Martin O'Neill says the Republic of Ireland's 0-0 draw against England was "exactly what we needed" ahead of a crucial Euro 2016 qualifier against Scotland.
There were few chances of note in a forgettable game at the Aviva Stadium and neither side was able to make the breakthrough in Dublin.
Ireland have a more important fixture on the horizon as they welcome Scotland in a crucial Group D fixture on Saturday, with Gordon Strachan's men one place and two points better off in third.
"It was exactly what we needed," O'Neill said. "In the last 15 minutes, we looked tired, but we started off brightly in the game and could have scored a couple of goals.
"The overall picture was good and from a physical viewpoint, it couldn't have been better timed.
"We asked the players to give us some problems between now and Saturday."
O'Neill also stated that it was his intention to give Norwich City's attacking midfielder Wes Hoolahan some game time, while commending the performance of Hull City's Robbie Brady as a makeshift left-back.
"I was hoping to get Wes Hoolahan on the field, but we had run out of substitutes," he added.
"I never see [playing Brady at left-back] as a major problem. He dealt with it well defensively, and he was up against a very good player.
"His strength is probably getting forward and he has a great delivery, but I was very impressed with the other aspects of his game and I think he can probably improve even more."
