We all know James McCarthy has an awful lot of ability but he doesn’t impose himself enough on games for my liking.
McCarthy has only played one match in this qualification campaign - against Georgia, when he almost played as a forward - but I’ve watched him a lot even playing for Everton.
If you focus on him during a game, there’s a lot of the times when the full back is in possession on his side of the pitch, for example, and McCarthy is pointing to where his team-mate should be playing the ball.
He should be looking for it himself.
Everton team-mates James McCarthy and Séamus Coleman in the green of Ireland (Inpho)
McCarthy has the ability but I don’t know if he has the personality or the character to get on the ball and dictate the play.
In other words: it’s no good having all the ability in the world if you’re not going to demand the ball.
If he doesn’t, his talent is wasted.
I’m not sure if he’s been pulled up on this at his club or within the Ireland camp.
Roberto Martinez has had him at Everton for a couple of years now – and Wigan before that – and he’s played in the Irish team a good few times.
James McCarthy and Everton manager Roberto Martinez (PA)
Whether this issue has been highlighted to McCarthy and he is ignoring it, I don’t know. Or else they’re not telling him.
But he’s certainly not getting on the ball in positions that he should be getting on the ball as a midfield player.
I’ve know some players – they say ‘well, I don’t want to do that’. They don’t have the personality to do it - they don’t want to take on the responsibility.
Now Roy Keane would be the perfect example of the opposite, he took all the responsibility. But that was his nature.
James McCarthy and Roy Keane (Inpho)
What I’d be talking about if I was showing McCarthy a video wouldn’t be stuff like taking chances. It would just be drifting into the positions and demanding the ball.
And if you have the ability then you’re not going to get into trouble.
But some lads don’t want that. I’d be critical of McCarthy for not doing it because he should be doing it.
Stephen Quinn (Inpho)
Regardless, I’d undoubtedly start him against Poland and I would go with Stephen Quinn ahead of Glenn Whelan beside him.
Quinn has played against Georgia and Germany and I think he did okay.
Whelan is a very good-hearted player, but Quinn is better at holding on to the ball.
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