It seems hard to believe that it was seven days ago that Ireland’s Euro 2016 adventure came to an end.
Overall, it was a positive tournament for Ireland. It was certainly a marked improvement on four years ago when Ireland exited without a point and without laying a glove on any of their group opponents.
This time Ireland leave in an altogether more positive place and with high hopes for a future built around the likes of Robbie Brady and Jeff Hendrick.
If anything it was a sign of progress that Ireland left the field in Lyon last Sunday so disappointed that they hadn’t held on to the lead they had for 54 minutes against the hosts and tournament favourites.
France ran out deserved winners in the end and took full advantage of the extra rest they had in comparison to martin O’Neill’s side.
Ireland visibly tired around the hour mark and it’s clear that the short turnaround from the physically and mentally exhausting exertions against the Italians in Lille the previous Wednesday is where O’Neill feels Ireland fell short.
The Ireland manager has described the situation that gave France a full week to prepare for the game while Ireland had three days as “staggering” and he says he has “real doubts” about whether it would happen to one of the bigger sides at the Euros.
“In tournament competition, you wouldn’t believe the advantage those extra days that France got to us. We played late Wednesday night, we didn’t get back to our hotel until about four o’clock in the morning Thursday. In fact, had the draw worked differently, we could have ended up playing Croatia on Saturday. If anybody tells me that’s fair in a competition that is supposed to be fair. Uefa are talking about fair play.
“Our boys covered as much ground if not more than any team playing. Eventually France, who are a very fine side and will go very close to winning the competition, great players, eventually some players actually find some room. We made an error with two players going for the one ball and Griezmann comes in and scores a goal and he wouldn’t have found the same room.
“We had no more energy left in the game. But it was to do with the turnaround, it was nothing to do with the fitness of the side.
“We’ve come into the tournament, we’ve given everything and I don’t see that at all. I see that as as unfair an advantage for a side as I could possibly remember.
“You don’t have time to flog players. We met up. And we have a game within seven days and whatever fitness that those players have at club level, I am not responsible for that during the course of the season.
“I am responsible, when they arrive in camp, for keeping them fresh. You ask any world-class fitness specialist and they will tell you that you are not going to get players fit in five days.
“The thing that I am actually quite good at is freshening, keeping people fresh, as fresh as they possibly can be because at some stage you are going to run out of energy, because if you are, like us, a team without the ball, that will take a lot of energy out of you.”
