Falling into the Trap

Ger McCarthy
TONIGHT'S party atmosphere at a packed Aviva Stadium will prove the perfect finale for an Irish team and manager who have negotiated a tricky qualifying campaign to make it through to Euro 2012.
A tweet posted on Twitter earlier this morning suggested the Irish economy would make a quick 400 million by betting our 80 billion bailout fund on Ireland qualifying for Poland and Ukraine at odds of 2,000/1 on with Paddy Power. An even wiser tweeter suggested sticking one billion of our funds on Estonia causing a shock result tonight after getting Giovanni Trapattoni to throw the game so as to bring in a return on odds of 500/1.
Joking aside, the Republic of Ireland should sail through tonight's second leg having done all the hard work in their memorable 4-0 victory in Tallinn on Friday. Giovanni Trapattoni has many reasons to be cheerful as his adopted country will be involved in a European Championships for the first time since 1988 and should secure the Italian a contract extension he has been anxious to sign with FAI for some time.
Once tonight's festivities have concluded, the serious work of preparing for next summer's tournament will begin in earnest. The draw for Euro 2012 takes place on December 2nd with the final pot seedings not determined until all of the play-off second legs are completed. Irrespective of those results, Ireland faces a difficult task in overcoming potential opponents such as (worst case scenario) Spain, Germany and Croatia or (best case scenario) Ukraine, Russia and Greece. The permutations of next summer's tournament line-up will dominate the media in the weeks ahead and Giovanni Trapattoni will certainly earn the extra Euros from his extended FAI contract in what is a crucial time for Irish football.
So what does the Irish manager need to accomplish between now and Euro 2012 to enhance the Republic of Ireland's prospect of immediate and future success?

Blood new talent
THE Republic of Ireland's starting eleven practically picks itself these days with Given, O'Shea, Ward, Dunne, St. Ledger, Duff, McGeady, Andrews, Whelan, Doyle and Keane regularly filling Trapattoni's initial team-sheet. A regular criticism of Trapattoni has been the fact the Italian picks players who perform best in an Irish jersey for him irrespective of their club form. Jon Walters is a case in point with the in-form Stoke City striker having to wait until a suspension for Kevin Doyle and injury to Shane Long allowed the burly forward a place in the starting line-up.
A series of friendly internationals in the New Year and spring offers Trapattoni the chance to give the likes of Walters, Wayne Hennessy, James McCarthy, Simon Cox and especially Seamus Coleman some badly needed game time. It is not just a case of throwing in untried talent though, Trapattoni has to find the right mix / blend of experience and newcomers to get the optimum from his squad before they fly out to Poland / Ukraine.

Experiment with a new formation (some chance!)
A RIGID 4-4-2 formation served Ireland well in the qualifying phase until they came up against a decent Russian side that exposed Trapattoni's old school approach. Over-reliance on our 4-4-2 setup and a regular first eleven makes Ireland an easy to analyse and an alternative system needs to be tested before Euro 2012 rolls around.
There is no reason not to try a 3-5-2 with our full backs given licence to move forward (for a change) as well as defend while a 4-3-3 formation might get the best out of McGeady and Duff in a more advanced positions higher up the pitch. The bottom line is that something new or a 'Plan B' needs to be put in place considering the quality of opposition that will be encountered next summer.
Jack Charlton's downfall as Irish manager came about once International teams finally worked out how to repel our long ball game. Giovanni Trapattoni cannot fall into the trap of relying on his antiquated 4-4-2 as all the top international sides can seamlessly change from a fluid 3-5-2 to a 4-5-1 if necessary. The New Year offers Ireland's manager a chance to settle on a much needed 'Plan B'.

Do not accept another glorious failure
ALMOST every Irish sporting side that has returned from an international tournament was afforded a heroes' welcome despite rarely getting close to actually winning anything. It is an Irish trait to celebrate the fact our plucky stars 'gave it their all' and 'just fell short' but still managed to 'do their country proud'. The list of clichés is endless.
Giovanni Trapattoni faces the onerous task of negotiating a difficult tournament full of international sides ranked higher than the Republic of Ireland as well as having to deal with a public desperate for a return to the glory days of Euro 88 and Italia 90. There is a danger the Irish players could become side-tracked by the inevitable sponsorship opportunities, corporate junkets and potential book deals that will come with qualifying for major finals.
Trapattoni's most important job is to prepare his side as professionally as possible and go to Poland/Ukraine looking to progress from their group as a minimum requirement. Let the public create and indulge in the hype that will surround travelling to and simply being a part of Euro 2012. The Irish manager must ensure his squad is shielded from the madness and do themselves justice at the tournament.
The Republic of Ireland should aspire to be remembered for their football at Euro 2012 and not just the fact we possess the best fans in the world.
*Follow Ger on Twitter: @offecntrecircle

Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/2N_D8Qo4IJ0/post.aspx

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