kevin3 Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Welcome to the Tactics and Team Guide Thread for the Republic of Ireland at Euro 2012 So, under the guidance of 73 year-old Italian manager Giovanni Trapatoni, Ireland have reached a major tournament for the first time since the 2002 World Cup. The Irish have been handed a very tough group that includes the reigning World and European champions Spain, traditional power-houses Italy and a Croatian side that contains a few world class players. Being brutally honest to myself, we'll do well to finish 3rd out of that lot but my Irish pride is telling me that we can cause a surprise or two. Euro 2012 Qualifying Campaign Armenia (a) 1-0 (W) Andorra (h) 3-1 (W) Russia (h) 2-3 (L) Slovakia (a) 1-1 (D) Macedonia (h) 2-1 (W) Macedonia (a) 2-0 (W) Slovakia (h) 0-0 (D) Russia (a) 0-0 (D) Andorra (a) 2-0 (W) Armenia (h) 2-1 (W) No real big wins in there but a consistently solid defence has been the key for Ireland's qualifying campaign. Out of all the goalkeepers that played at least six full games, only Italy's Gianluigi Buffon (0.17), France's Hugo Lloris (0.40), Belarus' Yuri Zhevnov (0.63) and England's Joe Hart (0.63) have had a better average than Given. And only Lloris bested Given's five clean sheets. Trapatoni's mantra for this Ireland squad has been focused towards discipline, team-work and organisation. We have no world-class players in our ranks so effective football over aesthetic football has to take precedence. It's why the likes of Wes Hoolahan has been overlooked by Trapatoni, because of his adherence to a rigid 4-4-2 means that there's no place for allowing a player's shackles to be loose. Ireland are on a 13 game unbeaten run that includes 10 clean-sheets, which is impressive form when heading into a major tournament, and gives us Irish fans confidence. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin3 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Share Posted June 2, 2012 Manager - Giovanni Trapatoni Since Trapatoni took charge back in 2008, he has made Ireland a difficult team to beat. We narrowly missed out on a place at the 2010 World Cup, (I'm not mentioning why ) and now we have qualified for our first major tournament in 10 years and our first European Championship since 1988. He's a passionate manager and will use all his experience to get the best out of this Irish squad. As mentioned above, he prefers a rigid 4-4-2 and he has hopes that we can emulate Greece of Euro 2004. Trapatoni has been steadfast with his team selections and his first 11 is set in stone. He’ll stay loyal to the players that were used during the qualifying campaign so for the likes of James McClean, who has been in good form for Sunderland, is unlikely to feature much. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18284022 - A great article with Macro Tardelli, Ireland’s Assistant Manager, about how Ireland have grasped Trapatoni’s philosophy. Player Guide - Goalkeepers Shay Given- One of the better goalkeepers in the Premiership, Given will need three high-quality displays if Ireland are to stand a chance. He boasts a very impressive clean sheet record in qualifying. Kieran Westwood - Good back-up goalkeeper that has impressed me when he has played for Sunderland and the Republic. David Forde - Only has two senior caps so hopefully is not needed. Player Guide - Defenders Richard Dunne - The best defender that Ireland have. Although he’s prone to an error or two, when he's on form, he typifies Ireland's resolute defence. His performance against Russia in Moscow was heroic and that will be the type of performance that Ireland will need against the likes of Spain. John O’Shea - Has plenty of experience including a start in the 2009 Champions League Final. He's dependable, versatile and consistent, so hopefully he can come through his injury niggles. Sean St Ledger - Although he plays in the championship with Leicester City, he has proven to be capable on the international stage alongside Richard Dunne. Stephen Ward - Another versatile defender and has been used up front for Wolves on occasion. He's a decent left-back that can defend and attack in equal measure. Paul McShane - Drafted in to replace the injured Kevin Foley, McShane can play right-back or centre-back so gives Ireland extra options if needed. Stephen Kelly - 2nd choice right-back after John O'Shea. Decent defender but doesn't offer much going forward. Darren O'Dea - Back-up centre-half and left-back if Ireland suffer an injury crisis. He's been released by Celtic and I don't think he's good enough for the international stage. