SUCH ARE THE times in which we live, as Enda Stevens today spent half a pre-match press conference talking about public health.
The Irish camp has been upended by Covid-19 in the past seven days. First, Stephen Kenny lost Aaron Connolly and Adam Idah ahead of the Slovakia play-off as they were deemed close contacts to a member of staff whose Covid test later proved to be a false positive.
Then, ahead of Sunday’s game against Wales, a positive result from a player saw he and four close contacts sit out the game at short notice. There was further drama yesterday as a player tested positive, then negative, and then positive again. He was ultimately ruled out of the trip to Finland.
“Obviously, it’s very disruptive”, said Stevens.
“It’s new to all of us and something that we haven’t really experienced. We just have to get on with it and just focus on the football, to be honest.”
The Covid situation took up most of the interview, with Stevens also asked if he feels safe, and if his club has been in contact with any concerns over the virus in the Irish camp.
“Obviously we feel safe. It’s our first experience with it all happening, club and country, but it’s just something that we’ve been living with for the past months.
“Yes, you are in contact with your club. Even before Covid was here, our clubs would still be in contact with us asking is everything okay.
“As I said, it’s new to a lot of us, but it’s just something you have to get on with. It’s here and it’s not going anywhere soon, but we have to trust in the doctors and the staff here. They’re doing their very best to keep us safe and hopefully they can.”
He was also asked if the guidelines are any more relaxed at international level as opposed to club level.
“No, they are in from day one. We literally go from the airport off the plane straight into a car, straight into the bubble. We are completely locked away from everybody outside in the hotel. There’s no family, no friends coming up meeting in reception, we are in a complete bubble.”
And finally, he was asked to give a vote of confidence to the testing system.
“To be honest, I don’t really want to even get involved in that. I’m no scientist, I’m no doctor, I just want to play football, so as long as my test comes back negative, I’m happy enough.”
As for the football, then. Ireland have yet to win in the Nations League, and must top their group to be in contention for a backdoor to the World Cup play-offs. With just two points from three games leaving Ireland five points from leaders Wales with three games to go, they have to start winning games.
Avenging last month’s 1-0 home defeat against Finland tomorrow would be a good place to start.
“We’re playing to win. It’s a results business and we all know that, and we need to go out there and put on a good performance because we didn’t really do ourselves any favours in the home game.
“I know it pre-season time, but we want to make amends for that result and go on and beat a strong Finland team.”
Ireland have been painfully goal-shy so far: in four games under Kenny they have scored just once, and that was from a corner in his opening game.
“The gaffer wants goals to come anyway, whether it’s individual brilliance, crosses in the box or it’s playing through the line. He more or less wants us to dominate the ball and dominate long spells in the games and just be on top, and we have been doing that.
“The big thing for us is we need to score when we are on top and we haven’t done that. But once we do that, you can relax and settle into the game.
“We’ve played really, really well. I thought we’ve created some very good opportunities, especially over the last two games, and we’re not a million miles away from that.”
