Goalkeeper
DARREN RANDOLPH REMAINS the obvious choice for the number one jersey as he continues to perform well at club and international level.
Beyond that, Ireland seem to have a lack of depth. The likes of Colin Doyle and Keiren Westwood have been playing only sporadically for their clubs. Caoimhin Kelleher and Conor O’Malley have shown promise, but are also short on game time at senior level. 22-year-old Kieran O’Hara of Man United has been playing regularly with League Two side Macclesfield. Aaron McCarey, who recently moved to Dundalk, could also be an option. But Westwood, who has just won his place back in the Sheffield Wednesday team, probably deserves the nod as back-up as it stands.
Defence
Defence is without question the area where Ireland possess the most depth. In Shane Duffy and Matt Doherty, they have two players who have been performing at a high level in the Premier League for quite some time.
With Doherty, it is awkward given that he is vying with another key performer, Seamus Coleman, for the right-back slot. It seems essential that Mick McCarthy finds a spot for both these players in the team, so picking the Wolves man on the left side of the defence, where he has played before at club level, is one viable solution.
Who plays alongside Duffy at centre-back is open to debate. Richard Keogh and Darragh Lenihan have been doing well at club level this season, while the likes of Ciaran Clark and Kevin Long possess plenty of experience at international level, even if they haven’t always been automatic starters for their clubs of late.
However, John Egan, on the basis of his impressive start to life at Sheffield United, who are flying high in the Championship, is as deserving a candidate as anyone.
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Midfield
It’s hard to make a case that anyone in this area should be considered among the first names on the team-sheet given how poorly the team have been playing of late.
Club form, therefore, seems the best way of judging who deserves a chance. Harry Arter has been playing regularly in the Premier League, while Conor Hourihane has looked a rejuvenated figure at Aston Villa since Dean Smith took charge.
Robbie Brady has been gradually getting back to his best at Burnley following a long spell out injured, while James McClean offers honesty and pace in abundance.
The likes of Alan Judge, Aiden McGeady, Alan Browne and Ronan Curtis have also shown encouraging form for their clubs and deserve to be in and around the squad at least. Jeff Hendrick is among the Ireland’s most talented players when in form, but has not been performing to his optimum levels this season, so a place on the bench is the best he can probably hope for at present.
James McCarthy, if he can prove his fitness and get back to his best will surely come into contention, while there is still hope in certain quarters that Declan Rice will eventually return to the squad.
Southampton’s Nathan Redmond, if he chooses to declare for the Republic as reports indicate he might, would also be a welcome addition to the squad.
Attack
Some people may scoff at the prospect of including Shane Long, but the Tipperary native’s achievements in the game often do not get the respect they deserve. He has racked up far more Premier League appearances than any other available striker in the squad. Ireland’s goalscoring problems are due largely to a lack of creativity in the side rather than Long’s finishing ability, and although his goals-per-game ratio is undeniably poor, there are other aspects to his play that often go underappreciated.
Callum Robinson, provided he is fit in time to play, looks the best option as the second striker to link the midfield and attack. There are a couple of other contenders though — the likes of Alan Judge, Aiden McGeady, Sean Maguire, Michael Obafemi and even David McGoldrick, who knows Mick McCarthy well from their time together at Ipswich, could all stake a claim for that number 10 role depending on how well they get on for their clubs in the coming weeks.
Ireland team: Randolph; Coleman, Duffy, Egan, Doherty; Brady, Hourihane, Arter, McClean; Long, Robinson.
Subs: Westwood, Stevens, Lenihan, Keogh, Clark, Christie, Browne, Hendrick, McGeady, Maguire, Curtis, Obafemi.
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