by Trevor Keane
During this time his relationship with the players became strained. In a well-documented outburst, directed at the team and delivered in broken German, he announced that the players were like an empty bottle. The pressure of managing the German giants was becoming too much for Trapattoni, and following the loss of the title it was no surprise when he left the club for a second time.
A two-year stint with Fiorentina saw the club secure a Champions League group place, when they managed to claim victories over Manchester United and Arsenal. The club had finished third in his first season in charge, but their League position was not as impressive as their Champions League results, and at the end of the season Trapattoni was once again looking for work.
The next port of call was the top job in Italian football and completed the cycle for Trapattoni, from player to manager of his beloved Italy. Dino Zoff had resigned from the job, having led the country to the final of the 2000 European Championship, which they lost due to two late goals. The new style of open and attacking football was a change for Italy, and the future was looking rosy. Under Trapattoni Italy qualified ahead of Romania in group eight for the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, where they opened with a win over Ecuador before losing in controversial circumstances to Croatia. The result against Croatia derailed Italy, and they failed to recover. The defeat angered the Italians, as they felt they were the victims of some poor refereeing that cost them two goals. They regained their composure to draw late on with Mexico, but the damage was done, and they were beaten in the second round by co-hosts South Korea, who came from behind to defeat them, thanks to Ahn Jung Hwan’s golden goal.
At the 2004 European Championship, Italy once again failed to impress. They drew with both Denmark and Sweden, leading to an unexpected early exit from the competition at the group stage, despite being undefeated, ousted on goal difference after all three teams finished on the same points total. In June 2004 Marcello Lippi was named as Trapattoni’s replacement.
Trapattoni was not long out of a job, and he set off for pastures new to rebuild his reputation. His port of choice on this occasion was Benfica in Portugal. A renowned powerhouse in European football, Benfica was a sleeping giant and had not won the domestic League title for eleven years. The job had seen some of the biggest names in management try and fail to break their main rival Porto’s dominance in the Portuguese League: Jupp Heynckes, José Mourinho, Graeme Souness and José Antonio Camacho had all failed to lead them to success. However, in his first and only season in charge Trapattoni brought home the title. The club were also runners-up in the Cup, but despite this success Trapattoni felt Portugal was too far from Italy, and he decided that he needed to be nearer his family in northern Italy. He resigned the post shortly after the conclusion of his successful year. However, instead of returning to Italy, he took a role in Germany with Stuttgart amid much fanfare. Negative results and open criticism from players saw him last only seven months there.
Country number four was soon on the horizon, and in May 2006 Red Bull Salzburg announced they had signed Trapattoni as their new director of football, along with one of his former Inter Milan players, Lothar Matthäus, as coach. History was made when Red Bull won the League, adding another title to Trapattoni’s record.
With the sacking of Steve Staunton, Ireland needed a big name to appease both the media and fans. Staunton’s reign had seen Ireland’s reputation diminish, and they needed an experienced manager to rebuild the squad. The FAI had never moved outside of Ireland or England in their search for a manager, and the likes of Terry Venables and Graeme Souness were the favourites for the job. However, to the surprise of everyone in the country, the FAI delivered one of the biggest names in football when in February 2008 they announced that Giovanni Trapattoni had agreed to become the country’s new manager.
THE IRELAND JOB
With such a big name on board, wages were always going to be an issue for the FAI, but they had a knight in shining armour in the shape of Denis O’Brien. O’Brien, an entrepreneur who formed Esat Digifone in the 1990s, agreed to part fund the appointment of Trapattoni, and a new chapter in Irish football history was about to begin.
Trapattoni’s first game in charge, a friendly against an up-and-coming Serbia on 24 May 2008, ended in a 1–1 draw. Andy Keogh was the hero for the new coach, scoring an injury-time equaliser that won the FAI goal of the year. Trapattoni did not have to wait long to get his first victory, as five days later in another friendly, against Colombia, Ireland’s talisman, Robbie Keane, scored the winner in a 1–0 win.
Trapattoni’s team then went unbeaten during the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup, winning four and drawing six of their ten group games. The pick of the results were four draws with Italy and Bulgaria. The 2–2 home draw with Italy was a return to the golden days, and were it not for a last-minute goal Ireland would have taken the group right down to the wire. The wily Italian also managed to scare the daylights out of Marcello Lippi in Bari when ten-man Italy was left clinging on for a much-needed point, despite taking an early lead. His tactical abilities were in evidence that day, as the introduction of Caleb Folan led to Robbie Keane scoring.
