Ireland all set to lead their hosts a merry dance
Connolly likely to be held back in the wings for his debut
They are clearly in a good place
‘I think they are desperate to beat us’
IF the Republic of Ireland enjoy a threepoint Tbilisi take-away today, don’t rule out a jig of joy on the touchline from Mick McCarthy.
The Ireland manager was briefly stumped yesterday when asked to respond to Vladimir Weiss’ bizarre comparison between Ireland and Michael Flatley, because of their ‘phenomenal energy and passion.’
But McCarthy is quietly backing his own 11 lords of the Euro 2020 dance to be sure-footed on the ball this evening as they seek to take a quickstep towards the finals.
An eleventh win in 12 games against Georgia would lift Ireland to within three points of a direct route to next summer’s jamboree, which includes four games in Dublin.
This is a moment they must seize, unlike two years ago in the World Cup when, under Martin O’Neill’s stewardship, they lost a grip on the match, and their qualifying group.
As McCarthy placed the cones for training last night in the Dinamo Arena, the laughter of his players carried across the warm breeze.
They are clearly in a good place, in mood and in mind, aware of how far they’ve come in a short space under McCarthy, and also what’s needed for a final collective heave. Shane Duffy and Aaron Connolly were bracketed in the same quintet for a ball-juggling exercise which involved skills and smiles – McCarthy likes to strike a light mood before battle.
The Brighton boys, one tall, one small, were the only players wearing leggings as everyone about them enjoyed the heat on their legs.
Earlier this week, the vibe was that Connolly might start, while Duffy probably wouldn’t make it because of injury, but the stage has shifted under McCarthy’s feet.
Connolly is likely to be held back in the wings for his debut, while Duffy will bolster prop the defence, and rumble forward for free-kicks and corners.
As McCarthy cheerfully admitted, ‘it would be bonkers’ not to pick him.
McCarthy, who made a point of thanking Brighton, has handled Duffy with care, to the point he wouldn’t let him train on Thursday morning in Dublin.
As for Weiss, he is clearly fearful of the Derry giant. ‘Duffy is a nice guy but in set pieces, he’s a very dangerous player, a key player for Ireland. He has come back from injury into the team and that is bad news for us,’ he said.
Duffy has a productive knack of popping up with goals in big games for Ireland.
He did it here two years ago, against Denmark in the World Cup play-off, and also against the Danes in Copenhagen in June. He will be a major rallying point this evening as Georgia, already assured of a Euro 2020 play-off next March through the Nations League, have a kind of free hit.
They can have a cut at Ireland, prick the visitors to see if they bleed. They rattled Denmark’s longboats a month ago, growing in confidence the longer the game was scoreless.
‘If they have no chance of qualifying they have nothing to lose. They can be more relaxed than we can, we still have a chance of qualifying for those top two spots. That puts the pressure on us,’ said McCarthy.
‘Will they be more relaxed? Will they be blasé about it? I don’t think so. I think they are desperate to beat us. They’ve already got a play-off spot so they will want good momentum to go into a play-off.’
The best way for Ireland to puncture the Georgia balloon is to score early, get on the front foot and keep possession, which has not always been an Irish strength on the road.
‘A quick, positive start is the way to start any football match. If you can get that, great,’ said McCarthy.
‘They (Georgia) always try to get on the ball, try to dominate and pen you back, which I’ve seen them do to teams.
‘We have to try and make sure they don’t to us, that’s with the ball and without the ball, that we try to keep it and be possessionbased ourselves.
‘It might be 25 degrees here and our players have been getting used to 10 degrees at home .’
McCarthy can take cold comfort from the hand he has been dealt, compared to O’Neill two years ago.
Seamus Coleman, 30 yesterday and Jeff Hendrick were missing back then, while Conor Hourihane was a rookie on the bench. John Egan and Callum Robinson weren’t on the senior team radar. Those five players are all English Premier League regulars.
While David McGoldrick’s absence is a loss, McCarthy thinks highly of James Collins, who offers a more robust alternative in attack.
The suspension of Enda Stevens at left-back is not ideal but Matt Doherty and Derrick Williams each have over 250 games at club level and neither will be fazed, if selected.
As for Weiss, he is aware of his team’s record against Ireland.
‘We must play similar to the way we played against Denmark but with more quality in the attacking front. I hope we score goals, and for the first time in our history, beat Ireland.’
When asked about the differences between the teams of O’Neill and McCarthy, Weiss said: ‘I only know McCarthy from TV and history, O’Neill was like my friend.’
He will know a little more about McCarthy, and his twinkle-toed crew, after today. Let’s dance.