1. It’s back to Lansdowne

TONIGHT SEES THE Republic of Ireland play their first game of the calendar year on home soil (8.08pm kick-off).

Their last outing at the Aviva Stadium ended in humiliation as a Christian Eriksen-led Denmark side put five past the Boys in Green to bring hopes of World Cup qualification crashing down.

In the meantime, frustrating performances in friendly defeats to Turkey and France have done little to lift the spirits of Ireland fans, and it will be interesting to see what kind of crowd turns up to support Martin O’Neill’s team on the night.

Most of the players are coming in off the back of long club campaigns and it is therefore understandable that they may not be firing on all cylinders right now, but significant improvements are needed as Ireland could certainly do with an encouraging display against the US ahead of the Uefa Nations League later this year.

2. Do Ireland have a gameplan?

During Monday’s loss in Paris, the Irish players were given the runaround by, admittedly, an enormously-talented French outfit and the scoreline could easily have been a lot higher than 2-0.

The gulf in class was there for all to see, and while Ireland aren’t expected to be on a level anywhere near their most recent opponents, they should surely be aiming to make better use of possession than what we witnessed at the Stade de France.

Often after the first pass, the ball was being launched in the general direction of Shane Long up front and you couldn’t help feeling sorry for the striker, who cut an isolated figure throughout the night.

Captain Seamus Coleman is never one to shy away from criticism and he has admitted that their passing wasn’t up to scratch. The Everton defender also revealed that they are under instruction from management to keep the ball better, and if that is O’Neill’s gameplan, it’s not being executed at all.

3. Can the new players make a good impression?

O’Neill has been true to his word in terms of giving fringe players a chance during these games and six players were handed debuts over the last two internationals.

It would be fair to say Declan Rice has been the player who has done most to put his hand up for future selection so far after his man-of-the-match display in a back three against Turkey, although he had a tough night as a defensive midfielder on Monday.

We shouldn’t be expecting too much from the 19-year-old, and where his best position is for the Ireland team remains a matter up for debate.

Preston North End midfielder Alan Browne scored against Celtic, but, overall, he won’t be happy with his own performances in a green shirt. Derrick Williams looked out of his depth against France but did okay, while fellow full-back Matt Doherty needs to be given more time in the pitch after a couple of late substitute appearances.

With Long missing out through a knee injury and both Scott Hogan and Sean Maguire unavailable, attacking options are at a minimum and Graham Burke could be in line for his second cap.

The Shamrock Rovers forward made his senior bow earlier this week, and he wasn’t involved in his club’s SSE Airtricity League defeat to Dundalk last night in order to be fully-rested.

4. Goodbye to a great Irish servant

Much of the talk this week has been about John O’Shea, with team-mates, managers and journalists all coming out to pay tribute to the man from Ferrybank. The 37-year-old is calling time on his Ireland career and  will no doubt be given a tremendous reception tonight as he captains the team on his 118th international appearance.

O'Shea (right) and David Meyler share a joke in training on Friday. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO

The ex-Manchester United defender’s club future is currently up in the air as his contract at Sunderland expires at the end of the month, but he is hopeful of playing one more year. We may one day see the Waterford native back on Ireland duty in a managerial capacity, as he spoke yesterday about the possibility of going into coaching after retirement.

“Possibly, but it just all depends on what opportunities pop up and different things,” he explained. “But I’ll be prepared to go into those situations if and when different things pop up, or if I decide to apply for different jobs or whatever.

It’s something I’ve been preparing for for the last three or four years during the summer, taking my coaching licence with the FAI. But it’s a long road and it’s a sometimes treacherous road too, as I have learned the last few seasons.

“But it’s something that if I have learned from people that I’ve worked with throughout my career that I could give something back along those lines, I’d be foolish not to because I’ve been very lucky and fortunate to work with some amazing people.”

5. The US give youth a chance

Just like Ireland, the US failed to make this month’s World Cup finals after a poor qualification campaign ended with a 2-1 defeat to Trinidad & Tobago. Unlike Ireland, however, it is the first time since 1986 that they have failed to progress to the tournament, and resulted in resignation from the head coach Bruce Arena.

Interim boss Dave Sarachan brings his young squad to Europe, where they take on Ireland before a meeting with the French in Lyon this day next week.

While Borussia Dortmund’s 19-year-old rising star Christian Pulisic isn’t involved in Dublin, two other teenagers who grabbed the headlines in Monday’s game against Bolivia are. Both just 18, Werder Bremen striker Josh Sargent and Tim Weah of Paris Saint-Germain scored their first international goals in the 3-0 win and big things are expected of the pair.

New York-born Weah is the son three-time African Player of the Year George — the ex-AC Milan and PSG centre forward who is now president of his native Liberia.

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