With yesterday's Euro 2016 Group D qualifying match between the Republic of Ireland and Poland in the books, it's time to reflect on what we saw and talk about what we can learn going forward.
When FC Koln's Slawomir Peszko rocketed a shot past Shay Given in the 27th minute, it was not looking good for the boys in green, who were yet to even suggest a threat to Poland in any serious way. A tactical change from Martin O'Neill coupled with Poland's willingness to defend the lead they had earned saw Ireland on the front foot for the remainder of the game, and while a draw is not a terrible result in the grand scheme of things, most Irish fans came away feeling that we could have earned a vital win in a group that's competitiveness shows no sign of diminishing.
Having digested the result and the performance that went with it, here are five important lessons to take away from Ireland vs Poland:
Robbie Brady is not a conventional left-back.
Brady's positioning and decision making was questionable, and of course fingers will be pointed having made the mistake for the goal, but what do you expect from a young player who's skills are more suited the traditional left-wing position?
At Hull City, Brady has occasionally operated at left-wing-back with some success. With three defenders behind him and two midfielders inside him, he always has options if he runs into trouble. As part of a back four, he doesn't have the same options, and he clearly struggled, although he got no help from Glen Whelan and James McCarthy until Ireland pushed further up in the second half.
Of course Brady was playing there because of an injury to Stephen Ward, but it could be argued that Marc Wilson's best position is at left back, which would have then allowed the introduction of Richard Keogh, who has been impressing for Derby County this season, to the starting lineup.
Keano's role in the team is at an awkward crossroad.
What do we do with Robbie Keane?
Ireland's leading goalscorer and club captain doesn't appear to have the athleticism to compete against the big guns in the qualifying groups anymore. Against Poland and Germany, Keano just wasn't in the game. It's difficult to drop a player who has been, and still is, so important to the Irish camp, but would we not have faired much better with a Long and Walters partnership from the start yesterday?
Keane is in the team for his predatory finishing instincts, but against the big teams in the big matches we need someone who can offer something more, as chances are not going to be plentiful. Obviously against the lower to mid-level sides in group games Robbie's value is enormous. In those games he is always likely to get you a goal through punishing a mistake or finishing off a move, but against the top sides those mistakes and passages of flowing Irish play are few and far between.
We need to get more from our centre midfielders.
Whelan himself is having a good season for Stoke, and both looked far more comfortable when the play was in the Polish half like it was for the majority of the second half, but when we come under a bit of pressure there needs to be another way of relieving it than blasting the ball in the general direction of Jon Walters. Whelan and McCarthy simply didn't show for the ball enough, which left our full-backs and centre-backs with little option than to send it long.
James McClean is everything you could want from an impact sub.
The Wigan winger may not be thrilled to be overlooked for the starting eleven, but with an emotional player such as McClean, letting him soak up the pattern of play and the mood of the match as an observer before unleashing him on our opponents can give the whole team a boost, as it did yesterday.
His impact was typified by one crunching challenge that evoked swoons from football's traditionalists who value little more than getting properly stuck in. His change of pace, ability to beat a man and produce a cross, and his total unwillingness to mask his emotions when it comes to things like dealing with moany opposition players can get the fans on side and drive a team on.
If he can learn to embrace his role as a "super-sub" in the mould of Stephen Hunt under Giovanni Trapattoni, McClean can become a very important player for this Irish team.
The Aviva CAN produce a fantastic atmosphere for a football match.
Question-marks have been raised about the atmosphere in the Aviva, particularly for football matches, but yesterday showed that the unusual shape of the home of our football team can generate enough noise to drive our lads on when they need a boost. Irish fans are famous for their away support, and there is always a dedicated section of fans who stand and sing for the game's entirety at home too, but yesterday saw an atmosphere previously unseen since we made the move from Lansdowne Road.
If that passion and spirit can be replicated, then we can return to the days of opposition teams dreading their trip to Dublin.
