Three lessons learned as Ireland suffer blow to Euro 2020 hopes
on the lessons learned from Ireland's 2-0 loss to Switzerland at the Stade de Genève.
Do we not believe?
The Republic of Ireland’s visit to the Stade de Geneve was never a ‘do or die’ situation in terms of Euro 2020 qualification but that should not shield management or players from criticism following a second uninspiring display in four days.
It is hard to believe that Mick McCarthy’s side had tasted defeat only once in twelve previous competitive away matches such was the listlessness of their latest performances.
Switzerland are regarded as the most talented squad in the group yet Vladimir Petkovic’s side have shown brittleness when put under pressure as evidenced by throwing away a 3-0 lead against Denmark and a late equaliser in Dublin.
Conditions were poor and the pitch cut up as the evening progressed but, in truth, the visitors never looked like a team 90 minutes away from qualifying for the European Championships. Worse still, Ireland rarely demonstrated the requisite conviction when in possession or self-belief to take the game to a Switzerland team that could not afford to lose.
The Hourihane conundrum
Mick McCarthy’s decision to deploy a 3-5-2 formation saw Shane Duffy, John Egan and Enda Stevens form a back-three supported by Seamus Coleman and James McClean on either flank.
That counter-attacking setup came as something of a surprise but understandable as the Republic of Ireland manager had switched to that formation when the Swiss last visited the Aviva Stadium.
Yet the omission of midfielder Conor Hourihane was a real head-scratcher. The Aston Villa playmaker’s ability to get up and down the pitch not to mention his set-piece delivery was expected to keep an athletic Swiss midfield in check.
Granted, the 28-year-old didn’t enjoy his best outing against Georgia but Hourihane would have offered more of an attacking outlet than Glenn Whelan, Jeff Hendrick or Alan Browne who was tasked with man-marking Granit Xhaka.
It was frustrating to see the Republic’s best free-kick exponent sitting on the bench on a night Ireland’s best chance of scoring a goal looked like originating from a set-piece.
On to Dublin
A defeat was never going to be the end of the world in Geneva and Group D’s qualification permutations are straightforward following Switzerland’s victory.
Nothing but a win over Denmark in Mick McCarthy’s side’s final European Championship qualifier will suffice on November 18. Granted, there is still the possibility of making it through via a Nationals League play-off should Ireland lose on home soil. Neither Mick McCarthy nor his players will want to face that scenario.
The Danes may well have qualification sewn up before they set foot on the plane to Dublin but Irish supporters will not need reminding of a recent World Cup play-off at the same venue when Christian Eriksen orchestrated a 5-1 hammering back in November 2017.
Another nervy night awaits where a full house and marked improvement on what the Republic of Ireland team has produced in recent outings will be necessary to ensure qualification for the 2020 European Championships.