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin3 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Share Posted June 2, 2012 Player Guide - Midfielders Aiden McGeady - Ireland's flair player. He can be highly frustrating at times with his decision making but is the only player in the squad that contains that little bit of magic that can open up a defence. He also does his job defensively and is capable of playing on either flank. Damien Duff - Like McGeady, he can play on either flank but usually starts on the right hand side like he does at Fulham. However, during games they may swap positions. Duff always put in a good shift and is quite intelligent in terms of his movement. Glenn Whelan - He sits deep and uses his decent passing range to spread the ball about neatly. He has quite a good shot on him as well as being sound defensively. Keith Andrews - Brings a lot of energy and uses it to get up and down the pitch as well as breaking up play. He forms a good partnership alongside Whelan when defending. James McClean - He's Ireland's wildcard. Drafted in after only 2 caps as he's been agruably, Ireland's most in-form player. He's a hardworking, direct winger that looks to get to the by-line and deliver crosses. Darron Gibson - Probably Ireland's best passer of the ball as well as carrying a powerful shot. He hasn't got the best mobility to get around the pitch and is quite sluggish defensively. Stephen Hunt - Brings great passion and work rate. He's versatile enough to play on either side. Paul Green - Brought into the side for the same reasons as Keith Andrews, he's a ball winner but nothing more really. Player Guide - Forwards Robbie Keane - As our all-time record goal scorer and as our all-time most capped outfield player, quite simply, Keane is our talisman. With a record of 53 goals in 116 caps, he's our key player and he'll need to perform at his best. Kevin Doyle - Although he's been relegated with Wolves, Doyle forms a good partnership alongside Keane. He has tremendous work rate, runs the channels well and always puts himself about. Shane Long – He’s most effective when played as a poacher. He's very quick off the mark and surprislingy good in the air despite his height. Johnathan Walters - Offers the same things that Doyle does. He's a physical presence and nuisance up front. Simon Cox - He's a more all-rounded striker than the others available. Received a "man of the match" award against Armenia that helped secure a place in the play-offs for Euro 2012. Republic of Ireland's Euro 2012 Fixtures - Group C The opening game, like for many teams, is a crucial game. We can't afford to lose against Croatia and we might even need to win that game. If we can go into the final game against Italy with points on the board, we are in with a shout. I expect three games where we will be absolutely dominated in terms of possession, but I also expect three tight, edgy games where our best chance of a goal is on the counter-attack or a set-piece. However, chances will come at a premium Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin3 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Share Posted June 2, 2012 Tactics Team Instructions and Formation Detailed Team Instructions This is the style of play that has served Ireland well during qualification. By no means is it pretty or exciting tactically, but it's simple and effective. Part of the reason we play like this is to get the best out of our key player, Robbie Keane. He needs a partner alongside him to feed off hence Doyle's inclusion. His role is to receive long balls from the back and flick it on or hold it up. Keane generally plays deeper off-the-ball so I gave him a support duty, although he isn't quite a natural support player as his main role is to finish off the moves. Walters is the back-up version of Doyle whilst Long's role will most likely be as a Poacher. Cox is capable of playing in Keane's role or as an Advanced Forward. The wingers, like in most 4-4-2's, play a huge role offensively and are the main source of creativity. McGeady and Duff have the ppm of 'Cuts inside' so they generally play narrower and come onto their stronger foot. Duff is less likely to take on his man than McGeady but still tries to deliver the ball in the box, hence the different roles. Whelan and Andrews in the centre are very workman-like and their job is to keep it simple protect the centre-backs. If Gibson comes on, he would be given the role of a Central Midfielder with the support duty. The back four is also kept simple. Generally they stay tight at as a unit and the full-backs generally hold back. When defending the philosophy is similar to Roy Hodgson's. The team stays compact in a loose, zonal-marking system where keeping your shape is preferred to quickly winning the ball back. Closing down the opposition generally occurs when the ball is advanced towards the half-way line, so the opposition centre-backs are given an easy time on the ball. Also, one forward drops into midfield to make up the numbers. When a 4-4-2 is well-drilled and highly disciplined like Ireland's, it can be very difficult to break down. However, there is a big weakness in this Ireland set-up and the 4-4-2 in general, which was evidently exposed by Russia. As Russia have some good technical players, their game plan was to keep the ball and play between the lines. Ireland were outplayed and simply had no answer. We ended up going 3-0 down at the Aviva before making a near comeback thanks to some of Trapatoni's changes. In Moscow, I don't remember the Republic creating a single chance but we put in an unbelievable defensive performance, mainly down to Richard Dunne and Shay Given, to come away with a vital point in a 0-0 draw. With a group that contains probably the three best playmakers about in Xavi, Pirlo and Modric, I'm very worried:eek:. Limiting their influence will be vital. And finally, to get yourself into the Irish spirit, have a listen to Republic of Ireland's official Euro 2012 song and remember; You'll never beat the Irish!! [video=youtube;r5aZjE15Ye0] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romanista1994 Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 Brilliant opening post! Il Trap is a great manager for the underdog position that Ireland will be in. It'll be interesting to see whether he'll keep a 4-4-2 against Spain's 4-2-3-1 or if he'll spring some tactical surprises to help with the extra man in midfield. