2012 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFYING: Slovakia v Republic of Ireland:IT'S EASY to be wise after the event, as Giovanni Trapattoni himself pointed out at last night's pre-match press conference at the MSK stadium in Zilina, so nobody sought to dwell on his original stated aim of guiding his side to four or even six points from this particular double-header.
When asked for a revised target the Italian was decidedly cautious, observing the “diplomatic” answer is one, but adding: “Every coach believes his own side can win.”
Vladimir Weiss hadn’t bothered with too much diplomacy with the media an hour or so earlier, coolly, though good-naturedly, suggesting: “One team will lose and I don’t think it will be Slovakia.”
Clearly, both men can’t be right but after last week’s setbacks it may well turn out to be the case that their shared objective this evening is, first and foremost, not to be completely wrong.
Having hinted he might shake his team up with an unforced change or two, Trapattoni, predictably enough, has opted to stick as closely as he could to the line-up that started the last three games.
Shane Long, who did well after coming on in the Russia game, replaces the injured Kevin Doyle, while Liam Lawrence faces a late fitness test on what was described last night as a thigh strain, with Keith Fahey standing by for his first competitive start in the event the Portsmouth midfielder doesn’t make it.
Weiss, meanwhile, has problems of his own but was boosted yesterday by the fact Fenerbahce’s wide midfielder Miroslav Stoch, who scored the winning goal in Moscow last month, came through training without any problems and looks set to play.
The Slovak coach didn’t give much away regarding his intentions this evening but the feeling here is in the absence of key players, he might start with a straight 4-4-2 rather than five in midfield, as he did at the World Cup, and as Dick Advocaat did in Dublin.
That would be more of a concern in the light of Trapattoni’s ongoing contention that the team is not well equipped to counter this system, but it is hard to imagine that they could be nearly so badly overrun as they were by the Russians.
If, on the other hand, they can hold their own in midfield and resist the temptation to start pumping the ball long again, there should be opportunities to unsettle a defence that looked a little disorganised in Armenia and does not look comfortable with players like Robbie Keane or Aiden McGeady running at them.
What goes without saying, of course, is Ireland will have to play a good deal better than they did four days ago if they are to get even a draw out of the game. But beating the Slovaks is not out of the question if the visitors can recover their rhythm and self-belief.
Though less animated than usual, Trapattoni maintained they can and insisted he was not put out by the criticism of him or his team.
The Italian, it has been variously argued, is stifling his players’ creativity with his negative tactics, confusing them with his somewhat jumbled attempts to convey them, or a mixture of the two.
The coach insisted, however, his system “does not close off creativity . . . it simply gives order to the picture.
“We have,” he insisted, “shown many times that we are a solid team with a good disposition and even without Duff, Hunt and other players, we are still solid.
“I don’t forbid them to play their game,” he continued. “I only look to give them confidence in their positions.
“If you have watched the games then you can say whether it’s true or not. You can draw your own conclusions.”
As for the criticism, the 71-year-old’s apparent nonchalance might be at odds with the way he has reacted to bad press on occasion in the past and he has tended to lay it on a little thick about how different Friday’s game might have been had Ireland’s early pressure yielded a goal.
Still, he really didn’t come across here like a man awake at night worrying about the unfavourable headlines.
“No, I am 30 years as a manager and I have had many, many, many good results as well as more and more criticism,” he said.
“Your job is to criticise and I understand that,” he continued. “The difference is I must decide about the game beforehand while you get to decide afterwards.”
Keane, meanwhile, weighed in in support of his manager when asked if the players understood the instructions given to them.
The Italian’s critics might well contend he could have said little else in the circumstances but the Spurs striker appeared to go some way beyond what was strictly necessary with the vehemence of his reply.
“We go into every game knowing exactly what we are supposed to do,” he insisted. “The manager has been in football for far longer than anyone in this room, he knows what he wants us to do when we go out for a game and we are fully aware of it too by the time we go out there.”
They will be aware too, by the sound of it, of the manager’s hope they will see this game as an opportunity for redemption.
“I asked Robbie, Shay and Kilbane have they lost in their lives,” revealed Trapattoni. “I’ve lost many but you must think about tomorrow and the next game.
“That is the winner’s mentality; not to go and cry about losing.”
There will, in any case, be time enough for both crying and recriminations if another three points are surrendered in Zilina tonight.
The Lowdown
2010 European Championship Qualifying
Slovakia v Republic of Ireland(in Zilina)
Kick-off: 7.30pm Irish time
Venue: Štadión MŠK Zilina
TV: Live RTÉ 2 & Sky Sports 3
Teams:
Slovakia (Probable):Mucha (Everton), Salata (S Bratislava), Zabavnik (Mainz), Durica (Loko Moscow), Hubocan (Zenit), Stoch (Fenerbahce) Weiss (Rangers), Hamsik (Napoli) Karhan (Mainz), Holosko (Besiktas) Sestak (Ankaragucu)
Republic of Ireland: Given (Man City), Kilbane (Hull City), O'Shea (Man Utd), St Ledger (Preston), Dunne (Aston Villa), McGeady (S Moscow), Lawrence* (Portsmouth), Whelan (Stoke), Green (Derby Co), Keane (Tottenham), Long (Reading)
* or Fahey (Birmingham City)
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