Time for Trapattoni to reinvigorate the troops

SOCCER ANALYST:THIS IS an opportunity to rediscover the momentum gained from June's 2-0 defeat of Macedonia.

Okay, it has been well and truly lost over the summer but with Slovakia arriving early next month followed four days later by the daunting trip to Moscow, it is no surprise to see Giovanni Trapattoni name something pretty close to his strongest possible line-up.

Tonight is a timely reminder for the Irish players of what he expects of them.

In the past Ireland have been at odds with other nations, like England for example, over the value they place in friendly internationals. This is down to the likes of Robbie Keane, Darron Gibson, Shay Given and even Damien Duff being denied sufficient competitive football at club level.

In contrast, the England team are risking the ire of Alex Ferguson, Arsène Wenger etc if they field their full complement of talent for longer than 45 minutes. This has greatly reduced the interest in such games so there won’t be too many people kicking up a fuss about the Dutch visit to Wembley being cancelled due to the London riots.

Around these parts, the match is important for several players who need the exposure. It is great to see Duff coming back to fitness and seeking to be included earlier this week. At least Keane, Given and Gibson, at this stage of the season, are not too far behind other players who get to play regularly in the Premiership.

The club situation for Gibson and Keane remains a worry but it will be a relief to see Shay playing regularly again for Aston Villa. We should reap the benefit of this transfer against Russia on September 6th.

Kevin Doyle’s return to Wolves with a recurrence of his knee injury puts off the debate about Keane’s inclusion for now.

Not that I believe Trapattoni will send out a team for competitive action without the Irish captain. Certainly not for the rest of the current qualification campaign.

Keane, regardless of his club situation, remains central to the Republic of Ireland cause. Maybe after next summer, the Shane Long and Doyle combination will be examined more thoroughly.

Anyway, even going back to last June, Keane remains the man who will score the goals if Ireland are to make it to Ukraine/Poland next year. He may not be as sharp as previous years, due to a lack of games, but his combination with Long is key.

This fixture may not be ideal from a club manager’s point of view but it provides a precious few days for Trap’s usual mantras to be drilled back into the collective mindset.

The squad know his philosophy inside out by now, it never changes, but they have just come off a pre-season when a certain type of play is expected by them. To a man, this would be different tactics from how they are instructed to operate in the Trap system.

The possible changes from this starting XI for Slovakia on September 2nd will see Aiden McGeady, John O’Shea, probably Kevin Kilbane and either Keith Andrews or Keith Fahey return. McGeady should replace Stephen Hunt on the wing, with O’Shea and Kilbane returning as full backs. That is the coach’s preferred back four, although tonight must represent a genuine opportunity for Stephen Ward to usurp Kilbane at left back.

Andrews is another favourite of the Italian in central midfield instead of Gibson. The Manchester United reserve has been given plenty of chances to cement the holding role alongside Glenn Whelan. It hasn’t happened for him yet. Trapattoni reiterated this week the need for Gibson to seek a move this summer to ensure some regular club football.

Hunt is another Trapattoni favourite, due to his defensive endeavour, so there is no guarantee that a fit-again McGeady will return.

I expect to see the team attempting to gel for about 60 minutes against a decent, albeit rebuilding, Croatian outfit before a couple of changes are made – mainly to ease the concerns of club managers ahead of the weekend.

We’ve seen Copa America champions Uruguay and Russia come to Lansdowne Road and dominate for long stretches but I don’t think Croatia are in that category. They will give us a stiff test, which is important to get players back into the mindset of solid defending, with Duff and Hunt providing the counterattacking spark that should put Long and Keane into goalscoring positions.

With a feast of football about to be served to us as the Premiership returns, it will be interesting to see how many supporters turn up tonight. Because the result doesn’t really matter. This is an opportunity to prepare for the vital September matches. The week will have been a case of repetition of certain tactics they have not ran through since June.

That’s why it will have been an important gathering for the squad and coaches.