Trap forced to tinker for once

ALL those calling for change from Giovanni Trapattoni will have their demands answered tonight.

But only, of course, because it’s a friendly against Uruguay and also because, to a large extent, the manager has had his arm twisted by extensive depletion of his squad.

After the departures of Kevin Doyle, Damien Duff, Richard Dunne, Robbie Keane and Kevin Kilbane following Saturday’s win against Macedonia, Glenn Whelan is the latest first-team regular to leave the Irish camp, the Stoke midfielder returning to his club for treatment on a back problem. His team-mate, Marc Wilson, suffering from a fever, has also been withdrawn while Celtic’s Anthony Stokes and Ipswich’s Damien Delaney have been added to the squad.

It all means that a wildly experimental Irish side will take the stage tonight with Stephen Kelly installed as both captain and centre-half in a back four completed by Kevin Foley, Darren O’Dea and Ciaran Clark.

Midfield has Liam Lawrence and Andy Keogh either side of Paul Green and Keith Fahey with James McCarthy set to play off Shane Long in what the manager described yesterday as a 4-4-1-1 formation. Actually, he initially unveiled it as “4-3-1-1” which, truly, would have been a breaking of the mould.

“You love the numbers,” Trapattoni quipped when clarification was sought, clearly regarding the current obsession with formations as not something to be taken particularly seriously. Later, he had to laughingly apologise for referring to his wide men as “swingers”, not that anyone thought for a moment he was intent on bringing sexy football to the Irish scene.

As it is, Trapattoni has really only tweaked his beloved 4-4-2 and it’s almost impossible not to not to see him reverting to type, assuming he has both Keane and Doyle available, come the away game to Macedonia in June.

Still, the changes to personnel for this evening’s friendly are potentially significant, not least in the case of James McCarthy, who finally gets to start a senior game for his country.

And while his manager doesn’t want to heap pressure on the highly rated 20-year-old, he does want to see McCarthy actively seeking to get on the ball.

“There is no need for miracles,” said Trapattoni.

“I know his qualities, I know what he can do. But I say again it’s important for him to always call for the ball. It doesn’t matter if he makes a few mistakes, he must get over his shyness.”

TO emphasise his point, and not for the first time, Trapattoni alluded to a certain Irish player at Manchester United.

“I won’t say his name,” he quipped — who he believes needs to be more assertive on the pitch.

“Sure I repeat always, the young need to grow. McCarthy must only do what he can do, but he needs to be vocal, not shy, not just looking at the others playing.”

Ciaran Clark is another newcomer for whom tonight’s game has potential significance as a second chance under Trapattoni for the Aston Villa man to show the manager that he is ready to challenge Kevin Kilbane for a competitive start at left-back.

“I thought about playing Stephen Kelly at left-back and Clark at centre-back but Kelly has more experience,” the manager explained.

“And he is fast. A stopper must also be someone who is agile and able to go around the opponent. A young player like Clark could be at times dangerous in that position. His manager at Aston Villa knows Clark best and I have to ask why, after a few games at centre-back, did he decide to switch him to left-back?

“If you make a mistake in the box it can result in a goal but if you make a mistake near the line you can recover.’’

Tonight’s game will also see Keith Fahey get an outing in his favoured central midfield position but, while Trapattoni declares himself a fan of the Birmingham City man, it’s clear that the Dubliner still has to convince the manager that he has the necessary physicality for the engine room role.

“Every game he has improved,” he said. “He has a good personality, technical ability and I like him. But, obviously, in international football strength is also important.”

Despite not having featured for Fulham since mid-November Stephen Kelly said yesterday that his natural fitness means he has no fears about stepping up to the plate for Ireland against the world cup semi-finalists tonight — and as stand-in skipper to boot. “Yeah, it’s a huge honour, a huge privilege,” he said.

“The boss just told me this morning and it’s something you always kind of dream of when you’re a kid, first of all to represent your country, then to lead your country out is one of the greatest honours you could possibly ask for. I’ve been around for a long enough at this stage to not be nervous.

“I was fortunate to get the band against South Africa when Kevin (Doyle) went off but the team I captained properly was the U21s for a couple of campaigns. For me that was a great honour and a huge privilege but to do it now at senior level surpasses that obviously.”