New challenge and new life, but same ol’ Trap

New campaign, same old Giovanni Trapattoni. And, as a result, the World Cup qualifiers will likely see the same old Ireland.

If yesterday’s squad announcement is anything to go by, the Euro 2012 whitewash doesn’t appear to have provided the reality check many assumed. Rather, Trapattoni seems to have reflected and, not for the first time, reverted to type. Any changes to his Irish team will be gradual rather than glaring.

For one, the manager effectively reiterated that he would not change a thing about his preparation for Poland and, just as he did after the Italian defeat in Poznan, insisted that the entire tournament might have been different had it not been for those “two minutes” against Croatia. As such, he stated he will not switch to three in midfield despite the dominance of that approach in Poland and Ukraine. The old 4-4-2 formation, then, is likely to be filled by many of the same old faces.