HECTOR CUPER looks like a man hell-bent on revenge most of the time, but the Georgia coach was in a relaxed mood when being reintroduced to the Irish press corps yesterday afternoon.
Yes, he has arrived to win, but not to avenge defeat at the hands of Giovanni Trapattoni when the sides met in no-man’s land in Mainz last September. He simply believes his side deserve a victory after a marked improvement and frustrating home draws to Cyprus and Bulgaria.
“No, I would not say revenge. It will be a very important match, which we will try to win.”
Referring to the Russian occupation that forced Fifa to change the venue of their last qualifier, he added: “Of course, the events that took place in September affected that football match, but created a lot of difficulties for the nation, but we have overcome these difficulties.
“We have forgotten everything, so tomorrow will just be a tough and important match, but it will not be revenge.”
He has lost some key players to injury in the build-up, namely Levan Kenia, the young midfielder who grabbed a consolation in Mainz, striker Levan Mchedlidze, and defenders Giorgi Shashiashvili and Lasha Saluqvadze.
He has been compensated by the return to fitness of captain Kakha Kaladze, who he expects to start, and the availability of Blackburn Rovers defender Zurab Khizinishvili after suspension.
Preparation was further hampered on Monday by the lack of training facilities and by all accounts he wasn’t pleased when his squad was forced to travel to the capital in search of a playable pitch on which to train, eventually settling in Baldonnel.
The fact that many of his team are currently on, or just returning from, mid-season breaks is another disadvantage.
All in all, he could be forgiven had he kept it short and to the point and headed off to Croke Park early to plot a first win in five qualifiers. The Argentinian, though, gave his time and acknowledged the “commitment and fight” of Ireland’s collective, as well as the “individual skill”, but warned he too had taken notes and jotted down some weaknesses to exploit.
“We saw one of the last friendly matches against Poland and I noticed some weaknesses as well as some strong points,” he said. “In training we have taken these things into account and we know if we manage to make some tactical moves during the match, maybe we can get results and create difficulties for Ireland.
And what would they be, then?
“If I have the guarantee that it will not be published in the Irish newspapers than I will reveal these secrets now, but I know that won’t happen so I will abstain from the details.”
Fair enough.
Khizinishvili, meanwhile, is eager to face his clubmate Keith Andrews, who debuts for Ireland tonight. “I spoke with him yesterday, he’s a good lad, a good player, but he will be my enemy on the pitch tomorrow,” warned the Blackburn defender.
