AS BULGARIAN boss Stanimir Stoilov scoured his contacts book yesterday in search of strikers still fit and available for Saturday’s World Cup qualifier at Croke Park, Giovanni Trapattoni insisted that Shay Given and Aiden McGeady will arrive into Dublin today to complete his Irish squad.
With the rest of the panel having come through yesterday’s first training session of the week at Malahide without any problems, Trapattoni appeared unconcerned by the fact that both men had stayed on at their clubs for an additional day of treatment on shoulder and foot injuries respectively.
Neither’s injury is felt to be too serious and while Richard Dunne suggested that Given would not train before Thursday, the Italian said the goalkeeper, whose performances have been of critical importance to the Ireland team’s fortunes on so many occasions in the past, had assured him since the weekend he will be fit and available to play.
“Tomorrow they will be with us and I hope that Saturday they will play, I think that they will be ready,” said Trapattoni whose most pressing concern after a prolonged spell out on a wind swept training ground yesterday appeared to be the biting cold.
He can count himself lucky for Stoilov’s problems were mounting over the course of yesterday as the loss of Dimitar Berbatov was compounded by the near certain withdrawal of Manchester City striker Valeri Bojinov and the refusal of Hertha Berlin to allow one of their frontmen, Valeri Domovchiyski, to join the squad because they had not been given the required notice.
If, as expected, Bojinov’s hamstring problem does rule him out then Stoilov will have only two strikers – Ivelin Popov and Dimitar Rangelov – left from his original squad and the recently appointed coach has sought to plug the gap by calling up uncapped Dimitar Makriev of Israeli club Ashdod, with Lokomotiv Sofia’s Martin Kamburov still in contention to be added over the next 24 hours or so.
All of which seemed to be good enough news from an Irish point of view until Kevin Doyle briefly raised the possibility of a surprise return by Berbatov last night in a television interview.
When it was put to the Irishman that the Manchester United striker’s absence would boost the chances of a home win this weekend, Doyle suggested that nothing should be taken for granted.
“I was just talking to John O’Shea,” he said “and whether they’re missing Berbatov or not, we don’t know yet. He said you never know, he might make a late appearance. Hopefully they are missing him, he’s their best player so every little helps.”
A brief period of panic followed amongst the Irish media with some frantic calls being made to Bulgarian colleagues who provided welcome reassurance that Berbatov is indeed sidelined for at least two weeks.
Any change to the striker’s status would certainly have come as a blow to Trapattoni who acknowledged that the star’s absence would be a good thing, as long, he noted, as it does not lead to any complacency amongst the Irish players.
“Berbatov,” he said, “is a very, very important player but in my experience we have been missing very experienced players and still won games. We have to remember that they have other strong players. We cannot think it will be an easy game because they are missing Berbatov.
“It is important, though,” he added. “He is one of those Bulgarian players who can appear to do little at times, the Montenegrans have some too, but they are creative. They can just get into the game in one split second and turn it. For me it’s better that they stay out and not play because they have the possibility to make a big difference.”
The prospect of Italy dropping points in Podgorica this weekend, Trapattoni insisted, was little more than wishful thinking. What is of critical importance, he insisted, is that Ireland match their result so as to go to Bari next week on level terms with their Group Eight rivals.
“Every coach hopes that Italy will not win but they will win,” he said. “What’s important is our game. I think we can go to Bari equal with Italy. It won’t be easy because they have 30 good players so it’s important for us to go there without injuries. But psychologically, it’s most important that we go there on level terms.”
To achieve the win, he believes, his players will have to reproduce the sort of display they managed in the second half against Georgia last month.
They will also, it seems clear, have to avoid the sort of defending that left them trailing early on and the Italian might yet change things at the back in order to tighten things up.
Paul McShane has seen little action since returning to Sunderland but he could return. However, Stephen Kelly and Kevin Foley are also in contention to fill in for Steve Finnan at right back. “We have options,” he said, “Kelly, Foley or Paul McShane.
“I can also play O’Shea there and McShane at centre half or Kelly like last time. I’ll look at everybody’s condition and maybe on Friday I’ll decide.”
Ultimately, he concluded, the aim will be to build on last weekend’s Irish triumphs in Cardiff and Dublin.
“I wish to congratulate my colleage Declan Kidney,” he said, “and also the boxer, the world champion, Bernard Dunne, because these two great successes are good news for us too. We hope to follow their successes with two of our own.”
