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Ireland manager Stephen Kenny paid tribute to skipper Seamus Coleman, stating that he is one of the “best of all time” to captain his country.
The Donegal native has maintained his captaincy, having also been captain during Mick McCarthy’s tenure, however the Everton defender has lost his place in the starting eleven.
Matt Doherty was named right back for Ireland’s opening game in this new Kenny era, while Coleman stayed on the bench, however it remains to be seen if Tottenham’s new signing can keep Coleman out of the team as coach. He said the decision was “marginal.”
Coleman was the first-choice right back during the McCarthy era, with the former boss toying with the idea of playing the two men, but scrapped that experiment midway through his first game back in command.
Kenny said Doherty was underused in an Ireland jersey when he took over as Ireland’s coach, so it came as no surprise when the Dubliner received the jersey for the Bulgaria match on Thursday night.
Shane Duffy was the captain on the field in Sofia, however Coleman still played the role of captain and showed real leadership as he sat next to the new coach at the pre-game press conference, probably knowing he wasn’t ready to start. the game.
And the new manager said Coleman has not only had an incredible career for both the club and the country, but also believes that the 31-year-old is still in good shape and considers him one of the best defenders in the top flight. from England.
“Seamus Coleman has been an exceptional player for Ireland and is a great ambassador for football in Ireland,” Kenny said at the pre-game press conference on Saturday afternoon.
“It’s just one of those situations that we have, two of the best right-backs in the Premier League.
“But apart from that, he’s a quality player and he showed it this year after the lockdown. He got very good, as always, he was injury free during that period and he defended very, very well, and he succeeded.” go ahead too.
“Both of them have had great seasons, and these are all marginal decisions.
“Seamus, he’s a brilliant captain and one of the best captains we’ve ever had.”
The coach, of course, did not give any hints as to whether he will maintain the same defense for the Finland match (Sunday 5pm), and was also quick to praise the new man on the jersey, Doherty.
“Matt Doherty has had a brilliant season for him and he played a phenomenal number of games,” he said.
“The Wolves had a season where they played a lot of games and Matt played almost all of them and, obviously, it has culminated in his move to Tottenham.”
Reflecting on Thursday night’s game, having had a couple of days to digest the emotional roller coaster both on and off the court with a tie in injury time and an international managerial debut, Kenny was still, in general, quite satisfied with the performance of his team.
The former Dundalk coach said: “It was a good performance, we did well overall, I think the players expressed confidence and the balance of the team was good overall.
“We controlled the game, they punished us when Kraev scored that goal against us.
The players expressed confidence and the balance of the team was good ”
“Our three forwards showed the individual skills that they have. They all can dribble, they all have good movement and they showed glimpses of that and I think we created some chances but we couldn’t score, so it was great that Shane Duffy came up with the tying goal. It was a tremendous head butt.
“We had to keep going and be fair with the team, in the campaign they managed to score late goals and they came back to back it by scoring another late goal.
“So the credit goes to the players, it shows that the mentality is okay with the players.”
But Kenny acknowledged there is work to be done to get the team to perform the way it would like it to and saw room for improvement in Thursday’s performance.
“Our back four would like to be more cohesive,” he added.
“We were exploited at least twice, and we have to be cohesive as defenders and make sure we have the right balance there.”
“In midfield, our passing was exceptional with a lot of good movement, but maybe it didn’t penetrate far enough into the Bulgarian baseline. They were very well trained and, to be fair to Bulgaria, they defended well.
“We had 91 percent complete passes and what we need to improve is more penetrating passing, trying and opening defenses. We have analyzed that and we have seen our game. That is an area where we must improve.
“And I think because Bulgaria did not press that high or defend with a high line, sometimes you cannot use the speed that you have in the team and space is paramount when that happens.”
And the coach also praised midfielder James McCarthy, who returned in a green jersey after a long absence, and Kenny believes the best is yet to come from the Crystal Palace man.
“James is a really exceptional player, he has a brilliant passing range, he has all the passing you need for a midfielder,” he said.
“In addition, he also offers protection to the four in the back. He reads it very well and is fast on the ground. He is a really good player, but he is in preseason, and we have to handle James too, he is in preseason.” . You have to be aware of that. It’s early for him, he hasn’t played a league game yet. ”
The coach was asked about some of the online criticism directed at his team’s performance, perhaps a reference to a prominent former player who did not praise the performance in Sofia too much.
But Kenny didn’t worry and said: “Everyone has a right to have a say. I never ask anyone.
“Everyone can think for themselves. It’s subjective. I have no problem with that, that’s part of the game. I would never teach anyone a lesson about it.”
Follow the Republic of Ireland v Finland (KO 5pm) via our live blog on RTÉ.ie / sport and the RTÉ News app, or listen to the commentary on RTÉ Radio 1’s Sunday Sport
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