MARTIN O’NEILL HAS spoken on a couple of occasions about Harry Arter being a player he “likes”.
Yet the Bournemouth star’s lack of game time for club and country alike this season has prompted critics to question whether he will make Ireland’s final 23-man Euro 2016 squad.
The London-born midfielder missed a good portion of the beginning and end of the season at club level, though looked a capable Premier League player in between these two injury-ridden spells.
Tonight, Arter was given a chance to impress at international level, earning just his second Ireland cap and first from the start. The 26-year-old central midfielder showed some nice touches, linking up the play well and constantly demanding the ball, and earned the man-of-the-match award for his eye-catching display.
Whether his performance this evening is enough to earn him a place on the plane to France remains to be seen, but he certainly looked at home on the international stage, even if a rash challenge that led to the game’s first booking suggested a slight over-eagerness to impress.
Of the other fringe players who started, Shane Duffy will be disappointed with the Dutch goal but otherwise didn’t do much wrong and looked a threat from attacking set pieces. Moreover, Stephen Quinn looked lively at times, though probably didn’t see enough of the ball for his liking, while David McGoldrick — who has missed a lot of this season through injury — made some intelligent passes but also looked a little sluggish on occasion.
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In addition, substitutes Eunan O’Kane and Darron Gibson — both of whom are outside bets for the 23-man squad at this late stage — found it difficult to make much of an impact in the relatively short time they spent on the field.
2. Shane Long scores as Mauricio Pochettino watches on
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino was an interested spectator as Shane Long scored with an opportunistic finish in tonight’s Ireland-Netherlands clash, which ended 1-1.
Long gave the Boys in Green the lead, as he slotted the ball home from close range after John O’Shea’s header had been palmed away by Dutch goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen.
The Tipperary native has been linked with Liverpool, Leicester and Tottenham in recent times, and with Harry Kane currently shouldering much of the responsibility for Spurs up front, Long could conceivably be the ideal foil for the England international.
And while it’s tricky to be particularly impressive in an end-of-season friendly — games invariably played with a palpable lack of intensity — Long was his usual energetic self and showed good goal-scoring instincts in registering the opener.
The 29-year-old consequently can’t have done himself any harm, looking lively as usual with Pochettino watching closely alongside Pat Dolan, the Southampton striker’s agent.
3. Toothless Dutch struggle to inspire
It was a surprise when Holland failed to qualify for Euro 2016, but tonight, they gave an indication as to why with an uninspired performance at the Aviva Stadium, devoid of the flair and creativity for which Dutch football is invariably renowned.
The away team gave the impression of a side in a sulk, having been told they must delay their summer holidays for a few more days.
Danny Blind’s team seldom threatened in attack, before Luuk de Jong headed home for a scarcely deserved equaliser. Down the other end, meanwhile, they consistently looked vulnerable from Irish set pieces, as they went through the motions for the majority of the contest, with misplaced passes and shrugs of the shoulder commonplace.
Man United’s out-of-favour young winger Memphis Depay, in particular, epitomised the visitors’ fecklessness, as he was substituted in the 61st-minute following an ineffectual, disinterested display.
The Netherlands have been responsible for some of the most memorable moments in international football over the years, but this evening, they didn’t do too much to alleviate the suspicion that this is the worst Dutch group of players in recent memory.
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Has Harry Arter done enough and more Ireland-Netherlands talking points
1. Has Harry Arter done enough?
MARTIN O’NEILL HAS spoken on a couple of occasions about Harry Arter being a player he “likes”.
Yet the Bournemouth star’s lack of game time for club and country alike this season has prompted critics to question whether he will make Ireland’s final 23-man Euro 2016 squad.
The London-born midfielder missed a good portion of the beginning and end of the season at club level, though looked a capable Premier League player in between these two injury-ridden spells.
Tonight, Arter was given a chance to impress at international level, earning just his second Ireland cap and first from the start. The 26-year-old central midfielder showed some nice touches, linking up the play well and constantly demanding the ball, and earned the man-of-the-match award for his eye-catching display.
Whether his performance this evening is enough to earn him a place on the plane to France remains to be seen, but he certainly looked at home on the international stage, even if a rash challenge that led to the game’s first booking suggested a slight over-eagerness to impress.
Of the other fringe players who started, Shane Duffy will be disappointed with the Dutch goal but otherwise didn’t do much wrong and looked a threat from attacking set pieces. Moreover, Stephen Quinn looked lively at times, though probably didn’t see enough of the ball for his liking, while David McGoldrick — who has missed a lot of this season through injury — made some intelligent passes but also looked a little sluggish on occasion.
In addition, substitutes Eunan O’Kane and Darron Gibson — both of whom are outside bets for the 23-man squad at this late stage — found it difficult to make much of an impact in the relatively short time they spent on the field.
2. Shane Long scores as Mauricio Pochettino watches on
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino was an interested spectator as Shane Long scored with an opportunistic finish in tonight’s Ireland-Netherlands clash, which ended 1-1.
Long gave the Boys in Green the lead, as he slotted the ball home from close range after John O’Shea’s header had been palmed away by Dutch goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen.
The Tipperary native has been linked with Liverpool, Leicester and Tottenham in recent times, and with Harry Kane currently shouldering much of the responsibility for Spurs up front, Long could conceivably be the ideal foil for the England international.
And while it’s tricky to be particularly impressive in an end-of-season friendly — games invariably played with a palpable lack of intensity — Long was his usual energetic self and showed good goal-scoring instincts in registering the opener.
The 29-year-old consequently can’t have done himself any harm, looking lively as usual with Pochettino watching closely alongside Pat Dolan, the Southampton striker’s agent.
3. Toothless Dutch struggle to inspire
It was a surprise when Holland failed to qualify for Euro 2016, but tonight, they gave an indication as to why with an uninspired performance at the Aviva Stadium, devoid of the flair and creativity for which Dutch football is invariably renowned.
The away team gave the impression of a side in a sulk, having been told they must delay their summer holidays for a few more days.
Danny Blind’s team seldom threatened in attack, before Luuk de Jong headed home for a scarcely deserved equaliser. Down the other end, meanwhile, they consistently looked vulnerable from Irish set pieces, as they went through the motions for the majority of the contest, with misplaced passes and shrugs of the shoulder commonplace.
Man United’s out-of-favour young winger Memphis Depay, in particular, epitomised the visitors’ fecklessness, as he was substituted in the 61st-minute following an ineffectual, disinterested display.
The Netherlands have been responsible for some of the most memorable moments in international football over the years, but this evening, they didn’t do too much to alleviate the suspicion that this is the worst Dutch group of players in recent memory.
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Analysis Ireland Martin O'Neill Robbie Brady Talking Points Netherlands