Attention has already turned to the home leg of Ireland's playoff against Denmark after a scoreless draw in Copenhagen.
Speaking after the game on Off The Ball, Nathan Murphy and Kevin Kilbane highlighted the midfield as and area to focus on for the return game in the Aviva stadium on Tuesday.
If Martin O'Neill's side are going to progress, then they will need to show more composure on the ball in the middle of the park, as Kevin Kilbane highlighted when he assessed the performances of Harry Arter, Jeff Hendrick and Robbie Brady.
"Personally I think the midfield trio that he chose tonight are probably the best from a footballing perspective, albeit we didn't really see it tonight.
"Will he bring David Meyler back?," Kilbane asked. "Given how well he played in Cardiff and how well he captained the side over the course of those two games, he may feel as though it's an opportunity to bring him back in and freshen it up a little bit.
"Let's be fair, the quality in the middle of the park tonight wasn't great, when there was opportunities to play it was given away. We didn't necessarily see any real desire to run forward with the ball, apart from Robbie Brady."
While Meyler's energy would certainly contribute to Ireland keeping Christian Eriksen and his colleagues at bay, the name that's likely to dominate the back pages and the coverage for the next few days is inevitably Wes Hoolahan.
"We know how we play. We go with three midfielders that sit a little bit deeper, play within themselves at times," Kilbane stated.
Highlighting that Hoolahan's name was already being discussed online, Nathan Murphy turned the discussion to the Irish playmaker's place in the pecking order on Tuesday.
"it's always going to be the case over the next few days," Kilbane responded, "we did lack a player of his type, but we nullified any threat.
"Who was the player we spoke about so often beforehand? Christian Eriksen, but they're a direct side, let's make no bones about it. They like to hit diagonal balls, they're not necessarily going to open us up with their passing ability. Good running ability, good defensive structure, that was it."
"I can't see Hoolahan starting the game, the side that played tonight, we stopped Eriksen. We went with almost three holding midfielders at times tonight, there were very few opportunities but we nullified the threat.
"What we have to do now is find a way to be more creative ourselves. You can't sit in for 90 minutes against Denmark on Tuesday, and that's where Wes Hoolahan comes into the thinking.
"He holds onto the ball, he allows players to get in advance of him. The other players have total trust in him to give him the ball, to fire a pass at him knowing his first touch is very good, knowing that he can pick a pass out.
"It gives a different dynamic, but I don't think Martin O'Neill will start him. Wes Hoolahan, with 25 or 30 minutes to go, in a similar sort of game, that could be the perfect environment for him to come in to."
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
