Theoretically, Slovenia did the Republic of Ireland a favour in Cologne last summer by holding England to a scoreless draw in the Group C match at Euro 2024.
Ranked 52nd in the world, Matjaz Kek’s side provided a blueprint for how Ireland, ranked 58th, can frustrate the England manager, players and fans at the Aviva Stadium this Saturday.
The only problem with the compact, tactical masterclass employed by Slovenia is the current England squad offer a vastly different proposition. Injuries to Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer, Ollie Watkins and illness to Phil Foden, along with Lee Carsley replacing Gareth Southgate on the sideline, significantly alters the English approach to a Nations League tie in Dublin.
Still, in June, veteran midfielder Andraz Sporar put so much pressure on Declan Rice that England centre half Marc Guéhi effectively became the playmaker, an approach that Carsley had previously wanted Ireland to adopt to hurt the mighty Spain at Euro 2012.
John O’Shea, Ireland’s assistant manager under Heimir Hallgrímsson, knows that preparation is equally served by watching the Carsley-coached England under-21s since 2021, particularly last year’s run to European Championship glory.
“Lee has brought in some different players from the 21s,” said O’Shea. “You have to remember who [the Euros] was under [Southgate]. I know you are talking about how they [Slovenia] approached it. It is about blending the characteristics of Lee’s under-21s and the seniors, before making a plan on the back of that.”
Carsley said last week that Noni Madueke, Chelsea’s exciting 22-year-old winger, would feature in this international period, while the FA used yesterday’s media gathering at St George’s Park to introduce Angel Gomes of Lille, Manchester City’s teenage full back Rico Lewis, Tino Livramento of Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White to a broader audience.
All five could feature against Ireland, having been fine-tuned by Carsley at underage level. None of them were in the England squad that could only manage a 0-0 result in Cologne against a country with a population of 2.1 million.
Granted, England made enormous strides at the Euros, reaching the final after narrowly avoiding a monumental collapse against Slovakia thanks to Bellingham’s overhead kick in the 95th minute that brought the Last 16 match to extra-time. Harry Kane scored the winner.
But, already, England under Carsley look different from the Southgate version.
On Declan Rice’s return to the Aviva, O’Shea refused to imagine what might have been had he stayed with Ireland.
“We focus on the players that want to be here,” he said.
But you saw a young Rice up close in a green shirt?
“Yeah, but he is not here, you can’t keep talking about it.”
Shut-down answers on Rice will not wash during a week when the Arsenal midfielder plans to dominate the midfield duels on the occasion of his 62nd international cap (including three for Ireland).
“We have to curb a lot of England players’ impact on the game,” O’Shea stubbornly responded. “When you play a team that has just been in the Euros final, you know they have lots of threats.”
Last summer, Panathinaikos pair Sporar and Adam Gnezda Cerin showed Ireland how to squeeze the English midfield and force errors.
Séamus Coleman and Andrew Omobamidele were declared “fully fit” by O’Shea, despite the respective Everton and Nottingham Forest defenders missing a session on Tuesday. Brighton striker Evan Ferguson is also being primed to return despite not playing a game since March due to an ankle issue.
“Evan will be ready for Saturday. He has had a couple of sessions with us. He is not back long, was out for a few months, but he is young enough, and he is nice and sharp in training. We’ll make a decision later in the week.”
O’Shea and Carsley go way back, having played for Ireland together, but the interim England manager also imparted his coaching expertise when O’Shea was doing his Uefa A coaching licence. In another football universe, they could be working in the same Irish management team as the FAI spoke to Carsley about replacing Stephen Kenny.
“When I came in under Stephen, it was Stephen and Keith Andrews. I am here as Heimir’s number two. Obviously, Paddy McCarthy is here as well. There is brilliant knowledge, good information being fed through to the players, so it is just about brining it all together on Saturday.
“You always have to remember, if a team is being very aggressive against you, you don’t want to play into that, you have to mix it up. If a team sits off you, you have to advance and be a bit more on the front foot in possession. There are lots of ways to win games.”