SOCCER EURO 2012 QUALIFYING GROUP B:IN THE face of a fair bit of criticism of late that neither his team selections nor his tactics are enterprising enough, Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni seemed intent yesterday on portraying himself as the old dog who wrote the big book of tricks.
And with five friendly games coming up, the 71-year-old even hinted there will be a little more crowd-pleasing sleight of hand between now and next summer.
The manager claimed he is always ready to add new players to his squad and constantly willing to trade up whenever possible. He pointed to the fact that for all the talk of conservatism, the likes of Seán St Ledger, Glenn Whelan and Liam Lawrence have all made their senior international debuts during his watch. More recently, and controversially, Paul Green has successfully capitalised on the absence through injury of Keith Andrews to stake a claim to one of the central midfield berths ahead of Darron Gibson, Marc Wilson and James McCarthy.
The manager insists, though, that team must evolve gradually rather than be subjected to radical overhauls at this level and he insists some of those waiting in the wings will get their chance to impress during the months ahead.
Trapattoni’s apparent devotion to the 4-4-2 system, meanwhile, has been a major talking point over the last couple of years but back in Dublin for a few hours prior to returning to Milan, the Italian insisted he is not remotely hung up on the approach.
As he has done before, he claimed the system with its two essentially defensive central midfielders and attacking wide men helps to get the best out of the players available but, he claimed, he would happily ditch the formation if players coming though provided him with viable alternatives, a possibility he might well explore against Norway, Northern Ireland and Wales.
“We’re looking all the time for opportunities to bring new players into the team,” he claimed, “but it isn’t wise to change everything at the same time. You cannot change four or five players at once in international football because you don’t have the time to tell so many players what is wanted in the way that you could at a club.
“But now it’s important to look at other options. Maybe we change the system too. In 30 years I’ve played lots of different systems. And when I came here, first I thought (Stephen) Ireland could play behind the striker. Maybe now, (Aiden) McGeady could play that role . . . I know all about systems but you need to have time and you need to find the players.”
With only the qualifiers against Macedonia in March and June breaking up a run of five friendlies between now and the start of the summer, Trapattoni would appear to have some time and he suggested McCarthy, Wilson and Stoke City striker Jonathan Walters are amongst those who are likely to get chances to impress.
Trapattoni sought to sidestep questions about which of his players had failed to perform in games against Russia and Slovakia that yielded just one point. Asked outright if Robbie Keane was “finished at the top level” he inevitably replied his captain remains an important member of the team but he did acknowledge the Spurs striker is some way off his best and, like others, needs to be playing consistently at club level.
“Sure, he can’t run like (Shane) Long at 23 or 24 but the very best teams are a mixture of experience and energy,” he said. “Yesterday, it was clear he was not fit enough for 90 minutes because he hasn’t been playing for his club. Maybe he didn’t pass or shoot as quickly as he would another time but we still need his experience.
“He has played a lot,” said the manager in relation to the suggestion Keane, having played senior football since he was 17 years old is beginning to look like he has a lot of miles on the clock, “but if a car has gone for 200,000 kilometres, it doesn’t mean it’s dead.
“When fitness isn’t right, it’s possible a player misses one second, two or three metres and not just last night but also against the Russians, we had two or three chances where those two or three metres made all the difference.”
The points dropped over the last few days might well make all the difference this time next year when this group’s final line-up is decided and Trapattoni concedes Russia are looking good . . . “But their players play a lot of games in important leagues and European competitions and all it takes is one or two injuries at the wrong times and they can have problems. Last night they won but Macedonia missed a penalty. If they had scored it, it might have been difficult for Russia.”
In the meantime, it will be difficult for Ireland. Victory in Moscow seems an unlikely prospect and outperforming the group leaders against the group’s lesser sides will take a bit of doing with most hopes resting on Armenia upsetting the top seeds in Yerevan as they they upset Slovakia last week.
The manager has talked a great deal about the players he was missing this week but the Slovaks are likely to be a lot stronger when they come to Dublin next September. By then, the Irish might well be scrapping it out for second place and it is far from certain even that will turn out well. Unless, of course, Trapattoni can pull some sort of rabbit from a hat.
Trap's options: four-four-two
TEN PLAYERS who might play a part in Giovanni Trapattoni’s team- building over the coming months.
FIRST RUN OUTS . . .
Having declared his desire to play for Ireland, a first call-up for Aston Villa defender Ciarán Clark may not be too far away but the former England youth team captain is only 21 and there are some who might feel they are ahead of him in the queue.
Marc Wilson:The calibre of his performances for Portsmouth as they went down last year marked him out as having Premier League quality and Stoke City have handed him a route back to the top flight. Tall, quick and a strong tackler, the northerner is a technically decent player who looks comfortable in central midfield or defence
Séamus Coleman:Still playing for the under-21s just a matter of weeks ago, there is a growing inevitability about the young Donegalman's graduation to the senior ranks. Coleman looks a terrific prospect either as an attacking right back or, David Moyes appears to reckon, a right-sided midfielder.
Jonathan Walters:Not the most outlandishly talented player but Walters is a good, solid striker with strength and a bit of pace who is back playing in the top flight after quite few years in the lower leagues.
Jamie O'Hara:Currently laid up with a back injury, the lively 24-year-old midfielder has been away from the limelight for a while but seems to be shaping up for a January move to West Ham where regular first-team football would make him an attractive catch for Trapattoni.
FOUR KICKING ON
A few of those who will be hoping to build on their initial breakthroughs
James McCarthy:Made his debut against Brazil in March but pulled out of the squad for the games against Algeria and Paraguay and hasn't been seen since. But he continues to mature as a player at Wigan and the fact he could still switch allegiance to Scotland means Trapattoni needs to keep him involved.
Keith Fahey:The Birmingham City midfielder's first competitive start on Tuesday night was clearly a success with Fahey pulling his weight defensively and producing some cracking set-pieces but the Dubliner faces a challenge if he is to carve win a regular place given the competition out wide and Trapattoni's apparent reluctance to start him in the centre.
Caleb Folan:The Hull City striker is apparently a week or so away from returning from his latest injury problem and could be back playing by next weekend. Having done really well for Ireland in Italy after coming on early in the game Trapattoni seems to hanker after him but he has to stay fit.
Darren O'Dea:That big night at the San Siro seems like a very long time ago for Darren O'Dea who has again gone on loan from Celtic, to Ipswich, so as to play more. The 23-year-old defender could be very useful if only he can recover his momentum at club level.
BACK OFF THE BENCH
Forget about Stephen Ireland and Andy Reid who, for different reasons, appear to be lost causes but there are still a couple of former next big things that the Ireland manager could turn to particularly as they are getting their careers back into gear.
Steven Reid:Technically, the 29-year-old is retired but he didn't really sound like a man who wanted to pack it all in and if he continues to recover his fitness and form it would be criminal to let his talent go to waste. A fit Reid would significantly improve central midfield or defence.
Joey O'Brien:It's two years since the Dubliner last kicked a ball in anger but he is nearing match fitness after a serious knee injury. Has had issues with Trapattoni but like Reid, his talent and versatility should make him a little too good to ignore if he gets back to his best.
