'That's why football is magic, man. Take a crack off them, see who's standing at the end of it'
'I thought his overall game was probably his best performance for us,' O'Brien said.
Odubeko didn't score and Shels didn't win on the night, but the 1-1 draw was enough to progress after a 1-0 victory in Dublin was secured courtesy of a wonderful Odubeko goal. Such was his display in Belfast, though, O'Brien wanted to provide a full debrief to the striker to lay out exactly why he was so impressive.
And he reeled off a rapid breakdown on the eve of this tie. 'Everything really from the get-go, just his engagement in the game, his role leading the line, his hold-up play, his understanding of space, his runs, his use of the ball. I think at times, especially up there as well, in games, and it's going to be same [against Qarabag]. There's times where he gets a little bit disconnected from the team,' O'Brien said.
'But you've got to be able to make the ball stick and be able to turn it in at the top line, hold the ball up to you, take a little bit of pressure off the back line. I thought he'd done that brilliantly. Here, it's just his overall use of the ball, his decision-making was top drawer.'
It is that level of performance that will be required by Odubeko and all of his teammates tonight if Shels are to cause an upset against Qarabag.
Advertisement
They have reached the group/league phase of European competition in each of the last 11 seasons and are ranked 57th in Uefa's coefficient – above Celtic, Galatasaray and last year's beaten Conference League finalists Real Betis.
Between 2014 and 2023 they won all nine second-round qualifiers in the Champions League, beating Dundalk in '19 as well as FC Zurich in '22. That's a handy reference point given the Swiss side were a class above Shels when they met in Conference League action last season.
Qarabag did suffer defeat at this stage in 2023/24, losing out to Raków Częstochowa of Poland before going on to reach the last 16 of the Europa League when Bayer Leverkusen won a thrilling tie 5-4 on their way to reaching that season's final at Aviva Stadium.
The visitors to Tolka tonight did make it as far as the Champions League play-off round last year, only to lose 5-0 over two legs and then suffer a demoralising Europa League campaign which saw them finish bottom of the new 36-team league phase with seven defeats from eight games.
If you're looking for small mercies and hopes of a European hangover lingering, maybe that is something to cling to.
'The players have changed, but the way they try to play and the formation hasn't really changed, to be honest,' O'Brien said.
'So, from that point of view, it's just quality players. Here, listen, they're going to come over here, back themselves, try to dominate the ball possession-wise. We need to make sure we're defending, staying on guard at the top of the pitch.
'We need to embrace that challenge. That's what it's all about for me, going in against a player that, yeah, on paper, people are talking about that should be better, or is better than you. That's why football is magic, man. You go out in 90 minutes, take a crack off them, see who's standing at the end of it.'
The draw for the next round of European qualifiers earlier this week means both sides know what awaits after this tie. If Shels can pull off one of the biggest shocks for an Irish club in Europe and progress to the third qualifying round they will face either FCSB (formerly Steaua Bucharest) or KF Shkendija from North Macedonia. Not only that, they'd also be guaranteed a place in the Europa League play-off with a parachute into the league phase of the Conference League.
In that instance a minimum of €3.17 million is coming their way in prize money. However, should Qarabag progress then the champions' path means Shels will have the safety net of a Europa League third-round tie with either Ludogorets (Bulgaria) or Rijeka (Croatia), and the guarantee of at least a Conference League play-off after that.
Shels are also protecting an 11-game unbeaten run at home in Europe that stretches back to 2004 – by which point in their own history Qarabag had never played in the Champions League and their only win in 12 European fixtures was a 2-1 victory away to Maccabi Haifa in the old Intertoto Cup.
'Underdogs, like you said. Irish people in general love that, don't they? Watching the hurling there at the weekend and it was the underdogs that won it,2 O'Brien said, referencing Tipperary's win over Cork in the All-Ireland final.
'That is the way we are looking at this, it is a chance for us to attack the game and create an upset.'
