Soccer:Giovanni Trapattoni's satisfaction with the win over Bosnia-Herzegovina was countered this morning by disappointment for midfielder Keith Fahey, who was last night ruled out of Euro 2012, and a lingering concern over the fitness of John O'Shea.
The latter, he admitted this morning after some confusion at the post-match press conference yesterday evening, may not make the friendly against Hungary on June 4th because of the ankle injury he has been carrying since Sunderland’s last game of the season against Manchester United.
As the manager prepared to take his team to a training base in Montecatini, Italy, this morning, he told journalists at Dublin Airport that all he could do with the veteran defender was “wait”, but that the player “must” play against Hungary on June 4th.
“We wait now, what happens,” said the Italian. “I think he can play in Hungary, O'Shea. Until now, he make only training. He assured me he can play, he can be ready.
“We wait, because in Budapest, he must play.”
Fahey’s absence from the squad was confirmed last night after he suffered a recurrence of the groin strain that had hampered him recently and kept him out of the play-offs with Birmingham.
It was a cruel early end to the Euros journey for the Dubliner, who had worked hard to recover his fitness to the point where he was in contention to play at the Aviva Stadium until the warm-up yesterday.
However, Trapattoni insisted this morning he had to call Paul Green into the squad because it “will be important to have 100 per cent fit players”, a comment which also suggests time is running out for O’Shea and Kevin Foley, who has been trying to shake off a hamstring injury.
On a positive note, Trapattoni seems genuinely encouraged by how his options have increased of late and has suggested he now has more trust in players like Darron Gibson and James McClean, who both started last night and impressed in the centre of midfield and the flanks respectively.
“In Italia, I look for the form of the players, but at the moment I am happy because … yesterday we change two/three players during the game. The team play well and now the team know what they can do. The midfield know they can change, the other two strikers (Shane) Long and (Jonathan) Walters the same. That is for us important.”
Trapattoni and his squad will stay in Italy until June 2nd, when they depart for Budapest for the game two days later. After playing Hungary they will leave immediately for Poland and their training base in Gydnia, near Gdansk.
They face Croatia in their opening match of Group C on June 10th, before they meet the world and European champions Spain in Gdansk on the 14th and Italy in Poznan on the 18th.
