with the likes of Serbia. Scotland are a good example to look at. They dug out a result with a similar team to ours with the major exception being that their "weaker" players are still regularly playing in the SPL building form, fitness and confidence.

The great thing about Collins goal, is that if results sort of go as planned - portugal take both ourselves and serbia for 6 points, then any crappy dirty 1-0 win against serbia in dublin is enough to take them on the head to head. that goal could be absolutely crucial.

i'm not advocating that we should be expecting to come second, simply advocating that it's important that the campaign stays live as long as possible - particularly into the sept games when we're in a new season.

I think it's goal difference in this campaign. Which means if there is a game where we are comfortably winning we would need to hammer that advantage home, just in case we do improve enough to beat Serbia at home and get back in contention later in the group.

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Originally Posted by Eirambler

I think it's goal difference in this campaign. Which means if there is a game where we are comfortably winning we would need to hammer that advantage home, just in case we do improve enough to beat Serbia at home and get back in contention later in the group.

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One can dream ! !

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Originally Posted by Eirambler

I think it's goal difference in this campaign. Which means if there is a game where we are comfortably winning we would need to hammer that advantage home, just in case we do improve enough to beat Serbia at home and get back in contention later in the group.

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Great shout Eirambler, you're on the money with that one, lazy from me.

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Originally Posted by seanfhear

One can dream ! !

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Dreams are all I have.

A lot of the ex pros seem to have come out saying certain players were poor and/or the performance wasn't that great but also commenting on Serbia. Heres a good one from Richard Dunne, I'd agree with this , as mentioned we seem to overstate, amplify leagues/players/teams:

https://www.sundayworld.com/sport/so...-40241715.html

Theres another worrying pattern creeping in, that I thought we had kept a lid on. This thing about players coming through and potential and building, have ye not got burned long enough with this? Wishing or hoping and even relying on a player or players to come through? We can't be saying write off this campaign or that campaign and these lads will have experience and the new ones coming through. Just look at hendrick and brady and a few others, they were the future at one point. It doesn't work. We need to focus on the now, we're too small a country with too small a selection to be throwing away campaigns for some future wing and a prayer that we magically discover a few players or all those with "potential" bear fruit and become top players and mainstays of the team. Its living in cloud cuckoo land.

In the meantime though it is good of course to see us trying to play good football. But we need more than just that.

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Originally Posted by weldoninhio

Eh, it’s player of the match. #triggered.

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Is this a gender thing? Or simply shortened of "Irish player of the match"

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

A lot of the ex pros seem to have come out saying certain players were poor and/or the performance wasn't that great but also commenting on Serbia. Heres a good one from Richard Dunne, I'd agree with this , as mentioned we seem to overstate, amplify leagues/players/teams:

https://www.sundayworld.com/sport/so...-40241715.html

Theres another worrying pattern creeping in, that I thought we had kept a lid on. This thing about players coming through and potential and building, have ye not got burned long enough with this? Wishing or hoping and even relying on a player or players to come through? We can't be saying write off this campaign or that campaign and these lads will have experience and the new ones coming through. Just look at hendrick and brady and a few others, they were the future at one point. IT doesn't work. We need to focus on the now, we're too small a country with too small a selection to be throwing away campaigns for some future wing and a prayer that we magically discover a few players or all those with "potential" bear fruit and become top players and mainstays of the team. Its living in cloud cuckoo land.

In the meantime though it is good of course to see us trying to play good football. But we need more than just that.

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Tadic was given the freedom of the park to pick out Mitrovic for the third goal certainly.

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Originally Posted by seanfhear

Tadic was given the freedom of the park to pick out Mitrovic for the third goal certainly.

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Ya I didnt want to agree with Brady about Molumby, he was right in one sense that he wasnt good enough, I felt he wasn't physically up to the task , and yes in another game he would have gotten booked for persistent fouling(and probably be less in their faces), but he made it difficult for the Serbs with all the fouling, and pulling them down breaking up their play. That is a good thing to have, its a great to thing to be able to do and get away with it time and again. Whilst he was on Serbia never got into any sorta rhythm really - so he was effective.

I think some of the criticism that Kenny wants us to play slowly and keep the ball for the sake of it is miles off the mark. I though it was clear the other night that he wants us to play out very quickly, one touch stuff making angles and working it into the feet of our quick forwards. He still wants to get the ball forward quickly and press, not that different to Big Jack or Mick, the difference is he wants (needs) the extra quick pass or two to create a better quality ball than a 50/50 punt. The other difference is he wants the players to realise that when the quick move is not on, there's much more value in keeping the ball and giving ourselves a breather, than thumping it aimlessly back to the opposition.

There's been some criticism that we should play to our 'strenghts' but what are they? We don't have a premier league big man who can hold it up, we don't have a fox in the box averaging a goal every second game at least, we don't have one the best midfielders or central defenders in the world. Yeah we can pack the defense, but playing that way and hoping to nick one is more and more unlikely in the absence of a Robbie Keane or Quinn, Walter or even a Doyle. Arguably, the strength of this team is a lot of similar players in midfield and up front, relatively good technically, high energy, capable of passing and moving quickly but not necessarily of dominating a game physically or scoring a load of half chances. I think Kenny is really trying to play to the current strenghts and move away from the traditional ones that to be honest we don't actually have at the moment.