Boss rejects chance to make big changes

At one point during yesterday’s squad announcement for the friendly against Serbia in August, Giovanni Trapattoni said of certain players’ situations “never say never”.

In response to that though, many individuals eligible for Ireland will be entitled to ask “when, then?” Despite the absence of five senior players and an effective open window to experiment, the manager didn’t exactly push the boat out.

Despite often naming squads of almost 30 players, for example, he restricted the numbers for this match to 23. Among those, then, there was no place for the likes of Wes Hoolahan, Anthony Pilkington or David Meyler.