‘Tough’ Trap keen to make a point

WHEN an Italian journalist in Malahide began asking a question about an Irish newspaper competition which, beneath the tag-line ‘Trap’s Golden Ticket’, offered a prize of tickets to the World Cup finals in South Africa, the natives present naturally assumed that they were about to be accused of being, shall we say, a tad presumptuous.

Indeed, to be honest, we were ready to do a bit of the accusing ourselves.

But no, our visitor was altogether more concerned with the fact that the ad borrowed its iconography from ‘The Godfather’.

Was this still, the reporter inquired in somewhat injured tones of Giovanni Trapattoni, the popular image of Italians abroad?

“I’m not a Mafioso,” Trapattoni replied with a grin, before turning the question around to suit his own devices by talking up the national characteristics of his new home from home. The perceptions of others don’t matter, he suggested, before going on to remind the Italian media present that, at least as far as tonight’s clash of footballing cultures is concerned, he’s in the rival camp now.

“We Irish are tough,” was how he put it. “We get our head out of the water one way or another.”

With the whiff of World Cup qualification in their nostrils, Ireland might be waving not drowning going into this evening’s big game, but it would still take something of a not so minor miracle for Trapattoni’s men to finish ahead of the Azzurri atop Group 8.

His numerous references yesterday to the play-offs suggested that Trapattoni privately concedes as much but, as long as there are games to be won, he wants Ireland to heap the maximum pressure on his native land going into their final game against Cyprus next week. That means three points is what the manager has ordered tonight, even if, to most observers, the circumstances of the group make the prospect of a share of the spoils seem by far the smartest bet.

“Anything can happen in football and Italy might even lose to Cyprus,” Trapattoni proposed. “But now we are only focussed on Italy, on keeping our distance from Bulgaria and getting into the play-offs. After that, we will see.”

Trapattoni might have a reputation as a conservative manager but, as in his promotion of Sean St Ledger for the away match against Bulgaria, he has once more made a bold selection move ahead of the biggest game of international football in Dublin since the French came a-calling four years ago.

To put it in words which might upset some of our Italian friends: Giovanni Trapattoni has made Liam Lawrence an offer he can’t refuse.

And, while it would probably not have happened had Damien Duff been available to play, the decision to choose the Stoke City man ahead of Stephen Hunt and give him his competitive debut against the world champions, tells you that Trapattoni is not resting on his laurels.

Two factors seem to have come into consideration: Lawrence’s reliably high quality delivery of set-pieces and his physical presence in opposition to the threat of Italy’s forward-going full back Fabio Grosso on the left side.

It was the Stoke man’s eye-catching performance in the friendly against South Africa in Limerick which, Trapattoni said, convinced him that he offered something “a little bit different,” though the manager stopped short of predicting that the player might replicate his brilliant free-kick goal in Thomond Park tonight.

“It’s not already Christmas,” he smiled, “but, yes, Lawrence has that quality. Pirlo does it for Italy, taking set-pieces, corners, free-kicks and they are important in winning a game. So it’s good to have a player like Lawrence. He also has a good personality and is confident. And, at 27, he’s not too old and not too young, he’s a good age for an international player.”

Trapattoni said he was also impressed by the composed manner in which Lawrence reacted on being told of his selection — “he was not emotional, that is important” — while captain Robbie Keane stressed that the new man would not be short of support, either on or off the pitch.

“A good thing about Liam is that he’s not like a young kid that’s just coming into the game, he’s been around for a few years and played at the highest level so that experience will certainly help him,” said Keane. “Of course, international level is a little bit different and he’s only played a couple of games for us so, of course, he’s going to be nervous but he’ll have players around that can certainly help him. By no means is everything going to go right for Liam or for myself or for anyone else — there are going to be tough times when we’ve got to pull together as a team.

“And now, more than ever, we certainly need the crowd behind us. That will be a massive factor. As a nation, we need to pull together like we always do. We are looking forward to the game as much as they are. It’s going to be a massive occasion for everyone and with the support of the crowd, they can even intimidate Italy.”

Somehow, the prospect of the world champions being intimidated, even by a packed Croker, seems a long shot on a par with Ireland getting to South Africa by avoiding the play-offs. Much more likely, surely, is that, as they so often do, Marcello Lippi’s team will get precisely out of tonight’s game what they require.

AND, since a point would hardly be sniffed at by the home side either, this one has all the appearances of a draw in the making — and probably a score draw at that, given Ireland’s difficulty so far in keeping their sheets clean.

But even if tonight’s fare doesn’t exactly surpass the general level of expectation, the build-up still has all the ingredients required for the big sporting occasion: the green versus the blue, Trapattoni versus Lippi and, for the first time ever, the Irish coming up against the reigning world champions in a competitive fixture at home.

Could it possibly get any better? Well, Trapattoni might be more of a realist than a romantic but don’t doubt for one moment that he wouldn’t hugely relish putting one over on his native land. Asked at the end of yesterday’s press conference, if it’s strange to find himself wanting Italy to lose, the manager smiled and, without waiting for the answer, asked in turn: “You have friends? When you play cards with your friends, you want to win or you want to lose?”

Point taken. But, then again, you can’t draw in poker.