Make no mistake; this is not a meaningless November friendly international. Quite the opposite in fact. Giovanni Trappatoni puts his unbeaten record as Ireland manager on the line tonight against tricky opposition, but there is a lot more to be gained than just a win.
A lot has been made of the fact that the midfield axis of Darron Gibson and Glenn Whelan struggled for extended periods during the second half in the win against Cyprus. With Stephen Reid’s long term injury, this game provides a fresh opportunity for Gibson and Whelan to develop their partnership against a very decent Polish side.
The absence of Andy Reid may have irked a lot of people, but Trappatoni believes in a system that so far is yet to taste defeat, and who are we to question him. We know that words were exchanged between player and manager in Mainz, but if Trappatoni is to be believed, he doesn’t hold a grudge against the Sunderland man, and this game merely provides an opportunity to perfect his system.
Expectant father Richard Dunne returns from Manchester after what proved to be a ‘false alarm’ with his wife going into labour. He will take his place in the centre of defence. It may prove some respite for Dunne, who has endured a nightmarish few weeks in a Manchester City shirt. He has scored two own goals already this season and his bad patch culminated in a sending off against Tottenham.
While his form may have been ‘patchy’ for City, Dunne has been awesome in an Irish shirt, particularly against Cyprus, where he and Shay Given provided the heroics which kept us in touching distance of Italy at the top of Group 8. Although he would have been forgiven for staying with his pregnant wife in Manchester, Dunne showed again the qualities which endear him to Irish fans. Dunne is honoured to represent his country, takes pride in pulling on a green jersey, a trait which will hopefully someday rub off on his City team mate Stephen Ireland.
Ireland’s form at the weekend once again brought his self imposed exile into conversation, but as Liam Brady said on Monday “We have been to see the boy, we have asked him to come back, Do you want us to go over every week to ask him?” The majority are tired of the Ireland argument, it’s time to move on, there is a place for him in the squad if he wants it, but right now Ireland’s priorities lie elsewhere. Yet the same majority undoubtedly would love to see him back in green.
Shay Given will captain the team in his 91st international after Robbie Keane was forced to return to Liverpool for treatment on a shoulder injury. His place is taken by Hull City striker Caleb Folan, who will hope to provide a major selection headache for Trappatoni in his first start in a senior international. Folan impressed in a recent ‘B’ international and hopes to bring something a little different to the fold when he partners in form Reading striker Kevin Doyle.
Poland are not to be taken lightly though. They have an enviable recent qualification record which has seen qualify for the last two major tournaments, including when topping a group containing Portugal and an impressive Serbia. They currently occupy second spot in their World cup qualifying group and Coach Leo Beenhakker will be looking for his team to put up a spirited performance in front of a crowd that is sure to contain a large Polish presence.
Whatever the result tonight, Trappatoni will learn a lot about his Irish side, which hopefully offer plenty of food for thought, and further the confidence in the squad going into the spring internationals.
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