Make or Break for Trap’s Irish Army

So Ireland is once again heading into the final group game of a qualifying campaign needing a result to guarantee a playoff position. Here we go again? Surely not.

Ireland are a neutral country, always have been always will be. We are the nation everyone loves to love and a country many claim to ascend from. Unfortunately, we are also a country whose subconscious mind dreads two words – a playoff.

It’s been over two years since Ireland were controversially denied a place in the World Cup by Thierry Henry’s infamous handball, and yes we have accepted that it is time to move on. However, the heartache for the Irish soccer team stretches back a lot further than a cheating French man.

The glory days of Jack Charlton are a fond and distant memory, as are the not so shabby days under (love him or hate him) Mick McCarthy. This situation is familiar as Ireland has been in this predicament before i.e. enduring a hard fought out campaign in which they should have done better, but cannot be faulted on effort.

It is this kind of mentality that got under the skin of a certain Roy Keane and although his approach and behaviour was wrong in Saipan, the United legend does have a point. Ireland lack a killer mentality and that is the biggest worry heading into next Tuesday’s make or break clash with Armenia.

An even bigger worry is that following Russia’s victory away to Slovakia; a draw is all Ireland need to qualify for the playoff stages of Euro 2012. Trapattoni has been quick to reiterate that Ireland will not play for a draw as he never sets his team out to play in that matter. While this may be somewhat true in the back of the Italian’s mind, his number one intention is always to avoid defeat.

And who are we to complain with Ireland boasting an impressive eight consecutive clean sheets and currently one point away from the qualifying stages of a major tournament. We would have taken that at the start of the campaign right, or is this the exact mentality that has prevented us from topping the group? Ask Eamon Dunphy and I am sure his answer would be yes. The simple matter of fact is we are where we are, and we must get on with it.

Armenia is similar to Ireland; they are no great side but they have proved in this campaign that they have a lot of heart. They have also proved that can play football and get a result. They are faster, fitter and they are a proud nation who will give everything in Dublin on Tuesday night. But so is Ireland and like or loathe his approach, Trapattoni has given us a winning mentality and belief that has been missing for years gone by.

There is no point in hoping for a last minute enthusiastic attacking midfield approach because it just will not happen. Ireland will go out with the same mentality on Tuesday night; hard to break down, defensively solid and attacking on the counter attack in particular on the wings. It has got us this far and there is no point changing it now.

If everyone plays to the best of their ability on Tuesday night then Ireland will be in the draw for the playoffs. If the big players such as O’Shea, Dunne, McGeady, Keane etc, do not play to their standards then Ireland will be in trouble. It is imperative that Ireland start brightly and treat the game as an away fixture as that is when they play their best.

Trap’s army must put Armenia under pressure and not allow them to play their game. Andorra came to the Aviva and scored, which suggests that Armenia definitely have a goal in them. It is therefore important that Ireland score first, preferably early to avoid nerves. The bench may have a significant role to play Tuesday night with the likes of Hunt, Long, McCarthy and Walters offering attacking options to call upon.

There will be a tense atmosphere in the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday night, and once again it is make or break for Ireland.

We’ve heard this song before; hopefully this time it will consist of Ole Ole Ole.

Irish Nerves Got the Better of Trapattoni’s Team

It was built as a must win game, and following an impressive run of results which saw Ireland defeat Italy in their own back garden, the Irish public were genuinely confident of a victory against the Slovakians. However, the dire first half performance against the Slovaks brought the Aviva stadium crashing back down to earth with a bang. 

Trapattoni has long been criticised for his negative type of football, particularly his continued trust in the pairing of Glen Whelan and Keith Andrews in central midfield.The decision by the experienced tactician to omit the highly rated James McCarthy from the squad altogether, came as a huge surprise considering the lack of creativity Ireland possess in the middle of the park.The lacklustre showing by the Irish in the opening 45 minutes is a direct result of the Irish team lacking a player to take the game by the scruff off the neck. 

This is where Whelan and Andrews failed dramatically, and not only in this department.Trapattoni is a classic Italian tactician and likes his central midfielders to be defensive, which in turn allows his wingers to get forward and be creative. The Irish public have grown accustomed to this, however, Whelan and Andrews did not even do their defensive duties on Friday night.Whelan will struggle to get into the Stoke team this season, and Andrews who has been shipped off by Blackburn of all teams to Ipswich on loan, had all the signs of a Championship player on Friday night.

Their roles are quite simple, break up the play of the opposition and give the ball to the Irish players who can actually play football. For this to happen, it would entail either of them looking for the ball from the Irish defence, and spreading it out to one of the wingers or the front two, neither of them did this and therefore Ireland were stuck with long balls from the defence. Andrews and Whelan might have been forgiven of this had they put in a good defensive display, although this was most certainly not the case. Both of these players did not press the Slovakian midfield, and they did not attempt to win the ball back; they merely stood off their opponents and let them play the ball around and dominate possession.

This kind of performance from the midfield duo will be punished in Russia should it happen again. On the other hand, Ireland’s second half improvement should not be overlooked, particularly the performances of Damien Duff and the work rate of McGeady, Ward, St Ledger and Dunne. Duff presented Robbie Keane with a sensational cross in the second half, and all the La Galaxy man had to do was direct the ball into the net from five yards. However, the Tallaght man must have been thinking of Hollywood, as he could only direct his header over the bar.

To the dismay of many Irish people, Keane is not to blame for the result, as Richard Dunne also missed a clear cut header in the dieing seconds of the game. The overall performance was not good enough and the team selection must be come under evaluation, in particular O’Shea and Andrews, who did not look fit and had their worst performances in a green shirt to date.However, all is not lost and per usual Ireland have the chance to go out on Tuesday night with their backs to the wall and put in a excellent away performance against the Russians in Moscow. 

Ireland play their best football away from home, and Russia are not exactly a super power in world football at the moment.Trapattoni will need to dust his side down, and instil a winning mentality within the Irish side. Ireland’s style of play could work in their favour Tuesday night, and it would not be a surprise should they come away from Moscow with a result.

On the other hand, the harsh reality for Irish fans is should  Ireland not get three points against the Russians, then they find themselves in third place with a tricky tie against Armenia to come also. It’s all down to Italian tactician now to prepare his Ireland side as best he can, just like he did against Italy and France in the previous campaign. All the Irish public can do is hope for a repeat performance of those ties, and three points to go with it. 

It may be otugh, but try and look at the glass half full; it could taste nice on Tuesday night.