Republic of Ireland V Slovakia - Friday, 2nd September 2011 - Euro 2012 Qualifier

[Stuttgart88]

Increases likelihood of McCarthy being recalled? Hoolahan maybe?

[Closed Account]

Gone past the Edit timeframe on the last post so will just leave this here.

Shay Given	Started
David Forde	Started
Keiren Westwood	Bench

Stephen Ward	Started
Richard Dunne	Started
John O’Shea	Started
Darren O’Dea	Started
Kevin Kilbane	Started
Kevin Foley	Bench	Used
Sean St. Ledger	Bench
Stephen Kelly	Bench

Keith Andrews	Started	Goal
Stephen Hunt	Started
Glenn Whelan	Started
Damien Duff	Started
Andy Keogh	Started
Liam Lawrence	Started
Keith Treacy	Started
Aiden McGeady	Bench	Used
Keith Fahey	Bench
Darron Gibson	Injured

Kevin Doyle	Started
Shane Long	Started
Simon Cox	Bench
Robbie Keane	------

Marián Kello 	(Hearts)		Started
Ján Mucha 	(Everton)		Bench
 
Ľubomír Michalík(Carlisle United)	Started
Kornel Saláta 	(FK Rostov)		Started
Ján Ďurica 	(Lokomotiv Moskva)	Started
Martin Škrtel 	(FC Liverpool)		Bench	Used	Goal
Peter Pekarík 	(VfL Wolfsburg)	-	Not in Squad
Tomáš Hubočan 	(Zenit Petrohrad)	Not in Squad
Marek Čech 	(West Bromwich Albion)	Not in Squad

Miroslav Karhan (Spartak Trnava)	Started	Goal
Róbert Jež 	(Polonia Warsaw)	Started
Karim Guédé 	(Slovan Bratislava)	Started
Igor Žofčák 	(Slovan Bratislava)	Started
Vladimír Weiss 	(Manchester City)	Not in Squad
Juraj Kucka 	(FC Genoa)		Strike
Marek Hamšík 	(SSC Napoli)		Strike
Miroslav Stoch 	(Fenerbahce Istanbul)	10/9

Erik Jendrišek 	(SC Freiburg)		Started	Goal
Filip Šebo 	(Slovan Bratislava)	Bench	Used
Stanislav Šesták(MKE Ankaragücü)	10/9
Róbert Vittek 	(MKE Ankaragücü)	10/9
Filip Hološko 	(Besiktas Istanbul)	10/9

Igor Akinfeev 		(CSKA Moscow)		Started
Vyacheslav Malafeev 	(Zenit St.Petersburg)	Started

Yuri Zhirkov 		(Anzhi)			Started
Alexander Anyukov 	(Zenit St.Petersburg)	Started
Alexei Bberezutski 	(CSKA Moscow)		Started
Vasiliy Berezutski 	(CSKA Moscow)		Started
Sergei Ignashevich 	(CSKA Moscow)		Started
Roman Shishik 		(Lokomotiv Moscow)	Started

Roman Shirokov 		(Zenit St.Petersburg)	Started	Goal
Igor Semshov 		(Dinamo Moscow)		Started	Goal
Denis Glushakov 	(Lokomotiv Moscow)	Started
Igor Denisov 		(Zenit St.Petersburg)	Started
Konstantin Zyryanov 	(Zenit St.Petersburg)	Started
Alan Dzagoyev 		(CSKA Moscow)		Started
Diniyar Belyaletdinov 	(Everton)		Bench	Used
Dmitry Torbinskiy 	(Lokomotiv Moscow)	Bench

Alexander Kerzhakov 	(Zenit St.Petersburg)	Started	Goals(3)
Andrei Arshavin		(Arsenal)		Started
Pavel Pogrebnyak 	(Stuttgart)		Bench	Used
Roman Pavlyuchenko 	(Tottenham)		Bench

Kerzhakov hat trick.

[Closed Account]

And a token post, so the advertising doesn't affect the alignment.

[AlaskaFox]

Igor Akinfeev was taken off with a knee injury earlier. Should be out for them.

Six months according to my research:
http://greenscene.me/2011/08/russian...-moscow-derby/

[SwanVsDalton]

Increases likelihood of McCarthy being recalled? Hoolahan maybe?

