Friendly has more spice than normal

Let's be honest, everyone really just wants to fast forward to March and the World Cup qualifier away to Israel; but if you're going to have a friendly, have it against a good team - which is what Portugal are. It just puts a little bit more of an edge on the game, as much as you can possibly have when it's not a competitive match.

Most of the time the February friendly fixture is a waste of time: the players don't really want to play and nobody is particularly interested. But with Israel coming up so soon it makes this game a little more important. That's why there have been so few withdrawals from the squad: everyone wants to stay involved, everyone wants to stake their claim for a place.

It's a condensed squad, but there's quality in there so there's healthy competition for places. Andy O'Brien's in and out of the team at Newcastle, so he's looking at how well Richard Dunne is doing at Manchester City. Stephen Carr is only just back with Newcastle, Steve Finnan is in and out, in terms of injury, for Liverpool, John O'Shea's suddenly come back with a bang.

There are, then, a few places to fight for.

It's been a good couple of weeks for O'Shea, after a frustrating spell. He's had the same experience so many young players have at big clubs: they probably get a little too much attention when they play well and too much attention when they don't play so well. Somewhere in the middle is usually right.

Along the way it will be decided for him whether he's a midfield player, a left back or a centre back, but the more positions he plays in the more experience he will get. It will stand to him, his awareness will develop.

He's had a rough spell, there were times he wasn't even making the bench at Manchester United. But he's got on with it, he's kept his head down, and that's a good sign of him.

He'll be fine, we know he's a good player.

If he plays at left back tonight and comes up against Ronaldo, I think it'll be like a Mexican stand-off on the right wing. Alex Ferguson will have had a word with them, he'll have told O'Shea not to going flying past Ronaldo so he doesn't have to run back; and he'll have told Ronaldo "no stupid tricks in case you get lumped up in the air".

Ronaldo has a trick too many, but on his day he can run people ragged. He'll get rid of the tricks eventually, he's young, but he'll probably never get rid of the stepover.

I was pleased to see Andy Reid move to Tottenham, I think it's a good move for him. They've been after him a long time, they don't have anyone who's better than he is in wide positions, so I don't think he'll have any problems there, he'll be in the team so he'll get the Premiership football he wants to lift himself to the next level.

He's one who's going to get better, I have no doubt. It's the classic situation: when he plays with better players he'll become a better player himself. He's a good player already, he's got loads of ability, and he's a rarity these days: he plays with his head up.

These are good times, too, for another of the midfield, Kevin Kilbane. We've had one or two players over the years who the crowd really haven't taken to and Kilbane certainly has been one of them. But he's won everyone around, and winning the Irish Player of the Year award has capped it all.

At Sunderland, at times, he was booed on to the pitch - how difficult is that? But everyone will tell you he's a great lad, a great trainer, a real top professional, he's just got on with it and played to his strengths.

He's a very, very good athlete, very strong, and he must have a real tough mental strength, because he hasn't let the abuse beat him. If people see a player who tries like a dog, week in, week out, they will forgive weaknesses.

As for tonight's game? Well, I think all Brian Kerr will want is a nice team shape, to come away feeling everyone played well, passed it well, kept it well, defended well, that's all you want.

Then it's heads down for Israel. And fingers crossed that nothing happens to Damien Duff and the two Keanes, Roy and Robbie, our three key players. We can't afford to be without them in what could be the most significant fixture for us in the group.