TRAP ADMITS CRITICISMS

The Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni has said that he was a little too critical after the 2-1 win over Kazakhstan. The Republic of Ireland started the World Cup qualification campaign with a 2-1 win over the minnows in the group, Kazakhstan. However, the manager was extremely critical of his players following the match by saying that they should have won by a much better margin. Now, he has said that the criticism may have been unwarranted because it was all about three points and his players secured the same. Giovanni Trapattoni has also expressed his confidence that the team will be able to get a result against Germany in the next qualification match.

Germany are undoubtedly the favourites to qualify from the group, but Trapattoni believes that they can spring a surprise. The Republic of Ireland were heavily criticised for their poor performance at the Euro 2012, despite this being the first major competition they have played for more than a decade. The manager has also said that it is likely that he will use a three-man midfield against Germany in the hopes of preventing the Germans from dominating the match in the centre of the park.

“We must forget what happened months ago. After Kazakhstan I was too critical with my players. In the first 50 minutes we could have scored a goal. We can change because we can play with two or three in central midfield. The European champions, Spain, play without a striker. In Ireland, that would be the end of the world. It’s possible because we are deciding what is the best thing to do. Maybe after an hour, we can switch. Against Germany, why not think about three midfielders, for example?” said Giovanni Trapattoni after the 4-1 win over Oman in a recent friendly match.