Since the last update, the staff have changed slightly:
Friendlies:
Overall the friendlies went really well. I organised some tougher friendlies to keep the competitive edge up but the games against Estonia and Luxembourg were use to simply experiment and change players around, it proved to be a success; albeit against weaker opposition. There aren't screens of all the games; just those that i deem to be the most important.
The friendly was probably the most important; vs England. They fielded a much weaker team than i was expecting and that allowed us to sneak a win: the fans were ecstatic :)
The game against Spain was also really tough and again we managed to sneak a win. The performances that my Ireland team are pulling out of the bag have been phenomenal.
After the earlier results i was confident going into the game against current world number 1: Portugal...... Then Ronaldo happened..... He didn't actually score but tore my team apart from start to finish.
Argentina also play an incredibly weird formation... I was pleased with the draw even though we had some great chances and could have taken the win (sorry, couldn't find the match screen...).
The game against Luxembourg was pleasing as we dominated completely; which is what is expected against a weaker team but it's nice that it actually happened.
SI employing Daily Mail journalists to write their headlines...? Just something that made me laugh :p
My Ireland squad for the European Championships (includes the numbers for those interested... :p):
Group Stages:
No screens of these individual matches. The squad didn't seem to really perform in these opening matches. The goals just weren't coming and we didn't seem to really be creative enough in the final third. Andy Keogh was the unexpected top performer; putting in some great performances. The only positive is that we didn't lose any games and managed to scrape into the next round. After the group stages i changed the formation in an aim to get the team performing.
2nd Round:
A really good result for Ireland against a strong Russian team. The match was really even game with Keogh continuing his good form from the group stages into the next round and slotting one to see us through. I still wasn't happy with lack of creativity and lack of chances created. At least we're through.
Quarter Final:
Semi Finals:
Our cup journey finally came to an end against a very strong France team. We probably had the better of the stats but Gamerio's finishing proved to be too much. We did launch a comeback but it was too little to late.
Tournament Overview:
I think, for Ireland, we performed really well in the tournament and surpassed the expectations put on us. We didn't play the most attractive football but we ground out the results. The key player for us in the tournament was defiantly Keogh and he was rewarded with a place in the team of the tournament (albeit on the bench). Norway have to be the surprise team of the tournament along with Ireland but everything else was pretty much as expected (within reason).
World Cup Qualification:
Considering the teams that are also in the qualifiers, we had a pretty easy group draw. We absolutely dominated the group scoring 33 goals and conceding just 2. I was hoping that Denmark could pinch second place from Ukraine but it wasn't to be. A really good qualifying run with all players performing. The only result that i didn't like was the 0-0 draw against Switzerland but you can't have ever
Conclusion:
A really great season(s) with Ireland surpassing all expectations and punching way above their weight. I am really pleased with the way the team is starting to play although i'm slightly worried by the lack of promising youngsters but that can't really be helped. The next post will focus on the World Cup amongst other things.
Thanks for reading and i hope you enjoyed it. As always, i'll answer any questions i can and any comments are appreciated.
Thanks,
Atok
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