A week in football, as in politics, is a long time. This time last week I had nothing but kind words for Ireland’s manager Mick McCarthy. Seven days later, we are six points closer to Japan and South Korea. The Republic have successfully side stepped the banana skins of Cyprus and Andorra and are now sitting proudly on top of their qualifying group. For this, McCarthy certainly must take credit.

Question marks remain

Ireland are getting used to winning – it’s a good habit to have. But although it may seem churlish, there are still some question marks over McCarthy’s ability as an international manager. Essentially, the areas of doubt were more apparent in the second of the week’s games, against Andorra in Barcelona. A number of decisions before and during the games hinted that McCarthy may inwardly lack courage in his convictions, the ability to change and adapt strategically during a game, and sensitivity when dealing with his players. 

With 20 minutes gone, his team were certainly struggling to crack the Andorran nut. Ten men behind the ball, even when the 10 are amateurs, will cause most teams to struggle a little. However, with only a quarter of the game gone, it seemed only a matter of time before the net would bulge. Chances were being created and squandered. Nevertheless, patience and perseverance would surely bring their rewards. But it was at this stage that the manager decided to withdraw perhaps Ireland’s most lively striker of this game and indeed the Cyprus game, David Connolly. In this act, McCarthy undermined the confidence of a player we may indeed have to rely upon for goals as the group progresses. 

Possibly worse, McCarthy showed signs that if the going gets tough, throwing a big man up front will be his solution. The decision was all the more baffling given that we were playing the “might” of Andorra, who at this stage had barley crossed the half way line. Connolly had every right to throw his eyes to heaven. He had most certainly outshone his more illustrious partner Robbie Keane in both games. He must have wondered why he bothered to turn up. This is not to unfairly criticise Keane, who nevertheless was hapless in both games, nor to belittle the eventual part played by Gary Doherty. Rather, it is to put a question mark over McCarthy’s decision making. 

Would three up front have been better?

A better solution given the opposition’s complete lack of endeavour, might have been to withdraw one of our completely underemployed defenders. In fact, we probably could have Given Shay Given the day off. But more sensibly, two nippy and hardworking strikers buzzing around big Doherty would not have been too cavalier in this match.

Then there was the use of our two wide men over the 90 minutes. The ease with which Kilbane was tamed was unsettling. This was a game that did not suit his talents. He needs space and a good stretch of grass to be effective. However, he rarely if ever sought to take one or other of his markers infield to create space for others.

That said, Ian Harte’s almost lazy approach to the game made it highly unlikely that he would attempt to exploit any space created. In fact, recalling him rather than Connolly might have been more fruitful. On the other side, Damien Duff showed flashes of his talent, but really only flattered to deceive. The Andorrans were more than happy to direct him inside into the congested midfield areas, where there was little danger. 

3-0, but a moral defeat?

What was most surprising was that McCarthy allowed it to go on. It was painful to watch. At the very least, the two wingers might have switched wings. This would have at least have given the part-timers something else to worry about. But surely the best option would have been to remove Kilbane altogther, give Finnan a run on the right, and let Duff get around the back on the left. This may have led to Doherty getting some decent service. 

McCarthy may well argue that the 3-0 score is the perfect riposte to such criticism, but he would only be partly correct. After the game, he argued that after 10 minutes he could see that we needed a change up front. A big man was needed. To say this lacks imagination would be a major understatement. Surely, the Irish managerial team had enough knowledge before the game to have believed that Andorra might be undermined by a big target man. The argument itself has some validity. But why do it at the expense of the confidence of Connolly? 

This was a decision that should surely have been made as the team was being picked. The Connolly debacle was reminiscent of McCarthy’s decision to give free rein to Mark Kennedy in the crucial first leg of the 1998 World Cup qualification play-off with Belgium. Kennedy too was withdrawn after 20 odd minutes, but by then, the damage had been done, as the Belgians capitalised on the lack of cover in front of Denis Irwin in that period with a Luc Nilis goal. 

Can we believe that the manager won’t make such selection gaffes against Portugal and Holland? The Connolly incident and the deployment of Duff are part of a bigger concern. Namely, McCarthy’s ability to change things strategically for the better mid game when all is not well. After Wednesday, there are serious doubts about his ability in this area.

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