JOHN O’SHEA ADMITTED there is a vast difference in quality between Ireland and Portugal as he saw his side fall to a comprehensive 3-0 friendly defeat in Aveiro.
Joao Felix capitalised on some awful Ireland defending from a short corner to out Portugal ahead, before Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice after half-time to condemn the visitors to their heaviest defeat since losing to England in 2020.
Speaking after the game to RTÉ, interim boss O’Shea admitted that the difference in levels between both nations is stark.
“I think you’ll agree Portugal have a very good team and a very good squad, and the levels where both teams and both countries are at is very different”, O’Shea told Tony O’Donoghue.
In spite of that, O’Shea was frustrated at the manner of the goals Ireland conceded, and the fact they won far fewer duels than they did in his three previous games in charge.
“When you give a team of Portugal’s quality the goals we did, it’s very frustrating”, said O’Shea. “Especially from a set piece like that. We spoke about it: they normally like to play around our shape, and we let them get through us. As we mentioned with the calibre of player they have, if you give them that space you will be under pressure.
“We talked about protecting the ball when it gets through to the striker and how important that was going to be for us. What’s disappointing tonght, against Belgium, Switzerland, and Hungary the duels we were winning, the battles we were winning, tackles we were coming out on top of: we didn’t tonight. That was the frustrating one. That in a sense caused the other two goals.”
O’Shea said he spoke to the players after the game to stress the importance of their getting their club futures sorted quickly, so as to be playing regular football ahead of the Nations League campaign in September, which begins with a home game against England.
“You are trying to reflect for the players to understand how important it is for this country to get back qualifying for tournaments, that they have to sort their own club level out, that they are back playing as quickly as possible to win games”, said O’Shea.
With the FAI still not having hired a permanent manager, however, and with O’Shea not explicitly ruled out of the running, he remains in a state of limbo. Asked by RTÉ whether he would accept the role of assistant manager to the next boss, O’Shea said did not engage.
“Let’s wait and see”, he said.
Donald love sounds like a Brazilian superstar you sign in championship manager.
Same name as the media mogul in GTA III.
The fact this is considered a ‘strong’ United team says it all really
Lol Terrible and now De Gea and Rooney are injured. Arsenal will hammer them on the 27th
Doubt it probably bottle it Sean like the Chelsea game
Who will arsenal be hammering on the 27th? United game isn’t until the 28th.
Great cross. Great header. Great save.
Shocking defending
Beaten twice on each near post. Shouldn’t happen to a Man utd goalie
Unsighted both times
First one took a deflection to be fair and it wasn’t a complete gaffe for the second either. He was the only United player worth a wage in that game.