The Republic of Ireland manager, Martin O’Neill, has launched a pre-emptive strike against the hoopla that will surround the friendly against England on 7 June, declaring that the match that really matters is the European Championship qualifier against Scotland a week later.
The visit of Roy Hodgson’s team to the Aviva Stadium is sure to be an emotive affair, coming 20 years after England’s last match in Ireland was abandoned because of rioting by England fans. The occasion is likely to be accompanied by much talk of history, reconciliation and national pride. But O’Neill has urged supporters to remember that the match is part of the preparations for the meeting with Scotland which, given that Gordon Strachan’s team sit two points above them in Group D, O’Neill describes as a “must-win” if Ireland are to reach the European Championship.
“[The England friendly] is a big, big match but I don’t think we should overlook the fact that for me it’s a buildup to the Scotland game,” O’Neill said. “If you want us to win a load of friendly games I’ll play the 700th-rated team in Europe every single week and build it up. These are games where we take it on. It’s a big match but it’s not for me. The Scotland game is the be all and end all.”
O’Neill indicated that one advantage of the England friendly is that it could give a workout to the members of the Ireland squad who play for clubs in the Championship, where the regular season ends on 2 May. If players such as Wes Hoolahan of Norwich City and Derby County’s Richard Keogh and Jeff Hendrick are not involved in the playoffs, they will have more than a month without competitive action before the Scotland match.
O’Neill has told his players that if they emulate the rousing second-half display that enabled them to claim a 1-1 draw against Poland on Sunday, then they could get the victory they need against Scotland. “I said this to the players at the end of the game: replicate that there and we have got a real fighting chance,” said O’Neill.
The manager was particularly heartened by the performance of James McCarthy. The 25-year-old went into the Poland match under intense scrutiny, with many supporters critical of his lack of influence during the majority of his 24 appearances. The former Republic of Ireland midfielder Liam Brady even wondered in a newspaper column last week whether the Scotland-born McCarthy had enough passion to play for Ireland.
McCarthy performed awfully in the first half against Poland but improved markedly in the second to help Ireland seize control of midfield. The Everton player missed November’s defeat in Scotland but O’Neill knows he could be integral to Ireland’s chances of success in June.
Asked whether the performance against Poland amounted to a coming-of-age international display by McCarthy, O’Neill replied: “It was. Sometimes you are looking for a bit more from him. I thought he was tentative in the first half; he has given it away a few times when he should deal with the ball a wee bit better. I mentioned it to him at half-time and I thought he came on strongly in the second half. Strong himself, brushing people aside too, driving forward with the ball, which he is able to do, and I thought he dominated proceedings in there and kept us on the front foot.”
