Let’s play like the home team and surprise these beatable Swedes

Let’s be clear from the off. This Swedish team are nothing to be worried about. Like ourselves, they beat the Faroes twice and Kazakhstan but each victory was a struggle.

They only escaped Torshavn with a 2-1 result.

Point being, they are beatable.

I know, I know, so are we but there was little evidence in the nil-nil draw in Solna last March to indicate they are a superior force.

This was reinforced by their defeat to Austria in June.

Sweden’s record of reaching and performing at major tournaments is impressive but that need not matter tonight.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic remains the primary concern. The big Paris St Germain striker should be joined up front by Johan Elmander, currently on loan to Norwich City, as he provides a better option than Tobias Hysen, who failed to trouble John O’Shea or Ciarán Clark.

But Ireland have also changed for the better.

I’m enthused by Richard Dunne’s return alongside O’Shea. It’s a partnership that hasn’t been together for three years but don’t expect any communication problems. Their experience fills me with confidence.

Giovanni Trapattoni, our manager, went to see Dunne play for QPR last week and clearly saw enough to bring back his most important player of these past five years.

Dunne’s ability to turn and his pace after such a sustained period of injury, and him being 33 years old, don’t seem to be issues for the Italian.

I hope he is right.

Cover employed
What's more important is the cover employed just in front of Ireland's centre backs, because that's where Sweden will seek to exploit space to shoot and create chances.

It’s the usual problem we face against major football nations, protecting our rigid system when players of technical quality attempt to play between our lines.

Dunne and O’Shea will appreciate the help of Glenn Whelan and James McCarthy. In the drawn game our fullbacks, Séamus Coleman and Marc Wilson, had the Swedish wingers in their pockets, while the set-piece deliveries of Sebastian Larsson were defended without any major strife.

In the meantime, Wilson has settled into a central role for Stoke City. He has usurped Whelan, providing a more creative passing element to go with Mark Hughes’ more progressive vision for the club.

From an Irish perspective, it is an interesting development. A steady presence in Trap teams these past five years, Whelan’s absence against Sweden gave us a better looking shape.

Paul Green and McCarthy, well supported by James McClean and Jon Walters, gave us a more dynamic looking midfield.

McCarthy was outstanding, as he has been for some time now, and is thoroughly deserving of his move to Everton, running the game against Sweden and England at Wembley, as we hope he will do again tonight.

He is our key man now.

Our one-time most important player, Robbie Keane, still has a major, selfless role to play tonight. Just as he did for 77 minutes in the last meeting with the Swedes.

Neither Shane Long nor Keane are fond of having to crowd out the midfield, as their natural instinct is to be nearer to goal or, in Long’s case, harassing and thundering into defenders.

I understand the exclusion of Wes Hoolahan (not that Trap was ever going to pick him) but I’d make a strong case for him starting in Vienna next Tuesday.

It’s been easy to snipe away at Trapattoni these past few years as he made decisions that at times beggared belief but to say he has not made a substantial overhaul in personnel since the summer of 2012 would be wrong.

Only Keane, O'Shea, Whelan and now Dunne remain. He has built a new team and created significant competition for places in most positions.

Very predictable
But we remain very predictable.

Coach Erik Hamrén will have a plan to deal with crude long kick-outs by David Forde and diagonal balls on top of Walters and McClean.

We must mix it up tonight. Play like the home side for a change. Surprise them with our use of possession.

In some recent matches our combination passing, movement and guile has broken through. Usually when Hoolahan arrives.

Sometimes the battering ram works, but we should trust our midfield, particularly McCarthy, to dictate the tempo.

This means bringing Coleman and Wilson on to the ball in the opposition’s half.

Remember Wilson’s shooting when stepping inside against the Faroes and Austria? And Coleman can provide the ammunition to rip apart a shaky looking Swedish rearguard.

For some reason I am hopeful. Maybe our bright new stadium can generate a threatening atmosphere for a change.

The run of results and performances since the last-minute disaster against Austria has me believing again.

Many commentators have said Trap can’t change his style or methods.

But we are seeing fullbacks off the leash this past year, a 4-3-3 against Germany that back-fired horribly and even Hoolahan lighting the fuse in a 4-4-1-1 formation.

So no giving out. Unless the manager does what he did against Austria. Keeping Conor Sammon on the pitch that night, when pulling off Long and moving Walters up front, cost us a vital two points. Never mind the injury-time excuse. That was on Trap.

No such margin for error this time.