Trapattoni points to basic errors

SOCCER INTERNATIONAL NEWS:As he heads off back to Italy, the Irish manager admits to growing frustration, writes Emmet Malone

HAVING PARTED company with his players for the final time this year, Giovanni Trapattoni has admitted to being frustrated at times by the basic errors that are still proving costly for the Irish team almost three years after the Italian took charge with the intention of sorting out the “little details”.

Trapattoni pointed to the failure of half of his wall – a trio of players consisting of Shane Long, Kevin Doyle and Greg Cunningham – to jump as Morten Gamst Pedersen directed his 34th-minute free-kick towards the top left corner of Ireland’s goal as potentially having been an important factor in the concession of Norway’s first goal on Wednesday night. He also mentioned Cunningham’s poor attempt to challenge Bjorn Helge Riise early in the move that led to the second as another costly mistake.

The 71-year-old said that he had repeatedly spent extended periods on the training ground with individuals and groups of players addressing problems he had identified but admitted that he had still been disappointed about having to talk to a player about turning away from an opponent’s cross in the Norway game. “I told him: ‘It’s not a shooting star’,” he said.

“I said before that the children from southern Italy or Napoli, they are not smarter (than their Irish counterparts) but we pay attention to every little detail and situation. And there are many situations that determine a game.”

Trapattoni criticised the tendency of some Irish players to pass the ball and then turn away rather than seeking to stay involved in a move, make themselves available to take possession back in a better position or, when it is lost, to try to win the ball back.

He also lamented the fact that Ireland had again conceded late on against the Norwegians and insisted that he had been at pains to impress upon the players the need to stay focused until the final whistle.

“We told the players that in the last minutes they must have more concentration because we see the games in England where there are so many goals in the last few minutes. That’s because they are tired and think the game is finished. Only when the final whistle comes, we told them, can they relax.”

The problems, he suggested, are unlikely to be addressed when so many of his players are struggling to get regular football with their clubs in England.

Reflecting on a year in which his team won four and lost four of nine games, a sequence that included a good win in Armenia and a disappointing home defeat to Russia, he said: “I said before that we needed not to have injuries. But in the second six months of the year we had many situations. Players change clubs and I don’t know why but some don’t play with their clubs.”

He was careful subsequently not to overtly suggest that some players should move in January and pointedly reiterated the view that the likes of Robbie Keane and Shay Given should get games with their clubs if they are patient.

Given’s attitude continued, he observed in any case, to be extremely positive and he said that he appreciated the way in which his senior players did their best to travel for every international game. “It is important to have this pride because the manager needs these players,” he said.

“There are those in the selection who say: “I stay at home, my son is ill, I stay at home. I don’t need these players. Not Shay, not Duff; these have a fantastic mentality and if they have an injury it is okay. I see Shay in training, he works like a young 20-year-old.”

It was subsequently denied that the manager was deliberately referring in any way to Darron Gibson, who missed this week’s game because, he informed Trapattoni, his daughter was ill and he wanted to remain in Manchester in order to be with her.

“I think this year was positive, though, because we discovered and spoke about Coleman, Walters, Fahey and Cunningham. The new players have potential. And Long has been playing more in the last three months with his club; this is important.”

Trapattoni’s failure to hand Séamus Coleman his first senior cap on Wednesday night was widely criticised while his decision to move Stephen Kelly to centre back when bringing on Kevin Foley for Darren O’Dea rather than also giving Marc Wilson a run out might actually have been more bewildering.

But the Italian defended himself yesterday on the basis that he felt his team still had a chance of securing a morale-boosting win over Norway so he had wanted to stick with more experienced players late on.

He also repeated his previously stated opinion that too much of Coleman’s first-team experience at Everton has been coming as a right-sided midfielder and that he would like to see the teenager get more experience defending as it is at right-back that the manager sees his immediate international future lying.

Trapattoni, meanwhile, was linked once again by sections of the Italian media with the Inter Milan job in the event that Rafa Benitez is sacked in the coming weeks as a result of the team’s poor run of results but the 71-year-old laughed the idea off.

“I waited for this question,” he said with a chuckle. “I am proud to be here with Ireland and I wish to finish the job here, and that is to get the qualification.”

THE YEAR IN NUMBERS

Record: P9 W4 D1 L4 F13 A11.

Players used: 30.

Most appearances: 8– Whelan, Keane and O'Shea; 7– Lawrence, Given, St Ledger, Doyle, Green and Fahey; 6– Kilbane and McGeady; 5– Kelly, Duff, Gibson and Dunne.

Most capped players at year end: Given (109), Kilbane (108), Keane (105).

Number of consecutive competitive games Kevin Kilbane has started: 64.

New caps: 7 – James McCarthy (Brazil, March 2nd); Paul Green, Cillian Sheridan and Keith Fahey (all Paraguay, May 25th); Greg Cunningham (Algeria, May 28th); Keith Treacy (Argentina, August 11th); Jonathan Walters (Norway, Nov 17th). Scorers: Keane (4), Doyle and Long (2), Lawrence, Green, Fahey, Kilbane and St Ledger (1 each).