A pick such as Shelbourne at this advanced stage of the Eircom League is pretty straightforward as they have climbed back into first place ahead of Drogheda. First place may change back and forth for a few weeks between Shels and Drogheda, while Bohemians remain a threat in third.
The Gypsies somehow have managed to stay in top flight despite some poor recent results. But new manager Gareth Farrelly had his first win, 2-1 away to Pats. It does seem too late for Bohs, though there are still 27 points or so to play for. Shels have an extremely tricky schedule ahead as first up is Lille in the Uefa Cup tomorrow night in Lansdowne Road.
Before the return leg on Sept. 30, Shels face their oldest rivals, Shamrock Rovers. After the Uefa return leg, Derry would seem easy pickings for Shels, but it’s the next two games where the league will likely be decided: away to Drogheda, then home to Bohs.
Shelbourne’s run in European football, while an obvious step in the right direction, will be have been seen as a distraction by their Eircom opponents. The expectation that Shels will have tired legs might be an extra incentive for their opponents in their final five games to turn up the heat — Dublin City, Cork City, Longford Town, Waterford United and Pats.
Closing the league could drag on should Shels beat Lille. While Shels get the vote, it’s not such an easy pick as one might expect for the defending champions. Nonetheless, the extent to which their Eircom League opponents have their work cut out for them in the future can be seen in the 15 goals scored by the Under-21 side in their last three games, which included wins against Drogheda and Bohs.
Celtic, with just five games played in the Scottish Premiership, are actually an easier pick than Shels. Martin O’Neill’s Hoops, with a maximum 15 points, are already six clear of Aberdeen and Kilmarnoch and seven ahead of rivals Rangers. The Bhoys have scored 10 goals and let in three, giving them a seven-goal difference over Aberdeen and four over the Gers. It could be an embarrassing year for the SPL at the expense of a mean Celtic, who have more than defending their title on the agenda.
Last night, after Soccer Scene went to press, Celtic had their first major Euro test, against Barcelona at home in Glasgow.
In-form Frenchman Giuly has scored twice for Barca as he pulls the strings for the Spanish giants. And it has not taken Henrik Larsson long to change from a Celt to a Catalan. He brought the fanatical supporters to their feet after crashing the box to hit home a superb volley in one game. Assisting Larsson’s goal was Portugal’s unpredictable Anderson Deco. Barca has opened with two wins without the wizardry of Brazilian forward Ronaldinho. African Player of the Year Samuel Eto will also become a serious threat up top for Barca, though he has yet to open his account on the scoring sheet. And should the slick football click into taken goals, watch out for some of the best football on the planet.
There was a time when Irishman Roy Keane used to challenge his team to turn up and win the big games, especially in the Champions League. Nowadays French midfielder Patrick Vieira is playing that role for Arsenal. “We are good enough. Now it is up to us to show how much we want it,” Vieira said.
Arsene Wenger has added some bright new talent to the squad in Reyes and it’s depth that will win the CL for the Gunners. A lot will depend on how Wenger manages to rotate his side to compensate for tired legs towards the run-in to the season.
Vieira and his Gunners at the minute know only how to win, with five triumphs for five games played in the Premiership. Arsenal seems like an easy pick to defend their title, with Aston Villa stopping Chelsea in their tracks with a 0-0 tie. Ex-Gunner and Irish international David O’Leary continues to prove he knows how to produce upsets against the big teams. While Arsenal get the vote, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough could prove the teams to knock off the challenges of Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool. It’s also interesting to see Tottenham Hotspur unbeaten.
On the international scene the call has to be made on Group 4 for the 2006 World Cup qualification. The team standings are Switzerland 4, Ireland 4, France 4, Israel 4, Cyprus 0 and Faroe Islands 0. While all were shocked with Israel winning a point in Paris, we also know the French can underachieve in the earlier stages. Class usually comes through and France has what it takes when it comes to the crunch, while Israel will continue to prove a worthy opponent.
Indeed, it’s with the likes of Israel that Ireland usually falter, while being very capable of holding their own with top teams. For the bigger occasion, the green and white seem to find an extra gear and thus play some good football. However, we’ve also seen the Irish look desperate against teams they should easily beat. This time around Ireland must take the group crunch games to France and Switzerland, so that away point against the latter was a good start.
Against the Swiss, the Irish scored first, with a nice finish by Clinton Morrison. Instead of getting more compact and defending a vital opening strike, though, the Irish remained in an offensive mode. There should have been more emphasis on weathering the storm by Switzerland. We know how they play and we know they have turned it on sporadically against us in the past.
At the Red Lion Bar in New York City, Irish fan James Dean said: “They have our number. They seem to do nothing — then suddenly, they are on top of us. But it’s a good result and we have to learn from this, as we move on.”
Ireland is without doubt in with a shout to win this group. However, two things must happen for them to do so. Roy Keane has to turn up for every game and training sessions to develop more leadership. And Kevin Kilbane has to be benched for his own and Ireland’s sake.