With Northern Ireland having already earned an invitation to Euro 2016, the Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill craves a ticket to the party. He confesses to being “envious” of his Northern Ireland counterpart, Michael O’Neill, and also of the managers of England and Wales, all of whom can relax as the Republic try to navigate their way through a play-off against Bosnia-Herzegovina with a seriously depleted squad.
“Michael [O’Neill] is having a cigarette somewhere, as is Roy Hodgson and Chris Coleman, smoking and enjoying themselves,” said O’Neill. “I’m envious, I’d like to join them if at all possible.”
The Republic reached the finals four years ago thanks to a play-off victory over Estonia but generally they have found these last chances difficult to grasp, prevailing in only two of seven play-offs in their history. Their preparations for the first leg of the latest one, away to Bosnia, have been equally inauspicious, as the manager admits that injuries and suspensions will force him to “adjust personnel certainly, and perhaps also style”.
It will be fascinating to see which style he adopts. The fact that away goals will be taken into consideration in the event of the two-legged tie being level after extra-time could incite him to go for a more offensive approach than he has pursued in previous matches on the road. But does he have the tools? Injury to Shane Long and suspension to Jon Walters strip Ireland of players who contributed a third of their goals during the group stage. Robbie Keane no longer has even a fraction of their mobility or menace and Daryl Murphy has shown little hint of such qualities during his three appearances in the campaign so far.
However, the Ipswich Town striker’s aerial power, and his timely hat-trick against Rotherham United last weekend, could see him get the nod. Knowing that Walters, and possibly also Long, will be back to enhance Ireland’s attack in the second leg could push O’Neill further towards prioritising caution in the first leg. “The most important thing is still being in the tie with a chance of victory on Monday night,” said O’Neill. “While we can’t win the tie here, we don’t want to lose it.”
The team-sheet will reveal the manager’s intentions. The closest player that Ireland have to Miralem Pjanic, Bosnia’s wonderfully creative midfielder, is Wes Hoolahan but O’Neill tends not to start the 33-year-old in away matches, especially with a second game to come so soon after.
The manager hinted that will not change here, especially as Hoolahan is one of five key Irish players (along with James McCarthy, Séamus Coleman, Glen Whelan and Marc Wilson) who will be banned for the second leg if booked in the first. And the referee on Friday night, Germany’s Felix Brych, is noted for his pernicketiness. “While you don’t want to start preempting things that might not materialise, I think you have to take some things into consideration,” said O’Neill when asked about the possibility of starting Hoolahan in Bosnia.
The manager bristles at suggestions that omitting the Norwich City schemer betrays undue negativity. But if Ireland were to focus on solidity, that could leave O’Neill open to accusations of failing to appreciate the importance of an away goal and, paradoxically, of taking an excessive risk given the weakened Irish defence. John O’Shea, hitherto the only ever-present Irish player in the campaign, is suspended for the first leg following his thoughtless late dismissal in Poland last month. Aston Villa’s Ciaran Clark or Wilson will have to partner Richard Keogh in the centre of defence.
Injuries to Rob Elliot and Kieren Westwood mean that Darren Randolph will continue as the goalkeeper; he has performed admirably in his two caps but the Bosnians are aware that the West Ham reserve is inexperienced and will surely set out to test his fortitude in Zenica, where Bosnia play their home matches because the cramped 12,000-seater stadium is considered luckier than the more spacious Olympic stadium in the capital, Sarajevo. “This place is something special for us,” said Edin Dzeko, Bosnia’s former Manchester City striker and chief threat. “It gives us ever more power to give even more, we love this place.”
That seems a strange tribute to pay to a ground where they began the campaign with a defeat by Cyprus but Bosnia have improved hugely since appointing Mehmed Bazdarevic as manager four matches into the campaign. The suspended Everton midfielder Muhamed Besic is the home team’s only significant absence and their key players go into Friday’s game on the back of strong recent form for their clubs. Whereas O’Neill could have to call on players such as left-back Stephen Ward and midfielder Aiden McGeady, who have rarely played all season. The one constant of this Irish team throughout the campaign has been a willingness to battle, which brought that famous victory over Germany last month. They will have to fight with similar gusto in Bosnia to set the stage for another night of celebration in Dublin on Monday.
