If the Republic of Ireland prove diligent pupils, the instruction that they received from a wonderfully gifted Argentinian team at Lansdowne Road last night will serve them well when the 2000 European Championship qualifying campaign begins in the autumn.

There is no point in being too despondent about a 2-0 defeat.

Argentina were several levels above Ireland and in the end were generous visitors, taking their collective feet off the gas for most of the second half, save the odd cameo from the swashbuckling Batistuta, Lopez and Ortega.

It would be wrong to ignore the impact that the experienced Phil Babb and Denis Irwin enjoyed when they were introduced at half-time but it would also be wrong to wholly attribute a more subdued Argentinian performance to their arrival.

The Argentinians were content to stroll through the second 45 minutes, secure in the knowledge that the match was already won, over from the time they scored their second goal. The gulf in ability, technique, running off the ball, distribution and vision was obvious.

In terms of the forthcoming World Cup in France, I believe that both Brazil and Argentina will be very difficult to beat despite the historical fallibility of South American teams at European World Cup venues. The fact that so many of their players now ply their trade in either Serie A or the Spanish First Division is a big bonus.

Anyone looking for a crumb of comfort given the absence of a couple of top players including Roy Keane would do well to note that Argentina were without Redondo, Zanetti, Balbo and Crespo. Still, they managed to produce some excellent football for a large and appreciative crowd.

It's certainly not all doom and gloom for Ireland. Mark Kinsella, Robbie Keane and Kevin Kilbane have just six caps between them but last night's game was worth another 10 given the stature of the opposition. I thought that Keane did remarkably well given scant service.

He demonstrated good awareness, good movement, particularly in the second half and was without doubt the outstanding success from an Irish point of view. But he must be shielded from unrealistic expectation. Keith O'Neill and David Connolly both made superb first impressions. Keane's start was full of promise but a more accurate assessment will come after 10 internationals.

It is sobering to note that the rest of the team outside of the three young players are pretty much those who are likely to start the European campaign. We are still one dimensional in possession, lacking the creativity and, at times patience, to tease open defences.

Niall Quinn is an obvious get-out ball but we over-subscribe to this option, which is too often mentally lazy. The midfielders have got to take more responsibility, even if that means producing more passes to provide a better service. That requires confidence and a bit of bottle in not taking the easy option.

Argentina were well versed with our approach and had no real problems in working out how to play us. We require more strings to our bow, more guile. I believe that Roy Keane's return will help in this respect. Predictability in possession is still our biggest flaw, particularly when the onus is on us at Lansdowne Road.

Contrast our performance with that of the Argentinians. The main differences were that Batistuta, Ortega and co had the ball played in, in front of them, it was put through on the floor, and when a pass wasn't on, it wasn't made. For a long time we were chasing shadows such was the exemplary movement away from the Irish defenders.

In the second half we coped better on the Argentinian right, an area that had been exploited before then, because the Staunton-Irwin axis was equally effective with or without the ball. Having said that, I don't think that Kilbane was necessarily given the right service.

Mick McCarthy and especially the players should have learnt a great deal from last night, both on a collective and individual basis. But the acid test will be in the match against Mexico, Ireland's last match before European qualification begins.

It is then that we will be able to see if the lessons of last night have been absorbed. There will be consolation in that the Mexicans, while similar in approach, will not be nearly as accomplished. They will be easier to harry, to close down and I am genuinely optimistic that Ireland can produce a performance that will offer a confidence booster for the road that lies ahead.

Ireland should not dwell on the defeat but look to the positives that may be extracted. For the rest of us there was a chance to glimpse at first hand a team that seems certain to thrive in this summer's World Cup finals in France.

(In an interview with John O'Sullivan)