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"He's going to keep on doing that...that's your problem" - Pat Nevin on Stephen Kenny

Pat Nevin breaks down Ireland's performance against Scotland and the concerns he has with Stephen Kenny's approach.



Pat Nevin joined The Football Show to look back on Scotland vs. Ireland.

Ireland's 3-0 victory over Scotland led to heightened criticism of Steve Clarke.

Multiple journalists are asking if Clarke should be replaced. Of course, had Ireland lost, then the same would be happening in Ireland this week. Instead, the 3-0 victory gave Stephen Kenny some much-needed comfort. Kenny can be more optimistic and aggressive going into Tuesday's game against the Ukraine in Poland.

But while Ireland enjoyed Saturday's result, former Scottish footballer Pat Nevin saw some glaring issues.

Nevin notes that Scotland missed opportunities that Ireland gave to them when playing out from the back. It's not the first time that Ireland's defenders have made costly errors in possession. Nevin explains that Kenny's philosophy and Ireland's current starters don't fit well together.

"That inability to play well out of the back, Scotland weren't able to capitalize but others will," Nevin said.

"Good teams will do you. You won't be able to get away with that because there were too many players ahead of the ball when they got caught out there. You put good players in that position and they will destroy you. And I know that Stephen is not going to change.

"He's going to keep on doing that. Even against very, very good teams. That's your problem."

But what are the options? Nevin is a huge Manchester City and Pep Guardiola fan. He's definitely not calling for Ireland to revert back to philosophies of the past. The Jack Charlton approach is not needed and Nevin is definitely not calling for Kenny to be replaced.

Instead, he outlines a long, difficult road but maybe one that is worth taking with the national team.

"If you try anything else, it looks regressive. If you keep on trying that, it's going to take a while. And you're going to have to get players that are better at it. Not just the players who are in the three playing out from the back, but also the ones in midfield that can take the ball under extreme pressure. They didn't look great some of them.

"Scotland's most dangerous position in the entire game was when Ireland's back three had the ball. That's when we were at our most dangerous and that should not be the case.

"It's going to be a long road."

"The players are failing Stephen Kenny" - Stuey Byrne

 

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Read more about

Ireland John Egan Michael Obafemi Pat Nevin Scotland Shane Duffy Stephen Kenny Troy Parrott