WORLD CUP 2010 PLAY-OFF REPUBLIC OF IRELAND SQUAD:FRANCE MAY have half a dozen world-class strikers to call upon for the World Cup play-offs next month but Giovanni Trapattoni insisted yesterday the former world champions have vulnerabilities too that the Republic of Ireland can exploit to book their place at next summer's tournament finals in South Africa.
They’ll have to do it, though, without either Steven Reid or Steve Finnan, both of whom have been omitted by the Italian for the games at Croke Park and the Stade de France on November 14th and 18th respectively.
Finnan said earlier this week he still wasn’t sure how long it would take him to get back to full fitness but the fact he had played in Portsmouth’s last three league games had been generally seen as enough to prompt a recall.
Trapattoni thought otherwise and has also passed over Reid in the wake of the player’s failure to feature against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last weekend, a game the Ireland manager attended.
Reid, who said last week he was hoping to be recalled, has since played 70 minutes for Rovers in the League Cup win over Peterborough with the 28-year-old scoring from the penalty spot as Rovers comfortably progressed to the quarter-finals but Trapattoni insisted he has not done enough to prove he can contribute in such important matches, somewhat dismissively referring to his having played just “20 minutes in an easy game.
“These two games, this play-off, is 90 (minutes) and 90 against a strong team,” he continued.
“Our team now is a good team because it is in balance and all the players are in good condition at the moment. I can’t change the team now. Maybe after the play-offs, but not now. Yes, we follow him but I need, we need, players who play, play, play now. If in the future other players are fit and ready, we haven’t a problem.”
There followed an attempt to clarify the recent “misunderstanding” in relation to Reid’s longer-term prospects of achieving a sustained period in the wake of several difficult seasons for the former Millwall midfielder but it was not entirely successful.
Trapattoni appeared to claim his comments were misreported while also suggesting he had been misled before observing that Liam Brady has spoken to Reid who now knows what was intended.
Asked if he had spoken to Sam Allardyce about it all, Trapattoni said he knew of the Blackburn manager but did not actually know him and seemed entirely happy that no direct contact was necessary.
“What disturbed me was when I read what I didn’t say,” he said. “My meaning may have been misunderstood. We followed him but he didn’t play. He played only an easy game. Our doctor asked and the situation was the same.
“I cannot answer today what my colleague said in England,” he added in relation to Allardyce. “I can ask him why he didn’t play. Why? He can say he doesn’t play because of this, this or this. I don’t need to answer this. Steve knows what I meant. Steve knows what I said to him before the holiday. Steve knows what our doctor said. Steve . . . spoke with Liam last week. He knows. He knows.”
Also out for the forthcoming games are Caleb Folan and Noel Hunt with Darren O’Dea and Anthony Stokes included but Trapattoni played down the significance of the peripheral comings and goings, preferring to concentrate on the fact that as things stand his first-choice team will be available to him, a key factor against opposition that includes so many talented individuals.
“Every time there are games in England, I pray that our players are alright because this group knows what I expect of them and that is important,” he said.
“They (France) have four, five, six strikers but we are compact, that is our strength and I believe in my heart that we can win, that football allows us to win.
“Maybe (Franck) Ribery is a problem for them, he is a strong player, he can make a difference during a game but they have other options, we know that.
“They have six strikers who need only one chance to score and we know that we scored only a few goals in the group but we did not concede so many while they drew some of their games 1-1.
“They have the stars but we are strong and like us they finished second in their group.
“I think that all of the teams in these play-offs will be on the same level.”
France’s problems in the group stages were certainly at the defensive side of the operation and asked whether the team might be a little unbalanced, as he has previously suggested Manchester City are, due to the predominance of attacking talent, he replied: “It’s like Real Madrid, they play with five offensive players but they are not top of the table. Why? Today a team needs balance and the attacking players need to know that they must defend too.
“They have weaknesses, even in the game against Austria (this month’s 3-1 win at Saint Denis) they had some issues. There are situations where we can create difficulties for them and I will tell my players what these are when we meet.”
Raymond Domenech, who names his squad next Thursday, might also have spotted an Irish weakness or two to share with his players when they get together ahead of the trip to Dublin.
World Cup 2010 Play-off Republic Of Ireland Squad
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND(v France at Croke Park on November 14th and Stade de France on November 18th)
GOALKEEPERS:Shay Given (Manchester City), Keiren Westwood (Coventry City), Joe Murphy (Scunthorpe United)
DEFENDERS:John OShea (Manchester United), Richard Dunne (Aston Villa), Stephen Kelly (Fulham), Kevin Kilbane (Hull City), Eddie Nolan (Preston North End), Sean St Ledger (Middlesbrough), Paul McShane (Hull City), Darren ODea (Reading)
Midfielders:Aiden McGeady (Celtic), Damien Duff (Fulham), Darron Gibson (Manchester United), Glenn Whelan (Stoke City), Keith Andrews (Blackburn Rovers), Liam Miller (Hibernian), Stephen Hunt (Hull City), Andy Keogh (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Liam Lawrence (Stoke City)
FORWARDS:Kevin Doyle (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Robbie Keane (Tottenham Hotspur), Shane Long (Reading), Leon Best (Coventry City), Anthony Stokes (Hibernian)
