A bad night for Stephen Kenny managed to get even worse during his post-match interview as there was a slightly painful moment where he asked Tony O'Donoghue to repeat his question - before then disagreeing with its premise.
In the wake of another deflating loss, it was put to him that his side actually looked to have less energy than Ukraine's players.
While Ukraine have played more games in this international window, whilst also carrying the heavy emotional burden of representing their war-torn country, they appeared the fresher of the two sides as Kenny's counterpart Oleksandr Petrakov made wholesale changes with all bar one of their players from Sunday's World Cup playoff defeat rested from the start.
Ireland on the other hand only made two changes to their starting lineup with one of those being forced upon them through injury as Seamus Coleman missed out with a groin niggle.
It was this angle which O'Donoghue queried with Kenny after Ukraine came away from the Aviva as deserved 1-0 winners even if their goal was a fluke cross that curled past Caoimhin Kelleher.
He asked: "To start well and finish well but have that bit in between...that also happened in Armenia as well. It begs the question is the tiredness all about fitness? The schedule of the players and how they had a heavy workload coming into this window?"
There was then a pause before Kenny wondered 'what's the question sorry?'
O'Donoghue: "Is it a fitness issue that we tired? They've had away games in Scotland, Wales and now in Dublin and yet they look fitter?'
Kenny then bristled at the suggestion.
He responded: "I don't know if they looked fitter. We finished very strongly so I don't accept they were fitter. But certainly we can play better than we did.
"We played well in spells, we probably played a bit longer than I would've liked. We went more direct than we have done in recent times.
"We have to show a bit more composure in build-up play and control the game a bit more than we did."
Kenny later acknowledged that they would 'for sure' have to freshen up the midfield for Saturday's fixture against Scotland which is now even more high-stakes after a rocky start to this Nations League campaign.
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