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin3 Posted June 2, 2012 Author Share Posted June 2, 2012 Yeah, I've been thinking about that and I'm sure that Trapatoni has done too. We were totally outplayed against Russia over the two qualifying games so going up against the likes of Spain and their tika-taka approach may prove to be too much. During qualification, I don't remember Ireland ever playing in a 4-5-1 but for Spain, it surely needs to be considered. The problem I have with that approach is that we will contain no threat what so ever in attack and Robbie Keane would become totally redundant as a lone-striker. Spain play with two holding midfielders so for Robbie to have an influence would be very difficult. Trapatoni may look at Switzerland's 1-0 win against Spain at the World cup for inspiration. They were similar in terms of their ability and their 4-4-2 was able to frustrate the life out of them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin3 Posted June 5, 2012 Author Share Posted June 5, 2012 It seems now that Trap is seriously considering using a 4-5-1 formation for the opening game against Croatia after a 0-0 draw against Hungary. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jun/05/republic-of-ireland-hungary-euro-2012 I managed to see the second half of that game and it was clear that Ireland were struggling against Hungary's 4-2-3-1. Like I mentioned in the last paragraph in the OP, Ireland have struggled against teams that play between the lines with the common problems arising when a 4-4-2 meets a 4-2-3-1. Although when Darron Gibson came on, he did calm the game down a little bit and was our most assured passer of the ball so he would be the one to fill up the centre. The change in shape most surely comes from a defensive point-of-view as going forward we created some good chances and could've scored ourselves. Given that Trapatoni has rarely, if ever, used a 4-5-1 with Ireland, my worries are that we are sacrificing the style that got us to the Euros and we are giving up a lot offensively. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricardomac Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 I haven't seen much of Ireland, but I have to say something. Trap is one of the best managers in the world. He was champion with Benfica, wen we didn't have a great set of players. Shame i didn't stay and left for Sttutgart. I wish him luck, but hope e doesn't get to the final, against my little Portugal. Cheers, great thread. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleon Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 It seems now that Trap is seriously considering using a 4-5-1 formation for the opening game against Croatia after a 0-0 draw against Hungary. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jun/05/republic-of-ireland-hungary-euro-2012I managed to see the second half of that game and it was clear that Ireland were struggling against Hungary's 4-2-3-1. Like I mentioned in the last paragraph in the OP, Ireland have struggled against teams that play between the lines with the common problems arising when a 4-4-2 meets a 4-2-3-1. Although when Darron Gibson came on, he did calm the game down a little bit and was our most assured passer of the ball so he would be the one to fill up the centre. The change in shape most surely comes from a defensive point-of-view as going forward we created some good chances and could've scored ourselves. Given that Trapatoni has rarely, if ever, used a 4-5-1 with Ireland, my worries are that we are sacrificing the style that got us to the Euros and we are giving up a lot offensively. Could the change have been brought on due to Olic no longer in the squad? He was Croatia's biggest threat for goals. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tactikzz Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Could the change have been brought on due to Olic no longer in the squad? He was Croatia's biggest threat for goals. Perhaps a time for Nikica Jelavić to step up and produce a 'big tournament'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleon Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Perhaps a time for Nikica Jelavić to step up and produce a 'big tournament'. There's no better opportunity for him. I like him so I hope he scores a few goals. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin3 Posted June 5, 2012 Author Share Posted June 5, 2012 Perhaps a time for Nikica Jelavić to step up and produce a 'big tournament'. Jelavic worries me Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fyrefuze Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Jelavic worries me Is this still an Ireland thread? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin3 Posted June 5, 2012 Author Share Posted June 5, 2012 Is this still an Ireland thread? I just have a feeling that he'll score againt us as he's been on great form at Everton. I also put him in my Euro fantasy team which I might have to change now Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
