Crunch time for the new Republic

It looks like crunch time for Mick McCarthy and his Irish team. It would have seemed a strange thing even a couple of years ago for us to be going into a game saying that a clash with Lithuania was of crucial importance but that's the situation that the squad and their manager find themselves in this evening. If they slip up in this match there is likely to be a considerable price to be paid.

At this stage McCarthy will feel he has a very clear idea of the relative strengths of his players but for a match like this, the biggest of his reign to date, it would seem prudent to use just one criterion when deciding which names to pencil in on the team sheet - experience.

True, there is the odd exception. David Connolly, for instance will be eager to show that his move to Feyenoord is having a positive affect on his game. He did enough last time out to guarantee himself a slot in the starting line up, but it is around the grand old reliables - Roy Keane, Andy Townsend, Ray Houghton, Denis Irwin, Steve Staunton and Niall Quinn - that a team for a night like this should be constructed.

McCarthy seems intent on sticking to the sort of 4-5-1 or 4-3-3 formations that he used before the summer break but if it were up to me I would opt for a standard 4-4-2 formation against a team like Lithuania. The reason: this is a game that we desperately need to win.

In that midfield Townsend and Keane fairly much pick themselves. If Keane does for us what he does for Manchester United week in week out then he will have served us well. His ability to protect his defensive players, to find the opposition, put his foot in to win possession and start our attacking moves make him a central part of the Irish machine. Alongside him Townsend is also a key figure who always works hard and is likely to pop up and threaten the opposition's goal whenever he gets the chance.

Against a team like this in circumstances like these, Houghton can provide the key to creating chances in front of goal. It is unfortunate that he didn't get a crack at playing in the Premiership once again but at whatever level he is playing, the 35 year-old can be relied on to play his part to the full. That leaves the spot wide on the left to be filled and here none of the choices, because we do not have too many players playing this position in first teams at the moment, are ideal.

Mark Kennedy is certainly a player who can cause problems for defences and is well capable of taking on defenders and beating them but on this occasion he may be one to take off the bench rather than start. Ian Harte, of Leeds United, hasn't fared any better at club level than the Liverpool-based youngster but he has a fine left foot, is very calm on the ball and, overall, provides more options early on when things are not too hectic.

Behind him Irwin would provide security while on the other side Jeff Kenna would bring a good pair of legs to back up Houghton and allow him the freedom to roam as he sees fit. The Blackburn player may not be the greatest crosser but he is a good runner, a neat passer and a very strong tackler when required.

In the centre Steve Staunton, whose days of playing as a full back would appear to be pretty much behind him at club level, has a stronger claim than Phil Babb, while Gary Breen's ability to attack the ball when required would earn him his starting place.

In these sort of games, of course, a home tie against a team that are likely to be very defensive, playing in defence is much more about good positioning than making last-gasp tackles or headers off the line. Each of these four are good readers of the game - Staunton and Irwin are exceptional in this department - while all are comfortable on the ball and capable of moving forward into what is likely to be a heavily populated opposition half.

With the visitors only likely to play one man up front there really shouldn't be too much to protect Shay Given from but if, perhaps on the break, the Lithuanians do pose a threat, the four are all capable of intervening, winning possession and getting us moving in the right direction again.

If we manage an early score things should be very relaxed but if not then there will be a considerable amount of pressure on the team to find the net. Lansdowne Road is always a great place to play but the supporters there can become a little impatient at times and this is another reason why, for a game like this, it is important to have some experienced players out there.

The bench for this game looks stronger than for most of our recent outings and that will be a considerable boost for McCarthy. The likes of Harte, Houghton and Quinn can all be sent on and told to give it their all for an hour in the knowledge that there are plenty of options to change things around in the closing stages if the team is still looking to make the breakthrough.

Kennedy's pace could prove valuable as could Alan McLoughlin's ability to deceive a defence with the timing of his runs from deep. One way or the other there will be little excuse for us not breaking the visitors down over the full course of the game.

In the event that we do win we would appear to be back on course for second place. We played very poorly against Iceland last year but we are capable of going there next month and winning while a victory over Lithuania now would make the return game in Vilnius a great deal more straightforward. The team might, in those circumstances, require only a point when Romania travel to Dublin in October.

The alternative is not attractive but, as long as Romania don't slip up against Macedonia this evening, it is not something we should even pause to consider at this time. Having slipped up more than once already in the campaign this, quite simply, is a game that Ireland has to win and with the players at our disposal it surely isn't unreasonable to expect that we will.

(In an interview with Emmet Malone)