Vinny Perth says the Republic of Ireland are "crying out for" a number 10 given Stephen Kenny's style, as the team prepare to take on Slovakia tonight.
A win in Bratislava (kick-off 7.45PM, live commentary on Off The Ball) would see Kenny's charges progress to a EURO 2020 play-off final with either Northern Ireland or Bosnia-Herzegovina next month.
A UEFA Nations League draw in Bulgaria and defeat at home to Finland got the Stephen Kenny era underway with a whimper, but tonight provides an opportunity to put those performances right.
Perth, the former Dundalk manager who previously worked under Kenny at the Oriel Park club, says an out-and-out number 10 would be a big advantage to this Irish team.
"There was a change of style in what the players were being asked to do. Ireland look like they don't have a number 10 at the moment. It's funny, we had someone like Wes Hoolahan for many years and we never played a style that really suited him, so I understood why he wasn't in the team too much.
"Now that we play that style we're crying out for a number 10 in that position.
"The number 10 position if you remember in the two games [against Bulgaria and Finland] we played a 4-3-3, front three of Connolly, Idah and O'Dowda or Robinson. That left us a little bit exposed in midfield.
"I would imagine if Stephen had his way he would like a number 10 in that position and play sort of a 4-2-3-1 type of shape. We don't have a number 10 - the number 10 is the player that makes you play, he's the one that links things together, he's the one that gets close to the striker at times and occupies the opposition number six.
"The way the game is played now so many teams play through a number six and they like this passing style. Your modern-day number 10 has to do a lot of work for the team.
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"When we look at Ireland, you think who can do that job? There aren't loads of stand-out candidates. Robbie Brady looks like he could do it if they wanted, Hendrick could do it, that's probably his natural game.
"How good both of them are in the team I'm not too sure. I even saw Nottingham Forest play a couple of weeks ago and Harry Arter played in that position. But we don't have that flair player who's going to be that brilliant number 10.
"That's the conundrum that they're left with. I'm sure the staff would have come away from those first two games going 'There's issues we've got to fix'. It wasn't all just down to fitness and sharpness, they looked very, very open."
Perth says the confidence levels being projected from the Irish camp give him plenty of cause for optimism heading into tonight's game.
"Players have gone back to their clubs and got games, Matt Doherty was left out the other day and John Egan was suspended, but by and large a lot of our first-team players got games at a really high level.
"So I think Ireland are going into this really confident, O'Dowda, Robinson and Doherty have all done interviews this week and it was really remarkable how buoyant they seem as a group.
"Once they get the balance right in midfield, I think we have the players capable of going and having a good result."
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