Gareth Maher


With the finishing line in sight for teams hoping to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, Italy and Republic of Ireland are set to meet in a crunch Group 8 decider next month.

The reigning World Champions will visit Dublin knowing that victory would be enough for them to clinch qualification as group winners. Although, Ireland can still upset the odds as they attempt to book their place in next summer’s main event.

As things stand, Italy are four points ahead of Giovanni Trapattoni’s side with two games left to play. So Ireland would need to win in Croke Park and hope that Cyprus can hold the Azzurri in their final group game in order for the Irish to finish on top of the group, but sealing a play-off place appears to be more achieveable.

Nevertheless, the clash between Ireland and Italy is an intriguing one. Tickets for the game are already in high demand and it is expected to be a 82,000 sell-out.

With captain Fabio Cannavaro missing due to suspension, Marcello Lippi will be forced into tweaking his starting line-up. However, he could have midfielder Gennaro Gattuso and striker Luca Toni back in contention after both missed the wins over Georgia and Bulgaria.

For Ireland, confidence is high following a scrappy win against Cyprus. That triumph in Nicosia has made them favourites to finish second in the group and enter into the play-offs. While they will keep fighting for the top spot, a large selection of national media and public alike have already settled for the play-off route.

What is expected from Ireland against Italy though is a big performance. The two teams have shared some memorable games through the year and met at two World Cup finals (1990 & 1994), so this current Irish team need to register a brave display in order to appease an expectant mob.

Having earned a 1-1 draw in Bari earlier in the camapign, victory is now in sight for the team ranked 34th in FIFA’s list. This new-found confidence from the Irish camp is born from the trust that the players, media, and fans have placed in Mr. Trapattoni.

It is clear that they do not play the type of slick counter attack football that Spain do or bulldoze teams like Germany do, but Ireland work as a unit and make things difficult for their opponents. This is how Trapattoni has been so successful throughout his long coaching career and he is simply repeating that formula with a team that were crying out for some organisation and direction.

Lately, there have been some calls for Trapattoni to allow his side to be more creative, especially from midfield. The 70-year-old is far more interested in achieving results though and has previously stated that he would adopt a different style if he had creative players to choose from.

In the current pool of those available to the Irish boss, it is wingers like Damien Duff, Aiden McGeady, and Stephen Hunt, who act as the most creative players he can select. The return of Steven Reid from a long-term injury would add another to that list, but there is no chance of Stephen Ireland coming back after he ended his interest in playing international football.

So that leaves the former Juventus coach with a squad that are hard-working, but not as creative as some of the opponents they have come up against. Nevertheless, the focus for this Irish team is on team success rather than individual glory.

There is a general feeling that the Boys In Green can win the game against the Italians, but will ultimately come up short in the race for top spot in Group 8. Therefore, they will have to try their luck in the play-offs.

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