LIAM MACKEY: Trap looking after number one
Inevitably, the manager’s apparently lukewarm response to Given’s desire to come out of retirement has been interpreted in some quarters as a snub yet, as is so often the case with the Italian, there was a studied ambiguity to his comments about the veteran keeper which suggested the door is still on the latch rather than slammed shut.
While it’s true Trapattoni answered in the negative when asked directly if Given would reclaim the number one slot for the World Cup qualifiers in March, it would hardly have sent out the appropriate signal to Keiren Westwood, in particular, had the manager given any other reply.
Managing the competing expectations of squad players is a juggling act which all coaches must master and, given how injury can quickly change the picture, it doesn’t pay to be giving hostages to fortune or burning any bridges a full six weeks before competitive action resumes.
Despite his own struggles to get game time at Sunderland, Westwood might now be the man in possession of Ireland’s number one shirt but if the vastly experienced Given is serious about continuing to make his services available, he shouldn’t rule out the possibility of being asked to answer an emergency call ahead of the visit to Stockholm.
In the meantime, Trapattoni’s determination to tweak his squad is apparent in the newcomers he has called up for the friendly against Poland on February 6, the manager’s mention of Damien Duff in the same breath as Anthony Pilkington both an indication of how highly he rates the Norwich man and a further signal that James McClean and Robbie Brady face renewed pressure in their efforts to nail down a place on the flanks.
While Pilkington’s call-up had been well flagged, you’d have got long odds on no less than three Derby County players getting the simultaneous nod, Trapattoni surgically transplanting the spine of the Championship side in the form of 26-year-old defender Richard Keogh, 20-year-old midfielder Jeff Hendrick and 26-year-old striker Conor Sammon.
And Derby manager Nigel Clough couldn’t hide his pride at Ireland’s Rams raid, insisting the trio will do themselves and their club proud.
“Richard and Conor have made big impacts on the side since arriving,” he said yesterday, “and Jeff has firmly established himself in our midfield over the past year. It has been fascinating to watch Jeff develop over the last few years. He has grown and matured to be a very good midfield player. At 20, there is plenty of scope for him to improve even more.
“His form was excellent last season and although he had a sticky patch a few weeks ago, he showed bags of character to rediscover his form and he has actually taken it up a notch. His performances in recent weeks have been as good as we’ve seen from him in a Derby shirt.
“Richard’s form has been very consistent. He has put his body on the line when it’s really mattered. He’s a leader at the back and so when we were aiming to bring in a central defender in the summer, he was the first name on our list. We think he’ll only get better, too, and his form this season certainly merits a chance to show what he can do on the international scene.
“Conor is a real team player, sometimes putting others before himself and that is a quality we really like about him, as well as the partnership which is developing between him and Jamie Ward.
“Conor has scored seven times this season and he has really grown in confidence and stature over the past few months. He is a real threat to opposition defences.”
Meanwhile, Manchester United target Robert Lewandowsi and Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny are included in the Polish squad for the next month’s game at the Aviva Stadium.
“The Irish side will be good opposition for us. They play in a very serious manner and we need this type of match,” said Poland assistant manager Marek Wlecialowski.
Poland squad: Goalkeepers Wojciech Szczesny (Arsenal), Przemyslaw Tyton (PSV) Defenders Lukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund), Damien Perquis (Real Betis), Marcin Wasilewski (Anderlecht), Kamil Glik (FC Torino), Sebastian Boenisch (Bayer Leverkusen), Marcin Komorowski (Terek Grozny) Midfielders Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund), Ariel Borysiuk (FC Kaiserslautern), Adrian Mierzejewski (Trabzonspor), Gregory Krychowiak (Stade de Reims), Kamil Grosicki (Sivasspor), Ludovic Obraniak (Girondins de Bordeaux) Forwards Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund), Artur Sobiech (Hannover 96), Arkadiusz Milik (Bayer Leverkusen).
