ANDORRA V REP OF IRELAND: OFFICIALLY, THERE were no clues from the management team yesterday on how the Republic of Ireland will approach Friday's European Championship qualifying game in Andorra, but on the training ground in Malahide there were definite signs that Giovanni Trapattoni's team was taking shape, with the only surprise coming in midfield where Keith Fahey appears to be shaping up to replace Glenn Whelan.
When asked about other aspects of the “probables” in the training game, Marco Tardelli insisted that nothing has been decided yet, but the presence of John O’Shea at right back, Darren O’Dea alongside Seán St Ledger and Kevin Doyle up front with Robbie Keane were all taken as fairly firm indications of the manager’s thinking at this stage of the week.
All were much in line with expectations too which is more than could be said for Fahey’s involvement alongside Keith Andrews at the heart of the team.
The 28-year-old’s inclusion for a game in which the only serious concern should be how the Irish are going to open up their hosts would make perfect sense, though, as Fahey’s range of passing, ability at set-pieces and eye for goal should bring more to the occasion than a second holding midfielder.
By Trapattoni’s standards, though, it would represent a slightly adventurous move given the Italian’s tendency to rely on his most tried and trusted players in important games.
Elsewhere, the veteran coach’s various comments after Moscow and since linking up with his squad this week have pointed to starts for O’Dea and Doyle, although switching O’Shea to the centre and bringing in Stephen Kelly still remain a possibility, as does starting Shane Long in attack.
Tardelli, inevitably, was vague about the likely starting line-up, but he did confirm that O’Shea’s fitness is not seen as an issue after he played a full part in training yesterday and St Ledger is expected to shake off a recent knock.
Despite Fahey’s role in training, Trapattoni’s assistant insisted that the approach employed by the management team would have a familiar look to it.
“We will play like the other matches because we have good balance with this system,” he said. “It is not just defensive because we have two strikers and two wide offensive players. I think it’s right for us.”
Still, with space bound to be limited on what is said to be a small pitch with a poor surface, the Irish will not want to be overly reliant on runs made by their wide men when it comes to securing a breakthrough.
Fahey’s selection would also make sense given Whelan is one of half a dozen players currently on a yellow card who would miss the potentially decisive encounter with Armenia in Dublin next Tuesday if he was to pick up another booking.
Tardelli played down this aspect of things too, but he did readily acknowledge the potential pitfalls of a game like this one.
“I remember when I was a player some of the games against the ‘weaker’ teams,” he said. “I drew against Cyprus one time, I drew against Malta. That was the Cyprus of many years ago, now it’s a very good team. But if we are concentrated in this match it’s possible to win. And we must win. We must win.”
Venue:Estadi Communal, Kick-off: 8.30pm, Friday, On TV: RTÉ 2:
