Coleman sets tone for resurgent Irish before Prague play-off
· Yahoo Sports
On the eve of the Republic of Ireland's biggest match in years, there was no better man than Seamus Coleman to set the emotional tone.
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While he has passed the captain's armband to Nathan Collins, Coleman remains the beating heart of the national team 15 years on from his debut.
Now 37, what he lacks in speed he makes up for in knowledge and the emotional intelligence needed to meet the moment.
That much was evident four months ago. Starved of first-team action at Everton and left out by Heimir Hallgrimsson in September, he rolled back the years with two spirited displays to help the Republic of Ireland beat Portugal and Hungary in November and set up Thursday's World Cup play-off against the Czech Republic.
Coleman's international career has featured the high of captaining his country to a Euro 2016 win over Italy and the low of a horrific injury against Wales the following year.
He considers the Republic of Ireland's Troy Parrott-inspired 3-2 win in Budapest a highlight, but when he spoke to reporters at Fortuna Arena on Wednesday, he knew to emphasise the future as the squad bid to end the country's 24-year wait for a World Cup return.
"Yeah [Budapest was a highlight], but ultimately it has to count for something as well," he said.
"It was great at the time and memories that people will keep forever but it has to count for something, and that is starting tomorrow.
"Listen, when you put on the green shirt, you are representing your people and it is an emotional occasion. We have enough tough days as well so [it is] important to soak in those good days."
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Coleman has always had a strong bond with the Irish supporters and knew to highlight the role they will play on Thursday.
The majority of the 6,000 expected in Prague do not have a ticket for the match, but that did not seem to bother those who descended on the city's Old Town on Wednesday evening as they brought colour and noise to the picturesque cobbled streets.
"It's incredible, it's what this football team can do, I've said it before the results last time, that this football team can lift the nation and we were proved right with that," Coleman said of the team's passionate support.
"We're so grateful for their support, we're so grateful that they're getting here anyway they can, many flights, trains, whatever way they can to be part of it.
"As long as our supporters know that we don't take that for granted and we want to give them another good night."
Coleman is right about the "tough days" on the journey to this point.
The last time the Republic of Ireland graced the World Cup play-offs, before the 2018 tournament, they were hammered 5-1 by a Christian Eriksen-led Denmark in Dublin.
The eight years since have produced a great deal of heartache. There was a Euro 2020 play-off shootout loss to Slovakia and what Coleman called an "embarrassing" home loss to Luxembourg that effectively killed their hopes of reaching the 2022 World Cup after just two qualifiers.
Luxembourg were not the only team to stir panic in Irish football circles. Stephen Kenny presided over a 1-0 Nations League loss to Armenia, and when Hallgrimsson's side suffered more pain in Yerevan in September, the consensus was that the Icelander would not be sticking around for long.
But Hallgrimsson has succeeded where Kenny could not by overseeing a dramatic reversal of the team's fortunes, exacting revenge on Armenia before masterminding a stunning one-two punch to down Portugal and Hungary and book the team's ticket to Prague.
'Calmness key'
A surprise choice to succeed Kenny in 2024, 58-year-old Hallgrimsson could become just the third manager after Jack Charlton and Mick McCarthy to lead the Republic of Ireland at a World Cup.
Unlike his squad, he has experienced football's quadrennial showpiece as Iceland head coach in 2018, but he has been reluctant to place himself front and centre in this story, instead urging his players to execute the gameplan.
He is without Liam Scales (suspended), Josh Cullen (knee) and Evan Ferguson (ankle), but in Troy Parrott he can call upon the services of one of Europe's hottest strikers
"It's important to be ready and visualise what's ahead of us," said Hallgrimsson.
"It's important now to do a session at the stadium, for example, just to feel the atmosphere, see the stadium, feel the grass, etc, knowing what to expect, knowing what they are saying and how they see this game.
"And then it's just tactical, being ready for what they will throw at us and do what we need to do and just remind ourselves why we are in this position, continue to grow and do the same things that we have been doing.
"That's kind of the psychology for a game like this. We all know by now why we got good results and good performances, and that's the key, not be over-ambitious tomorrow, stay on point, focus on why we are here and trying to improve that, not only this game, continuously."
'We will qualify' - new Czech skipper Krejci
New Czech Republic captain Ladislav Krejci is confident his side will qualify for the World Cup [Getty Images]The Czech Republic's route to Thursday's play-off has been anything but serene.
In the qualifiers, they were thumped 5-1 by Croatia before a shock loss to the Faroe Islands which cost head coach Ivan Hasek his job and prompted the appointment of 74-year-old Miroslav Koubek.
Koubek inherited a messy situation. Before his arrival, Tomas Soucek was stripped of the captaincy as part of the team's punishment for ignoring fans following November's win over Gibraltar.
And earlier this week, Czech football was rocked by a match-fixing scandal, with the country's football association on Tuesday saying 47 face a disciplinary investigation.
But the tumultuous backdrop has certainly not shaken the confidence of new skipper Ladislav Krejci.
"We will make it," the 26-year-old Wolves defender said of his country's bid to reach a first World Cup since 2006.
"We will reach our goal. We will qualify for the World Cup."
Thursday's winners will face Denmark or North Macedonia in Tuesday's play-off final, with victory sealing a place at this summer's finals alongside co-hosts Mexico, South Africa and South Korea in Group A.
For the Republic of Ireland, it will either be a win to stir a country's soul, or a defeat to break its heart. Either way, emotions will be high. Coleman made that much clear.