Azerbaijan V Republic of Ireland - Sat, 9th October 2021 - 2022 World Cup Qualifier

I'd like to see us either start or finish with this:

----------------------Bazunu--------------------------

----------Omobamidele - Duffy - Egan--------------

Doherty - Hendrick ----- Cullen - Stevens
----------------Robinson------------------------
-----Idah-----------------Idah---
---- Collins ----

Idah twice intentional cant really do it with newline on textbox. Point being is let Robinson be the link, Idah has all the running to cover the channels on the counter, but on slower build up we use the wingbacks, getting quick ball into Collins telling him stay in the box at all times, perhaps keane might be what Kenny is thinking .
Our crossing has been poor, so poor bar last gasp duffy bundling the ball in that we dont need anymore out on the wing with Doherty and Stevens coming forward. I'd like to see us try and play through Robinson with the wing backs overlapping but not afraid to use Idah to cover the 18 yard line with nice intricate passes commandeered through Robinson. Collins then just to find himself somewhere around the 6 yard box/10 yards out. We've been too much about getting ball out wide and having out and out wingers up top that we haven't focused on getting players into the box to finish moves off. This lineup gives us that.

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Originally Posted by dynamo kerry

getting nearer to a settled side finally.

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The lack of injuries this window helps. It does seem like we have a better idea finally of our best 11, barring some discussion around the forwards.

it does seem like reasonable consensus on 8 players. The question seems to be idah or robinson.. it could be connolly or robinson more like it... anyway Idah seems to be the preferred option by kenny although an * due to lack of scoring lately

the Mcclean selection is interesting. I think there is a question if James is picked when we are in a jam or if Kenny sees him as 1st choice. I think it's the former..

fascinating week though. only coleman is missing who would be an automatic pick. Mccarthy is out of action so long there's no guarantee he would start...

(edit - O'shea would maybe be ahead of Omobamidele)

Formation is an open question too.

It's an away game, so you naturally don't want to be too attacking.

Yet it's an away game against the bottom seeds, so if we can't set up attacking-ways, when can we do it?

Yet it's an away game against the bottom seeds who we barely drew with at home, so we probably do need to show them a bit of respect on their own patch.

I worry that our forward line is too weak for two up front, like 3-5-2. 3-4-3 has the advantage of going for quantity over the quality we don't have, and hoping that the extra body in midfield isn't really missed.

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

I worry that our forward line is too weak for two up front, like 3-5-2. 3-4-3 has the advantage of going for quantity over the quality we don't have, and hoping that the extra body in midfield isn't really missed.

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I agree with this, but we've too many players outside the box when we finally get the ball into the box(and most of the time we hit high with perhaps one capable -size, physique and ability- headerer of the ball). We've too many players who like to be coming in with the ball , and not even 1 who just wants the ball in around the 6 yard box. Collins does give us that, even if hes fairly limited, but in the few times he's come on he's looked decent - no more no less. Decent is about as good as we can hope for for a finisher for now.

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Collins then just to find himself somewhere around the 6 yard box/10 yards out. We've been too much about getting ball out wide and having out and out wingers up top that we haven't focused on getting players into the box to finish moves off.

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Collins has not scored in his last 20 competitive games (club + Ireland).

Collins is nowhere near good enough. He is slightly better then conor salmon
We have guys that can progress like parrott connolly and idah and of course Robinson. Give me a conor ronan ahead of collins any day

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Originally Posted by Diggs246

Collins is nowhere near good enough. He is slightly better then conor salmon
We have guys that can progress like parrott connolly and idah and of course Robinson. Give me a conor ronan ahead of collins any day

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I think Collins had his brief peak and that was great. who was that guy who was stupid good in his late 20s.. lee something...

he's not the answer. I'd prefer Hogan as an old fashioned Number 9...

I agree the formation is fluid and I also agree we look light up front for 2.. I'm worried about the 3 leaving us exposed.

Lee trundle, with his weekly appearances on soccer saturday.

Agree generally on Collins, but if anything the keane call up shows is we are desperate for anything that resembles a finisher for the short to medium term, and collins is worth a try in a game like this. Idah isnt anywhere near that level, and not sure he ever will be a finisher or a good, as in consistent, goal scorer. Connolly isnt either. We need goals and we need a win desperately - Collins might just be the wrong man at the right time.

I'd have a doubt that both Collins and Idah would start together, but pickings are slim.

Again I agree, but I hope that they are on the pitch together at some point, and that Robinson is also on at that point too.

Really hope he's not tempted to try the 3-4-3 again. I know a few posters are concerned that we don't have good enough forwards to go with two, but we absolutely don't have good enough central midfielders to go with just two, and if we don't win midfield we'll just end up with forwards who don't see much of the ball and are tripping over each other when it does get to them.

The way to have both of course would be a 4-3-3, but I don't really like that either. Firstly because Doherty and Stevens/McClean are wing backs, not full backs (I'm not sure McClean is even a wing back to be honest) so we weaken both by trying to play them as full backs. Secondly we end up forcing someone to play on the right of a front three, which none of our forwards really suit.

So I would go with the 3-5-2 with Knight as a more attacking midfielder to link up with the two forwards (which for me would be Robinson and Connolly). I'm fairly sure he won't do that though, and I think we'll be weaker as a result.

Ireland more expansive but still worryingly goal shy

https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2021...ngly-goal-shy/

Connolly and Robinson are too similar to play together as a front two imo. Would consider both most effective attacking and cutting in from wider positions, and neither offers an aerial threat or works as a target. Selecting them as a pair limits our options as to how we can play. I think Idah has to play as he can play as a target, is mobile enough to make runs in behind, is physically strong to challenge their backline, and has showed a good ability to link play.

