MARTIN O’NEILL WASN’T willing to go into too much detail about his team or tactics when he met the media yesterday afternoon. He was still “formulating” those ideas, to use his own words, and in no rush to show his hand ahead of tonight’s friendly against Serbia.
All week he has taken a common sense approach to this international break, a thorn in the side of club managers everywhere. Robbie Keane was excused so that he could stay in America and continue his preparations for the upcoming MLS season, as was Richard Dunne who has had little rest during QPR’s promotion chase.
Damien Delaney has gone back to his club too having failed to recover from a calf niggle.
There’s little certain about O’Neill’s immediate plans. He refused to be drawn on whether Ireland will play with two wingers tonight — though there were a few admiring notes on James McClean’s performance against Latvia — or even whether John O’Shea, the de facto captain in Keane’s absence, was guaranteed a starting place.
“We’ve got this opportunity, an opportunity perhaps in the summer time to look at one or two [players], but I’ve a fair idea what John can do,” he said coyly.
“One or two of the other players in the squad at this minute I know less about and that might be an opportunity for them.
“I’d also still like to win the game. All of those things will be a consideration.”
Winning the game will be a significant challenge in itself, not that O’Neill needed reminding. Ljubinko Drulovic’s side aren’t going to the World Cup either but they arrive in Dublin ranked 29th in the world, a full 38 places above Ireland.
Shortly before O’Neill sat down in Malahide, Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic and Aleksandar Kolarov of Manchester City met the media in the Aviva Stadium, a reminder of the Premier League riches in the visitors’ squad.
Three games in, it’s hardly a stretch to label this the hardest test of O’Neill’s short tenure.
“The approach is relatively simple in the sense that we’re at home, we want to go and try to attack Serbia, we want to give the fans something to cheer about,” he said.
The onus is on us as the home side to come and attack. We want to try to do that, and naturally freedom of expression as well to a certain degree.
“You would like to try and win the game if you can do that. A combination of all of those things is what we want to try to achieve.
“In terms of style and pattern of play, hopefully that will evolve between now and September. Hopefully we’ll try a couple of things as well.
“Of course you’ll take into consideration the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition but really we’d like to try and get forward as often as possible.”
Set against the often dour, though sometimes effective, pragmatism of the Trapattoni era the mere hint of free-flowing football was enough to set tongues wagging.
“As a defender you don’t want to hear it too much,” O’Shea smiled.
“We know the type of performances that the manager is going to be looking for. He wants the players to use their own natural ability and natural instincts to go and take people on in the right areas.
Believe me, he’s not telling people to take people on their own 18-yard box. He wants to keep clean sheets. We know how important they are especially coming up to a qualifying campaign.
O’Neill too urged caution after taking a minute or two to consider the sweeping ambition of his words.
This is how he wants his Ireland side to play — but it’s a right they have to earn.
“These are easy words for me to use at this moment. It’s nice and it’s comfortable and then Serbia keep the ball for 10 minutes of the game and you’re asking where’s this freedom of expression.
“I’ve been told we haven’t changed that many things, the personnel hasn’t changed a great deal. There’s time enough yet for some young player to come through and be brilliant for us during the Euro campaign.
“But as I say, these are easy words here today. It’s harder to do these things.
“Serbia will be a real test for us for a start. These matches in the Euros will be major tests for us.
“It’s nice to hear these type of words we’re talking about but we have to earn the right to express ourselves. That’s really important.”
