St Ledger makes case for the defence

IF anyone needed a measure of just how highly Richard Dunne is regarded within the Irish camp, then Marco Tardelli and Seán St Ledger were quick to provide the answer in Malahide yesterday.

A second day of training without the input of the Aston Villa defender had left observers wondering if his knee was proving more troublesome than first thought. That worry hardened when it was confirmed he’d been sent for a scan, although Tardelli insisted that this was a matter of mere protocol to ensure that his club in Birmingham would feel reassured that everything was being done correctly in Dublin.

Later in the day came the encouraging news that the scan had shown up no significant injury problem, with the result that Dunne is now expected to train today.

“I’m sure he will play against Russia,” said Tardelli. “Dunne is a very strong player, a very strong man.”

And if the medical precautions weren’t enough, the Dubliner’s defensive partner was even prepared to offer some emotional support.

“I’ll give him a cuddle later,” said St Ledger with a grin, before the sight of models posing for a photoshoot on the pitch behind him perhaps gave him cause to revise his priorities. “No, I’m sure he will be fine to play even if he has a little problem with his knee. He’s a strong lad. We need him and he is a major part of what we are trying to achieve.

“To play alongside someone with that experience is vital. He’s played in the Premier League for a long time and has done brilliantly. He’s great physically and great on the ball so playing alongside someone with such great attributes can only help me.”

Not that St Ledger can be considered a rookie anymore, the Preston North End centre-half having developed into one of Giovanni Trapattoni’s reliables since the manager blooded him in a friendly against Nigeria last May and saw enough in the player’s performance to give him his competitive debut in a World Cup qualifier away to Bulgaria the following week. Now, a new threat from the east is on the horizon, and the 25-year-old expects a busy night at the Aviva.

“Yes, I think so, Pavlyuchenko being injured probably means they will play Pavel Pogrebnyak, who has scored a lot of goals in the German League.

“He’s had a great start to the season and he’s a big lad. But if it’s a physical battle then I’m looking forward to it. If someone is bigger than you then you must find out a way to combat that. But we’ll do our homework. Our video analyst always has clips of opponents and we will study those again.”

Although he stops short of describing them as decisive, St Ledger reckons that the games against Russia and Slovakia will have a major bearing on the outcome of Group B. “I think they will shape the group and, after Tuesday, the group will look more realistic. They are probably the two toughest games of the group. Slovakia were in the World Cup while everybody knows the calibre of Russia.

“I looked through their squad yesterday and saw their players with top Russian teams and also in the Premier League. Everybody knows all about Arshavin’s qualities and he is playing in an Arsenal side that is full of talent. But I don’t think they are a one-man band – they have a lot of talented players.

“And they have a good manager who has been with great club sides.”

Give the team has home advantage, is this a must-win game for Ireland?

“I don’t think it’s a must-win game as there are still a lot of games left, although it is important for us to set our stall out. If we can get the three points then great, but if we don’t it’s not the end of the world because there are still a number of games left to play. But I’m sure it would have an effect on the Russians if they were to lose to their two main rivals in the group. It would probably affect their confidence.”

Not to mention further boosting in confidence an Irish side protecting a 100% record.

“We’ve got off to a great start and it was a tough game in Armenia,” St Ledger said. “I think we are fully focused on the job at hand and I think the confidence it would give us if we got a result against Russia would make it a lot more difficult for them. And going away to Slovakia, it would breath more confidence into us. Winning always does.”