Rarely, as an international manager, does one face into matchday knowing that the game itself will be the least stressful 90 minutes of one's evening.
That is the curious paradox facing Martin O'Neill ahead of the international friendly against Belarus at Turner's Cross tomorrow evening. The original plan was to name the final 23-man squad on Saturday and to use the Turner's Cross as a minimal-effort exercise in fine-tuning ahead of the competition.
That plan was altered last week, with O'Neill deciding to delay the squad announcement until the final moment. UEFA decree that all squads must be submitted by 11pm on Tuesday, May 31st: an hour and a half after the final whistle against Belarus.
O'Neill has preached for some time that he has been settled on 'most of his squad', with decisions to be made over one or two players. The question marks seemed to be regarding midfield and up front. In midfield, it seemed to be a case of five players scrapping for two places: Harry Arter, Darron Gibson, Stephen Quinn, David Meyler and (being slightly generous) Eunan O'Kane.
There was also a decision to be made up front. O'Neill is likely to take four strikers, with Shane Long, Jon Walters and Robbie Keane hitherto seen as guaranteed inclusions. Keane is the captain and an important squad member.
The final berth was likely going to come down to a shoot-out between two Ipswich Town players: David McGoldrick and Darryl Murphy. Murphy has been trusted by O'Neill before - he started the Germany game ahead of Shane Long - but has endured a disappointing domestic season with Ipswich, scoring 10 goals (compared to 25 the season previous).
McGoldrick is more of an all-round footballer than Murphy, with an ability to play behind the striker and at the tip of the diamond, the system seen against Holland on Friday. Murphy is rumoured to start without McGoldrick against Belarus, giving the impression that McGoldrick has the edge, as O'Neill feels he has something to prove.
Robbie Keane a serious concern for the Euros with a calf problem. He won't play against Belarus. Squad must be submitted before 11pm tmrw.
— Neil O'Riordan (@noriordan) May 30, 2016
That binary decision facing O'Neill has now been taken away from him, however, with the news of a Robbie Keane injury from Ireland's training camp today. Robbie Keane will not face Belarus at all, as he is receiving treatment for a calf injury. Keane is yet to be officially ruled out from the tournament, but this injury puts him in serious doubt. While Keane's non-involvement does not affect the starting XI, it will cause O'Neill serious headaches regarding selection. Here are some of the scenarios O'Neill is facing:
Keane is ruled out through injury
The easiest option for O'Neill is if the doctors rule Keane is not fit for selection. This scenario may not be an option, however, given the timing. The scan and full results are unlikely to be returned before 11pm tomorrow night, meaning O'Neill is likely going to have to make the call.
Bring Keane along, despite the risk that he is unfit to play
Superficially, the temptation may be there: Keane was always unlikely to play a massive role on the field. Keane's role behind the scenes is believed to be influential, but O'Neill is professional enough to realise the extraordinary risk inherent in this. He would essentially be bringing a 22 man squad, and should Long or Walters suffer an injury, it would leave Ireland extremely lightweight up front. An injured player can be brought to the tournament, but must be replaced before the first game. O'Neill must be tempted to do this; today he played down Keane's injury fears by saying that "Robbie is a quick healer". To bring Keane knowing he is likely to miss out through injury, however, does seem like a wilful disruption of preparation.
Choose not to select him in the squad and bring him along anyway
This seems the most pragmatic option. O'Neill can bring along Keane anyway - not unlike how Fabio Capello brought David Beckham to the 2010 World Cup - and if you are being slightly harsh, an injury would not massively alter the role Keane was likely to play during the tournament anyway. It is still a daunting prospect for O'Neill, however: in the interest of pragmatism, to drop your country's leading goalscorer from the squad on the evening of his swansong tournament. O'Neill, for all his jokes, is fundamentally a ruthless football manager.
Those are the scenarios, but there are myriad others that might crop up. What if Murphy or McGoldrick pick up an injury tomorrow night? Does Kevin Doyle receive a call from the States?
What if Harry Arter, who limped out of training today, is ruled out? Also, James McCarthy may also be in doubt, he has been unable to train today either.
Turner's Cross is not exactly the ideal place for a game either: journalists will have no access to plugs, and there is no space to conduct a proper press conference. The curious pandemonium that seems to follow Irish football fervently is about to land again tomorrow night, pretty much as soon as the final whistle goes against Belarus.
Then the real ninety minutes will begin.