Giovanni Trapattoni has come under criticism from some factions of the media for his perceived lack of interest in watching new players. The Italian has been seen to be very loyal to the players he has used so far and in his defence, an unbeaten qualifying campaign is a good building block for any team.
The League of Ireland has largely been ignored by international managers, with Jason Byrne and Glen Crow the last League players to be capped by Ireland at international level, in 2006 and 2004 respectively. Before that it had been sixteen years since a League of Ireland player had appeared for the national side when Shamrock Rovers’ Pat Byrne got a cap. However, Bohemians goalkeeper Brian Murphy was called into the squad for the France play-off match that followed Ireland’s second-place finish in their World Cup qualifying group. This and the fact that players such as Noel Hunt and Kevin Doyle both started their careers in Irish football and have gone on to make an impact on the English and international stage, gives League of Ireland players some hope.
However, St Patrick’s Athletic defender Damian Lynch reckons that at the moment the League of Ireland is not in a position to aid the national team too much: ‘It’s hard to argue with what Trapattoni has achieved with Ireland. He has done a tremendous job. In terms of League of Ireland players in the squad, obviously it would be great to see, and there are players here who are capable of playing at that level, but the League does not help itself, especially with clubs in difficulties and players not getting paid. You can’t blame Giovanni Trapattoni for not attending matches. The financial cloud that has been hanging over the clubs for the last eighteen to twenty-four months has meant that teams are struggling.
‘The likes of Keith Fahey and Jay O’Shea are great talents who have started to catch the eye of the Ireland set-up now that they have moved to England, but, being honest, and this is my opinion, the standard over here is not as good. In the League of Ireland you get six weeks of the year in Europe to show how good you are, but week in week out you are not getting to the same level as you would in the Championship. That said, there are some great players in this League, some of whom are capable of making the grade with Ireland.’
While Trapattoni’s reign has been well received by the fans, the man himself is really enjoying the challenge that Ireland offers: ‘Ireland is a small country, but it has good players with a lot of heart. The last decade has shown us that in international football everything is possible if a team is well organised with a good structure. Greece showed everyone that when they won the European Championship in 2004, and the USA have showed it too with their good performance at the Confederations Cup, beating Spain in the process. With Ireland I have brought in a system that has helped the players believe in themselves and obtain good results.
‘One of the first things I did was that I told the players that they must believe, and they respon
ded very positively. The squad improved progressively during the 2010 World Cup qualification campaign, with results against Montenegro, Cyprus, Bulgaria, then Italy and lastly France. With each new challenge the players rose to the task and have grown in stature.
‘Managing Ireland is different to managing Italy in that Italy is a very big country in world football, so the size of the squad and the number of options available to the manager is a fundamental difference. When I started with Ireland it was a small squad, and we did not have that many options, so injuries and suspensions were always a concern. During the campaign, however, we have introduced many new players, and this has given the squad more depth, something that I hope to continue.
‘Fans in both countries have a real impact on their team’s performances, and I have been genuinely impressed by the Irish fans. They have been very supportive of me. They really made a huge difference at decisive moments in so many of our games.
‘When Ireland played Italy it was of course an emotional experience, but I have always preferred to keep these things simple. When you are playing cards with your friends do you want to win or lose? You always want to win, of course. That is the answer. In terms of the results against Italy it was disappointing not to win, but over two legs to go unbeaten against the 2006 world champions was a great result for our players and they should be proud of their performances. Managing Ireland means a lot to me. The welcome I have received in Ireland has been exceptional, and when we are playing I am very proud to accept the responsibility of representing the Irish people.’
Trapattoni has also shown that despite not having the strongest grasp of the English language he is not afraid to make tough decisions. The manager has courted negative publicity for omitting Andy Reid from the squad on a regular basis, while he has also found disfavour with Sam Allardyce by commenting on Steven Reid’s ongoing injury problems. And Clinton Morrison, Lee Carsley and Steve Finnan have all been left out in the cold by Trapattoni as he battles to put his own stamp on the squad, although, with an emphasis on the future, the likes of Glenn Whelan and Leon Best have come into the squad.
