ITALY v REP OF IRELAND:JOURNALISTS ON these sorts of trips are rarely happier than when managers start bandying metaphors about in answer to questions ahead of big games and, to the delight of the assembled press, there were a few flying about at yesterday's pre-match press conferences in the San Nicola stadium.
Players, on the other hand, tend to trade in rather plainer language and it’s entirely possible that not one of the Ireland squad gazed down on the magnificent sight of the taller Alps breaking through a blanket of cloud during Monday’s flight from Dublin and even considered that nature itself might be telling them they would soon have a mountain of their own to climb.
Giovanni Trapattoni can be under no illusions about the difficulties that lie ahead this evening against the world champions, particularly after the loss of Aiden McGeady to injury yesterday.
But, perhaps realising he can do little more to hone the physical or technical aspects of their game, the Republic of Ireland manager appears to have worked hard at bolstering the confidence of his players, only a couple of whom have scaled anything like the heights being aimed for tonight.
Not for the first time Trapattoni compared the clash to the meeting of David and Goliath. The Italians have not lost a qualifying game at home since the defeat by Denmark just short of a decade ago and there is no great concern locally that the sequence might be ended by an Ireland team unaccustomed to springing unpleasant surprises on decent teams.
There is a hope amongst the travelling support that Ireland will benefit from the home side’s need to come out and attack but when a depleted Bulgaria side did precisely that in Dublin on Saturday night they managed to dominate the game for the first 45 minutes.
Failure to address some of the shortcomings of that performance is likely to be punished ruthlessly here and so the Irish must tighten up their defence in the full-back positions, close down central midfield – where Andrea Pirlo’s influence could prove more damaging than Stiliyan Petrov’s – far more effectively, play with more discipline on the wings and, above all, keep better possession of the ball.
It is a great deal of improvement to ask for in four days and the fear is Ireland will this evening prove incapable of preventing the Italians establishing a firm grip on the group’s top spot.
A draw certainly looks to be the limit of what Ireland can hope for.
They might take some encouragement from the fact the Italians conceded two points to opposition as modest as Lithuania back in September 2006 but since then only the French have equalled the feat of coming here and getting something from a competitive game.
While seated beside Trapattoni at a lively press conference, Robbie Keane did his best yesterday to reflect the veteran Italian’s stated confidence that the visitors can do just that tonight.
Asked about his side’s prospect of avoiding defeat, Keane insisted that against “supposedly” better sides, the Irish “always do well”. Sadly, the statistics really don’t bear the claim out but the game against France in Paris deservedly got a mention and the striker insisted that he couldn’t “see any reason why we can’t come here and get a result”.
Italy, it might be argued, are not at the top of their game right now and their win last weekend in Podgorica was scarcely a rout. A handful of talented players are unavailable due to injury and Marcello Lippi has doggedly refused to entertain the clamour for a return to the side for locally born star, Antonio Cassano.
Still, he finds himself in a position to make significant changes to the team that started against Montenegro without his line-up looking any less formidable. Giampaolo PazziniNobody doubts the resources at Lippi’s disposal are vastly superior to that of his opposite number.
If the Italians don’t fear the Irish players, though, they are clearly still wary of Trapattoni himself and, in a metaphor perhaps mangled in translation, Lippi spoke of the need to get the “cat in the sack” before talking of victory.
A win, though, is what the locals expect and as Peroni have timed the reopening of their fire-damaged brewery in the city (one of its major employers) to coincide with the game, the locals fully expect to have a double cause for celebration by the time the lights go out at the San Nicola tonight.
PROBABLE TEAMS
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND:Given (Manchester City); McShane (Sunderland), Dunne (Manchester City), O'Shea (Manchester Utd), Kilbane (Hull City); Keogh (Wolves), Whelan (Stoke City), Andrews (Blackburn), S Hunt (Reading); Keane (Tottenham), Doyle (Reading).
ITALY:Buffon (Juventus); Zambrotta (AC Milan), Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Chiellini (Juventus), Grosso (Olympique Lyonnais); De Rossi (Roma), Palombo (Sampdoria); Pirlo (Milan); Pepe (Udinese), Pazzini (Sampdoria), Rossi (Villareal).
Referee:Wolfgang Stark (Germany).
Venue:San Nicola Stadium, Bari Kick-off:Tonight, 7.50pm On TV:RTÉ Two
