Denmark V Republic of Ireland - Sat, 11 November 2017 World Cup 2018 Play Off 1st Leg

[geysir]

O’Neill mentioned that we need more creativity in the second leg which might suggest a start for Wes

Fewer unenforced errors would be nice as well. As was said during the game, the margins are very thin between these teams but for who ever loses, the manager's game plan will be relentlessly hammered by critics.
Somehow I think O'Neill will start with the more creative rather than start cautious and try to change things later in the game.

O'Neill's minimum target of nil nil was achieved, trading off our one chance to their 2. He wasn't interested to change the pattern of our game, if goal chances didn't come our way with what was out there, he wasn't going to deviate from the priority of keeping them scoreless. I seriously doubt that we could have overcome a 0-1 deficit.
I can see him using an altered version of his 4231 Meyler and Hendrick/Arter in defense midfield mode with Brady McClean and Hoolahan in midfield and Long up front,

[DeLorean]

Well I'm fed up of being told that if I don't like the football then I should go watch another team. Some of the Ireland fans remind me of American Republicans refusing to criticise Trump. And whoever criticises Trump, they accuse of being unpatriotic.

Fact of the matter is that all of Ireland's greatest results came when we had ball playing midfielders on the pitch and tried to play a bit of football. Yet we keep getting stuck, as a nation, in this defeatist narrative that we can't play football and that our only hope is shutting up shop and scoring off a set piece. But this team scored in crunch games against Germany, Sweden, Bosnia, Wales, Austria, Serbia from open play. I believe we can play, and I'm fed up of managers who don't believe we are any good. If the managers have no belief in the team, then why are they managing the team?

What ball playing midfielders were on the pitch when we scored against Serbia and Wales that we didn't have last night?

[Fixer82]

The more I think about Tuesday the more I actually think he won’t start Wes. Meyler is to come back in and I don’t see him dropping Hendrick, Brady or Arter. Nor do I see him moving Brady to LB to make way for Wes.

Then again, it’s impossible to predict O’Neill’s line-ups.

[mark12345]

If O'Neill thinks that we're better off without the ball that's his call. However it's the consession of territory that annoys me. He obviously is afraid of our lack of pace at the back and is willing to allow us to defend inside the 18 line and then work the set-pieces. This will be the rock that we flounder on. Sure it narrows the space in behind for someone to get through, but drawing the guts of 16/17 players into and around your own penalty area is not clever. All it takes is one deflection, or one loss of concentration, or one misjudgement (see N.Iron penalty) and the game plan is undone.

How many times did Schmeichal, Kjaer and Bjelland bring the ball up to and over the halfway line with no challenge being made? I lost count. At least in the second half Arter made the effort to put the pressure on. And for me that's a crucial point. Early on in (maybe the 3rd minute) we put the ball out for a throw on the camera side, about 5 yds up from the Danish box. Our defenders (incl. Christie) had dropped about 20m inside our half. It was totally unnecessary. If we held the line at halfway, it condenses the space that Denmark have to play with. Makes it easier for us to pressure them. This is simple stuff. O'Neill obviously wants the back 4 and the middle 5 to be compact, but that isolates the target man completely as it either leaves 30/40m between Murphy and midfield, or it forces Murphy back into our half (as happened last night) and it then means when we get the ball, the natural conclusion is that we've to punt it upfield to nobody due to the sheer pressure placed on the player receiving the ball as everyone is in our half.

Excellent points here. I will tell you one thing I learned in barely six months of playing football after leaving Ireland - it was something I never learned in my whole life (20 plus years) while playing and being coached at home. I played for an all Irish team against Italians, Portuguese, Brazilians, Polish - all different ethnic groups. Bottom line is they all love to build from the back. We would take a shot at goal - ball would go wide (invariably) and then their keeper would play it short to the full back. He would find the center half, the playmaking midfielder would come and pick it up, play a one-two and they were off to the races. The way you counteract that is place two players (or three if need be) sitting right on their defenders. Keeper would never take the risk of playing the ball to his defenders at that point. He is consequently forced to kick it long, and then, it's up in the air at the center circle - exactly where we wanted it. Martin O'Neill will be reading this right now, I know, and say to himself "oh yeah, let's try that on Tuesday night."

In all seriousness though, it is not complicated. If we pressure the Danes from the kick outs, the ball is there for Duffy, Clark and Ward to win in midfield and we will have two or three attackers in place once they head it forward. It is not sophisticated, but it is miles better than the "Russian roulette" football of last night.

[mark12345]

The more I think about Tuesday the more I actually think he won’t start Wes. Meyler is to come back in and I don’t see him dropping Hendrick, Brady or Arter. Nor do I see him moving Brady to LB to make way for Wes.

Then again, it’s impossible to predict O’Neill’s line-ups.