Despite the team starting to take shape during the qualifiers, the football played was reminiscent of the Italian style, with Trapattoni happy to sit back and defend, and it is significant to note that Ireland’s biggest win under Trapattoni came in his twenty-first game in charge, a 3–0 win over Algeria; prior to that 2–1 had been his biggest victory. There appeared to be a certain lack of confidence in the abilities of the players, but as the campaign went on, belief increased in both the management and on the field, and the football became that bit more expressive. The highlight of the campaign was during October 2009 at Croke Park in the Italy match, which showed that when the reins were taken off, the team could perform and entertain. However, the draws in previous qualifying matches cost Ireland dear, and they needed to slip through the back door if they were going to make it to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup.
PLAY-OFF HEARTBREAK YET AGAIN
As we have seen throughout this book, the Ireland team do not like play-offs, especially when they are against European teams. From Spain in 1965, Holland in 1995 and Belgium in 1997 to Turkey in 1999, history has shown that we do not win when the going gets that bit tougher. However, after going through a qualifying campaign unbeaten against Italy and Bulgaria, the hopes of a nation were high.
Two weeks before the end of the group matches, FIFA suddenly announced that there would be seeding for the playoffs. This had a massive impact on Ireland’s chances. Being a smaller footballing nation in terms of success, Ireland would not have the benefit of the seeding and as such were faced with the possibility of a play-off game against either Portugal, France or Russia, three of Europe’s big guns. The reward for finishing second in their group meant that Ireland would eventually be paired with France, a side that was rumoured to be disjointed and fraught with internal bickering under Raymond Domenech. In what would become a tale of perceived rough justice against Ireland, they had to play the former world champions at home first, handing the advantage to France.
The first leg was a game of two halves, with Ireland showing the tactical awareness that had become a trademark of the Trapattoni reign, dominating their opposition from the start. However, the second half saw France come out of their shell, and a deflected goal saw them home 1–0.
So with their backs to the walls the time had come for Trapattoni to show the nation just why he was so well paid. What happened in the second leg will no doubt become part of Irish folklore. Trapattoni changed his cautious approach and arranged for the team to play higher up the field. This was the first time that the team had really been allowed the freedom to play, and they pushed France all the way to extra time before a tragic goal, that would have Diego Maradona smiling, settled the affair. Thierry Henry was the villain in the piece as he controlled the ball with his hand in the box to cross for William Gallas to head home. The goal was a result of a simple free kick into the box by Florence Malouda from just inside the halfway line. The ball was not dealt with by the Irish defence, but was heading out of play when Henry intervened. It was a hugely disappointing end to what had been one of Ireland’s finest away performances in a competitive match. The goal stood, despite the protests of the Irish players, and Ireland would not be going to the World Cup. Instead Trapattoni and the team would have to switch their focus to the European Championship in 2012. Trapattoni has agreed to remain with the team for that campaign and carry on the good work that has been done since his appointment.
Despite its unfortunate outcome, the France game helped restore public faith in the Ireland team. The game in this country had stagnated after Japan 2002, and the France match could well turn out to be a turning point for football in Ireland. While we might have failed to qualify, the manner of defeat was treated as a victory by many football purists, as Ireland outplayed France for almost 120 minutes.
Football and the economy hardly work in tandem with one another – the share prices of the Bank of Ireland and Élan are not dependent on whether Ireland win, lose or draw – but at a time when the country is going through a tough patch and people have little to cheer about, the performances of the Ireland team under Trapattoni have restored some much-needed pride and belief. Under Trapattoni, Irish football appears to be on the up again.
GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI’S CLUB MANAGERIAL HONOURS RECORD:
Juventus:
Six Italian Serie A titles: 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1984 and 1986
Two Italian Cups: 1979 and 1983
One European Cup: 1985
Two UEFA Cups: 1977 and 1993
One UEFA Cup-Winners’ Cup: 1984
One European Super Cup: 1984
One Intercontinental Cup: 1985
Inter Milan:
One Italian Serie A title: 1989
One UEFA Cup: 1991
Bayern Munich:
One Bundesliga title: 1997
One German Cup: 1998
S.L. Benfica:
One Portuguese League title: 2005
Red Bull Salzburg:
One Austrian League title: 2007
GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI’S IRELAND RECORD:
Number of games played: 21
Total number of wins: 8 (38.10%)
Total number of draws: 10 (47.61%)
Total number of losses: 3 (14.29%)
Biggest win: 3–0 v . Algeria
Biggest defeat: 3–0 v . Australia
Longest run unbeaten: 6 games
