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Stephen Elliott: We lacked our...

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Stephen Elliott: We lacked our normal aggression

98FM
98FM

07:11 13 Nov 2017


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Ireland's laborious draw with Denmark dominated much of the discussion on Sunday's Off the Ball.

Former international Stephen Elliott believes the fact that most of our starting side were on a yellow card may have led to diminished levels of aggression in our display on the night.

"I don't know if Kenny (Cunningham) will agree with me or not but eight of our starting eleven were on yellow cards and knowing that they had another chance at the Aviva on Tuesday - they maybe kind of sat back that little bit deeper subconsciously and didn't want to miss the second game," he told Joe Molloy. 

"Even a few times in midfield, I think a few of the midfielders could have made a stronger challenge when they were coming on to us. Not the kind of challenge that we would have usually seen but James McClean, he usually wires into tackles and it kind of sets the tempo for us but I think we lacked that a little bit last night.

"As I said, the fact that we have the second chance, so to speak, in Dublin - I don't know if that played on a lot of the players' minds last night."

Referring to the Danish tactics on the night, he said: "It's like as if they know if they press us we're going to give the ball back to them. Looking at us, we were thinking, 'when they have the ball, I don't think they're good enough'. I think if we do get a press on it that little bit higher - I don't think they're that much better. 

"Obviously they've Eriksen there but player-for-player you wouldn't look at them, and say they're miles better than us. The fact that it was away from home, both teams know that this game, there was another leg to it."

Full analysis of the game can be heard here:

Stephen Elliott: We lacked our normal aggression

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

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