Laying the Trap with the tried and trusted
Experience and defensive discipline – the Chelsea way – will be crucial for Giovanni Trapattoni's Ireland, writes Glenn Moore
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Your support makes all the difference.A veteran Italian coach, multiple title-winner in Serie A and elsewhere, disciplinarian, struggles with his adopted language, and heading for Euro 2012 with the nation's good wishes. That last clause is where the paths of Fabio Capello and Giovanni Trapattoni diverge. Whether "Trap" would have been a more suitable coach for England than Don Fabio will never be known, but the Irish believe they chose the right man when, like England, they looked to the home of tactical football for a new manager.
Capello was not taken to English hearts in the way Trapattoni has been welcomed across the Irish Sea. Earlier this year he took part in a charity walk up Ireland's holiest mountain, Croagh Patrick, where St Patrick is said to have fasted for 40 days and nights. Upon his descent Trapattoni said: "The enthusiasm and passion of the fans here is incredible. I have a duty to return that by showing my affection for the country and the people and I hope to do that through football." So far he has done this so successfully the 73-year-old recently signed a contract extension taking him to the 2014 World Cup finals.
Trapattoni's £1.5m-a-year salary (part-financed by tycoon Denis O'Brien) is a fraction of Capello's with England but he is even more decorated, having won 10 titles in four countries, the three major European trophies and the Intercontinental Cup, and played for and managed his country at the World Cup.
When the Italian won his first league championship as coach, Serie A with Juventus in 1977, only one of his Euro 2012 squad was born, and Shay Given was still in nappies. Yet he stressed this week that all the titles and cups are history, that he is constantly looking ahead, forever honing his coaching philosophy. "That is the past," he said. "It is important I show everyone I am still useful because football changes and it's important I go with football. The new football, every four years it changes."
There is not, in truth, much evidence of a tactical breakthrough in Ireland's rigid 4-4-2 under Trapattoni, but that is in part because he can only work with what he has. Compared with Jack Charlton's Irish teams, which had at various times Roy Keane, David O'Leary, Paul McGrath, Denis Irwin, Frank Stapleton, Kevin Sheedy, Ray Houghton, Ronnie Whelan, John Aldridge and, when he cared to use him, Liam Brady, it is clear that Trapattoni has slimmer resources. Given is a solid goalkeeper, Richard Dunne an inspiring centre-half and Robbie Keane a talismanic striker, but all are past their peak. Only on the flanks is there real quality in Damien Duff, now 33 himself, and Aiden McGeady, who is the only player anticipated to appear in European club football next season, assuming he stays at Spartak Moscow.
Trapattoni thus focuses on making Ireland hard to beat. The wide men track back while of the main contenders to be sitting midfielders only Keith Andrews attacks the penalty box with any frequency though Glenn Whelan and Darron Gibson can shoot from range. The back four do not take risks with full-backs rarely asked to overlap. This approach has worked. Ireland go into their final warm-up match, against Hungary tonight, bolstered by a 13-match unbeaten run including 10 clean sheets. They have scored 21 goals in that run, but nine have come in two matches against Northern Ireland and Estonia. The captain, Los Angeles-based Keane, remains the most likely source of a goal. He now has 53, a Britain and Ireland international record, from 116 caps.
There is, though, some dissent in Ireland over Trapattoni's conservatism. Only two players are under 25, Gibson, 24, and James McClean, the 23-year-old Sunderland winger whose impact on the Premier League has forced Trapattoni to reverse earlier indications that he would not be selected. McClean, with his direct running, eye for goal and energy will be Ireland's surprise package.
However, Trapattoni has not called up Seamus Coleman or Marc Wilson, preferring tried-and-trusted players from the Championship such as Paul McShane and Paul Green. Stephen Ireland remains estranged while James McCarthy was a peripheral figure with three caps in two years even before he withdrew from consideration when his father was diagnosed with cancer. These players, and Everton's Shane Duffy, may be given a chance in 2014 qualifying in which Ireland have drawn Germany and Sweden.
For now Trapattoni is looking only at this summer. He made reference to Chelsea's Champions League victory over Bayern Munich last week and it is expected that Ireland will adopt a similar approach: defensive and industrious, while hoping Keane and the wingers can fashion a goal. Ireland can play sparkling football – as they proved in the fateful World Cup 2010 play-off against France in Paris – but Plan A is not to lose. Trapattoni underlined 'it is about the result, not the show, people forget the show'.
