Two defeats, a thrilling win, the bravest of draws and plenty of air miles. Dublin to Yerevan, back to Dublin and on to Łódź, all in the space of 10 days, would drain the energy levels of most elite athletes, but Josh Cullen motored to the end of game four against Ukraine.
Only Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher and Nathan Collins clocked more minutes than the Anderlecht midfielder. And without Cullen’s naked aggression in the tackle, and deft touches, Ukraine would have overrun Ireland on Tuesday, much like they did at the Aviva Stadium.
For all that Cullen offers, the stars of this undulating Nations League window were unquestionably two 21-year olds, Michael Obafemi and Collins, who both clearly possess very high career ceilings.
It could be argued that Callum Robinson, Chiedozie Ogbene and Shane Duffy took backward steps in the pecking order this month, but Irish manager Stephen Kenny can rightly argue the options at his disposal have increased exponentially.
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This forces an analysis of Kenny’s decision-making process, specifically opting for Scott Hogan and CJ Hamilton in attack at crucial moments against Ukraine.
How Troy Parrott was kept on the bench as Ireland chased an equaliser at home to Ukraine reserves, with Kenny capping the unproven Hamilton, was only topped by Hogan starting and having minimal impact in Łódź.
Results cannot paint this campaign as a success. Defeat to Armenia proved hugely damaging as Scotland and Ukraine subsequently confirmed by beating the country ranked 92nd by Fifa on an aggregate score of 7-1.
“Coming into this camp, people were giving us pats on the back, stopping you on the street and saying ‘youse are going the right direction’ and maybe you get caught up in that,” said James McClean, the fourth captain in as many games. “Maybe those first two games was the reality check. We’ve had that kick up the backside and I think we responded very well.
“Coming out on the other side of it, we’ve showed there’s a lot of quality in this squad, it’s a young squad as well, and I believe it’s only going to get better and that’s exciting for everyone involved really.”
Defeat at home to Ukraine compelled Kenny to change the formation from what seemed a cemented 3-4-2-1 to 5-3-2 as the management overhauled the attack with Robinson and Ogbene making way for Parrott and Obafemi.
Suddenly, the strike duo clicked in a 3-0 win over Scotland. The result enraged the Tartan Army as much as the slick gelling of young goal scorers surprised everyone. Including Parrott, as they had never played together until that moment.
Keeping faith in Séamus Coleman and Duffy are defendable calls, when the veterans track records are considered, but the Everton skipper looked shattered in Armenia and keeping the big Derry man at the heart of Ireland’s defence, until he was suspended, looked a poor call as soon as Collins took command of the central role.
But overall, Kenny can lean into the stirring reaction of his squad to miserable 1-0 losses. And four points from the last two games keeps them to contention to finish second in Group One. Any hope of being promoted to the elite tier of the Nations League or securing a playoff for Euro 2024 will be dashed by Ukraine collecting four points in September against Scotland (twice) and Armenia.
Steve Clarke’s Scots will also fancy their chances of avenging the drubbing in Dublin when Ireland visits Hampden Park on September 24th.
And yet everyone is still smiling today. The past fortnight will only be remembered for three happenings – collapse in sticky Yerevan, Obafemi’s wonder strike against Scotland and a phenomenal individual effort by Collins.
“I like a little mazy run into midfield,” said Collins, measured way beyond his years in the face of instant stardom. “I like running with the ball, I like dribbling and I just saw the chance and thought ‘listen, if I don’t take it now, I never will’. I went for it, it worked out, it came off and it was a goal.”
Relegated from the Premier League with Burnley, the club just hired Vincent Kompany as manager and there is a possibility that the Belgian brings Cullen with him.
“I was talking to Josh messing saying he’s coming back to Burnley with me,” said Collins. “Josh said [Kompany] is a good man and I’m looking forward to working with him.”
Kompany’s first decision will be to turn Collins into the best defender in the Championship or sell him to replenish the squad.
“Nathan has established himself, he’s caught the imagination,” said Kenny. “The four games he’s played, he’s been really exceptional in all four. His decision-making for one so young is excellent and obviously he’s got a lot of very good attributes and you feel that he’s improving all the time.
“It was a special goal to score away from home, a very special goal.”
Overall Kenny expressed disappointment at the nightmarish opening games but equally embraced the squad’s character-affirming recovery.
“I want us to be even better than that, I want us to improve again,” Kenny concluded. “I think we’re capable of getting better and the capacity there for improvement is high.
“Credit to Ukraine, they’ve been through such a tough time themselves and credit to them as a nation for doing brilliantly. They didn’t go to the World Cup, but they obviously performed well and lead the group, so credit to the Ukrainian players.”
Player-by-player analysis
GOALKEEPER
Caoimhín Kelleher
Minutes: 360
Green tick: Two crucial saves in the opening 20 minutes away to Ukraine kept the train on the tracks.
Black mark: Kenny absolved him of blame for Tsygankov’s goal in Dublin but no goalkeeper likes seeing a ball bounce in his six-yard box.
