Irish international defender Shane Duffy says he felt so low after being sent off at EURO 2016. Duffy was sent off for a professional foul on Antoine Griezmann in Ireland’s last-16 clash loss to two years ago.
Duffy says there is a different pressure when he plays for his country. The former Everton player believes there is a greater expectancy playing for Ireland. The Brighton player says he has steadily improved throughout his career.
“With my performances, I fell as though I gone steady. I’ve had a few lows with Ireland, obviously the sending off in the France game. I had that bad moment in the game in Moldova away. It’s a different feeling because you feel as though you’ve the whole country on your back.”
The 26-year-old says he felt incredibly low after the sending off against France. He says he felt as though he let the people of Ireland down, and that he lost the trust of the manager.
“I felt it against France. I came in against Italy and no one knew me. The France game was such a big game. I felt so low after. It felt like: ‘ah, he probably doesn’t trust me no more,’ Said Duffy
The defender says he feels fortunate because he has a good relationship with Martin O’Neill. He says he understands what the manager likes, and that O’Neill has helped him a lot with his career.
Duffy says he feels like he always has a point to prove in the squad. He looks at this as a positive to stay sharp and on his game.
He also expressed his admiration for Ireland’s skipper Seamus Coleman. He says the Irish skipper’s enthusiasm rubs off on the rest of the squad.
"I’ve been lucky because I know the manager, and I know what he likes. It sort of my game and it helps me a lot. I always feel going in; it’s like my first squad, that I have to impress someone. I have this feeling that he likes someone that he always plays. It always rubs off me with Seamus. He always gets on with people. You always feel like you’ll play but you don’t know."
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