McCarthy's the obvious one, think he's impossible to ignore in this situation. I don't think Hoolahan would work in a flat four central midfield, the way we play. Wilson might've came into contention but I hear he was taken off injured today so not sure if he'll be available.

Trap certainly needs to call up somebody, we've no natural central midfield cover except stop-gap's like Liam Lawrence or Kevin Foley.

[tetsujin1979]

McCarthy's the obvious one, think he's impossible to ignore in this situation. I don't think Hoolahan would work in a flat four central midfield, the way we play. Wilson might've came into contention but I hear he was taken off injured today so not sure if he'll be available.

Trap certainly needs to call up somebody, we've no natural central midfield cover except stop-gap's like Liam Lawrence or Kevin Foley.

and Stephen Ward. Remember, he finished the Croatia game in central midfield

[theworm2345]

and Stephen Ward. Remember, he finished the Croatia game in central midfield

Trap has had Foley in the middle too on at least one occasion. I really can't believe Ward will start over Kilbane, Trap just doesn't work that way. (Then again, could be Ward at left back and Kilbane returning to central midfield, you never know).

The poundings Arshavin and Pavlyuchenko took could help us I suppose as their confidences must be low.

[Kingdom]

All I know is that being outdone tactically against Russia, trap blamed the formation and said he'd look at it for the next time we play them. I would imagine this means dropping Keano back just to add numbers/close space.

As mentioned elsewhere we could be down to Andrews as the sole recognised central midfielder, as McCarthy and Hoolahan both play the advanced role for their clubs. Foley would be cover, as would Wilson if he was called up, but even Wilson is a push considering he's played left back mostly for Stoke. Worrying.

[SwanVsDalton]

Trap has had Foley in the middle too on at least one occasion. I really can't believe Ward will start over Kilbane, Trap just doesn't work that way. (Then again, could be Ward at left back and Kilbane returning to central midfield, you never know).

I think Trap's presence at the Wolves game yesterday means he's giving it some serious thought.

True Ward could play there, so could Killer I suppose, but I'd really rather not be looking at these guys when McCarthy is available to travel.

[Stuttgart88]

I think Foley could be a last resort option in CM, but with Gibson & Fahey out it would be prudent to call up a guy who can play CM as his natural position, i.e., McCarthy.

I expect Ward to start as LB on Friday btw.

Funny thing is, a few (lot?) of us, including me, were heavily critical of Givens' neglect of the U21s under the excuse of it being only important to develop some players for the senior team. Personally, I think that it's better to build a successful U21 team, a bunch of players that actually gets used to winning together. Our U21s have the likes of Clifford, McCarthy & Brady, and I think it makes sense to blood these guys as a unit. Just another angle to the "McCarthy must be called up" debate.

[Stuttgart88]

Six months according to my research:
http://greenscene.me/2011/08/russian...-moscow-derby/

Did he play in Dublin? If so, he's no loss for them. I thought he was very average.

[dr_peepee]

I expect Ward to start as LB on Friday btw..

I'm almost certain I heard trap say on TV after the Croatia game that Ward would start the next game, or something to that effect.

[SwanVsDalton]

Did he play in Dublin? If so, he's no loss for them. I thought he was very average.

He gifted the Slovaks their winning goal too. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise for Russia.

[Murfinator]

Igor Akinfeev was taken off with a knee injury earlier. Should be out for them.

Excellent news, fantastic keeper.

[elroy]

Increases likelihood of McCarthy being recalled? Hoolahan maybe?

The Sunday times yday was indicating that McCarthy will definitely join up with the U21s this week. He apparently has a very good relationship with Noel King, in contrast to that with Trap. Now the times may well be just putting two and two together to get eight there......

[Kingdom]

Haven't read the article, but how many times would McCarthy and King have been involved with each other? King only took over the 21's last year (at the end) and was with the women before that. I call bullsh9t

[Kingdom]

Excellent news, fantastic keeper.

An excellent keeper who has been terrible in this group.

[AlaskaFox]

I'd much rather a relatively inexperienced (at least competitively) goalkeeper than Akinfeev though.

[cufc champions]

Are the Squads meeting up today? It will be interesting to see does Trap call up anyone to the Seniors after Gibson and Fahey pulled out.

[Kingdom]

Unfortunately for us Malafeev is quite good too.