Austria’s woes offer Ireland a great opportunity

This depleted Austrian team may give Ireland the chance to take control of Group D.

One of the many enjoyable aspects of Ireland’s victory over Austria in Vienna last November was our ability to control and close out a game against, man for man, a superior opposition. A similar showing and result on Sunday afternoon would place Martin O’Neill’s side in a commanding position at the summit of their World Cup Qualifying group.

Lingering on your opponent’s difficulties ahead of an important game of football is seldom an advisable approach to take. However, when those difficulties are as palpable as they appear to be in the Austrian set-up, it’s hard to ignore them.

Austria were on the first flight home from France last summer, the only team from Group F who failed to qualify for the round of sixteen, their one solitary point coming in a goalless draw against Portugal.

So far the current qualifying campaign has been similarly underwhelming. Marcel Koller’s men lie fourth in Group D with seven points from five games, and although only goal difference separates them and Wales in third, a loss this weekend would surely end any hopes they have of qualifying.

Koller finds himself with a compilation of selection headaches ahead of the weekend’s game. Both Marko Arnautovic and Marko Janko, two of Austria’s most dangerous players against Ireland in Vienna, miss out this time round, Arnautovic through suspension, Janko through an untimely case of tonsillitis.

Without the two Marko’s, Austrian fans will be looking to their other star player, Bayern Munich’s David Alaba, to provide some much needed magic.

The most talented player of the two combined squads, Alaba has done little on the international scene since he squashed Irish hopes of qualifying for the World Cup in Brazil with the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Giovanni Trappatoni’s team in Vienna, in 2013. His last international goal came nearly two years ago and he was particularly dreadful in the game against Ireland in November.

As well as these concerns, Koller has also had to contend with allegations of squad disharmony from sections of the Austrian media. This week he made a public call for unity within the squad. Koller then openly criticised Red Bull Salzburg defender Andreas Ulmer for choosing to get married this weekend rather than be available for selection for the national team. A strange course of criticism perhaps, given Ulmer has made just three appearances for Austria since 2009.

Allowing ourselves to take into account this dubious fortitude in the Austrian camp, coupled with Ireland’s own unquestionable team spirit and togetherness, suggests the home team should head into Sunday’s game confidant of completing a double over the Austrians.

This is dependent on O’Neill’s approach to the match however. Unlike the Wales game in March, when we found ourselves with even more absentees than Austria currently contend with, O’Neill has the players at his disposal to take the game to the Austrians and take advantage of a reportedly anxious outfit.

This Ireland team have shown before that they are better chasing a game than containing one. The notion that Ireland might sit back on Sunday and pick Austria off on the counter, given the fact the visitors are the ones in desperate need of a result, was refuted by O’Neill during the week. Recognising his team’s aversion to managing a game, he suggested that Ireland would need to be on the front foot from the beginning.

For this task Jonathon Walters has been declared fit and in Shane Long’s absence will start as the lone front man. Robbie Brady and James McClean will almost certainly occupy the wing positions, leaving four players contending for the three positions in midfield. Jeff Hendrick should start and can play either as a holding midfielder or as a number ten if Wes Hoolahan doesn’t make the starting eleven.

Glenn Whelan has been a constant in the Irish set up under O’Neill but following Harry Artur’s performance against Uruaguay last weekend, that trend could be set to shift. More mobile and creative than Whelan, Artur also offers the defensive harrying that Whelan is supposedly in the team for. The Bournemouth man would prove a more effective and accomplished partner for Hendrick in midfield, with the creativity of Hoolahan playing slightly ahead of them completing one of the most exciting Irish midfields we’ve seen for many years.

Whelan has been a thoroughly solid player for Ireland over the last decade and his dedication and work rate, the two barometers a footballer can most fairly judged on more so than ability, has been unquestionable.

Yet it is no coincidence that Ireland gave one of their most impressive displays under O’Neill when Whelan came off injured in the twenty-third minute in Vienna and Artur was allowed to assert his authority and energy on Ireland’s midfield.

A back four of Christie, Duffy, Keogh and Ward pretty much picks itself with Darren Randolph expected to retain his position in goal despite an error against Uruguay last week.

Serbia host Wales later in the evening with kick off at a quarter to eight Irish time. A draw would appear to be the result that would suit Ireland best, halting Serbia on twelve points and leaving Wales with just eight points from six matches.

Crunching some numbers in an effort predict what opposition results may suit your team best can be a fairly futile exercise however. Remember on a heady night in October 2015, with the words ‘Randolph sends it long… Shane Long,’ still ringing in our ears, we all cheered Robert Lewandowski’s ninety-fourth minute equaliser against Scotland, only to gradually realise Ireland would have been better off with a Scottish victory.

As Martin O’Neill learned during that particular campaign, qualifying groups can change quickly. There is still enough time for this one to be turned on its head. Ireland should remember that going into Sunday’s game and ensure they allow a vulnerable Austrian side no scent of victory.