DEFENDERS
Séamus Coleman
Minutes: 80
Green tick: Kept showing up even when destroyed after a crazy 3,499 minutes across all teams this season.
Black mark: Plodded along in Yerevan, looking increasingly like a liability at wing back than the gem of old.
Enda Stevens
Minutes: 142
Green tick: Got married and capped after an injury-plagued season.
Black mark: Another odd selection, exposed at wing back and rightly benched for McClean.
Shane Duffy
Minutes: 270
Green tick: Almost buried a scissors kick at home to Ukraine and created Alan Browne’s goal versus Scotland with a brilliant backpost header.
Black mark: Scotland midfielder John McGinn really should have scored twice from atrociously inaccurate distribution by the Brighton defender.
John Egan
Minutes: 241
Green tick: Addressed a family issue before returning to camp late at night to captain his country to victory over Scotland.
Black mark: Loose in Yerevan but so was everyone else. Lacked his usual high quality raids up the pitch.
Nathan Collins
Minutes: 360
Green tick: Scorer of one of the greatest goals ever scored by an Ireland player, beating three Ukrainians and planting the finish with the outside of his right boot.
Black mark: Mislaid a pass in every match but looked comfortable organising the defence in Łódź.
Dara O’Shea
Minutes: 119
Green tick: Excellent when turning back on to right foot from left of centre half to launch counterattacks.
Black mark: Clawed his way back into contention after a horrific ankle injury against Portugal in Faro last September.
Darragh Lenihan
Minutes: 90
Green tick: First competitive start in Poland and proved to be a sturdy alternative.
Black mark: Took a late yellow card with, eh, gusto.
Cyrus Christie
Minutes: 68
Green tick: In from the cold for defeat to Ukraine, shoulders none of the blame.
Black mark: Alan Browne’s showing at right wing back indicates the club-less Christie could remain stalled on 30 caps.
James McClean
Minutes: 212
Green tick: Superb free taking and corners but his on-the-run cross for Scott Hogan to almost make it 4-0 against Scotland was a real beauty.
Black mark: None. The Creggan native suggested that he works too hard on the boxing pads in his home gym.
Alan Browne
Minutes: 218
Green tick: Groined the ball over the line for Ireland’s opener against Scotland.
Black mark: Some shaky moments at right wing back but showed enough football intelligence to survive.
MIDFIELDERS
Josh Cullen
Minutes: 360
Green tick: Immense, undroppable, immovable, crashed into bigger bodies, always played the simple ball, shining from pillar to post.
Black mark: Zero, terrorised the Ukrainian midfield in a no-holds barred contest in Łódź.
Jeff Hendrick
Minutes: 211
Green tick: Slick sliding pass at home to Ukraine that Callum Robinson felt deserved a penalty.
Black mark: Harsh to compare but lacked the energy displayed by Cullen and needs a clever loan move away from Newcastle United to retain his place.
Jason Knight
Minutes: 244
Green tick: Launched himself into a man-of-the-match display against Scotland with a brilliant first-minute run.
Black mark: Needs to inject some venom into the shots he keeps creating.
Jayson Molumby
Minutes: 178
Green tick: Battled his heart out at home to Scotland.
Black mark: Wasteful in possession, possibly due to all the work he does off the ball.
Conor Hourihane
Minutes: 43
Green tick: Running out of opportunities. Needs to find some visible form to merit inclusion in the squad.
Black mark: Ignored McClean on the overlap to blast a cross straight into the first Ukrainian defender at a moment in Tuesday’s game when accuracy was paramount.
FORWARDS
Callum Robinson
Minutes: 183
Green tick: Now the goals have dried up looks a valuable impact option. Remains vital to the cause.
Black mark: Missed chances against Armenia. Missed chances against Ukraine.
Troy Parrott
Minutes: 226
Green tick: The headed goal against Scotland and so much more besides.
Black mark: The off-target header against Ukraine in Łódź.
Michael Obafemi
Minutes: 103
Green tick: Wham, bam, what a calling card from the injury-prone striker to score his first ever goal from outside the box to sink Scotland.
Black mark: Injury, but what about that insanely good assist for Parrott’s header?
Chiedozie Ogbene
Minutes: 149
Green tick: Got into scoring positions in Yerevan and Dublin.
Black mark: Slight backwards slide, particularly in possession, but rare power and pace means he will come again in September.
Scott Hogan
Minutes: 90
Green tick: Nothing of note.
Black mark: Missed a glorious chance against Scotland and presented with a career-altering start in Łódź, the journeyman kept walking.
CJ Hamilton
Minutes: 90
Green tick: Stumbled down the left wing a few times.
Black mark: Bizarre call by Kenny to give Hamilton his debut, while keeping Parrott benched, as Ireland chased an equaliser at home to Ukraine reserves.
Unused: Festy Ebosele, Will Keane, Mark Travers, Ryan Manning.
