Tonight's clash with Argentina represents an ideal opportunity for the Republic of Ireland to lay down a marker, in terms of the style of football they want to play during the European Championship qualifying campaign which begins later this year.

Argentina are attractive visitors to Lansdowne Road, both in terms of pedigree and the quality of players, but Ireland should not indulge the Latin Americans in their build-up to the World Cup finals in France this summer.

Instead Mick McCarthy should view this match as a chance to implement the system, preferably 4-4-2, that Ireland will adopt when qualifying for the 2000 European championship begins in earnest. The three-at-the-back structure, which was used initially during the World Cup campaign, was not successful.

The best formation is the system to which the players are used to; we look completely unbalanced and unsure when playing with three defenders and a lone striker. We do not have the players and I think that that experiment should be consigned to the scrap-heap.

The Argentinians offer an interesting benchmark against which to judge younger players like Robbie Keane, Mark Kinsella and Kevin Kilbaine. McCarthy has sensibly opted to avoid the temptation to blood five or six young players. It's fine if you want to play two or three surrounded by an experienced core.

They benefit from the quality around them, as against half the team being thrust into a patchwork outfit where they can't settle down and play their normal game. Keane's performance will obviously be of great interest but it is important the fans remember that, even though this game is a friendly, it is a considerable step up from English League Division One football.

Keane, Damien Duff (absent through injury), Kilbaine and Kinsella need to be nurtured and nursed through the first handful of matches. You have to give them the scope to improve but they should not be judged until after about 10 internationals.

Keane may well have an excellent game tonight but it is only after an extended run that he can be considered a proven international. Unless you are a Maradona, Pele or Cruyff, it takes time to bed-in at the highest level.

We have a very tough European Championship draw and we have to learn from our failure at home during the World Cup campaign. We need more subtlety, we are inclined to be too obvious in our tactics. Being direct, physical and aggressive are admirable qualities but the higher you climb the greater the need to refine your approach. This is something that McCarthy and the players have to address.

When you go back to the Charlton era, without doubt Ireland's most successful, the recipe for success revolved around a physical, hard working approach. We need to get back to that, closing down teams in their own half, as well as being more creative in the final third of the pitch. We were good at stopping teams play. It's time to rediscover the passion, raise the tempo and play a game that suits our players, not the Argentinians. We need to offer something more than the hopeful hoof. We are predictable and that is a huge Achilles heel and will dent all but the most modest aspirations.

Iceland came to Lansdowne Road and worked us out without any difficulty - we barely got a chance during that game. I believe that part of being more creative is to look to penetrate down the flanks, an area we haven't exploited too well.

McCarthy will be looking to his senior players to take more responsibility and for a greater consistency of performance. Jeff Kenna, Kenny Cunningham and Gary Kelly can no longer be considered promising. They are established internationals and therefore expectation is greater.

I don't expect the Argentinians to be overly committed. They will probably play most of the match in third gear, occasionally stretching to fourth but I don't believe they'll ever hit top. However, they will still offer the perfect benchmark by which McCarthy can judge the aptitude of several individuals for international football.

Qualification for the European Championship, while not beginning officially until later in the year, ostensibly begins tonight in terms of attitude and the pattern to which Ireland subscribe. This is not a simply a friendly but the first step on a long road. It is time for Ireland's new journey to begin in earnest.

(In an interview with John O'Sullivan)