Soccer:Prior to the furore over who said what and where and when they said it, Giovanni Trapattoni had a number of footballing concerns that were never going to go away. Chief among them was the dilemma he faces in picking a match-fit defence for the Euro 2012 qualifier against Macedonia in Skopje on June 4th.
That task got a bit trickier today when it was confirmed Seán St Ledger will now miss the game with a persistent knee injury, joining Aston Villa defenders Richard Dunne (suspended) and Ciaran Clark (hamstring) on the sidelines.
It leaves Trapattoni with four or five players to fill two central defensive positions, though Darren O’Dea is just returning from injury and John O’Shea may have to navigate a Champions League final against Barcelona on Saturday night before joining up with the squad. He, too, only returned from injury in Gary Neville’s testimonial on Tuesday.
O’Dea was fairly solid at centre-back against Macedonia in March when St Ledger was ruled out after a training ground clash with Clark, so a look at his fitness against Scotland in the Carling Nations Cup will be crucial.
Stephen Kelly and Damien Delaney, who formed the central pairing in the five-nil win over Northern Ireland on Tuesday are also options, as is Paul McShane, though he is more likely to remain on the flanks.
The good news for Trapattoni was the presence of Glenn Whelan and Keith Fahey at training today, though neither took part.
Whelan is nursing a slight ankle problem which will be assessed by the Irish medical team while Birmingham winger Fahey is suffering from a migraine.
Also absent from this morning’s run out in Malahide were team captain Robbie Keane and Preston’s Keith Treacy, but neither are major concerns and the striker, as well as goalkeeper Shay Given, is expected to get some time against Scotland.
"Sure, they can play possibly the first or last hour or 45 minutes. Our interest now is getting them rest for Macedonia," said Trapattoni today.
The manager will be hoping Shane Long comes through Monday's Championship play-off final between Reading and Swansea, but he also appears to have high hopes for West Brom's Simon Cox, who he says he is ready to face Macedonia if needed after scoring a debut goal against the North.
"Yes, I think sure. Obviously we think about Shane Long and Keane. But last night and after tomorrow Simon Cox can show us he is available for us. It is important, it is another opportunity. We can decide without the fear, he can play with us."
