Opinion: O'Neill must lead Ireland by example

The Republic of Ireland will be looking to bounce back from their defeat to Scotland as they welcome Poland to the Aviva Stadium for Sunday's EURO 2016 qualifier, kick-off 7.45pm.

Manager Martin O'Neill has had a full week to work with the players, but more importantly, has had over four months to plan for this game since the last qualifier, that disappointing defeat in Glasgow.

Thankfully for the Ireland boss, that particular hangover was quickly quashed with a comprehensive victory over a decent USA team just days after the defeat to Gordon Strachan's side.

And that USA game showed all of the positives of the O'Neill regime and the possibilities of a team that can win, playing attractive football and scoring goals.

More importantly, the comprehensive, albeit friendly, victory backed up everything the manager has been saying about the importance of the home venue when attempting to qualify for next summer's championships.

The Ireland boss has been stressing the importance of home form in this group and only now, five games in, does he get a chance to put his theory to the test.

It all begins, in earnest, on Sunday; so now it is all down to the manager.

Preparations appear to have gone to plan and according to the players, the homework has been done with videos of the visitors consumed and digested. In comparison to other games, the squad is strong with limited injuries, while many of the players are enjoying good form at club level.

All that is left, at this stage, is the manager to show his hand and reveal the 11 men that will take to the pitch at 7.45pm on Sunday evening.

But will O'Neill live up to his side of the bargain and remain true to his word?

First things first; what about Wes?

O'Neill made a point of saying that Hoolahan might be better used in a home fixture so it remains to be seen whether the manager believes that the Norwich man is at the top of his game.

Hoolahan has certainly done enough in recent weeks to suggest that his confidence and fitness levels both meet that criteria as the Canaries have surged up the Championship table and are now in with a shout of automatic promotion – Hoolahan's form has been a significant contributor to that revival.

If Hoolahan is selected, what about Robbie Keane? Can the record goalscoring Ireland striker be selected in the same team as the Norwich man?

The short answer is no, as it would require Keane to lead the line on the last man as opposed to dropping into the space in front of the back four.

The Ireland boss is certainly not afraid to drop the talismanic striker as he showed in Glasgow when the LA Galaxy man was left on the bench.

O'Neill must still be wondering about that decision and he will always have that dilemma to dissect every time he leaves a man with such an eye for goal out of the starting XI. But perhaps the Ireland boss has effectively reduced Keane to an impact player and will only be used from the bench for the remainder of this campaign.

Two strikers who can lead the line and are equally capable of linking with Hoolahan's creativity are Shane Long and Jonathan Walters.

Yet both offer completely different options for the manager with Long's pace and energy used to pull defenders out of position and exploiting space behind, while Walters would bring the physical battle to the centre-halves in the role of a traditional target man.

Either player could be justified by the manager, however, looking at it from a Polish perspective, they would surely prefer if Walters was picked as the partnership of Kamil Glik and Lukasz Szukala are far more suited to a conventional striker than tracking the movement of Long.

In fact, the probable Poland team looks like it will be set up to deal with a traditional, physical Ireland side, as they are also likely to start with two defensive central midfielders for what they might see as matching the Irish in that department.

And from watching Ireland so far in this group, those tactics might make perfect sense, especially as Poland will be quite happy to leave Dublin with their unbeaten start in tact and another point on the board – a valuable away one at that.

But again, this is why all eyes are on the Ireland manager to deviate from the script and name a team with energy, excitement, ability and ambition.

With Seamus Coleman virtually guaranteed to start at right back, O'Neill could name another exciting equivalent on the left, should he pick Hull City's Robbie Brady at full-back.

Brady plays a wing-back role at his club, with the emphasis very much on attack and he showed the Ireland manager that he can fill the role with an outstanding performance against the USA, attacking down the flank at every opportunity.

And should the manager name both attacking full-backs, it will allow a more conservative approach to midfield, with, perhaps, Jon Walters helping out with the graft in the centre of the park, as well as attacking down the right and getting into the box as a goal-scoring threat.

Such selections would leave room for only one of either Aiden McGeady or James McClean and while both have had their own injury issues, it really is hard to imagine O'Neill leaving the Everton man out of the team. The Ireland boss sees McGeady as a man who can win you a game, as proved in the away match in Georgia.

And while the Ireland management team have been emphasising the fact that they need to worry more about their own performance than their opponents', O'Neill will have to make a big defensive decision in relation to Poland's one proven world class outfield player, Robert Lewandowski.

The Poland striker is capable of leading the line, while creating space, linking play and, of course, capitalising on any half-chance that comes his way.

On current club form, Aston Villa's Ciaran Clark would have to be considered for such a task, however, it is hard to see the manager straying from his probable preferred partnership of John O'Shea and Marc Wilson. And perhaps that is the right call for such a big game considering Clark, and Richard Keogh, remain relatively inexperienced at international level.

James McCarthy and Glenn Whelan are likely to make up the central midfield role in front of the back four and will be vital on Sunday as Poland's other danger-man, Arkadiusz Milik, will be roaming freely in this area and looking to feed off Lewandowski or either wide man.

Poland have a propensity of playing through the middle of the park, again highlighting the discipline and concentration levels needed in this area – another reason O'Neill will be looking to his more experienced players and those who have played together before.

That just leaves one last call from the boss and it is one that many feel O'Neill has been waiting to make since former number one, Shay Given, returned to the international set-up.

David Forde has been in possession of the gloves since the beginning of the O'Neill era and has yet to put a foot wrong in the green jersey but a fit-again Given is very hard to leave on the bench.

The goalkeeper decision is not one that is likely to prove the difference between winning and losing this all-important encounter but will still cause plenty of debate, especially if Given does return to competitive action for Ireland.

So what about that home advantage? Can it really prove the difference between the sides and spur Ireland on to a much-needed win on the road to France 2016?

Ireland fans have, in the past, turned away venues into home ones with huge travelling numbers, however, it is Poland who will be looking to do just that on Sunday as they will have a lot more tickets than their official allocation.

O'Neill is right when he says that Lansdowne Road form is crucial to qualification, and also correct when he comments that the Ireland fans can play their part in achieving that goal.

But the Ireland manager must also make the right team selection. If O'Neill gets that right, the rest should follow suit.

Verdict: Ireland

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