Tonight – Champions League second-round qualifier (first leg): Shelbourne v Qarabag, 7.45pm (Live on Premier Sports)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
10 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Chelsea agree staggering deal to flog forgotten flop Joao Felix with five more Blues stars facing uncertain futures
CHELSEA have agreed a staggering £43.7million deal to send unwanted Joao Felix to Al-Nassr. Felix joined the Blues from Atletico Madrid for £38.4m but joined AC Milan for a disastrous loan in January. 6 Chelsea have agreed a staggering £43.7million deal to send unwanted Joao Felix to Al-Nassr Credit: Getty The Club World Cup champions have spent £169m so far this summer but must bank a profit in order to satisfy Uefa and register all of their new signings for the Champions League. Felix made just 12 Premier League appearances, scoring only once, last season following his move back to Stamford Bridge. The Portugal international is one of many READ MORE IN football Nicolas Jackson has commanded plenty of interest, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who also only signed last summer, The Cottagers are preparing an approach to take the midfielder on loan with a view to a permanent move. Dewsbury-Hall, 26, has struggled for Premier League minutes following a £30million move from Leicester last summer. Most read in Football 6 CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Renato Veiga is expected to join Atletico Madrid, while Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell are also seeking moves away. Man Utd hunting Jackson as Chelsea's demands revealed | Transfers Exposed The Blues are ready to sell the Portuguese midfielder, who spent the second half of last season on loan with Chelsea want around £35million for the man who arrived from Basel for £11.7m last summer. Veiga, who made 18 Chelsea appearances last season, has made it clear he wants to make the move to Madrid. Atletico, however, are trying to negotiate the Blues down to £25m. 6 Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell are also seeking moves away Credit: Getty 6 Renato Veiga is expected to join Atletico Madrid Credit: Rex 6 Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is a target for Fulham Credit: Getty 6 Nicolas Jackson has commanded plenty of interest Credit: AFP
The 42
5 hours ago
- The 42
Why Jim McGuinness's impact in soccer was underrated
IT MAY not have been an unqualified success, but Jim McGuinness left a big impression on many of those he worked with in the world of soccer. After ending a four-year stint in charge of his native county's GAA footballers in 2014 that included a 2012 All-Ireland triumph, McGuinness decided to devote more of his time to another passion. His association with Celtic began when a mutual friend and renowned golf star, Paul McGinley, mentioned McGuinness to Dermot Desmond, the club's largest individual shareholder. After accompanying Desmond to a couple of Champions League games, McGuinness was offered a job. He was consequently appointed as performance consultant for the Scottish club on a part-time basis in 2012, balancing this role with his GAA duties. After the Donegal departure, he became a youth coach at Celtic in 2015, subsequently graduating to assistant manager of the club's U20 team. McGuinness continued to move up the ranks. In 2017, he was named assistant coach of Chinese Super League side Beijing Sinobo Guoan, working alongside Roger Schmidt, who has since gone on to manage PSV and Benfica. He left the role after just over six months, citing 'personal reasons' and a desire to work in Europe. But McGuinness's next job turned out to be Stateside, as he agreed to a three-year contract with Charlotte Independence, making ex-Athletic Bilbao manager Félix Sarriugarte his number two. However, the coach's only spell as a manager in soccer turned out to be a disappointment — he was dismissed after one win in 14 games in the 2019 USL Championship season. Had things worked out differently, McGuinness might also have had a crack at the League of Ireland. According to a 2021 RTÉ Sport report, he was offered a short-term coaching role with Dundalk after Shane Keegan and Filippo Giovagnoli's departures, but was not keen on the temporary stint. It was around this time that McGuinness began working as part of the backroom team for Derry City's U19s side, a spell that was memorable for the Candystripes' 2021 Enda McGuill Cup triumph. This period coincided with Ruaidhrí Higgins becoming the senior manager of the Premier Division outfit. Higgins and McGuinness subsequently got to know each other better as they were part of the same FAI pro licence coaching course. Well-known names such as current Ireland assistant boss John O'Shea and ex-Chelsea goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini were also part of the graduating class of 2022. 'I wouldn't say we're best mates, but we get on quite well,' Higgins tells The 42 when asked about McGuinness. Ruaidhrí Higgins pictured during his time managing Derry City. Tom Maher / INPHO Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO Higgins, who spent three and a half years in charge at Derry and is now manager of NIFL Premiership club Coleraine, was immediately impressed by the former and future Donegal boss. 'When he walks into the room, he grips you, doesn't he? And he's a very, very smart man, is what it would say. Advertisement 'I just admire what he's done. I suppose, when you look at what he inherited when he first took over, when he won his first All-Ireland, Donegal were in a really poor state. And within a few years, [what he achieved] is just incredible. 'How can you get such buy-in so quickly and then deliver? And it's kind of the same again, when he took over [for the second time in 2023], they weren't in great nick, and he saw real potential, and he's just an unbelievably driven individual. Again, he has back-to-back Ulsters, now with the potential of winning another All-Ireland. So you have to say that he's one of the greats in the game.' Ian Ryan, who currently manages Athlone Town, was also on that pro licence coaching course. 'He's a big man in stature; he has a presence and an aura about him,' says Ryan of McGuinness. 'But a really nice person. And then when he spoke about football, dressing rooms or culture, he made a lot of sense. 'Other people on the course, particularly the Irish lads, would know each other through the League of Ireland circles. Jim's not in that circle. But he mixed really well and was very popular with us.' Despite McGuinness being a relative outsider, Ryan says there was no sense of suspicion or resentment within the group of a man known primarily for his GAA feats. 'It wasn't mentioned at all, really. If anything, we would probe him and ask about the differences with the dressing room or driving training. 