Okay, for a few moments let us forget Sunday’s bit-of-a-disaster against Croatia, our style of play, Spain’s all-conquering recent record and Paul McShane. Here are five reasons to be cheerful tonight.
Our away record against the big guns under Trap
We’ve lost at home to Russia and France under Trapattoni but away from home it’s been a different story. Sunday’s game against Croatia was the first time we’ve lost in 12 competitive fixtures to take place on foreign soil under Trap. If there is a perfect fixture for Trap’s Irish team – and yes, we might be clutching at straws here – it’s a game against a team that’s supposed to wipe the floor with us. Yes, we got the rub of the green against Russia in Moscow and yes, we also got lucky when Italy were reduced to ten men early in Bari. But taking those two games, and the 90 minutes of the away leg of the play-off against France, our record against three big guns on foreign soil reads: P3 W1 D2 L0 F2 A1.
Switzerland!
Cast your mind back two years ago. No, not a load of Spanish lads celebrating with the World Cup in their grasp. For today, you’ve got to wipe that image from your mind.
Instead, think of the game a couple of weeks earlier when Spain played a team quite like us, Switzerland. The Swiss defended stoutly, rode their luck and grabbed a fortunate winner on the break. That’s the template, and presumably Trap, Tardelli and the boys have had the video of that game on a loop in the Irish camp this week.
Spain’s dismal scoring record
Spain played seven games at the last World Cup and scored just eight goals. All four of their knock-out games finished 1-0, against Portugal, Paraguay, Germany and Holland after extra-time in the final. Of the eight goals, six were scored by players who won’t face Ireland – David Villa and Carles Puyol.
Andres Iniesta scored twice, and Cesc Fabregas (who teed up Iniesta for the World Cup final winner) hit the net against Italy the other day. So when it comes to actually scoring we really only have to watch those two. Simple, really.
Spain’s defensive frailties
Yes, they have arguably the best goalkeeper in the world in Iker Casillas but ahead of him Spain don’t exactly look watertight. The absence of Puyol has seen Sergio Ramos move to centre half and Alvaro Arbeloa brought in at right back – two moves that considerably weaken the back four. Damien Duff tormented a guy called Juanfran ten years ago, and he could still have enough to outfox Arbeloa tonight, but Ramos in particular is an accident waiting to happen. Mario Balotelli didn’t punish him the other day, but Jonathan Walters might.
We always pull out one big result. It might well be tonight
Think back to all the biggest results in Irish football history. England at Euro ’88, Italy in 1994, Holland at Lansdowne 2001, Paris in 2009 (we’re conveniently forgetting extra-time…)
All came when an Irish win was least expected. We were, if truth be told, fearful of a trimming before all those games. Same with tonight. Everyone, me included, expects a bit of a chasing from the Spaniards. It is at times like this that Irish teams manage to pull a rabbit out of a hat. In 20 years time the word Gdansk might be just as meaningful as Stuttgart and Giants Stadium.
Come on you boys in green!
