John O'Shea hopeful Ireland will have 'a few more surprises with potential players in June'
John O'Shea says Ireland are "pretty much nearly there with the core group" of players. Pic: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne
Solving the scoring code has been cracked by Ireland but it will be irrelevant unless goals are stopped at the other end.
John O’Shea saw for himself the difficulties in rattling the net when his four-game caretaker spell last year returned three blanks.
As a defender, now No 2 to Heimir Hallgrímsson, O’Shea’s tunnel vision is on shoring up the backline to stitch the two elements together conducive for reaching tournaments.
Hallgrímsson endured that problem too, his four defeats across the first six games all had nil beside Ireland, yet the threat and goals generated against Bulgaria breed optimism.
That 4-2 aggregate victory retains tier two status for Ireland in next year’s Uefa Nations League but that competition is parked while attention turns to World Cup qualifiers.
Portugal’s extra-time victory over Denmark in Sunday’s League A play-off places Cristiano Ronaldo’s side into the group with Ireland, Armenia and second seeds Hungary.
One automatic place for the finals in USA, Canada and Mexico is available, with the runner-up navigating the playoffs.
Acting as a buffer between the two competitive assignments are a pair of friendlies, at home to Senegal, likely on Friday, June 6, before a return to Luxembourg four days later.
“He's got us winning football matches,” was O’Shea’s take on the Icelander’s impact, much to the delight of the 40,000 in attendance at Lansdowne Road on Sunday.
“He’s got his organisation and principles - all those things you expect from a manager that's had the experience he's had of qualifying for major finals with Iceland and Jamaica.
“There’s the simplicity of doing certain things for certain games. Whether that was positioning two left-footers and two right-footers on either flank in the first leg or shaking up the squad with different players and characters. It's getting that balance right.”
Integral to that balancing act is optimising the return from strikers. Evan Ferguson and Adam Idah scored in the second of the come-from-behind wins but Troy Parrott was arguably the most influential, grasping the role of central attacker in both matches.
O’Shea even embraced the disappointment Idah felt at being confined to a 10-minute cameo over the two legs.
“That’s good because competition is what we need,” the assistant said about Idah channelling his annoyance into a late poacher’s finish.
“The best way for Adam to answer was by coming on the pitch and scoring a goal.
“If we’re talking about beating tier one nations and qualifying for tournaments, we’ll need our strikers scoring goals. It’s important we have that reaction; brilliant to see.”
Hallgrímsson has viewed 33 outfield players over his eight games. Captain Séamus Coleman faces a battle to reclaim his place, while Ipswich Town's Sammie Szmodics and Chiedozie Ogbene will be back in plenty of time for the opening World Cup qualifier against Hungary at home on September 6.
O’Shea concluded: “There will hopefully be a few more surprises with potential players in June and then it's a case of right, lads go back to their clubs, pre-season starts, transfer windows are in play, and they’ve to be ready.
“We must be ready to test the lads in certain situations where you go 'okay, we trust them and can rely on him'. But, ultimately, we’re pretty much nearly there with the core group.”
