Stephen Kenny has defended Troy Parrott after the forward was hooked in Saturday’s Armenian horror show.
The Tottenham man - who spent the season on loan at MK Dons - struggled to make an impact in Yerevan and was replaced after 65 minutes.
He wasn’t alone, as Ireland’s entire attack misfired and failed to work the Armenian goal considering the possession they had.
Swansea City striker Michael Obafemi replaced Parrott but he too made little or no impact on his return to the side after nearly four years away.
But Parrott’s place in the team is under threat heading into Wednesday’s clash with Ukraine at Aviva Stadium.
The 20-year-old’s three goals for Ireland up to now have all come in low-key friendlies against Lithuania and Andorra.
And Ireland fans are still waiting for the talented Dubliner to produce the goods in a competitive game.
But Kenny said: “We played 3-4-2-1 on Saturday and he played on the left side of that position - left of the ten.
“He had quite a few underlaps with Enda Stevens in the first-half and was quite effective then.
“When they played lower in the back five in the second-half, we struggled to be more effective.
“We switched Callum Robinson there and thought it might give us more penetration.”
But Kenny is unlikely to deviate from that preferred 3-4-2-1 formation after insisting he won’t rip up the blueprint after one poor game.
Saturday’s shock loss was Ireland’s first in nine games but Kenny admitted: “We need to get better at what we're doing.
“It doesn't have to be a back four. There can be tactical nuances within it; we did end up with a hybrid of 3-5-2 with Keane and Obafemi and Jason Knight attacking.
“Overall we're all very disappointed in ourselves to lose that game and I'm not trying to hide that in any way shape or form.”
