Midfielder James McCarthy copped most of the punditry flak as the Republic of Ireland relinquished a 1-0 lead against Sweden in their opening Euro 2016 Group E encounter, writes Larry Ryan.
“It’s a good point. It’s alright,” said Liam Brady. “But it could have been better.
“For the majority of the game, we were the better team.
“In Wes Hoolahan, we had the most skilful player on the park.
“But we kind of retreated after his goal. I don’t know if it was tiredness or trying to protect the lead we had, but that was the disappointment.”
“It was a good, brave performance,” agreed Eamon Dunphy, before bemoaning Ireland’s inability to control the game after Hoolahan’s opening goal.
“We didn’t know how to manage the game when we got the lead. You have to have someone in the middle of the field who can manage the game.
“Sweden reacted to going behind by upping their tempo. We didn’t match that. A bit of know-how.”
“We have proved a lot today, but I don’t think we can go on with James McCarthy in midfield doing nothing.
“Glenn Whelan, who I have been critical of, had a good game.
“But McCarthy, I watched him all season at Everton. He got his manager sacked. The guy does nothing.
“He’s strolling around the pitch like a traffic cop, pointing here and there, doing nothing himself.”
John Giles agreed that Ireland needed a more commanding figure in the engine room:
“We deserved the three points. There’s always stages of the match when it tos and fros. I don’t think we had anyone there to recognise when to get hold of the ball.
“If we had a Modric, he’d have got hold of the ball. Just slow it down. Get over that particular spell.
“Wes would be able to do it. But it’s an obligation of McCarthy and Whelan to do it. Ability-wise McCarthy. But unfortunately, McCarthy doesn’t have that type of character to do it.
“He wasn’t there when it really needed to be done.
“But the overall performance was good, was brave. On the run of play, we were unlucky not to get the three points.”
Brady: “If we had a Roy Keane today, we wouldn’t have got beaten.”
Regardless of disappointment with the result, Brady maintained this was Ireland’s best performance under Martin O’Neill.
“I’d say so yes. I thought we were fortunate that night against Germany. But there was nothing fortunate about our performance today. Luck wasn’t with us. But it wasn’t a complete performance. We didn’t get a grip of the ball and keep it and keep Sweden from attacking.”
Giles maintained Ciaran Clark could have anticipated the cross better for Sweden’s goal.
“A better defender would get back towards the goal. He should have been four or five yards back further towards the endline so he could cut out the cross.
“It’s positional sense and vital at that time.
“He’s a straightforward defender. I don’t think he thinks about it a lot. But he’s a game lad. He did a lot of good things in the game.”