They cannot afford to be lose the first game, against Croatia on 10 June, for Spain and Italy follow. The target is to go into the final game with qualification attainable not least because Italy, having not beaten Trapattoni's Ireland in three attempts, may be nervous.
Trapattoni's spell as Italy coach was one of his few failures. In the 2002 World Cup they were knocked out by South Korea in the round of 16, and in Euro 2004 they did not escape the group stage. Trapattoni may feel he has something to prove at international level. If so, the opportunity to do so beckons.
Tournament odds 80-1
Play-off joy Ireland's road to Euro 2012
Armenia (a)won 1-03/9/10
Andorra (h)won 3-17/9/10
Russia (h)lost 3-28/10/10
Slovakia (a)drew 1-112/10/10
Macedonia (h)won 2-126/3/11
Macedonia (a)won 2-04/6/11
Slovakia (h)drew 0-02/9/11
Russia (a)drew 0-06/9/11
Andorra (a)won 2-07/10/11
Armenia (h)won 2-111/10/11
Final Group B table
P WDLFA Pts
Russia 10 721174 23
Rep of Ire 1063115721
Armenia 10523221017
Slovakia 1043371015
Macedonia 102268148
Andorra 1000101250
Play-offs
beat Estonia 5-1 on aggregate
Ireland squad list: Trapattoni's chosen 23
Giovanni Trapattoni
Manager
Age 73 Appointed 2008
First match Serbia (a), May '08, d 1-1
1. Shay Given
Goalkeeper
Club Aston Villa Age 36 Caps 121
Goals 0 Debut March 1996
2. Sean St Ledger
Defender
Club Leicester Age 27 Caps 26
Goals 2 Debut June 2009
3. Stephen Ward
Defender
Club Wolves Age 26 Caps 11
Goals 2 Debut April 2000
4. John O'Shea
Defender
Club Sunderland Age 31 Caps 75
Goals 1 Debut August 2001
5. Richard Dunne
Defender
Club Aston Villa Age 32 Caps 72
Goals 8 Debut April 2000
6. Glenn Whelan
Midfielder
Club Stoke City Age 28 Caps 38
Goals 2 Debut June 2008
7. Aiden McGeady
Midfielder
Club Sp Moscow Age 26 Caps 48
Goals 2 Debut June 2004
8. Keith Andrews
Midfielder
Club WBA Age 31 Caps 28
Goals 3 Debut June 2008
9. Kevin Doyle
Striker
Club Wolves Age 28 Caps 47
Goals 10 Debut March 2006
10. Robbie Keane
Striker
Club LA Galaxy Age 31 Caps 116
Goals 53 Debut March 1998
11. Damien Duff
Midfielder
Club Fulham Age 33 Caps 96
Goals 8 Debut March 1998
12. Stephen Kelly
Defender
Club Fulham Age 28 Caps 30
Goals 0 Debut May 2006
13. Paul McShane
Defender
Club Hull City Age 26 Caps 27
Goals 0 Debut October 2006
14. Jonathan Walters
Striker
Club Stoke City Age 28 Caps 6
Goals 1 Debut November 2010
15. Darron Gibson
Midfielder
Club Everton Age 24 Caps 18
Goals 1 Debut August 2007
16. Keiren Westwood
Goalkeeper
Club Sunderland Age 27 Caps 9
Goals 0 Debut May 2009
17. Stephen Hunt
Midfielder
Club Wolves Age 30 Caps 38
Goals 1 Debut February 2007
18. Darren O'Dea
Defender
Club None Age 25 Caps 14
Goals 0 Debut September 2009
19. Shane Long
Striker
Club WBA Age 25 Caps 25
Goals 7 Debut February 2007
20. Simon Cox
Striker
Club WBA Age 25 Caps 11
Goals 3 Debut May 2011
21. Paul Green
Midfielder
Club Unattached Age 29 Caps 10
Goals 1 Debut May 2010
22. James McClean
Midfielder
Club Sunderland Age 23 Caps 2
Goals 0 Debut February 2012
23. David Forde
Goalkeeper
Club Millwall Age 32 Caps 2
Goals 0 Debut May 2011
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