Lack of quality highlighted

Mark Lawrenson Soccer Analyst: For me Saturday's game just highlighted the bigger picture, namely the lack of quality players available to us at this level, the lack of strength in depth, we're just very, very limited. That's not down to the manager, it's just a fact of life.

Because of those limitations and because of the simple truth that his team didn't perform on Saturday I'm reluctant to criticise Brian Kerr, but I have to say I think he slipped up tactically, the team just never played to its strengths.

Kerr picked a team to go at the Swiss from the start, but I think in doing that its greatest asset was discarded - that is the ability to suffocate games and frustrate opponents. Even in our best displays it's never been about all-out attacking football, thrilling and enthralling, it's been about working very hard, closing people down, seizing on mistakes, and then having periods when we play well going forward.

With Damien Duff on the right and Colin Healy in the middle it was quite an attack-minded midfield, but there are times you have to accept that you're up against a good team, which the Swiss are (if not much more than that), and you must give them the respect they deserve - in other words, you pick a team to stop them playing.

I'm sure Kerr wrestled with his team selection for a long time, in the end he went for it, picked an attacking line-up. Maybe he did that because of Switzerland's last result (losing 4-1 to Russia), because of the trouble in their camp, maybe he felt they were vulnerable.

The last thing we needed to do was give them back any confidence they might have lost in Moscow by conceding an early goal - once they got it all those supposed troubles faded away. It was the worst possible start for Ireland, and meant we then had to go for it - and open games just don't suit us.

The way we were set up the approach was: "you take us on and we'll take you on" - I think we were slightly naive, in that regard. With a new partnership at the back it's imperative you protect it for a while until it finds its feet, when you concede after six minutes, well, the doubts just flood in.

We are so much better when it's tight and stopping the opposition playing, but Switzerland just played through us, opened us up even more - and more easily - than any other team in the group, and that includes the Russians in that first game in Moscow. Every time they went forward they caused us problems and looked like they'd score again.

I just think we needed to be much tighter, across all areas, to go for more solid options in midfield, to give ourselves a platform, make sure we didn't concede. We have to stick to what we're good at and have to realise we are very, very good at stopping the opposition from playing - when we do that, and we have Duff and Robbie Keane on song and in tandem, we give ourselves a chance.

It was a very, very unusual performance from us, we didn't stop the Swiss playing, we didn't even give them a difficult game, which is not us. It was a poor all-round display and I don't think too many of the players could come off the pitch able to say "I played well".

The first goal was, of course, sloppy - it could have been cut out two or three times, but it's a moment John O'Shea will want to forget - but I think if you look at the overall performance sloppy would be the best general description.

I think Kerr will look back on the game and think, maybe, he could have been a little more cautious, but he doesn't suddenly become a bad manager because of that. In fairness to him he got us to Switzerland still with a chance of making the play-offs, which, in light of how the group started, was a fine achievement. Generally, I think he's done a good job so far.

I don't expect dramatic changes now, simply because we haven't really got the replacements and I don't see too much coming through. Liam Miller and Andy Reid are the two younger players most talked about, but I honestly believe the forward department is the biggest problem. David Connolly, Clinton Morrison and Gary Doherty? They're decent enough players in their own right, but they're just not up to it at this level.

On our day, even with all those limitations, we can still be a good side and a very difficult one to beat, but if we don't play to that strength we haven't got a lot, which has been shown in this qualification campaign.

England, of course, have made it to Euro 2004. They did well on Saturday, they were very, very good defensively, in particular - the big question now is whether Sven-Goran Eriksson will still be their manager for the finals. I expect him to be, but I have no doubt he's going to Chelsea, it's one of football's worst-kept secrets. It would make no sense, though, to walk out on England now - he knows how the media works in England, he would be absolutely vilified if he left before the finals. He wants to be a club manager again - and he wants to spend the Russian's millions - but I think he'll do Euro 2004 and then move to Chelsea.

In an interview with Mary Hannigan