Cameroon will be toughest

It was another low key but productive day at Ireland's training base here in Saipan yesterday with the players getting their first opportunity to try the new type of footballs to be used at these World Cup finals and Mick McCarthy turning his attention to the task facing his side in Niigata on Saturday week.

The Cameroon match, the Ireland manager reckons, will the be the toughest of the Republic's three first-round games but it is Germany, he insists, as much for their achievements in the past as for the strength of the present squad, who will start the tournament as the favourites to progress from Ireland's four-team group.

"For all everybody says about the Germans now they're still three-time winners of the World Cup and I'd put them down as favourites to make it out of the group because of their history.

"Maybe they're not what they've been in terms of being potential winners, but, even now, if you let them settle, get comfortable in a game, they can start to carve you up so we'll have to make sure we work very hard against them.

"And then there's the fact that, because of their tradition, their lads will know how to handle it, certainly better than ours and maybe better than Cameroon's, which obviously counts for something.

"The other thing," he added, "is the psychological edge they will have over teams going in against them. I always think that, in the Premiership, when teams turn up to play Liverpool, Arsenal or Manchester United they're taking on the clubs' reputations as well as the 11 men on the pitch. It's the same thing with the Germans in a tournament like this."

The Ireland manager says that neither he nor his players have anything to be afraid of in any of these games, but he is clearly anxious to avoid a scenario in which a defeat against Cameroon on Saturday week leaves his side desperately needing to beat Rudi Voller's men.

"From that point of view the key thing is not to get beaten in the first game. I mean, we'll be going out there to try and win it, but I think it's really important not to lose so to say that a draw would be a bad result was foolish.

"Cameroon are a fine side, Taffe (Ian Evans) has seen them and reckons they're better than the Nigerians, and the fact that they didn't concede a single goal at the African Nations Championships suggests that he's right.

"It used to be that with the Africans you didn't know which team was going to show up. Whether they were going to be all over you, silky and give you a bit of a hiding or come out and allow themselves to be picked off at the back.

"They're far more disciplined now, maybe the German coach helps in Cameroon's case, but whatever it is we can be certain that it's going to be a tough game.

"What then gives it an added significance is the fact that it's the first one for everybody."

The possibility that the Africans will find the conditions in Japan less physically challenging remains a minor concern within the Irish camp, but McCarthy seems more than happy with the way the first couple of training sessions have gone.

With temperatures yesterday running into the mid-30s Celsius, the players had their first knock-around of the trip and, while the heat was clearly taking its toll on everyone, it was an impressively competitive run out.

Jason McAteer continued to suffer a little discomfort with the ankle injury picked up last Thursday night, but said McCarthy, "he'll be fine, he may need a day or two off along the way, but it's not something that going to stop him playing".

Shay Given and the other goalkeepers, meanwhile, may have been unnerved slightly at the session by the use of the new footballs for all of the players were apparently surprised by the way they moved.

"They fly around," said McCarthy, "and bounce far more than the old ones. From frees and shots they will definitely be much harder for the goalkeepers to handle.

"It's the same for everybody, though. I mean, they'll benefit the best strikers of the ball in the world, but Harty (Ian Harte) comes into that category, and all of the keepers will have exactly the same problem."

Harte subsequently came up again as McCarthy discussed his various options when it comes to cover for the games ahead.

With Gary Kelly having pleased his manager with his performance at left back after he came on during the second half of the Nigeria game, the Ireland boss suggested that he would have little hesitation shifting Harte forward into midfield if Kevin Kilbane was to get injured.

"If (Damien) Duff plays up front and Kevin has a problem then Harty can play there, no problem, he's a good crosser of the ball. Kells is a good option at left back too," he added, "I think his passing out of defence has improved over the years, he's a good footballer, Gary."