Callum Robinson is confident that he can strike up a partnership with Michael Obafemi, despite their struggles on Thursday night against Norway.
The pair endured a frustrating first half in particular, with Robinson admitting that he was surprised by the low-block tactics of their opponents in a 2-1 defeat.
Ireland struggled to turn their superior possession and passing stats into anything meaningful and menacing inside the final third during the opening period.
Norway rendered Obafemi’s explosive pace redundant by giving him little room to stretch his legs.
And in the forest of white-shirted opponents, Robinson and his strike partner were lost from each other for much of the opening 45 minutes.
Stephen Kenny’s side can expect more of the same tomorrow when they take on Malta in their final match of 2022.
However, Robinson pointed to an improved second half display and to the contrasting qualities of the pair when he insisted that there was more to come from the pair.
“Me and Mikey, we haven’t had the opportunity to play together,” said the Cardiff City striker.
“I think it definitely can work because we’ve got different qualities.
“He’s quick, strong and in behind, and I’m more to feet and in pockets, I like to find people as well as scoring goals.
“Yeah, we’ve got to play together a lot more for it to work, but in the second half we definitely combined a little bit and got closer which helped.”
The two front-men synched up more effectively after a half-time debrief from their manager.
That helped stretch a compact Norwegian defence and open up pockets of space for goalscorer Alan Browne to ghost from midfield.
“He (Kenny) just said for me and Mike to get closer,” revealed Robinson.
“And he wanted more from the wing backs, because when you play in a back-five wing backs are definitely important to help the forward players in the final third.
“So yeah, he just wanted a little bit more from the wing backs and for myself and Michael to get a little bit more connected and get closer to each other.”
Robinson expressed his surprise at Norway’s low block tactic - a system they are likely to face again tomorrow against Malta.
“They respected us,” he said of the Norwegian performance. “They respected that we can play some good football and that’s what we did.
“As I said, it is tough. At the end of the day, if you’ve got a low block or mid block, it’s tough to break down and you can see that.
“You could see they were getting out to Callum (O’Dowda) a few times and he had got in a few good balls.
“He had a real good game but was getting to a point, but when there are so many bodies, it’s hard to break through.
“But credit to the boys and the personality to come out second half and really hurt them in certain areas and that’s what we did, we deserved the goal at that time of the game.”
So, does Kenny give Robinson and Obafemi another chance to work on their partnership tomorrow in Malta?
Or does he hand a first start to 18-year-old Evan Ferguson; a taller, more physical player?
Perhaps, when facing a congested final third, the Brighton youngster is better equipped to work with deliveries from wing-backs Callum O’Dowda and Matt Doherty.
The one thing Robinson does know for sure is that Ireland will have to be sharper in Valletta than they were in a frustrating first-half on Thursday.
“I think in the past we have struggled and we need to keep working hard as a group and staff when there is a low block,” he said.
“I think Lithuania were here before, Troy got a last-minute winner, but that was a low block and it is tough when they sit in and you’ve got to try and find something out of the blue to get that goal.
“Hopefully we can keep working hard as a group. It’s hard when you are not with each other for so long and then you’ve got two or three days to work on it.
“Fair play to Norway, they respected us, but it’s just disappointing that we didn’t get a result.”
If Ferguson does get the nod to start tomorrow, Robinson is confident that he would do a good job.
He has been impressed by the Brighton youngster so far, saying: “Obviously it’s his first camp, he’s such a young lad. I asked him how old he is and he said 18.
“He’s got a bright future, but he’s got to work hard obviously at his club and keep working hard here to do well in front of the gaffer.
“He has obviously done well at club level to get his opportunity but he has fitted in well.
“I think we’ve got a good group of lads here who will take on young players.
“As you’ve seen over the last two or three years there have been so many young players that have come into the first-team, come into the seniors.
“We have all welcomed them and they have all flourished in the team, and I think that is credit to the senior players that do that.”
Adding that Ferguson could offer something different in attack, Robinson said: “It’s another weapon for us. I don’t think we’ve got a striker like him.
“I haven’t seen much of him, two or three days, and I see him in the leagues now and again.
“It’s tough, he’s 18, he’s got a way to go. There is no pressure. He has got so much that he needs to work on to be that finished article.
“But it’s nice to have him and I think the main thing for him at 18 in the senior squad is it’s an achievement for him and his family.”
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