O’Neill: Set pieces are key

Martin O’Neill has warned his Republic of Ireland players their Euro 2016 destiny could rest on what they do from set-pieces at both ends of the pitch.

The 64-year-old, like predecessor Giovanni Trapattoni, is acutely aware of how key dead-ball situations can be in tight international matches, and knows his team’s ability to deal with them in their own penalty area and prosper from them in their opponents’ could represent the difference between success and failure in France next month.

“I have said this before – I said it to my players a way back at the beginning of the qualification,” O’Neill said.

“It sounds crazy in this day and age when when you have got wonderful footballers playing on the planet – (Cristiano) Ronaldo, (Lionel) Messi, players like that, really great players – that even big matches, Champions League finals, World Cup …

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