IRELAND’S MARC WILSON admits the side found it difficult against Germany as they were beaten 3-0 in their penultimate World Cup qualifier on Friday.
The Stoke player was part of a midfield that was consistently overrun by their more illustrious opponents — and he was under no illusions as to the challenge they provided.
“It was one of the toughest games I’ve played in my life,” Wilson said. “They’ve got some world class players. We always knew it was going to be a difficult game.
“They kept the ball really well. It was difficult. We obviously could have squeezed up higher on the pitch but we sat too deep. They’re a world class team. They play the ball about brilliantly and we couldn’t do a lot about it.
“You’ve got to give full credit to Germany. They’re a force in football. They’re probably, if not the best team in the world, one of them.”
Wilson said he is more than comfortable playing in midfield despite being primarily regarded as a left-back, having played in the position for Stoke on a couple of occasions.
“Not on a night like tonight, but I’ve been enjoying playing there for my club. It was a pity, because we couldn’t get a foothold in the game to pass the ball around.“There were some positives, they had a few chances, but we could have scored some goals tonight as well. If we’d taken some of them, it might have given us a determination to hold on, but it wasn’t to be on the night.”
The 26-year-old added that he was impressed with the positive impact made by interim boss Noel King.
“Noel’s been great since he came in. He’s been bubbly, he’s been confident, he’s been full of praise for the guys. It’s been good having him in.”
Audio provided by Stephen Doyle of 98FM.
