The arrival of Ireland at their first international tournament for ten years was met by a tall order given their group. However, followers of the team had faith in Trapattoni and the squad, as proving loyal to a defensively disciplined and organised philosophy would stand them in good stead even against some of the world’s best.
In reality,Ireland were hugely underwhelming to say the least. So much so that former captain and now ITV pundit Roy Keane reacted by wholeheartedly criticising his national team. The failure to give any youngsters a chance and rely on the same names angered Keane, and in recent days a press war between Trapattoni and Keane has been centre stage in the Irish sporting word.
Following their humiliation, the Ireland team now need to focus on qualification for the next World Cup. The persistence of sticking with the same names irrespective of form is a valid point from Keane, as Damien Duff, Robbie Keane and Aiden McGeady have all found themselves consistently in Ireland’s starting line up, and Euro 2012 demonstrated their poor form of late. Qualification for the 2014 World Cup could come as a good platform to switch the emphasis of the team to the development of younger players.
The likes of Darron Gibson, James McClean and Shane Long have demonstrated for their club teams their huge potential, something yet to be exercised by Trapattoni at international level.
A friendly against Serbia is the only friendly game Ireland will play prior to their 2014 World Cup qualifiers away to Kazakhstan and home to Germany in September and October. Giovanni Trapattoni’s signing of a new deal prior to Euro 2012 will ensure he remains likely to be in charge for the foreseeable future, and he would do well to listen to Roy Keane’s advice in attempting to oversee a transitional period for the men in green.
To use James McClean as an example, he is a hugely exciting prospect for many Irish fans who were expecting the European Championships to be the opportunity for him to announce himself onto the wider footballing stage. Trapattoni persisted in selecting Damien Duff, and McClean has thus far only played for 14 minutes, coming on during the thrashing from Spain. With such raw talent, McClean is an example of the kind of player Trapattoni should now look to foster into becoming a star for his country.
Ireland fans may have to suffer in the short team should a period of transition ensue, but the 2014 World cup qualification campaign is just the platform for Ireland to make some much needed changes in terms of playing personnel. To eliminate those who have underperformed in the past and replace them with hungry and potential filled players could serve Ireland well in the long term.
Who’d have thought that maybe Roy Keane was right about his national team for once?
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