February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
After being out for several weeks, the Irishman was penciled in right away upon gaining his fitness. With a few games under his belt Duff scored and had an assist against Bolton Wanderers over the weekend. Chelsea has not been convincing without the gifted forward. Now the Blues seem to be a more balanced team with Duff back on the wings. He’s returned to make Chelsea a serious Champions League contender.
Chelsea face Arsenal in the CL quarterfinals. The Blues will need something special to overcome Arsene Wenger’s Gunners who are firing on all cylinders. Duff is capable of turning games, as was the case against Bolton. Wanderers were looking really good as the final stages of the game approached. Then out of nowhere Duff suddenly danced, then made and scored a goal. That’s Duff for you. He has had a few injuries, but he keeps bouncing back and when he does, Chelsea look a better side. Duff is the man to watch at the moment and Wenger knows that.
Robbie Keane is next up. He hasn’t scored in a wee while but his overall game makes up for that. Given a free role against Newcastle over the weekend, Keane showed his array of skill and ingenuity. The Irish star has finally found a home at Spurs where it looks like he’s settled down. He’s a most lively character and is never at rest in the football environment. It’s a big part of who he is. He brings to Spurs a bubbly energy that was missing on and off the field at White Hart Lane. Keane is a real menace when on the ball and scores with the cheekiest of finishes. Now in his new Spurs role as a withdrawn forward he’s able to show his superb passing range and his peripheral vision when going by opponents.
Keane moved from Wolves to Coventry over to Inter Milan and then back to Leeds United. But now with Spurs, Keane finally looks happy. During his search for the right football club Keane had lost fitness. He looked unsure at times. There was never a doubt that he and Duff are Ireland’s best forwards. It’s difficult to think of Irish front players of the past who took on defenders the way these boys do. In the 2002 World Cup, Keane scored crucial goals for Ireland and in particular the one against Germany. He gets more and more dangerous with his runs into the box as he proved in the World Cup. And over the weekend Ireland’s Andrew O’Brien found that out as he turned the ball into his own Newcastle net. Keane’s presence and dart into the box behind O’Brien put the defender under pressure. Spurs won 1-0.
Duff and Keane are the future of Irish soccer. After so many years of building a team on defense and hard work, now the Irish have attacking players. The question is: who is going to be the supporting cast?
Matt Holland scored the winner for Charlton at the weekend. The Irish midfielder is popping up more often in the opponents’ box and it’s paying off. Holland is known for playing his holding role in midfield for the Irish. But if Ireland’s manager, Brian Kerr, continues to encourage his players and team to be flexible and adaptable, then Holland’s game could become more creative. It is so at Charlton.
Holland is behind Duff and Keane who are world-class players in the making. However, the midfielder is more than capable of hanging with the best as he proved in the World Cup. Now at Charlton, his experience is one of the driving factors behind the club holding onto 4th place. Holland’s style is all about efficiency and he should be on the international scene for quite some time. The consistent midfielder can become more effective in the Irish team. Coach Kerr must build a team with an attacking style using Duff and Keane. What other choices does he have?
Of course there is major concern as to whom the rest of the cast will be for the Irish team. Kerr is challenged. Shay Given has shown he is as good as any Irish keeper before him with the exception of Northern Ireland’s Pat Jennings. There’s concern though with the central defensive positions as there is with the left full position. The right-full slot is about the only defensive position that complements Given. That doesn’t sound too good and it doesn’t get better. Midfield is not doing too good with perhaps Holland likely holding his own in World Cup football. Additional players are needed for Kerr to find the right formula between defense and midfield to support the attack.
Irish managers are doing well, in particular David O’Leary. However, there’s a long way to go, and that story is only in the making. Another successful story is Mick McCarthy’s run in the FA Cup and Sunderland’s recent win over West Ham United. It puts Sunderland right back in the race for promotion to the premier.
And so there you have it. Top Irish players and managers. Players who are on the verge of making it big and managers whose stories are in the making. A better pick for best Irish story would have to be Martin O’Neill and Celtic. Who else on such a great day for the Irish? There was some concern that Rangers had closed the gap. O’Neill’s team simply got better and will continue to do so.
Irish soccer is doing all right on St. Patrick’s Day, 2004. What lies ahead will tell the tale. Can Duff win a C.L.? Is Robbie Keane coming of age? Can Matt Holland lead Ireland into the 2006 World Cup, with Brian Kerr? Can O’Leary qualify for European football? Can McCarthy win the cup, and promotion?