SINCE MARTIN O’NEILL took charge Ireland have conceded more than two goals on just three occasions.
And now two of the matches in question have taken place at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, so it’s no surprise that the 65-year-old coach ruefully remarked after Thursday night’s game that he didn’t want to come back again.
And while the 3-0 loss to Belgium may have been more significant and the 5-1 defeat by Portugal was by a wider losing margin, the Mexican defeat was, on a purely performance-based level, as bad as either of those two games.
There are caveats, of course. It was an inexperienced Irish side playing an end-of-season friendly with most of the individuals in question lacking match sharpness of late and being thoroughly unfamiliar with a number of teammates.
Martin O’Neill’s unusual formation and attack-minded team selection probably didn’t help matters either, but even allowing for all those factors, the evident gulf in class between the two sides was depressing from a Boys in Green viewpoint.
“It’s almost embarrassing for the Irish team how little of the ball we’re having,” former manager Brian Kerr commented at one point on Eir Sport and he was right.
Up against a makeshift midfield with two players in Daryl Horgan and Callum O’Dowda not particularly accustomed to the roles they were being asked to play, the Mexicans capitalised.
Juan Carlos Osorio’s men impressively cut Ireland open time and again, and would have won by more had it not been for a mixture of poor finishing on their part and some desperate last-ditch defending by the Irish side.
It wasn’t Mexico’s strongest side either with star man and former Man United striker Javier Hernandez among the absentees, yet they still managed to look far more of a cohesive unit than their opponents.
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Though Ireland improved slightly in the final 20 minutes, it was noticeable just how much quicker, stronger and more tactically intelligent their rivals looked for the most part.
You would like to think a first-choice Irish side would have put up a better fight, but regardless of what team or formation Martin O’Neill picked, the Mexicans were so superior that it’s hard to envisage a drastically dissimilar outcome in any circumstance.
2. Is this the end of the 3-5-2 experiment?
Mexico's Carlos Vela, top, and Ireland's James McClean compete for the ball. Julio Cortez
Julio Cortez
Ireland started tonight’s game with a 3-5-2 — a formation that O’Neill has enjoyed playing in the past, particularly during his days at Celtic, but which he had left unexplored since taking over as Ireland boss until Thursday night.
To put it bluntly, the experiment failed miserably, with Ireland reverting to a more familiar 4-5-1 around the hour mark and improving to a degree as a result.
The issues can be put down to inexperienced personnel as well as the Ireland boss’ ill-conceived strategy.
Conor Hourihane, Callum O’Dowda and Daryl Horgan began the game as a midfield three, despite only having one Ireland start between them prior to last night.
Consequently, it was hardly a huge surprise that Ireland were overrun in the middle of the park by a well-oiled Mexican machine.
Whereas O’Neill’s men invariably punted long hopeful balls up to Daryl Murphy and continually surrendered possession cheaply as a result, Mexico’s play was full of sharp interplay, intelligent movement and a lightning fast counter-attack that cut through a far too open Irish team with undue ease on numerous occasions.
With the midfield ineffectual, there was not enough protection afforded to the back three, so it was inevitable that Shane Duffy, Richard Keogh and John Egan would look vulnerable all night.
Therefore, suffice to say, after Thursday night’s display, O’Neill is unlikely to revisit 3-5-2 anytime soon.
3. Positives few and far between on a frustrating night
Ireland's Conor Hourihane, right, watches his shot as Mexico's Jorge Hernandez tries to block it. Julio Cortez
Julio Cortez
A trip Stateside against vastly superior opposition was never going to be ideal preparation for Martin O’Neill and Ireland ahead of their vital World Cup qualifier with Austria on 11 June.
Aside from the obvious merits of getting his Championship stars some much-needed game time, the Irish boss will have taken some nuggets of information away from the encounter, probably as many negative as positive.
On the plus side, Cyrus Christie was a big threat in the right wing-back role particularly in the first half, as the Mexicans found it difficult to deal with his pace on the overlap.
Moreover, Ireland did improve slightly thanks to a second-half formation change and the introduction of Eunan O’Kane and Wes Hoolahan to give the side a greater level of control and creativity in midfield.
But even these points are clutching at straws amid a dire overall team performance.
First-choice players such as Shane Duffy and James McClean looked rusty and error-prone at times, while the likes of Conor Hourihane, Callum O’Dowda, John Egan and David McGoldrick did little to suggest they deserve to graduate from their current status as fringe members of the squad.
Of course, a win next week against Austria would mean this game is instantly forgotten about, but for now, even though he dismissed the importance of the result, O’Neill must be concerned by the manner of the performance and the lack of strength in depth which last night’s outcome suggests Ireland suffer from.
