SOCCER:LITTLE BITS of history were colliding here in Liege yesterday with a team representing the Republic of Ireland returning, ahead of tonight's game with Italy, to the Belgian city where, back in 1928, the then "Free State" secured its first win in an officially recognised game.
Giovanni Trapattoni is also revisiting the place where, as a 15-year-old, he made his international debut for Italy and for good measure Paul McShane will captain his country for the first time.
Italy coach Cesare Prandelli features in Trapattoni’s past life, too, having played under the 72-year-old during their days at Juventus.
However, the man who has restored the fortunes of the Azzurri since what was by their standards a disastrous World Cup in South Africa last year revealed that the pair maintain a connection in the present as well.
“How could I do without Trap’s advice?” he asked warmly when quizzed on whether the pair still keep in touch.
To judge by his record since taking the helm with the Italians last year, Prandelli may have little to learn from his mentor and the fear is that not even Trapattoni will have accumulated enough wisdom over the years to prevent his seriously weakened side being taught something of a lesson at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne.
The Italians, for a start, retain five of the players who began Friday’s 3-0 qualifying defeat of Estonia in Modena and another couple who were involved while Ireland will, if Stephen Hunt fails a fitness test this morning, have just two of Saturday’s starting line-up from Skopje.
Both sides, as it happens, bring a bit of form into a game for which some 12,000 tickets had been sold as of yesterday, but Ireland will do well to maintain their recent run of clean sheets even against an Italian side that includes only four players – the veteran Andrea Pirlo amongst them – who have previously scored for their country.
Trapattoni named a side that includes Séamus Coleman, Stephen Ward and David Forde while Seán St Ledger returns and Darren O’Dea and Hunt both face late fitness tests.
Keith Andrews is retained while Andy Keogh, who was taken off early when he faced Italy in the 1-1 draw in Bari, returns to the attack alongside Shane Long. All can benefit individually from strong performances but any sort of collective result would, one suspects, be viewed as a major bonus, not least by Trapattoni himself who guided Ireland to two draws in the two nation’s most recent competitive meetings.
“It’s another opportunity for us to look at our options,” said Trapattoni who confirmed t there will be another on August 10th when Croatia visit the Aviva Stadium.
He also talked at length of his sadness over the ongoing corruption scandal afflicting the game in Italy during a lively press conference.
Precisely how many of tonight’s starting line-up feature in the far more important games which follow against Slovakia and Russia is another thing, although Andrews and St Ledger seem likely if fit and there are other contenders, including Coleman and Ward.
Tonight’s skipper, one suspects, is something of an outsider. After an acclaimed entry to the international stage nearly five years ago when he starred on his debut against the Czech Republic just days after Ireland had been run ragged in Cyprus, McShane has struggled at times to maintain his standing with the Irish public and press.
Barely a week ago a portion of the crowd at the Aviva Stadium chanted “Messi” at him after he startled both Ireland supporters and Scotland players with a burst of speed and some clever footwork to set up Robbie Keane’s goal in the final game of the Carling Nations Cup.
And around about the same time he felt moved to observe in a media interview that when he plays for his country “I am representing youse lot . . . people I have grown up with and my family . . . whether you (the press) like it or not sometimes”.
On a personal level there is certainly nothing to dislike about the Hull City player as he has always appeared an agreeable character intent on giving his best for the Irish cause.
So, a day after 13 of the squad played golf to raise money for charity in memory of his father, the former Dublin senior hurler Seán who died suddenly just over a year ago, the news that the defender will start his 24th game for Ireland as captain was greeted with some warmth.
The slightly ironic aspect of it all seemed to be that Trapattoni said his intention had been to give the armband to whichever player in the starting line-up for this evening’s game had the most caps.
Hunt trumps the Hull City player on that front but is a doubt and as a captain had to be produced for a press conference before training, it is just possible McShane will wear the armband because of the media, who have been so critical of him in the past.
The 25-year-old seemed unconcerned by the reasoning and spoke with some conviction of his pride at receiving the honour.
After a difficult year on all fronts and with his future uncertain at Hull, it would be wonderful if he could defy the sceptics and play a stormer.
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Forde (Millwall); McShane (Hull City), St Ledger (Preston North End), O’Dea (Celtic) or Kelly (Fulham), Ward (Wolves); Coleman (Everton), Andrews (Blackburn Rovers), Foley (Wolves), Hunt (Wolves) or Lawrence (Portsmouth); Keogh (Wolves), Long (Reading).
ITALY: Viviano (Bologna); Cassani (Palermo), Gamberini (Fiorentina), Chiellini (Juventus), Criscito (Genoa); Marchisio (Juventus), Pirlo (Juventus); Nocerino (Palermo); Montolivo (Fiorentina); Rossi (Villareal), Pazzini (Internazionale).
Referee: Serge Gumienny.
Assistants: Frank Bleyen, Mark Simons Christof Virant (all Belgium).
