Lawrence gets big chance to impress

SOCCER WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS Rep of Ireland v Italy:GET HIM going at a press conference and there's still no telling really where Giovanni Trapattoni might take things but when it comes to team selections, he is a man of few surprises and so the Republic of Ireland will line out, as expected, against the World Champions at Croke Park this evening with Liam Lawrence making his competitive international debut on the right side of midfield.

In full flow for the Italian media yesterday, the veteran coach was clearly enjoying himself when the matter of the press advertisement for a firm of bookmakers in which he features, the appearance of which was reminiscent of promotional material for the Godfather films, was suddenly brought up.

Trapattoni, as he had moments earlier when asked about Marcello Lippi’s continued omission of Antonio Cassano, took the whole thing in his stride and launched into a series of observations regarding the various stereotypes with which different nationalities have to cope.

The English and Irish got a mention but he appeared to be about to go into some detail about the particular difficulties faced by Germans when his translator intervened to provide what might be termed, a Bruce Forsyth-style clarification before the need for one had technically arisen.

With regard to the game itself, the 70-year-old was a model of diplomacy. Lippi’s abilities, Fabio Cannavaro’s medicinal requirements, the limitations of the group he has available to work with these days – all were handled with an admirable deftness of touch over the course of an hour or so.

His team, of course, will have to survive half as long again against their visitors this evening if they are to get the three points their manager says he wants or even the one he’d surely settle for. Whatever is achieved, though, will be viewed in the context of the result of the earlier game in Larnaca between Cyprus and Bulgaria where anything other than an away win will mean Ireland are assured of at least second place in the group.

The selection of Lawrence is something of a gamble by the manager but no more of one really than picking Stephen Hunt ever seems to be. The 27-year-old is physically strong and good at set pieces but, much less a natural winger than any of the players we are used to seeing out wide for Ireland these past couple of years, not nearly as well-equipped to go past his man and provide a cross.

Given that the opposition’s left back is Fabio Grosso and that statistics show Ireland to be the most reliant team in the entire European end of this qualifying competition on long balls, perhaps such an idea would have been a little fanciful in any case.

Defensively, this is close to as strong as Ireland could have hoped to be for what is the first visit by reigning world champions to Dublin for a competitive game but there must be some concern that it will not be resilient enough.

The clean sheet against South Africa last month was the team’s first in nine games and while the Italians have been rather underwhelming for the bulk of this campaign they have just rediscovered their own knack for scoring.

Cannavaro’s absence is a setback but Kevin Doyle and Robbie Keane are still in for a tough night. It is in midfield, though, that Ireland’s fortunes really look set to be decided.

The Italians will most likely play with an extra man there behind a lone striker and if a central pairing like Glenn Whelan and Keith Andrews cannot severely limit the influence of Andrea Pirlo and co then Shay Given and his back four, not least Kevin Kilbane, really had better be at their best.

It is not easy to see a sound basis for anticipating a first Irish victory over really top-class opposition in a qualifying game since 2001 – a memorable defeat of the Dutch at Lansdowne Road. That eight years on, however, the Italians arrive needing only a draw to qualify for next summer’s finals, has somehow had the effect of making that seem an eminently attainable target. And Trapattoni, citing Egypt’s victory at the Confederations Cup as evidence that Lippi’s men are not unbeatable, was at pains yesterday to remind us that anything can happen in football.

REP OF IRELAND: Given (Manchester City); O'Shea (Manchester United), Dunne (Aston Villa), St Ledger (Middlesbrough), Kilbane (Hull City); Lawrence (Stoke City), Andrews (Blackburn Rovers), Whelan (Stoke City), McGeady (Celtic); Doyle (Wolves), Keane (Spurs).

ITALY (probable):Buffon (Juventus); Zambrotta (Milan), Legrottaglie, Chiellini, Grosso (all Juventus); Palombo (Sampdoria), De Rossi (Roma); Iaquinta (Juventus), Pirlo (Milan), Camoranesi (Juventus); Gilardino (Fiorentina).