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Former Republic of Ireland forward Stephen Elliott believes that Stephen Kenny’s team would have benefited from the presence of a player in the mold of Glenn Whelan, or possibly Whelan himself, after their 1-1 draw against Bulgaria in the Nations League on Thursday night.
An Irish team with 19-year-old rookie Adam Idah found themselves behind Bozhidar Kraev’s opener in the 56th minute at Vail Levski Stadium, before captain Shane Duffy claimed some of the loot with a massive header. in discount time.
The first encouraging signs from an Irish perspective faded as the match progressed, and Elliott left concerned about what he saw in Sofia.
“The second half performance was not very good, I don’t think, by the Irish team. I think Bulgaria was the best team,” he told Game On listeners on RTÉ 2FM.
“I didn’t really feel any difference after coming out of that second half.
“We are all celebrating, it turns out that Duffy scored the goal again and got us out of jail a bit.
“But I would consider the second half as something very worrying. I think that the form of the team and the midfield were very much everywhere.
“I think McCarthy fought there.”
If the contrast between Ireland’s initial outing with Kenny and his earlier shows with Mick McCarthy wasn’t as great as some had hoped, Elliott’s choice of a difference maker is likely to come as a surprise to many fans.
Whelan has always said that he would never retire from Ireland, but he was not selected in Kenny’s first team.
Elliott said: “I’m not saying they bring Glenn Whelan back, but to me he was probably one of our best players in recent years in protecting the defense, and I think tonight highlighted how important he was to the team.” .
“I think we need someone who can play the role that Glenn Whelan can play, and if they can’t, why are they overlooking someone like Glenn?
“Because I think I would have done a better job protecting that bottom line and starting for our wingers.”
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