We need a midfield playmaker

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP/Group 10: Oh dear, that was a grind. Tactically we got it all wrong. We just played too deep, invited Albania on to us and we probably got no more than we deserved.

I just didn't think we needed to play that deep, especially when we've got a bit of pace at the back. You've got to be a hell of a team to attack from that deep. When you get the ball at the back, because there's a great big void in front of you and between the midfield and the forwards, you end up hitting 40-, 50-yard passes and unless they're absolutely perfect you've got no chance, which is what happened us. And even if our forwards can hold the ball up it takes a long time to get people up to help them, which, again is what happened.

Mark Kinsella and Matt Holland do a very good job for us but the problem is they're very similar. They do a fantastic job protecting the back four, working across the midfield, but the problem is it makes us very flat. Neither of them is great going forward anyway, but if they're 10 yards further on you have a chance, the team becomes one rather than defenders/mid- fielders/forwards, which is how we were: we were three separate departments. We were five, maybe 10 yards playing too deep all night.

Albania started very brightly but I expected that, I thought we'd get 20 good minutes from them, but then I felt our strength, running ability and power would have won us the game. But we just ran out of legs - we worked hard defensively but we never really caused them any problems.

I never worry about us defensively, but the little problem is always when we have to force the game. We draw a remarkable number of games, largely because we lack that little bit of creativity. When Roy Keane played - I suppose it was inevitable that we'd mention him again - he drove from midfield; Kinsella and Holland just aren't those sort of players. So, it remains a problem area for us. You need a spark, a killer pass, and we just don't have the players there to provide it for us.

But we haven't really got a play-maker, have we? We haven't got somebody to get forward from midfield, cause problems from that area, commit people, and release the front two. I'm not being critical, it's just a fact - we have no one who can make those subtle passes, get space in midfield, knock balls up to Robbie Keane and Damien Duff.

We could do without one against Georgia, but when we have to force the game we're struggling.

I don't see anybody we have who could take us that extra notch, it's such a key area, the so-called "hole behind the front one or two" - the role Basturk fills for Turkey, Totti for Italy, Aimar for Argentina. Probably the last person we had in a similar ilk was Ray Houghton, somebody a little bit different who slides balls in, commits people, passes around them, pass over them.

Is Duff the answer? Well, much as I admire him I'm not sure we can afford to play him off two forwards, rather than playing him up front alongside Robbie Keane. I don't think we can, except, maybe, when we're chasing a game.

Despite the result, though, I still don't believe qualification is out of reach at all. The four points from these last two games is acceptable, no doubt whatsoever, it's just a pity with Switzerland and Georgia drawing last night that we couldn't take full advantage.

I reckon we're going to have to win those three home games coming up, and we can do it. Then we would go to Switzerland knowing what we need to do. The worse case scenario, hopefully, would be second, and we'd take it - considering the start we had.

The fact Russia and Switzerland have to play each twice helps, a lot, but we have to forget about them and the table and try to win those three home games.

I still think there might be one or two twists in this group. I would expect us to beat Georgia and Albania at home, even though they're end-of-season games which I always think are a slight worry, considering where our players play their football - they do have a slog.

So, yes, the draw in Albania wasn't ideal, but we're far from dead in this group - I'd still say we're capable of second (and a play-off), at the very least.

In an interview with Mary Hannigan