Wes Hoolahan remains Ireland’s best hope for salvation

"I don't know. I don't know, to be honest." Wes Hoolahan shrugs when he is asked to assess what happened to Ireland in Bordeaux.

If the Dubliner has been a source of sparkling creativity on the pitch for Ireland, he has always been a steadfastly modest and reticent figure in his public pronouncements.

Few players have had the cause for grievance that Hoolahan had in the years when he was overlooked for international selections but his attitude then was the same as it was yesterday, on another overcast morning in Versailles; polite and guarded and positive.

As the Republic prepare for their win-or-go-home encounter with Italy in Lille, Hoolahan's role will become central to the conversation.

He was indisputably the outstanding player on the field against Sweden in Paris; but had scant opportunity on the ball against Belgium, lost in the torrent of Flemish attacking.

Even as he spoke to media in one corner of the big basketball auditorium that has been converted into Ireland's conference hall, Roy Keane was behind a divide at the far side talking about the need for Irish players to truly want to get on the ball against Italy.

High-octane

The big question is whether O’Neill will elect to play Hoolahan from the start for three consecutive games. Since Hoolahan became a regular – and then a vital – player for Ireland, there was a perception that he wasn’t physically suited to playing back-to-back games.

Compressing three high-octane international assignments into a two-week frame may be more than O’Neill is willing to ask of him.

“I feel perfectly fine. I’m just training as normal. Same as everybody else.”

Not starting Hoolahan – even with the intention of introducing him when the game has opened up – would be a controversial choice, particularly if the alternative midfield composition fails to impose some kind of purpose and poise when in possession.

Given O’Neill’s remarks to the players, it is clear Ireland have decided to simply bin the 90 minutes against Belgium as a bad day at the office. Roy Keane, in otherwise engaging form, declined the invitation to explore the psychological reasons for Ireland’s tepid display.

O’Neill allowed the players some time to wander off reservation on Sunday.

“Yeah, we managed to get out of the hotel for a little bit,” said Hoolahan. “We went into Paris for a coffee and that and just chilled out. It was nice to get out of hotel for a bit. We have been there for two weeks.

“We went into the Champs Élysées and stuff like that. Walked around and did a bit of shopping. Went to the Eiffel tower and stuff like that. Nobody saw us so we could just chill out and have a nice quiet day to ourselves. You need a bit of a breakaway. Obviously today we can get going again.

“Belgium are very good; one of the best teams in the world and we just need to get over it because we have a massive game against the Italians.

“You know, we got beaten by Poland out in Poznan and then we went and beat Bosnia twice to qualify for here. We have had a few setbacks and the next few games we have gone and won or got the result we needed so we have a good bunch of lads here who are positive. And we are looking forward to the Italian game.”

Giants Stadium

And either way, this once-off encounter in Lille is bound to become known as ‘the Italian game’ just as the 1994 World Cup landmark is often referred to as ‘Giants Stadium’.

Deep down, Ireland fans are harbouring hopes that Italy will have already made a mental jump towards the knockout phase and regard their assignment against Ireland as a necessary inconvenience.

For the Irish players, it is one of the biggest evenings of their international lives. It is a perfect contrast in terms of prize and motivation.

“Yeah, that’s it. It’s like a cup final for us. We have to win no matter what and to do everything possible to do it. It is similar to last year against Middlesbrough,” Hoolahan said, referencing Norwich’s 2-0 play-off win at Wembley last year which restored Hoolahan’s club to the money-land of the Premier League. “

“I think we need to look to our own game and to our positives and how we are going to try to beat them.

“That’s how we need to think about it and not how many players they may be dropping or who is on yellow or what team they are going to play. We need to concentrate on our game. We have to win.”

That’s the essence of the task. And if it is to happen, some sudden infusion of skill and fast-thinking and technical poise – some contribution from Hoolahan, in other words – may well be the source of its completion.

He has been the day star of this long campaign and must have a say in the defining 90 minutes.