Experience of beating Bosnia will be crucial in play-off
INTERNATIONAL play-offs are certainly very different occasions and the great thing for Martin O’Neill and his players is that they have experienced them before. I played in many play-offs, too many in fact. I was on the bench in ’97, and played home and away in 99 and ’01 and then again eight years later. Funnily enough, I don’t have many happy memories of these encounters.
But the majority of the current Ireland squad were around when we beat Bosnia to qualify for the European Championships in France, and that experience will be invaluable when we meet Denmark in the next week.
The Wales game last month also had the feel of a play-off game, because the result was so decisive for both teams, and that victory will still very much be fresh in the memory of the squad as they meet up in the next couple of days.
When it comes to the build-up, however, I know that I would be down-playing the occasion as much as possible and trying to treat it like any other game. It’s not, of course, but that’s the message I would be putting out.
The players will be monitoring everything online, on TV, radio and in the papers and they will have plenty of people telling them what is being said before the game in Copenhagen. The best thing the players can do is keep their heads down and just stay focused.
The Wales game may have been nearly a month ago now, and plenty of league football has been played since, but I am sure the good feeling and euphoria from that night will still be with the squad as they get together.
There are a couple of key decisions for Martin O’Neill to make before the first leg. Although he likes to throw the odd curveball with his team selections, if everyone is fit, the team virtually picks itself.
While I am certain the vast majority of Ireland supporters would love to see Wes Hoolahan start both games, I just can’t see it. I think he will start on the bench in Copenhagen and in Dublin.
Unfortunately, as we have seen throughout this campaign, and the Euros, Hoolahan cannot handle two games in a short space of time, so the manager has used him sparingly.
But I also think the team played so well in Wales, and the system suits the players. There is good pace, power and energy in the side and Hoolahan is a good option to have on the bench, if the away leg starts to go in Denmark’s favour.
Shane Long is seeing regular action at Southampton and is fit, which is great news after he missed the Wales game and there was talk about the possibility of being out for a while with a long-standing hip problem.
Daryl Murphy did extremely well in Long’s absence in Cardiff, and also got his goal against Moldova, but with his experience, pace and ability to get behind defenders, I personally would start Shane Long.
James McCarthy is out with a hamstring injury, which is a real shame because I think he would have been a straight swap for David Meyler, who is suspended for the first leg.
That means Glenn Whelan comes back into the central midfield role and his experience of these type of games will be absolutely vital. The only other alternatives are Conor Hourihane or Alan Browne, but they are just not ready to start a game of this magnitude.
The rest of the team looks after itself. Jeff Hendrick, Robbie Brady, James McClean and Harry Arter will definitely all start and we have a settled back four, particularly with the centre-back partnership.
The big danger among the Danes remains Christian Eriksen. When the draw was made, he was naturally identified as their matchwinner and he looked very good for Tottenham against Real Madrid in the Champions League this week, particularly in the second half. We are dealing with a special player.
So can we cut the supply line to him? Although Eriksen is a class player, Denmark are not the same team as Tottenham. And while he may be the type who can get the best out of his team-mates, he does not have the same top quality players around him that he has at Spurs.