McCarthy reflects on international debut and looks toward Liverpool clash
After making his full international debut with Republic of Ireland on Tuesday James McCarthy told us how, despite a few nerves, he was delighted to make an appearance against Brazil and believes the experience will give him an added boost for the remainder of the season.
McCarthy played the final 20 minutes of the friendly encounter at the Emirates Stadium and he explained how special it was to share the pitch with some great stars in glamorous surroundings:
"I was a bit nervous in the warm-up before the game, but once I got on the park that all goes away and you can concentrate on the game," said McCarthy.
"All the boys were very encouraging and looked after me well. They just told me to work hard and get stuck in and they talked me through the game as well.
"They're (Brazil) a top quality side and moved the ball around really well. In the first-half I thought we did well to compete and were unlucky to concede a goal just before the break; Robinho looked offside to be honest but these things happen in football.
"In the second-half when we started pushing for the equaliser they began to find gaps and eventually got the second goal.
"It was great to be at the Emirates as well, I didn't get that opportunity when we went there earlier in the season and had to watch from the stands."
"To compete against Kaka was special, he's a top quality player and it great to be playing against him, but also with the likes of Robbie Keane, Shay Given and Kevin Kilbane who are all class players and looked after me well.
"I didn't swap any shirts at the end I just wanted to keep my own with it being my first jersey.
"I think the whole experience will give me a boost and hopefully I can kick on from here."
Now the 19-year-old gears up for a massive league clash on Monday night against Liverpool, and the chance to pit his wits against a player he's long been an admirer of, Steven Gerrard.
But as ever the Republic of Ireland international remains a level-headed and is concentrating only on the bigger picture:
"It's a massive game and one that we'll try and go to win. Hopefully with the new pitch going down we'll be able to get the ball down, move it round and get the points we need.
"Every game is a massive game now. Steven Gerrard is a player I've always looked up to, he's got great talent and a fantastic inspiration.
"But to be honest I won't be going out thinking about him, I'll be concentrating on the game and my own performance, hopefully helping Wigan to three points.
"We'll get the ball down a lot more and I'm sure with the new pitch being laid we'll be able to have a proper go at them.
"You could see during the Spurs game that the pitch was cutting up a lot, and it even made running awkward, let alone passing the ball round. So it's great to have a new surface down and hopefully it'll start a good run for us.
"It has been a frustrating few weeks with results not going our way, but it's all about working hard at the training ground to make sure we put it right.
"That's what everyone's doing, we're all sticking together as a group and we're confident of getting a result from this game."