'There's similarity, as in, Jim would be big on setting the culture, setting the tone early, and making demands of people, and everybody is clearly defining the boundaries that it's black and white — what's acceptable, and what's not acceptable. He would apply that to the GAA dressing room as well as his work coaching in football. 'And there was never really a falling out with anyone, because either you played to those demands, or if you didn't, you fell outside that.' Higgins would travel to Dublin and back with McGuinness, and found him compelling company on those trips. 'His presentation skills are very good,' he says. 'He's his own man. It's obvious that he's got a high work ethic, and he spent hours and hours cutting videos, and he's always upskilling and developing himself, no matter what it is that he goes into and puts his heart and soul into. 'And no matter who you were on that course — there were a few big names — but whenever Jim spoke, I think everyone listened. He's just an articulate man and captures the room.' Ian Ryan currently manages Athlone Town. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO Ryan was similarly impressed with McGuinness's ability to engage those around him. 'He gave a talk one day to our group, presenting on the topic of psychology — it was superb. You'd feel like running through a brick wall for him there in the hotel room, you can see how he captures people and has a hold of them. 'Even listening to him in the [recent] interviews, it brings back memories of hearing him talk. But his motivation to galvanise a group, I would say, is a massive skill. 'And then, he would know his football inside out. He'd be big on the numbers game, as in, if we press with four, then we've six behind. And the overloads that you can gain. And he would break the game down into numbers.' Former Bray Wanderers boss Ryan cites McGuinness' focus on repetition and simplicity as another reason for his success. 'The one thing that stands out to me is he used to say that: 'There's a need for the sexy drills.' But the bit for him was to do the simple things quicker and faster for a longer time. 'I saw a clip there recently. It might have been the [All-Ireland] semi-final of them warming up when it looked like they were there on a basic hand pass drill. But the speed and intensity of that was off the charts. 'And I remember him saying that at the start, in his first night with Donegal, they did the drills for whatever, 30 seconds flat out, and they're on their hands and knees, and he's like: 'Now we're going to do that for 70 odd minutes.' 'And just the fact that I saw that video recently just reminded me that that's the only thing that increases: 'Can you do it quicker? Can you do it faster, more and more and more intentionally and then execute the skill at the same time?' And that's exactly what they were doing in that warm-up.' McGuinness even helped Higgins during some of the more difficult periods when he was managing Derry. In 2023, when the Candystripes were on a bad run domestically, Higgins invited McGuinness into camp to present a psychology workshop for the players. 'He had the room in the palm of his hand,' Higgins recalls. 'And I'm not saying it was that alone, but there was an upturn in our form very soon after it. And people would [regularly] reference that meeting. But not only is he brilliant from a psychology point of view, as a coach, he is phenomenal as well, because he can see [the strengths and weakneesses] with every opposition, he comes up with a plan, very methodical, and you would have to say, in Gaelic terms, he is a bit of a genius.' Higgins continues: 'He's so into the collective. If anybody steps outside of the group, then it's all about the group and the team. 'No matter how talented you are as an individual, if you're not going in the direction of everyone else, then forget about it. The team will be successful. 'So, just the togetherness that he tries to create, and the culture and the work ethic are phenomenal.' Celtic coaches Tommy McIntyre (left) and Jim McGuinness pictured in 2016. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo It also says a lot that in one of his most difficult moments as Derry manager, it was McGuinness that Higgins turned to. 'I'll be honest with you. We were bottom of the league [at Derry] when I took over, and we ended up in Europe. But there was a pivotal game that year at home to St Pat's. I'll never forget it. 'I couldn't settle all day. Obviously, I was new to the job and a new manager. It was all new to me, and I was very anxious and worrying about everything. 'And I actually rang Jim, and I said: 'Jim, I'm on edge here. I'm really worried.' And then he started asking me questions: 'Have you covered this? Have you covered this? Have you covered this?' And basically, simplified it for me, just to reassure me that: 'No, you'll be alright. You've covered all the bases, all the angles.' 'And I felt a lot more settled after that conversation. He gave me 15-20 minutes of his time, and I was really settled. And after that, we ended up getting a great 1-0 win at home. He definitely had a part to play.' Despite all his coaching talents, the overriding perception from the outside, at least, is that McGuinness failed in the world of soccer. Was Ryan surprised that he did not make a greater impact? 'Yeah, and no. I'm surprised that he hasn't got a job, but there are so few jobs here in this country. And you know, he has a large family, a few kids, they're growing up. So that would be a factor in him travelling again, I suppose. 'I would think at some point he will go back to it, or he'll have a go. But obviously, he's having a successful time there with the GAA at the moment.' Higgins also wouldn't be surprised to see McGuinness return to the world of soccer eventually. 'I wouldn't rule it out. I know he's very passionate about it. I definitely wouldn't say that he's failed. I don't think he's had the opportunity that he would have liked. 'And there's no doubt, a lot of the stuff, so much of the stuff is transferable. 'I spoke to him one time about potentially helping me out at Derry as well. At one point, I met him, but he had a lot of other stuff going on. But I've absolutely no doubt that he could be a success, that he would make a really good manager. He's just a huge figure in Irish sport. And any sport would love to have him.' Ryan agrees: 'He has everything in the game from doing the [pro licence] course, and you can apply some of the principles to the GAA pitch. I would say he does. And there are certain aspects there — people going into a low block defensively or breaking. That probably originated from football, and it developed into the GAA, and the rules changed, because people went more tactical. So I'd say there are definitely [soccer] aspects he brings into it.'
