Lawrence wants to sign off in style
The Stoke City midfielder has had to wait until the ripe old age of 27 before being offered a taste of international football and he isn’t about to pass on the offer of another slice now that he has finally secured a seat at the top table.
No, Lawrence can’t stomach the idea that there will be nothing to play for in two days’ time. “There is for me and the lads,’’ he said. “We still want to win all of the games we play.
“It’s another qualifier and it’s another chance to impress. We’d like to be unbeaten. It’s another game for us to try achieve that.”
His eagerness is no surprise. His ascent through the ranks has been astonishing. His debut against Nigeria back in May was not exactly earth-shattering but he made better use of his second audition when he curled home a beautiful free-kick against South Africa in Limerick.
Even then, his promotion to a starting slot over the weekend was something of a bolt from the blue, but Giovanni Trapattoni was right to draw attention to the fact that he was at a “good age” to deal with the pressures his elevation would bring with it.
“I’ve played over 300 league games, a lot of them have been massive games,’’ Lawrence said. “It was the biggest of my life and I was obviously nervous beforehand but, as soon as the whistle goes, it’s time to play the game. I enjoyed every minute of it, getting the ball, passing, even chasing (Fabio) Grosso back.”
The Italian left-back threatened on occasion and almost scored with a sensational first-half volley, but Lawrence stuck to his task admirably, having been schooled well by Trapattoni and his assistant Marco Tardelli.
“They were saying that he was dangerous, that he plays as a winger at times and causes problems.
“I was delighted to see it when he went off. He is a fantastic player. He plays at the highest level every week.”
Lawrence was just as impressive in possession, especially so for a man making his competitive debut, and then there was his pass for Glenn Whelan’s opening goal.
“It was an unbelievable finish, to be fair, and in a game of massive importance. For him to score that was a very emotional moment for him. He’s got it in his locker and that proves he can do it at highest level.”
Like Lawrence, Whelan is another to have benefited from Trapattoni’s willingness to thrust newcomers into the deep waters of international football to see if they will sink or swim but the choppiest surf still lies ahead.
Fifa’s seeding system has almost guaranteed Ireland an unenviable task in qualifying through the play-offs and, the aggregate win over Iran aside, the country’s record in such circumstances is far from encouraging.
“They’re all going to be difficult games,” said Lawrence. “They all bring their own problems. It doesn’t matter who we get.
“If we play like we did last night, without conceding the late goal, we have a chance because we’ve a good side.
“It will feel like a cup game. It’s two legs, anything can happen. Everyone is going to be nervous, it will be the biggest game of our careers for a lot of us.”
For Ireland to prosper they will need to break a trend of surrendering leads that has handicapped the side ever since Brian Kerr’s time in charge.
“We need to be more ruthless, especially with three minutes left, get the ball down in the corner and make it difficult for them to do us on the break,” said Lawrence.
“You could see how delighted they were. It showed we gave them a good game.
“It’s about being professional, doing everything to win the game.
“It’s something the Italians are very good at and something Trapattoni has been doing all his life and it’s something we didn’t do but we have to move on now.”
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