As Izumo said goodbye to the Irish team at another civic celebration of politeness yesterday most of the footballers wore the slightly bemused expressions so often seen on members of their profession when faced with life outside of a training ground or top hotel.

Mick McCarthy, though, once again looked a man who had been genuinely touched by the warmth of the reception he and his players have received over this past week. Which is certainly not to say his hosts should expect him back any time soon.

The Irish manager's troubles may have started in Saipan but it was here that they escalated to the point where, he admits, he considered throwing in the towel and walking away. After what he's been through, a couple of days in Niigata and the long-awaited start of the football must seem like a much-needed gift from the many gods believed by the Japanese to inhabit this neck of the woods.

If a team's preparations are really meant to count for much then McCarthy's men would be as good as beaten already. Thankfully, however, tomorrow's opponents have not had a dream build-up either with a lightning strike over bonuses last week followed by a journey that ended up taking 44 hours because of the national airline's somewhat blasé approach to long haul travel.

With a strong performance in last Sunday's draw against England under their belts, though, it is the African champions who will arrive at the venue for tomorrow's game in more confident mood. Indeed, with all of his players expected to be fit, coach Winfried Schafer was yesterday predicting that both his side and Germany will have already booked their places in the last 16 by the time they meet in Shizuoko 12 days from now.

At his press conference yesterday McCarthy admitted that Cameroon were entitled to fancy themselves just now. "If they were watching us this week," he laughed "they'll be rubbing their hands. They'll be going 'yahoo, bring on the Irish'. But when they see us on Saturday I think they might see things a little differently."

In the midst of the chaos that has accompanied the Roy Keane affair, McCarthy has done a good deal of work over the past few days to prepare his men to cope with Cameroon's many strengths. Whether they can really match the power and pace of Schafer's side remains to be seen, of course, but few of the neutrals who have visited the camp this week have given them much chance.

Having beaten the Dutch last year against all the odds the Irish may welcome going into their first game as underdogs. At Lansdowne Road that Saturday afternoon in September, however, they rode their luck a little through the early stages and if they do not contain their opponents more effectively tomorrow then they will need every bit as much good fortune.

Out wide Saloman Olembe will prove a test for Steve Finnan but it is Ian Harte's ability to cope with the likes of Lauren and Geremi on the other flank that promises to be one of the day's decisive factors.

Geremi will be a particular concern for the Irish for, aside from the ease he displays on the ball, the Real Madrid defender boasts both a fine strike from free-kicks and a throw in long enough to put Shay Given and his central defence under persistent pressure through the afternoon.

If, as expected, Patrick Mboma has recovered sufficiently from his ankle injury to start up front alongside Samuel Eto'o, then Steve Staunton and company will have plenty to worry about for both are adept at finding the net even if Mboma is chronically one-footed and arrives at these championships after a miserable second half to the season at Sunderland.

Even at the back these days Cameroon look impressive. Big, quick and tough, Raymond Kalla, Rigobert Song and Bill Tchato are certain to make life tough for Robbie Keane and Damien Duff. The hope will be that with the game coming so early in the tournament the match officials will be encouraged to set the tone for the weeks to come and the pair will be allowed to make the impact which McCarthy so desperately requires of them.

Our lack of goals in competitive football, the absence of Keane in midfield and the lack of pace in defence all remain major concerns for the Ireland manager.

He said yesterday that Jason McAteer will play tomorrow if he can prove his fitness but Gary Kelly's impressive displays in recent friendlies, you suspect, must make him seem an attractive fall back given the problems Wes Brown had with Olembe last Sunday.

In central midfield Mark Kinsella and Matt Holland start only their fourth competitive game together and a great deal depends on their ability to fill the void created by Keane's absence. Kinsella's decision to rest his knee rather than train on Wednesday is a concern and while there was a lingering doubt about his fitness yesterday the manager insisted that he had come through the morning's closed session without any problem at all.

It is central defence, though, that is again the most critical area for the Irish with McCarthy needing his men to exert a degree of control over the proceedings that none of the partnerships employed recently ever quite managed for the full 90 minutes.

Though Kenny Cunningham looked to have reasserted his claim to one of the two places during the build-up to these finals, the error he committed that led to one of Nigeria's goals two weeks ago combined with Gary Breen's strong form in training may have tipped the balance back in the latter's favour. Certainly McCarthy's suggestion that at least one man had played his way into the team since leaving Dublin was being widely interpreted yesterday as a good sign for the former Coventry City defender. New captain Steve Staunton, meanwhile, has inherited an enormous responsibility from the departed Keane. It is the 33 year-old who will have to persuade this team on the field that they are capable of putting the troubles of the past week behind them.

The refusal of FIFA to allow Colin Healy be called into the squad was just another minor blow to the cause yesterday. But there are positive factors too, not least the fact that the weather in Japan since the Irish arrived here has so far produced nothing like the temperatures originally feared.

McCarthy insists that spirits are high, now that the players have finally got to concentrate on what they came here to do. If he is right, and his men can round off a terrible week with a performance sufficiently good to earn them a draw or better then surely anything will seem possible over their remaining two games.