1. Did Ireland overestimate Germany?
From the team picked by Noel King, it was clear that Ireland had no intention other than hanging on and hoping to get a lucky goal.
The Irish team played with five natural defenders and three defensive midfielders — not the sign of a side high on confidence by any means.
Yet for all Ireland’s caution, the side still were comprehensively beaten and lucky not to concede more goals.
Germany have an array of talented players, yet they drew 4-4 with Sweden and narrowly beat Austria 2-1.
Not even Kazakhstan and the Faroe Islands lost by more than a three-goal margin to Joachim Löw’s side, so perhaps Ireland should have given them more of a challenge, had they not treated their opponents with such obvious deference.
2. Has Glenn Whelan been indulged too much?
Perhaps the strongest claim for picking Whelan in the past was that he was one of the few Irish midfielders playing regularly in the Premier League.
Nevertheless, Whelan has been in and out of the Stoke side this campaign, hence his already tenuous claims for the starting spot in the Irish side are fast evaporating.
It was hard not to feel some sympathy for him, as he looked out of his depth played out of position against vastly superior players.
Would it have been really that much of a risk to play Andy Reid or Wes Hoolahan in his place?
3. Seamus Coleman a class act
Coleman didn’t get many opportunities to showcase his talent tonight, but he showed his immense ability late on.The full-back accelerated past his marker on the wing and delivered an inch-perfect cross for Anthony Stokes, who should have done better with the resulting chance.
His comments in the post-match interviewe illustrated a level of confidence and likeability that suggests he has a long-term future in the role of captain.
His mature display in difficult circumstances tonight, coupled with his consistently fantastic performances for Everton of late, indicate he is the one genuinely top class player at our disposal.
4. Has David Forde done enough to remain Ireland’s number one goalkeeper?
The Millwall man put in a disappointing display in the recent match against Sweden and was at fault for at least one of the goals that night.
However, he partially made up for it this evening, with a display that at times left you wondering why he has been a journeyman throughout his club career.
Yet as fantastic as the 33-year-old was, Keiren Westwood is now playing regularly at a much higher level than him and also has the advantage in terms of age.
Whoever the future Ireland manager is will have a difficult decision on their hands in choosing between the two.
5. Germany will be exposed by better sides
At times, Germany played with such elegance that it was tempting to suspect they would be strong contenders for next year’s World Cup.
However, they will be given far bigger tests than this Ireland side provided tonight.
Moreover, even with such a limited attacking set-up, Noel King’s team managed to create a few decent chances on the counter-attack.
Perhaps it was due to a certain arrogance in always throwing bodies forward at will against a clearly inferior outfit, but the considerable number of times players such as Stokes were left one-on-one with a German defender emphasised that the hosts were more flawed defensively than many, arguaby including Noel King, may have suspected.
