A Spanish Inquisition

Ireland's game against Spain (Nov. 17) has become the crucial test. Both the side's prospects of qualifying for the finals of the competition and manager Eoin Hand's ability to get the shape, blend and organisation of his side right depend on this game. Manifestly things were not right either against Holland or against Iceland.

When Eoin Hand took over the national side from John Giles, he inherited a team which had two obvious strengths - a balanced midfield of Liam Brady, Tony Grealish and Gerry Daly and a magnificent central defensive partnership between David O'Leary and Mark Lawrenson. To these qualities Hand has added the strengths of Jim McDonagh in goal, and Michael Robinson in attack. Hand inherited from John Giles at least one problem in the area of full back. Giles had used, with admittedly some success, Ashley Grimes at left back and had tried John Devine, Chris Hughton and even Tony Grealish at right back.

Eoin Hand has not solved the full back problem. None of the present full backs - Hughton, Langan, Devine, Walsh and Lawrenson - inspire confidence in that position. The evidence of the Dutch and Icelandic games is that not only has Eoin Hand not solved the problems of his full back position, but that he has also gravely upset the side's strengths by breaking up the central defensive partnership of O'Leary and Lawrenson and by breaking up 'the Grealish, Brady, Daly midfield.

With four central defenders in the back four, with four men in midfield and with two central attackers, the Irish line out against Iceland looked very cumbersome. There was not one single player in the Irish side (which started the game) who is accustomed in his club soccer to working out side, either as an overlapping full back or as a winger cum midfielder. The Irish game became congested and too much down the middle of the pitch. This

was hardly surprising.

The Grealish, Waddock, Brady, Whelan midfield was unbalanced. Three players, Grealish, Waddock and Brady used the same space. Liam Brady has always been inclined, and is encouraged by Eoin Hand, to play a deep lying, central role. He is the playmaker, he has a free role. In effect he does not spend much time in the left half position. Thus he kept bumping into Grealish and Waddock both of whom were playing in the centre of midfield. Even worse, Grealish and Waddock provide overlapping services in midfield in that they are both essentially ball contesting, defensive mid fielders. It seems strange to play both of them on the same side.

The midfield confusion was not helped by the fact that Ronnie Whelan has played nearly all his Liverpool soccer on the left of midfield. Ireland thus presented the ponderous spectacle of a four man midfield comprising two central defenders, three left sided players and no one to work the space out on the right. Gerry Daly was never more badly missed. Even allowing for the fact that these players had never played together before, this midfield was simply not good enough. It hardly needs a soothsayer with the vision of a Delphic oracle to predict that such a line up will get nowhere against Spain. The substitution of the injured Liam Brady by winger Kevin O'Callaghan put the midfield problems in perspective. At once Ireland had both genuine width and pace in attack and a less congested midfield. O'Callaghan's position on the Irish left as much as his pace poured lubricant on what until then had been a ponderous, creaking attack.

Behind midfield, the back four of Lawrenson, O'Leary, Moran and Walsh presented an equally unsatisfactory visage. In the press room afterwards Eoin Hand took trouble to point out what a fine game Mark Lawrenson had played. Indeed Lawrenson did play well, particularly when he got forward in the second half. However, getting to the byline against Iceland's back four of fishmongers, and car salesmen is one thing, getting past Messrs Arquiaga, Camacho, Tendillo and Alesanco will be an entirely different proposition.

On the left flank, Mike Walsh had an unhappy game. His attacking contribution to the game was limited to three indifferent crosses, whilst in defence he was distinguished by the spectacular incompetence of his ill timed tackle on the unfortunate Ormslev. He certainly was no answer to manager Hand's problems.

In Rotterdam in September, Ireland were caught out by the positional flexibility and breakneck counter attacking of the Dutch. Against Holland, Ireland seemed ponderous and, Brady excepted, utterly unoriginal in attack. There was no sign in the game against Iceland that anything much had improved. The Irish defence may have had few genuine worries against the resolute Icelanders, but the Irish attack laboured unnecessarily long and hard for their goals.

In the past it has been Eoin Hand's singular contribution to the Irish side to make it more offensive minded, to build up a First Division type attacking rhythm in which goal scoring opportunities arise more from constant pressurising than from precise build ups. Against Holland and France in the World Cup qualifiers at home this produced untidy, but winning, games. Ireland's last performances seem to have lost even this edge. In both games the side looked predictable, ponderous and languid (Liam Brady in Rotterdam excepted). If it took Ireland much time and bother to break down the Icelandic defence, then it requires little imagination to visualise them having even less success against the even more defensive minded Spaniards. Messrs Camacho, Tendillo and Alesanco will come to Dublin looking for a draw. Manchester United's recent EUFA Cup match with Valencia was a reminder of just what Spanish intentions are likely to be away from home.

Any assessment of Spain for the Lansdowne Road encounter is problematic. The Spanish side which struggled to defeat Iceland 1-0 in Malaga bore little resemblance in personnel to the side which played through the World Cup. Gone from the front line were Ufarte, Satrustegui, Saura; gone from midfield were Zamora and Alonso; gone from defence were Tendillo and Alesanco. Given that this is a new side in the hands of a new manager, there may well be further changes made for the game in Dublin. It is unlikely however that, whatever its personnel, this Spanish side will attempt to do anything much more than contain Ireland.

In the context of the crude art of Spanish defence as demonstrated most viciously and illegally by Tendillo against Stapleton in the Manchester United-Valencia game, Ireland's performance against Iceland was disturbing. Ireland would do well to avoid unnecessary rough-housing. Walsh's tackle on Ormslev, O'Leary's tackle of Gudjonsen and Robinson's attitude to the Icelandic goalkeeper, Bjarnason, were all aspects of an Irish side which was unusually and untypically aggressive. Were Ireland to adopt the same attitude to Spain, then the afternoon would certainly be eventful but little soccer would be played. It would suit Spanish designs only too well if Irish minds and hearts became preoccupied with a kicking match and forgot about scoring. Better refereeing than that offered by Monsieur Rion in the Icelandic game will be required.

Elsewhere in Europe, Wednesday October 13 was an eventful day. Regular readers of these columns will recall how we pointed out that since its central character, Karl-Heinz Rumenigge, was injured, it was hardly surprising that West Germany were disappointing in Spain. Furthermore this writer was unreservedly critical of the dropping of Pierre Littbarski for the West Germany v England match. At Wembley soccer truths shone brightly. Karl-Heinz Rumenigge, in conjunction with the newly-arrived-on-the-field Littbarski, underlined his devastating class. Despite the efforts of an English side which certainly showed more mobility and pace than Ireland had earlier that afternoon, West Germany proved once again that at international level class, skill and construction matter a great deal more than British endeavour, conviction, "bottle" call it what you may.