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Ireland's limitations brutally exposed by electric Mexicans
1. Ireland’s limitations exposed
SINCE MARTIN O’NEILL took charge Ireland have conceded more than two goals on just three occasions.
And now two of the matches in question have taken place at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, so it’s no surprise that the 65-year-old coach ruefully remarked after Thursday night’s game that he didn’t want to come back again.
And while the 3-0 loss to Belgium may have been more significant and the 5-1 defeat by Portugal was by a wider losing margin, the Mexican defeat was, on a purely performance-based level, as bad as either of those two games.
There are caveats, of course. It was an inexperienced Irish side playing an end-of-season friendly with most of the individuals in question lacking match sharpness of late and being thoroughly unfamiliar with a number of teammates.
Martin O’Neill’s unusual formation and attack-minded team selection probably didn’t help matters either, but even allowing for all those factors, the evident gulf in class between the two sides was depressing from a Boys in Green viewpoint.
“It’s almost embarrassing for the Irish team how little of the ball we’re having,” former manager Brian Kerr commented at one point on Eir Sport and he was right.
Up against a makeshift midfield with two players in Daryl Horgan and Callum O’Dowda not particularly accustomed to the roles they were being asked to play, the Mexicans capitalised.
Juan Carlos Osorio’s men impressively cut Ireland open time and again, and would have won by more had it not been for a mixture of poor finishing on their part and some desperate last-ditch defending by the Irish side.
It wasn’t Mexico’s strongest side either with star man and former Man United striker Javier Hernandez among the absentees, yet they still managed to look far more of a cohesive unit than their opponents.
Though Ireland improved slightly in the final 20 minutes, it was noticeable just how much quicker, stronger and more tactically intelligent their rivals looked for the most part.
You would like to think a first-choice Irish side would have put up a better fight, but regardless of what team or formation Martin O’Neill picked, the Mexicans were so superior that it’s hard to envisage a drastically dissimilar outcome in any circumstance.
2. Is this the end of the 3-5-2 experiment?
Ireland started tonight’s game with a 3-5-2 — a formation that O’Neill has enjoyed playing in the past, particularly during his days at Celtic, but which he had left unexplored since taking over as Ireland boss until Thursday night.
To put it bluntly, the experiment failed miserably, with Ireland reverting to a more familiar 4-5-1 around the hour mark and improving to a degree as a result.
The issues can be put down to inexperienced personnel as well as the Ireland boss’ ill-conceived strategy.
Conor Hourihane, Callum O’Dowda and Daryl Horgan began the game as a midfield three, despite only having one Ireland start between them prior to last night.
Consequently, it was hardly a huge surprise that Ireland were overrun in the middle of the park by a well-oiled Mexican machine.
Whereas O’Neill’s men invariably punted long hopeful balls up to Daryl Murphy and continually surrendered possession cheaply as a result, Mexico’s play was full of sharp interplay, intelligent movement and a lightning fast counter-attack that cut through a far too open Irish team with undue ease on numerous occasions.
With the midfield ineffectual, there was not enough protection afforded to the back three, so it was inevitable that Shane Duffy, Richard Keogh and John Egan would look vulnerable all night.
Therefore, suffice to say, after Thursday night’s display, O’Neill is unlikely to revisit 3-5-2 anytime soon.
3. Positives few and far between on a frustrating night
A trip Stateside against vastly superior opposition was never going to be ideal preparation for Martin O’Neill and Ireland ahead of their vital World Cup qualifier with Austria on 11 June.
Aside from the obvious merits of getting his Championship stars some much-needed game time, the Irish boss will have taken some nuggets of information away from the encounter, probably as many negative as positive.
On the plus side, Cyrus Christie was a big threat in the right wing-back role particularly in the first half, as the Mexicans found it difficult to deal with his pace on the overlap.
Moreover, Ireland did improve slightly thanks to a second-half formation change and the introduction of Eunan O’Kane and Wes Hoolahan to give the side a greater level of control and creativity in midfield.
But even these points are clutching at straws amid a dire overall team performance.
First-choice players such as Shane Duffy and James McClean looked rusty and error-prone at times, while the likes of Conor Hourihane, Callum O’Dowda, John Egan and David McGoldrick did little to suggest they deserve to graduate from their current status as fringe members of the squad.
Of course, a win next week against Austria would mean this game is instantly forgotten about, but for now, even though he dismissed the importance of the result, O’Neill must be concerned by the manner of the performance and the lack of strength in depth which last night’s outcome suggests Ireland suffer from.
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Analysis Cyrus Christie Martin O'Neill Talking Points Ireland Republic Mexico