You probably are right. MON will be thinking of it this way. "We went to do a job in Copenhagen and we did the job. I asked my players to follow my instructions and they did it to a tee. How can I drop any one of them after they performed so well for me."
And that is fair. They did get a job done in Denmark so who can fault manager or team. However there are different horses needed for the course on Tuesday night. Just think of the aftermath if we defend well all night and then, with say, 15 minutes left, Denmark break the deadlock and hold out for a 1-1 draw. MON will be slated in all corners for his negative approach to the two ties. This game on Tuesday is all about mind over matter. We have to pose a threat to them and a far greater one than just from set pieces.

[Bungle]

I love wes and he has to play a part on tuesday,be it from the bench.

The personnel wasn't the issue yesterday. It's the mindset. The result was not too bad but it's hard to see us getting two if they score. If we offer up 65% possession to a team with a player like erikson then that is a major risk. We got somewhat lucky yesterday. If Sisto took the chance,i'd be feeling very concerned.

We simply have to adopt a performance of real intent and while possession isn't everything we need to keep the ball. If we do that,i'm confident. If not, it will be a long night and i could see us going out on away goals.

[Kingdom]

Then again, it’s impossible to predict O’Neill’s line-ups.

It's not. I did it on Sat and I've to screen-grabs to prove it!

[geysir]

It's not. I did it on Sat and I've to screen-grabs to prove it!

The only proof required is to refer to a previous post on this thread or provide a link to a post elsewhere on the WWW.
Everything else has 100% spoof potential

The spoof quota here overfloweth already

[Kingdom]

What if I'm in a secret club that I don't want to divulge? Like the no-Homers club or some-such? Delorean will back me up.........yeah.

[geysir]

Possibly you would pass the roscommon test of integrity (anything goes), but you haven't a chance of flapping Delorean's gull-wings.

[DeLorean]

Yes, I can vouch for Kingdom. He guessed correctly from the small number of options I gave him.

[geysir]

Yes, I can vouch for Kingdom. He guessed correctly from the small number of options I gave him.

Undoubtedly in true Delorean fashion you are exploiting an opening in a thread whereby you can jump in and blow your own trumpet, but this self serving does nothing to illuminate Kingdom's claim to genius.
And the fact that you vouch for this scoundrel shall remain an enduring blemish.

[DeLorean]

Undoubtedly in true Delorean fashion you are exploiting an opening in a thread whereby you can jump in and blow your own trumpet

Haha I'd love to refute this analysis but you've absolutely nailed my motives there, well played. Foot.ie is no place for humility.

[BonnieShels]

How did all the real fans with Danish tickets get on?

[jbyrne]

How did all the real fans with Danish tickets get on?

we got in but i know others turned away. our plan was to go to the turnstiles when they were busy, cover our colours well and just keep our heads down which worked. wasnt till last 10 mins did i know how many other irish were around me in the danish section when lads got a bit confident that they wouldnt be chucked out and started cheering the team on.

have to say the danes were great hosts and the match situation re keeping irish lads out was not in keeping with the friendlyness of the danes. having said that some irish fans were so well oiled at ko time that i might have refused them admission myself

[brine3]

Well I would say that even the best footballers make poor decisions. Good knows, Ronaldo has shot from too far often enough.

Or main problem against Denmark was not that we didn't take our chances. Our main problem was that we didn't create enough chances. If you only create two or three chances in a game, then you usually don't score. If you create six or seven, one of them might go in. Remember all the chances we created against Italy. One of them finally went in. And it was a great bit of intelligent football from Brady, let's be fair.

[Charlie Darwin]

I know most commentators feel whelan is a shoe in. But O'Neill has seen the whelan/ arter axis explode already in Georgia. I think he will go with O'Dowda and Whelan will be on the bench with Brady/Hendrick/Arter/ mcclean making up the 5 man midfield

5/5 - well played.

[Philly]

How did all the real fans with Danish tickets get on?

I'd imagine there was no need for any emotional displays of Irishness given how the game played out. Maybe a sigh of relief gave some away!

[shakermaker1982]

My half and half scarf worked for about 2 minutes. Guy next to me was friendly enough once he sussed I didn’t have a clue what he was saying!!

Thankfully the Irish lad in my queue who was so drunk he could barely stand was a good cover for the rest of us. I understand having a mad one the night before. I understand having a few pints before the game but to be so drunk you cannot even get the ticket out of your jacket....wtf?!!! Even if you get in how will you remember the game or know what is going on? So many leathered folk walking around before kick off- you’ve spent all that cash to get there and you don’t even get to enjoy the game. Each to their own I suppose.

[jbyrne]

My half and half scarf worked for about 2 minutes. Guy next to me was friendly enough once he sussed I didn’t have a clue what he was saying!!.

kept my mouth pretty shut for the first half, stood when the danes stood and clapped when they clapped. went to the jacks at ht and when i returned to my seat the dane beside me politely asked where was i from in perfect english! id say he knew i was irish from the first minute despite my best efforts to blend in