Performance wise, it’s very difficult to judge how we will fair going into the new campaign from a few friendly matches but the Guinness International Cup provided an added focus. It allowed the chance for backup and squad players to provide food for thought for our manager, and even put themselves in the shop window, due to the unusually challenging opposition we were up against.
The raised standard of games, due to being competed in a tournament format, allowed us to see those fringe players and forgotten men like Sebastian Coates and Martin Kelly against good players and teams with a little more accuracy in being able to judge performance levels, rather than impressing against lesser opposition.
Give me a largely irrelevant friendly competition involving depleted but decent sides like AC Milan, Real Madrid and Man United any day over the annual mundane fixtures against a poor Malaysian XI who even made Iago Aspas look an exciting talent.