Another week and another profile ahead of this summer's European Championships. Today, we welcome guest writer William Brophy on to the site to take us through his home nation, the Republic of Ireland…
Manager: Giovanni Trapattoni
Captain: Robbie Keane
Best previous Euros performance
Group stage 1988
Qualified via
Runners-up of Group B; defeated Estonia 5-1 on aggregate in play-off
FIFA ranking: 23rd
Tournament odds: 66/1
It has been ten long years for the Republic of Ireland since their last involvement in an international competition. Ten years that have seen the Celtic Tiger break, the banks fail, a Taoiseach (Prime minister) resign under serious allegations, three new managers, no Eurovision song contest victory and the rise of Jedward. It has been ten long, hard years for the Irish people.
But finally, they are back.
The breaking of this ten year absence from the international tournament scene can be put down to the remarkable workings of Giovanni Trapattoni. As the third most decorated manager in club football, Trapattoni had previously struggled at international level, guiding Italy to early exits at the 2002 World Cup and the 2004 Euros, but he has found his feet with the Irish national side. The man dubbed O'Trapattoni has found Ireland a solid base for his defensive-minded tactics. A lack of truly skilled players, a fact not lost on the Irish players; Stephen Hunt is quoted as saying "Messi and Ronaldo don't have Irish passports", means that Ireland have to put their faith into a simple and defensively minded 4-4-2 and on the superb shot-stopper that is Shay Given. This style has lead to criticism of Trapattoni, with Irish pundit Eamon Dunphy claiming he would be ashamed to bring a child to watch Ireland play. And whilst it's true the Irish style of play can be difficult to watch, the Irish do it well. They defend stubbornly and with great resilience and in their qualification group they conceded a total of just seven goals in ten games. The same amount as Germany allowed.
The pursuit of a passing game for the sake of entertainment would just lead to a free-fall down the FIFA World Rankings and a series of losses. The Irish midfield options include Keith Andrews, Glenn Whelan and Darron Gibson. Whilst they are players of reasonable standard, make them attempt a passing game against the Spanish and Ireland would be on the receiving end of a cricket score. Ireland do not have the skill or the patience to attempt to dominate possession, and this summer they will seek to absorb pressure and inflict damage on the opposition through counter attacks and set-pieces. It is also worth remembering that Ireland draw their squad from the lower end of the Premier League and the Championship meaning that to attempt any other approach to the game would be suicidal against the calibre of sides that Ireland will face in Poland and Ukraine this summer.
How far this tactic will get them is hard to determine. Ireland are in a group with Spain, Italy and Croatia, one of the cruellest hands Ireland could be dealt after their time in the wilderness. However the Irish will be as optimistic as ever. The Boys in Green have a habit of giving the better nations a tough time, as Holland learned in the build-up to the 2002 World Cup and Spain came within a penalty shoot-out of learning during the finals. The belief that they can do it again will be present. Whether or not Ireland can do it three consecutive times is a different story. The level of focus that his side will require for three consecutive games will be Trapattoni's biggest issue, knowing that in a group of that quality a single mistake could cost Ireland their slim chances of qualification to the knockout stages.
Whilst the belief will be there with the Irish national side, the expectation will not. Only the most ardent of Ireland fans seriously expects progression to the next round, and the Irish fans will be happy to see their side appear on the international side once again. The real expectation of Irish fans is gutsy, never-say-die performances which have become the trademark of Ireland in years gone by. And the neutral can expect the Irish fans to be amongst the best in the tournament, with Poznan bracing itself for a full-on Irish invasion this summer. Mr Dunphy may not want his ticket for Ireland's appearances in the Euros, but I'm sure there will be plenty of Irish fans who are more than willing to take it off his hands for him.
Likely Starting XI: (4-4-2) Shay Given; John O'Shea, Richard Dunne, Sean St. Ledger, Stephen Ward; Damien Duff, Keith Andrews, Glenn Whelan, Aiden McGeady; Robbie Keane, Kevin Doyle
Key Player: Richard Dunne (Aston Villa, England) – Whilst many will pick Robbie Keane as the key man for Ireland, with the world class opponents in the group in mind the focus has to be on defence. There is no-one more vital to the Irish defence than Richard Dunne. His performance in Russia embodied the Irish mentality of never-say-die and his marshalling of the defence will have to be perfect to give Ireland hope of bettering the Spanish, Italians or the Croatians. His relationship with Given is going to be one of the most important aspects of the Irish game, and the pair playing together at Aston Villa can only be a good thing for the Irish side.
Player to watch: Aiden McGeady (Spartak Moscow, Rep. of Ireland) – With his recent performances looking sharp, I'd be more inclined to pick Sunderland youngster James McLean if I could be certain he'd be on the plane. In the absence of this knowledge I'll go for Aiden McGeady. McGeady will be three months into his Russian season, so there will be no fear of rustiness and little fear of fatigue which could plague the other players in the tournament (especially Spain if Barcelona and/or Real Madrid reach the latter stages of the Champions League which is highly feasible) and this could just give the ex-Celtic man the edge as he charges down the wing for Ireland. As well as this McGeady will be used to the climate and the pitch quality having played in the Russian Premier League since 2010. Seemingly a few minor details, but they may just allow Aiden McGeady to shine this summer.
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