Trap looks to the next step
By common consensus, the Estonians would be the dream draw for Ireland, given they managed to finish second in their qualifying group despite losing a remarkable four games in the course of their campaign. But, overall, Trapattoni’s view is that thereis hardly a world of difference between Turkey, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro and Estonia.
“One team is the same as the other,” he said.
“This is not like one qualifying group — these are the best second teams from all the groups. We have played Montenegro before and they have very important players. Bosnia the same. But then we have seen Armenia, although not a famous team, also achieve results.
“Estonia are physically and mentally strong, a hard team. Turkey, Bosnia and Montenegro would be more creative. Teams like this have clever players and that is always a worry. For me, it is better to meet a physical team, like Estonia. But it’s difficult to take a position on this. We have to have respect for all of the teams.”
Trapattoni made the point that, at the outset of Group B, the final fixtures against Andorra and Armenia made for a “hypothetically easy” conclusion. But, as Ireland now await their play-off fate, the startling progress of the Armenians showed teams once considered small — like Montenegro — are “now big”.
Trapattoni was in cheerful spirits yesterday, enlightening, baffling and entertaining his media audience. Asked by one reporter if he deserved the description “lucky manager”, the Italian began his answer by declaring, to much hilarity: “You are a very beautiful man but you never have a lady.”
This turned out to be less a double-edged personal compliment, than a typically Trap way of setting up his thoughts on luck.
“Thank God I am lucky,” he went on. “Luck is important. It is said that Napoleon chose generals because they were lucky, not because they were good. In my life I won, thank God, many leagues, many championships.” And then, with a smile, the sting in the tail: “Maybe the FAI chose me because I am a lucky manager, not for my results in the past.”
And despite the high volume of criticism coming his way, Trapattoni insisted results in the present prove the national team has made progress under his care.
“We grow,” he said.
“We grow because the team is more compact and in balance. In this team there isn’t offensive and defensive. In fact, against Armenia, when we lost the ball in midfield against opponents who were very fast, all of our players went back and won the ball. We were compact. Two years ago, we weren’t there yet.”
Trapattoni revealed the injured Kevin Kilbane had phoned him with a good luck message before Tuesday night’s game.
“He’s a correct man and I don’t forget him. I never said he’s finished.”
But while Trapattoni believes younger players can still benefit hugely from the presence of more experienced personnel, it’s clear that Stephen Ward — suspended for the game against Armenia — is now the man in possession of the left-back shirt. As for Seamus Coleman, Trapattoni maintained that Tuesday night “was not a game for him”, leaving no-one in any doubt that, for as long as the Italian continues to remain in charge, evolution not revolution will be the order of the day.
“Some fruits when they’re ripe, fall naturally from the tree,” was the Italian’s Cantona-esque way of saying there will come a time when the senior players’ race is run. But not just yet. Change will continue to come dropping slow.
When it was put to Trapattoni that Liam Brady had suggested that, if Ireland manager to reach the finals, it could be a very different team in Poland and Ukraine next summer, he replied: “There is the moment. You must respect the players. At Juventus, we had players like Marco [at mention of his name, the watching Tardelli interjected to quip: ‘I don’t like the sound of this’].
“When I changed Juventus, we had seven international players. The team remained strong but we changed slowly to respect them, not ‘bang, bang, finished’. There is the moment we need change. Liam is our friend but, if we reach the finals, we will not sit down and immediately change everything.”
Trapattoni concluded with an expression of one of his guiding principles: “I am sorry for our fans when we didn’t give them the show against Armenia but I know fans, they are a little disappointed with the show but happy with result. After two days, the show goes, but the result stays. Now they are happy we are in the play-off.”
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