Smiling Alvarez dares to dream

KOLDO ALVAREZ, manager of Andorra, does a nice line in pithy, something a man is probably inclined to develop when he spends a lot of his time trying to explain to people where the reward comes from in managing a part-time international team which is currently ranked among the very lowest on the planet.

Hailing from the Basque country but now a naturalised Andorran, he came before us yesterday evening to deliver — not without some subtle humour, it must be said — a series of taut replies to a variety of questions on the central theme of minnows versus giants.

Ireland might not be accustomed to the latter designation but players from the English Premiership and Championship really do tower when placed alongside opponents who, when they aren’t holding down their day jobs, mainly play their football in the Andorran league or, in a couple of cases, in the outer extremities of Spanish club football.

For Alvarez, that should clearly provide enough of a dividing line, without recourse on the part of visitors to talk about bumpy pitches or tiny stadia.

“The worry shouldn’t be about the pitch,” he said. “I have never seen a pitch win or lose a game. I would have been happy to play in Barcelona or here, happy to play anywhere. But, yes, it does mean more to us to play the game here in Andorra.”

How realistic, he was asked, was the prospect of an Andorran upset?

“Thirty-three per cent,” he replied flatly. “Thirty-three per cent for a win, 33 per cent for a loss, 33 per cent for a victory. The same for Ireland.”

So what was he expecting the opposition would bring to the local field of dreams?

“Their spirit is one of their strong points. Whenever they wear the Irish shirt, it’s special. I expect they will try to score early and they will get the ball forward quickly looking for a reaction from [Robbie] Keane. They are a threat from set-pieces but we must also be aware of the technical quality of [Damien] Duff and the speed of [Aiden] McGeady.”

And what of his own team’s ambitions?

“One point or three points for Andorra would make it a very special game for us.”

And, finally he was asked, what would it mean to him to get something out of a battle of wills with the legendary Trapattoni?

At that, Alvarez allowed himself a small, slightly dreamy, smile.

“First, I would be very happy for the players,” he said, “because they put so much hard work into this, into playing for their country. And, from a personal point of view, I would be very proud. It would be the highlight of my career, yes.”