grimness Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Before seeing Trap contemplating switch to 4-5-1 I thought we'll see 4-4-2 vs 4-4-2 which is rare nowadays. Regardless of result on 10th in Poznan there will be huge party before and after the game. Probably it will start 2-3 days before the game One of the games where police presence isn't needed Also what frustrates me is that even with healthy Olić, Mandžukić would get a nod. I'd love to see Eduardo in first eleven. Whoever wins this match has good chance of progressing further. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin3 Posted June 9, 2012 Author Share Posted June 9, 2012 Republic of Ireland vs Croatia preview (The battle of the 4-4-2s) Most eyes will be on the Spain-Italy game on Sunday but for Ireland and Croatia fans, their eyes will be firmly focused on the later fixture in Poznan, where picking up 3 points could be crucial if either side has a realistic chance of getting out of the group. This match is a rarity in international football these days, in the fact that both teams look set to line-up in a 4-4-2 formation. Even though it had been hinted after the Hungary friendly on Monday that Trapatoni was considering going with a 4-5-1, Robbie Keane has said that Trapatoni's comments were lost in translation a little bit and instead his role may to be play a little deeper. "I might have to drop deeper on to the [opposition] holding midfielder and not let him dictate the game," said Keane. "It's more things like that than, say, a formation change." The LA Galaxy striker added: "He's had the same system since he came in, so if anything changes it would be a minor thing. "We're not going to just go to a 4-3-3 when we haven't done it for a long time." So you could say that instead of lining up in a 4-4-2 or a 4-5-1, Ireland will most likely resemble a 4-4-1-1 for most of the game. Probable starting 11's (based on zonalmarking.net) I can see the diagram above being the general shape of the game. Ireland will fall back into their two rigid banks of four with Keane dropping back onto Dujmovic -their holding midfielder- which will, in effect, allow the opposition to have control of possession. I would be surprised and also slightly disappointed if Ireland did, after all, revert to a 4-5-1, as you can see from the diagram that we're not really outnumbered in midfield, but that is subject to whether Croatia will actually line up like this. Ireland's game-plan There is not really much else to say on Ireland's tactics other than what I've mentioned in the OP. They will defend deep in rigid lines, look to play direct attacks and will look to their wingers to create the chances - simple but effective football. McGeady, for me, is the key player for Ireland. I'm confident that Ireland's defensive players will be able to handle the majority of Croatia's attacks, but if there is no out-ball or no area that we can attack through, then Ireland won't carry much a threat going forward either. Croatia's game-plan From Zonalmarking.net Expect Croatia to sit deep and then break quickly - sometimes their counter-attacks can be extremely swift and effective, like in their superb 3-0 play-off win at Turkey. They take advantage of their two strikers staying high up the pitch, and the lack of an opposition spare man at the back (assuming they’re playing against a four-man defence) does have its advantages. The disadvantage is that they don't compete well in midfield, and despite the guile of Modric, they're often very slow in possession and keep the ball for long periods without looking to penetrate the opposition defence. There are also concerns about the attacking-to-defensive transition - Croatia can be slow to get back into shape. Set-pieces are also another area of weakness , judging by the crucial 2-0 loss at Greece in qualification, and that could be a significant factor against Ireland. If the parts highlighted in bold are true, then Ireland could have the upper-hand in this game. Ireland's 4-4-2 gets exposed when you play in and between their lines but, for that, the ball needs to be moved about quickly and sharply. If Croatia play at a pedestrian pace and look solely through Modric to create their chances, then I don't see Ireland having much problems because, soon enough, Croatia will become predictable. I would be much more worried if Modric were to play higher up and in the space behind Whelan and Andrews. Prediction How the game starts will be key. If both teams play in the same styles they used during qualification then I would give Ireland the edge, but if Croatia are brave enough and look to be more proactive, they then would seem favourites. I predict a tight and non-eventful game which could end up being settled by a single goal. I'm going 1-0 Ireland with Walters getting the goal. However, if I were to pick someone from Croatia to score, I'd go with Nikica Jelavic and knowing my luck, Croatia will probably end up winning 3-0 . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
grimness Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Well knowing Croatia's luck with Ireland it might be Ireland winning or at least a draw. Croatia backline seems to be Srna - Ćorluka - Schildenfeld - Strinić. It's possible that Srna will be moved to the right in which case Vida will be right back. Still no info on which line up will play for us tomorrow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.