Walters to partner Keane in attack

SOCCER: A MATTER of hours after Enda Kenny had announced that the "silly season" was over for the Irish Government, Giovanni Trapattoni signalled as much in relation to the Irish team too.

The manager had experimented a little in his last game and had done nothing to dampen the speculation about how he will handle his next one. But out in Malahide, where preparations for Friday’s opening World Cup qualifier were proceeding yesterday, it all took on a rather familiar appearance.

As recently as Sunday afternoon the Italian was still talking up the possibility of trying something along the lines of the side and system he had employed in Serbia.

But as yesterday’s training session wore on it was clear that his intention is to have the players do much what they doing before the summer break although, ideally, just a little better.

“We must play like we did in Serbia,” said the 73 year-old in reference to what he believes was a strong team performance, “and better than we did at the Europeans.”

The manager all but confirmed that Jonathan Walters will partner Robbie Keane up front, Simon Cox will start out wide on the right and James McCarthy will be in the centre alongside Glenn Whelan.

He repeatedly talked of having attacking players to the right and left of his captain and suggested the Nottingham Forest striker Cox “can smell a goal” – even, it seems, at quite a distance.

He’ll be hoping that between them his players can go one better and actually get a couple because anything less than a repeat of the win in Armenia with which his side kicked off their last campaign will leave Ireland, and quite possibly Trapattoni himself, under pressure from the outset of a campaign that will involve more daunting challenges further down the line.

If a win is a necessity then a composed and confident performance would be quite a bonus after the sustained mauling the team received during its time in Poland.

McCarthy’s performance in central midfield will be important as will Darren O’Dea’s and Keiren Westwood’s in defence and in goal respectively.

Almost all of the changes Trapattoni is set to make have, to one extent or another, been forced on the him by retirements, injuries or suspension but in the case of Walters, the Italian has simply opted to switch things around with Kevin Doyle set to start on the bench.

“At this moment yes (Walters is ahead of the Wolves striker) because he’s so strong physically. At his club he is used to working hard and moving from right to left but he challenges through the centre as well.

“I will ask him to spend all of his energy up front and then later we will have the opportunity to add pace through Long and Doyle. But we must exploit the strength of Walters and create opportunities for the others – Cox with Robbie  – because against Serbia Cox was one of our best.”

With Damien Duff gone (asked about a possible return Trapattoni said that his motto is to never say never and that he will try to speak with the Fulham player over the coming weeks although he didn’t sound too hopeful of success) Aiden McGeady will start on the other flank.

James McClean remains a slight doubt even with regard to the final squad for the game as the winger’s involvement yesterday was again curtailed by a sore throat.

The Sunderland player will almost certainly make the plane to Astana this morning and will most likely make the bench once there.

But even before he was hit by a bug that had also affected Westwood over the weekend, his chances of playing looked slim with both Trapattoni and Marco Tardelli suggesting that they consider him too inexperienced to assume major responsibility at this level for the moment.

At the back, Stephen Ward retains his place despite the looming challenge of Marc Wilson and Darren O’Dea comes in for the injured Richard Dunne. The Dubliner will partner Sean St Ledger who seemed to be completely over his knee injury yesterday.

“The club doctor said to me ‘the knee is very dangerous’ but St Ledger said ‘it’s not too bad’, and after the scan he said to me that he needed only a week. He then said that he would play 100 per cent against Kazakhstan. He is fantastic and gives me trust.”

In Given’s absence, Westwood will have to show that he can inspire some of that, a precious enough commodity for the team as it embarks on its campaign to qualify for Brazil.

His Sunderland team-mate, John O’Shea, seems to have few worries, though, with the former Manchester United defender certain, it seems, that Ireland’s new number one is up to the task.

“I know Keiren quite well,” he said, “and you saw in Serbia and the last qualifying campaign, when he did fantastically well, that he’s more than capable of doing it.

“He’ll give a lot of confidence to the team. It’s not just being in goal saving shots, his delivery with his left foot is fantastic and he could be one of our secret weapons.

“We’re used to hearing a Donegal accent screaming at us but we know that Westy is just as loud. We’re were sick of his voice at the end of games but that’s what you want as a defender from a keeper,” added the Waterford-born Sunderland central defender.”