There’d be very few complaints if Ireland shaped up like this in France.
Right on time for Euro 2016, the stats are throwing forward Ireland’s best potential team yet.
Darren Randolph has played the last three league games for West Ham and, for the first time, takes his place as the country’s number one rated goalkeeper.
Jon Walters has played the last three league games for Stoke, including 90 minutes on Sunday and he is back with a bang whilst Wes Hoolahan returned to Alex Neil’s mind too late to save Norwich from relegation.
It makes for hopeful reading heading into the summer. Only Seamus Coleman and Jeff Hendrick – of Ireland’s regular 11 – aren’t making the stats team.
Jeff Hendrick hasn’t played since departing the international camp in March whilst the injured Seamus Coleman gets a bye ball because he’s Seamus Coleman.
A reminder of the stipulations:
- Only league games are considered (based on the WhoScored rating each player receives).
- Stats only include Premier League and Championship performances.
- Each player’s last three league games constitutes their form rating.
- 0.5 will be deducted for each match a player misses in his own ‘Last Three Games’ period.
- To account for standard, Championship players will be rated at 80% of their form.
John O’Shea was called upon for some game time in the last three matches of the season to shore up Sunderland’s stunning recovery in the Premier League.
If Martin O’Neill went all Moneyball on us and trusted the stats and the stats alone, his top 11 (well, top 10 including a goalkeeper – because he’ll need a goalkeeper) would shape up in a 3-2-3-2 formation.
But let’s face it, no-one is going to play a 3-2-3-2 formation (The fools obviously haven’t experienced winning in Football Manager with that tactic but then the fools would probably be right for wanting to avoid a scenario where Robbie Brady is one of your three defenders).
David McGoldrick, as the lowest ranked outfielder in that team, would be the fall-guy in the interest of balance. And in the interest of real life.
This is O’Neill’s best available, most realistic, stats-based team at the end of the season.
He could deploy his diamond shape in attack to get Walters further forward but he already tried James McClean in that narrower Jeff Hendrick role against Poland and it didn’t suit the West Brom wide man.
That team is still impressive though. That team could still make something happen at Euro 2016. And they’re all playing regular football. And good football too.