Irish Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Shearer's six-word Evan Ferguson remark speaks volumes as he admits his surprise
Alan Shearer couldn't help but think "wow, what a player he looks," as Evan Ferguson dismantled Newcastle United with a hat-trick. The Irishman has impressed with Brighton and Hove Albion since joining from Bohemians in 2021, racking up 17 goals and six assists in 80 outings for the Seagulls. However, due to stiff competition from the likes of Danny Welbeck and Joao Pedro in 2024/25, Ferguson was sent out on a half-season loan with West Ham in February for more frequent football. What ensued was an eight-game dry spell, with the 20-year-old unable to find the back of the net for the Hammers before returning to his parent club. However, if the opinion of all-time Premier League leading goalscorer Shearer is anything to go by, Ferguson still holds massive potential. Speaking to Betfair, the Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle legend said: "I was hugely impressed by Evan Ferguson a few seasons ago and think I did an article on that and how I thought his potential was massive. I'm a tad surprised he's left the Premier League but also it may be a reset for him. "He may go over to Italy for a couple of years and then look to come back to England. I'm surprised he's chosen to leave the Premier League, but I guess we're not sure how many offers he had. "I'd have liked to have seen him stay and show the potential he did in the early days at Brighton. When he scored that hat-trick against Newcastle, I just thought 'wow, what a player he looks.' He's certainly one to keep an eye on over the next season or two." The game in which Shearer referred to took place at the American Express Stadium in September 2023, with Ferguson in flying form against an off-the-pace Newcastle side. Ferguson opened the scoring on the 27th minute when Nick Pope spilled a long-range effort from Billy Gilmour into the striker's path. Evan Ferguson impressed Alan Shearer (Image: PA) He bagged his brace with 65 minutes on the clock, hitting a dipping effort past Pope and into the bottom right corner of the net from outside the box, before completing his hat-trick for the afternoon with a left-footed curler from the edge of the area five minutes later. Callum Wilson's stoppage time goal came as all but a consolation for the Magpies, who made the long journey back to Tyneside with a 3-1 loss to show for their efforts. It comes as Ferguson is set to spend the entirety of 2025/26 on loan with Roma, with the Serie A stalwarts agreeing a deal with Brighton on Wednesday. Speaking about the move, Brighton head coach, Fabian Hurzeler, said: "Evan had a challenging period across the past season and a half, and it has been one disrupted by niggling injury issues. He really wants to play regularly and this is an exciting opportunity in a strong league and with the prospect of European football." And it hasn't taken Ferguson long to make a mark at his temporary club either, scoring four goals in a training-ground friendly against Serie D outfit UniPomezia on Thursday as a No. 9. Roma will be eager to improve on last season's fifth-place finish in Serie A when 2025/26 rolls around, with Ferguson also potentially relishing at playing Europa League football with I Giallorossi. Ferguson spent the last half of 2024/25 on loan with West Ham (Image: CameraSport via Getty Images) Brighton, meanwhile, will miss out on European football this season as a result of finishing eighth in the Premier League standings in 2024/25. However, the Seagulls have worked tirelessly to improve their squad for the fresh campaign, welcoming a number of fresh faces to the AMEX. Centre-half Diego Coppola secured a move to Brighton in June from Hellas Verona for an undisclosed fee, before Do-young Yoon joined the ranks from Daejeon Hana Citizen on a five-year deal at the turn of July. As part of plans from the Brighton camp, however, Yoon will spend his first season with the Seagulls on loan with Excelsior Rotterdam to develop further. Tommy Watson also joined at the turn of the transfer window through a pre-agreed deal with Sunderland AFC, while Maxim De Cuyper made his way to the south coast from Club Brugge, and Charalampos Kostoulas arrived from Olympiacos. It comes as Brighton are set to return to the UK after completing a pre-season tour of Spain. The Seagulls secured a 3-1 win over Stoke City and a 2-0 win over Las Palmas at the Marbella Football Centre and now prepare to take on Southampton at St Mary's and Wolfsburg on home soil ahead of their Premier League opener with Fulham on August 16.
