Seven would be heaven for Trapattoni

WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING:HAVING HELPED restore some of his side's credibility on the road, Giovanni Trapattoni yesterday turned his attention to the Republic of Ireland's upcoming home games and declared that seven points from the encounters with Cyprus, Georgia and Bulgaria would be a satisfactory return.

"Three plus three plus three is the dream," said the Italian, "but for me, it's enough that we take seven points.

"Maybe it's possible that we can win all three games but I think it would be good to take seven and then look to the future with a little bit - but not too much - of a smile."

After Ireland's solid start to the campaign, the 2-1 over Georgia and Wednesday's goalless draw in Montenegro - a first clean sheet in an away qualifier since the 1-0 defeat of Cyprus in late 2005 - the coach's target would leave his side with 11 points from five games ahead of the visit to Italy on April 1st.

The dream then would be to put one over on the world champions.

"As I have already said, I hope Italy win all of their other games, just not the ones against Ireland," said the 69-year-old.

"But we can't worry yet about Italy. First we have to play Cyprus, Georgia and Bulgaria. But, of course, I want to go to Italy with maximum points."

With the group's top two seeds, Italy and Bulgaria, due to meet on what is a free date for Ireland next month, the former Juventus boss is hoping for an Italian win, which would strengthen their hopes of topping the table but dent Bulgaria's challenge for second place.

Trapattoni insists his side must aim to finish first for as long as that is mathematically possible but his stated preference that Italy win their other games clearly flags that his real, or more realistic, objective is a place in the play-offs.

The two matches over the past week will have encouraged him and yesterday he paid tribute to the performances of a string of his players, including John O'Shea, Aiden McGeady and Shay Given.

The Newcastle United goalkeeper had almost nothing to do against Georgia but had to be in inspired form in Montenegro, where the highlight of his night was the scrambled touch he got to a long-range shot that had been deflected off O'Shea.

"I saw that shot and I thought it was a goal," observed the coach. "But suddenly: Bumph! He saved it. He showed again that he is one of the very strongest goalkeepers.

"For me," he added, "there is (Gianluigi) Buffon and then Given. He is the quiet commander of the team. I don't want to praise him too much or I'll have to touch wood."

McGeady he cited as an example of a player making significant progress at an impressive rate. The Celtic winger, the coach admits, still has much room for improvement but, he said; "In this game McGeady worked twice as hard as he had done in the past. He has to know to work defensively as well as offensively. We know he can do it."

O'Shea, meanwhile, appears to be thriving under the new manager. His performances in Mainz and Podgorica were among his very best for his country and it appears Trapattoni is clear in his mind that centre half is the position in which he can best contribute to the cause: "John played well again and we looked strong in defence."

For all O'Shea's versatility, Trapattoni believes it's the best place to play the 27-year-old for his country, as he brings experience and, particularly in these most recent outings, composure to a key area of the team.

"It's a sector in which we have built something strong, with players like Paul McShane and Damien Delaney also available to us, and while we may use future games to look for new players for some positions, in defence we have enough," said Trapattoni.

There is perhaps an argument to be made, however, that Trapattoni is a little too settled on things already for the liking of some squad members. And since - for the first time since the win in Georgia under Brian Kerr in 2003 - he allowed all 11 of the players starting a competitive game for Ireland to finish it, some may be starting to sense there will be few chances to break into the team under this regime.

"I know from when I played football that sometimes I would play and other times I would sit on the bench. On the bench I was less happy but football is about the team, not each player, and while I thought about making three changes to the team from Saturday night, it is difficult after the team does well," said Trapattoni.

He suggested he also considered replacing one of strikers with Andy Reid or putting on Daryl Murphy but was afraid his midfield might be left more exposed if he took off either Robbie Keane or Kevin Doyle, both of whom he felt were working hard to shut opponents down.

Also, he insists, it can take 20 minutes for a substitute to really get into a game and so he preferred to stick with the status quo.

Certainly, there is unlikely to be any major change of approach for the home game next month when, he hopes, the prospect of revenge for the humiliation two years ago in Nicosia as well as the subsequent embarrassment in Dublin will spur his players on.

"If you want to get the best out of a group you must given them structure and we have done that," he said.

"What we need to do now is improve on the little details and to remind the players that they must be patient at home even when the supporters are calling for a goal from the first minute."

He might, he added, do a little canvassing to ensure Ireland get more experienced referees for the remaining group games in the wake of their penalty claims in Podgorica.

"I understand that referees need to get experience but qualifying is not just important for Italy and England, it matters to us all."