Martin O’Neill reminds Ireland players war is still to be won

Martin O’Neill will have to wait to see if Shay Given will be on the lengthening absentee list for next month’s Euro 2016 play-offs. Given didn’t travel to Warsaw after twisting his knee during the win over Germany but returned to his club for treatment.

“We’ll find out from Stoke exactly what the problem is,” O’Neill said. “He had a scan with us and they took some fluid off the knee. I don’t think it’s as bad as first feared. I don’t know yet whether he’s available for the play-offs.”

As it happened, Given’s departure opened a door for Darren Randolph, which he strode through with confidence. “That was his first game when he came on against Germany and I thought he dealt with that situation really brilliantly,” said the manager. “He gave us a nice command, which you wouldn’t expect from someone making his debut, and against Poland I thought he did really fine.”

The enforced absence of John Walters and John O’Shea through suspension is a more troubling scenario for O’Neill.

In Warsaw, Ireland’s defence lacked the discipline they achieved against the Germans and but for a brilliantly timed tackle by Séamus Coleman late in the game, Lewandowski might have iced his campaign with a 14th goal.

O’Shea is a hugely important figure for Ireland and Walters, through his work ethic, is a heroic one. It was no coincidence that when O’Shea was pulled out of position in the seconds before Lewandowski’s bullet of a goal, it was Walters who arrived in an attempt to fill the void.

Critical moments

O’Neill reminded his players that there was still everything to play for and that finishing third in a tough group was the original ambition. World champions Germany finished, as expected, on top and second place was secured by a well-organised Poland, who in Lewandowski had a striker capable of carry them through critical moments.

“I’ve just said to the players in the dressing-room that I would have taken this situation. When we saw the group in the first place, I may well have taken it before we even kicked a ball in Georgia in the very first game. What I said has come to fruition: teams have taken points off each other. I heard Gordon [Strachan] saying that they’re out despite us and Poland not beating them, but we’ve taken four points and beat the world champions. Scotland didn’t do that.

“I’m disappointed but we’re still here, still fighting. I’m as disappointed as anyone that we haven’t made it. Even though we didn’t create many chances against Poland, we’re still a whisker away from making it to France.”

The nagging worry is that Ireland’s best chance of getting there may have been left behind Warsaw. None of the likely play-off candidates promise an easy passage. The reverse perspective is that Group D has hardened O’Neill’s squad. He has a month now to prepare and believes the arc of improvement in the side is clear to see.

“If you beat the world champions, I think you have to feel that you might be making some progress. Last time we played at the Aviva, Germany won 6-1 and could have had more. Sometimes people look at progress subjectively. Progress is about trying to qualify, about player improvement. I think it would be a fair assumption to say that Jeff Hendrick has improved. It was tough for him against Poland but there’s been general improvement.

Proof positive

“Really you’d have to ask players who’ve been involved in other squads whether there’s been improvement. But if I needed proof positive, the Germany game stands out. If we qualify, you can absolutely guarantee that there’s been improvement, because you can’t do any more than that.”

And it’s true that in football, goals disguise and mask everything. If Richie Keogh’s late chance had snuck in, Polish football would be in mournful mood all week while Ireland would be portrayed as having definitively turned a corner.

The last two games have proven beyond question that Wes Hoolahan is this team’s orchestrator in chief. O’Neill confirmed that Hoolahan informed him before the Poland match that he didn’t feel he could play 90 minutes, having aggravated a heel injury and bruised his side against Germany. It is critical Hoolahan is fit for the play-offs as he has become an absence that the Republic cannot afford.

On O’Neill’s to-do list is a congratulatory phone call to his namesake Michael on the brilliant achievement of guiding Northern Ireland to its first European finals. The Derry man is still convinced the Republic can join them there and his eyes glinted when he heard the countries his players would most likely face – Ukraine, Sweden, Croatia or Bosnia.

“I’ll take on any of them.”