There was a slight inevitability about David Alaba’s equaliser on Tuesday night. As Ireland retreated further and further back onto their 18 yard line - and continuously gifted possession to Austria - it was a recipe for disaster.
Qualification is still in Ireland’s hands but it still does not mask the fact that the loss of two almost-certain points has left the Boys in Green in a halfway house of sorts.
A certain pundit was calling for Giovanni Trapattoni’s head immediately after the result. In fairness, Trap made a serious error of judgement in the second half by removing Shane Long from the fray instead of the far less mobile Connor Sammon.
Sammon does not lack heart and determination but unlike Long he did not provide an out ball nor did he run the channels which would have helped peg the Austrians back somewhat. Trap could have also tried to eat up the seconds in injury time by making another substitution.
It has become something of a cliché but bringing Wes Hoolahan on would have helped Ireland keep the ball for longer periods and slow down wave after wave of Austrian attacks late on.
But had Ireland held on some may have sung Trap’s praises. Getting four points out of a possible six against our closest rivals for a playoff spot would have been an immense achievement. And although two draws from two games is hardly a disaster, it is a blow to our chances after coming so close.
Currently we are sitting on eight points from five games, with Austria and Sweden only ahead on goal difference – although the Swedes have a game in hand.
Our final five matches in the group will see us travel to Austria and Germany, while we host Kazakhstan, Sweden and the Faroe Islands.
Trap's future
Our away form suggests that we could get something from Vienna and even possibly from Cologne if the Germans have already qualified and choose to rest their big names.
There may well be unnecessarily nervous moments at the Aviva, but anything other than six points from Kazakhstan and the Faroe Islands will be both unacceptable and unimaginable.
And avoiding defeat at home to Sweden could be decisive when it comes to deciding who finishes second in the group.
As for Trap, the timing could make it counter-productive to call his position into question right now as qualification is still a possibility. Ireland will probably defeat Faroe Islands in June before another double-header with Sweden and Austria in September.
If September becomes a dark month for Ireland, then that would be the time to part company with the manager, with two qualifying games for a replacement to experiment in October ahead of qualifiers for the 2016 European Championships.
And amid the deflation and gloom at least there are a couple of positive signs for the future. James McCarthy still has to develop a dominant streak to his play but he has established himself while Seamus Coleman has been a bright spot at right back.
James McClean also showed glimmers of a return to form, while Shane Long and 33-year-old David Forde have been dependable figures. And there are also young talents to build around like Robbie Brady and Ciaran Clark over the next few years.
©INPHO/James Crombie
