Trapattoni expected to remain in hospital until weekend

IT may have been a chastening evening on the pitch but the news was better away from it with confirmation that Giovanni Trapattoni will be back on his feet in good time for the opening Euro 2010 qualifier in Yerevan.

Ireland take on Armenia in their opening qualifier on September 3, just over three weeks from now, by which time the manager will have fully recovered from yesterday’s bout of surgery.

“It was a very short procedure and Giovanni gave the team to Marco shortly afterwards,” said team doctor Alan Byrne last night. “He would be expected to remain in hospital over the weekend. There is no date set for his discharge.”

Initial reports had suggested that the manager’s ill health had been caused by a bout of food poisoning with the finger of blame pointed by the man himself towards some dodgy shellfish consumed before his departure from Italy.

Trapattoni was feeling unwell on his arrival in Ireland last Sunday and was brought to the Mater Hospital by Dr Byrne in the early hours of Tuesday morning after numerous bouts of vomiting throughout the day.

The 71-year old underwent a series of blood and urine tests, as well as x-rays and an ECG, before it was deduced that his abdominal pain was stemming from minor scar tissue from a previous operation.

“Giovanni developed an adhesion from scar tissue from a previous operation,” said Dr Byrne. “Giovanni thought shellfish was the issue and that may have triggered it but, with subsequent investigations over a couple of days, it showed that the adhesions were the problem. They slowed the working of the abdomen down.”

Trapattoni was able to watch the game, however, and he was reportedly just as frustrated and angered by the controversial manner in which Argentina scored as the majority of supporters and the Irish players.

“I spoke with Giovanni after the match and he was wondering if the rules had changed,” said Marco Tardelli who deputised for his compatriot for the visit of the two-time world champions. “I don’t understand. Maybe it was offside or maybe not but we must pay attention because it (should be) impossible to concede a goal from a long pass from the goalkeeper.”

And what of Ireland’s overall performance?

“I am very disappointed with the result but very happy for the younger players who did well,” said Tardelli.

“They lost concentration in the first-half after the ceremony but they played very well in the second-half. They were playing against a very good team. They had players like Messi, Higuain and Milito.”

Trapattoni wasn’t the only man conspicuous by his absence last night. Most of the focus on the visitors in the weeks prior to last night was on whether or not Diego Maradona’s days in charge were definitely numbered.

Stand-in manager, Sergio Batista, abandoned the much-criticised 4-4-2 in favour of a 4-1-2-3 system and the South Americans adapted with ease.

Though essentially a meaningless game, they came to play. That much was evident early on, most notably when Gabriel Heinze almost cut a path through John O’Shea to get his toe to one ball inside the Irish box.

“I’m very, very (happy),” said Batista afterwards, “and not just because of the result but because of how we played. It was a good group effort and it was good to get the disappointment of the World Cup out of our systems.

“We faded a bit in the second-half. If I was asked to give ourselves marks out of ten I would give us eight out of ten for the first-half. I am definitely leaving here happy.”