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Originally Posted by ifk101

Connolly and Robinson are too similar to play together as a front two imo. Would consider both most effective attacking and cutting in from wider positions, and neither offers an aerial threat or works as a target. Selecting them as a pair limits our options as to how we can play. I think Idah has to play as he can play as a target, is mobile enough to make runs in behind, is physically strong to challenge their backline, and has showed a good ability to link play.

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Yeah I think we'll see a front two of Idah and Robinson with Knight playing as the third midfielder to support the strikers like he did against Hungary and like Browne has done in some games.

Connolly and Robinson played together against Serbia but think Kenny will want a target man in there. It's why I wouldn't be too shocked if Keane started as he provides what you described but more experienced than Idah. We saw that he threw McGrath in from the start away to Portugal, but the advantages McGrath had were other players out injured and Kenny knows him from their time at Dundalk.

I said I wouldn't be surprised to see 3-4-3 one more time because Robinson, Idah, and Connolly are all fit and selected for the first time under Kenny I think. But more than likely will be 3-5-2 with Idah and Robinson up front with Knight as the advanced midfielder. He'll probably want that extra man in midfield and Knight offers the athleticism to help out in midfield but get forward to support the strikers.

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Originally Posted by Eirambler

Really hope he's not tempted to try the 3-4-3 again. I know a few posters are concerned that we don't have good enough forwards to go with two, but we absolutely don't have good enough central midfielders to go with just two, and if we don't win midfield we'll just end up with forwards who don't see much of the ball and are tripping over each other when it does get to them.

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I think midfield options are much better than up front. Cullen is playing for a decent side and in Europe (albeit the Conference League, which is a drop down for them). Hendrick is an established Premier League player. Knight looks half decent and is back from injury. Our forward options, by contrast, are all ****e and I think there's still question marks over most of them as to whether they'll even manage a career in the top two divisions. (Robinson the only real exception at the moment)

But I know what you're saying though. I think there's drawbacks whichever way we line up, and that really comes down to the serious lack of quality in the squad. So we may as well consider all options.

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Ireland more expansive but still worryingly goal shy

https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2021...ngly-goal-shy/

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It's probably something that's gonna burden us for a quite a time still. We know the senior strikers aren't offering us anything in terms of goals and the younger lads are still trying to find their feet at club level.

Parrott is the only one in the squad that's playing regularly at club level. Scully is playing regularly at club level but would be competing with Connolly who Kenny has said could do with a loan. Hopefully we see him in March and he moves up a level. Obafemi is another but he's out at the moment with another hamstring injury.

One pairing up front I wouldn't mind seeing sometime is Idah and Keane. If Keane actually plugs a gap left by McGoldrick then I wouldn't mind seeing Idah also play up front more as a nine than the target man. In the underage he often had Parrott supporting him as the playmaker which allowed Idah to get into the box more often.

The Azerbaijan squad was named at the weekend: https://www.affa.az/index.php/news/a...-matches/69168

№	NAME, SURNAME	CLUB	POSITION
1	Aydin Bayramov	Sumgayit	Goalkeeper
2	Emil Balayev	Qarabag	Goalkeeper
3	Shahrudin Mahammadaliyev	Qarabag	Goalkeeper
4	Maksim Medvedev	Qarabag	Defender
5	Bahlul Mustafazada	Qarabag	Defender
6	Azer Salahli	Keshla	Defender
7	Mert Chelik	Neftchi	Defender
8	Hojjat Haggverdi	Sumgayit	Defender
9	Bakhtiyar Hasanalizada	Sabah	Defender
10	Tellur Mutallimov	Sumgayit	Defender
11	Abbas Huseynov	Qarabag	Defender
12	Anton Krivotsyuk	Wisla Plock (Poland)	Defender
13	Toral Bayramov	Qarabag	Midfielder
14	Rovlan Muradov	Gabala	Midfielder
15	Gara Garayev	Qarabag	Midfielder
16	Anatoli Nuriyev	Kolos Kovalivka (Ukraine)	Midfielder
17	Filip Ozobich	Qarabag	Midfielder
18	Vugar Mustafayev	Sumgayit	Midfielder
19	Emin Mahmudov	Neftchi	Midfielder
20	Rahim Sadikhov	Sumgayit	Midfielder
21	Murad Khachayev	Sumgayit	Midfielder
22	Namik Alaskarov	Bursaspor (Turkey)	Forward
23	Renat Dadashov	Tondela (Portugal)	Forward
24	Ramil Sheydayev	Qarabag	Forward
25	Mahir Emreli	Legia Warszawa (Poland)	Forward
26	Araz Abdullayev	Ethnikos (Cyprus)	Forward

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Lee trundle, with his weekly appearances on soccer saturday.

Agree generally on Collins, but if anything the keane call up shows is we are desperate for anything that resembles a finisher for the short to medium term, and collins is worth a try in a game like this. Idah isnt anywhere near that level, and not sure he ever will be a finisher or a good, as in consistent, goal scorer. Connolly isnt either. We need goals and we need a win desperately - Collins might just be the wrong man at the right time.

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Collins certainly has his limitations but (I think) he's our only forward to score a competitive goal in the Kenny era - the ugly one in added time against Serbia away.

I don't think enough is being made of the loss of Coleman for these games. he has been brilliant
To think Kenny actually dropped him! Jesus wept on a cross
Anyway what are people thinking result wise?