Managed by Northern Irishman Martin O’Neill, the Republic of Ireland secured a place at Euro 2016 via the playoffs after a good third place finish in the competitive Group D. They went on to face Balkan side Bosnia and Herzegovina where a solid 1-1 draw away in Zenica provided the platform for them to record a 2-0 win in front of 50,000 fans at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin to ensure qualification.
As with Euro 2012, Ireland once again find themselves in the ‘Group of Death’ alongside Belgium, Italy and Sweden where they will start as favourites to finish bottom of Group E.
Not even the lively and passionate Irish fans, who always travel well, have been able to inspire their side to perform well at international tournaments in recent times. They have not qualified for a World Cup since 2002 whilst they have never got out of the group stages at a European Championship. History is most certainly not on the Republic’s side.
Goalkeepers: Darren Randolph (West Ham), Shay Given (Stoke), Keiren Westwood (Sheffield Wednesday).
Defenders: Cyrus Christie (Derby), Seamus Coleman (Everton), Ciaran Clark (Aston Villa), Richard Keogh (Derby), Shane Duffy (Blackburn), John O’Shea (Sunderland), Stephen Ward (Burnley).
Midfielders: James McClean (West Brom), Glenn Whelan (Stoke), James McCarthy (Everton), Jeff Hendrick (Derby), Stephen Quinn (Reading), Wes Hoolahan (Norwich), David Meyler (Hull City), Robbie Brady (Norwich), Aiden McGeady (Everton).
Forwards: Jon Walters (Stoke), Shane Long (Southampton), Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy), Daryl Murphy (Ipswich).
Most of Ireland’s defensive collective play in the second tier of English football so they rely heavily on their forward line to come up with the goods in order to make up for the lack of quality at the back.
Shane Long is the sort of player that anybody would love to have in their team. The Southampton striker defends well from the front and constantly hassles opposition defenders. The former Hull City forward is often given the compliment of being ‘hard-working’ (the worst compliment you can give a footballer).
This often means that his talent is overlooked. Long has been a crucial part of Southampton’s success this season, scoring ten goals, only one fewer than Anthony Martial who many people think has been one of the best players in the Premier League in the 2015/16 campaign. His club manager Ronald Koeman clearly does not underestimate his impact and sees him as a key figure at the Saints; starting him in most games and usually allowing him to complete the full 90 minutes.
With Robbie Keane probably unable to replicate his form of years gone by, 29-year-old Long is now entering the peak of his career and will be an important figure for Ireland if they are to progress.
Republic of Ireland v Sweden – 13 June, 2016
Belgium v Republic of Ireland – 18 June, 2016
Italy v Republic of Ireland – 22 June, 2016
Apologies to any Republic of Ireland fans reading this, but I just cannot see this team doing anything at these finals.
As previously mentioned, it will be very surprising if O’Neill’s side come anywhere other than bottom in this group. The main reason being that they just do not have the depth in their squad that the likes of Belgium and Italy can call upon whilst in Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sweden have one of the best players to turn a game on its head. I am not sure Ireland have that. Ireland to finish bottom is 10/11, not great value but should be a winner.
I am not even sure Ireland will pick up any points at the Euros this summer and those great Irish fans will likely travel for no reward. I outlined my reasons for thinking this in the previous tip and Ireland to finish with 0 points is 9/2. However, if you are feeling slightly more optimistic you can go for under 2.5 points at 4/5.
The first fixture against Sweden at Stade de France is vital for both teams as they know that if they can secure a win then they will have a good chance of challenging the Italians and the Belgians for the qualification spots. However, as outlined in my Sweden preview, I expect Erik Hamren’s side to do well in this tournament and cannot see them slipping up against the Green Army. Although neither of these two sides are the greatest at the back, so both teams to score but Sweden to come out on top at 5/1 looks a good bet.
To finish on a positive note. I am a big fan of Shane Long as you have already read and he is rightly down as the favourite to be Ireland’s top goalscorer in France. 7/2 for Long as leading scorer for the Irish seems pretty good value as I am not sure Robbie Keane (13/2) or Jonathan Walters (4/1) will be able to match him, especially in terms of minutes played.