Duff's talent must be allowed to shine

Mark Lawrenson Soccer AnalystThere were times the past week or so that I almost forgot we had a game coming up, there were so many off-the-field distractions. To say the least, it's hardly been ideal - although it would be interesting to be in the dressingroom half an hour before the game tonight to see how Brian Kerr calls it, to see if he gives it the old 'they don't seem to think we're going to qualify - let's go out and prove them wrong'.

He, of course, can't be happy with the build-up to this game, but with deference to him he's just got to get on with it. No matter how unhappy he might be about the uncertainty over his future he's not going to get any news about the renewal of his contract - although the loud 'no comment' from the FAI was basically them telling him, 'if we qualify you'll get a new contract, if we don't you won't'. Simple as that.

I don't think he helped himself with how he has dealt with the media either, not doing the press conference the other day - he doesn't need to sulk, he's just got to front it. All he had to do if someone asked him about his future was say 'come back to me after we've played these two games' and that would have been that.

But I honestly don't believe any of this will have a negative effect on the players, which some people have been concerned about. They're all going to play for him, there's no doubt about that, they'll want to play for him.

Sometimes this kind of speculation can lead to players doubting their manager and in turn they use it as an excuse if things don't go right. But I don't think these players have that kind of mentality, I really don't.

You can never, ever look at any of them in a game and say 'he doesn't seem to be too bothered'. One thing about Irish players is that, whatever the circumstances - good, bad or indifferent - you can never doubt their attitude. So Brian Kerr will get everything from them tonight and on Wednesday, we can take that for granted.

We could, of course, do without the absence of Roy Keane, Clinton Morrison and Andy Reid, but such is life. When you lose key players like that it becomes all the more important to get the very most out of the best player you have left, and for that reason the performance of Damien Duff is critical tonight.

So, in this particular fixture, I would be tempted to play Duff off Robbie Keane. Cyprus will have identified Duff as the main danger and will expect him to play on the left where they would double-mark him. If we're cute we'd play him in that hole off the front man, that's where we could get the best out of him in this game. It would just make it a little more difficult for them to keep track of him, he could drag his marker all over the pitch, take him into places he doesn't want to go.

It needs it to be one of those 'Damien, I want you to do a special job for me' games, and more often than not he responds in those situations. And he could cause havoc against them, he'll get free-kicks, he'll put Robbie through, he'll be at the centre of everything.

When he's out on the left he's so reliant on getting decent service, if you stick him in the middle the service can come from all over and, most importantly, he can make things happen himself.

I'd play Steven Reid down the right, Kevin Kilbane down the left, and you would hope that that would buy Duff a little room. Put Graham Kavanagh and Matt Holland in the centre, a barrier in front of the back four, allowing the full backs to get forward.

To beat them I think we'll need plenty of width, and the more the full backs can get forward and support Reid and Kilbane, or whoever plays there, the greater threat we will pose them. But Duff, for me, will be the key man.

I just think it's too big an ask of Stephen

Elliott to start this game, although I know he's played quite a bit alongside Robbie in training during the week. Gary Doherty could get in, but, for me, Doherty is the option after 65 minutes if needs be.

Yes, I'm nervous about this game, largely because it's a game we're expected to win, and that's a worry straightaway. But we only have to win 1-0, that'd do. It's not about the performance, it's just about the result, it's a 'needs must' game, that dreaded expression.

If we can get through it, get the win, then we have a decent chance of getting into the play-offs - and that, for me, is as much as we could ever have hoped for.