GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI has sought to play down suggestions a number of Irish players are having problems working with his assistant Liam Brady, who was previously fiercely critical of some squad members in the course of his media work.

"When I was a younger player I thought that journalists, reporters, didn't understand football," said the Italian when asked about a claim Brian Kerr made in his Irish Times column that Brady "has ground to make up with those players still bristling from his columns and comments as a TV pundit during recent campaigns".

"As you grow up you understand that each of us has a different job to do," said the Italian. "But wherever there is work, there is a critic. Liam was a pundit - that's normal. But it's not as if you write something bad about the players and then they stop playing football.

"It's not a problem. Liam is a good asset here. He is important for me and the team. He was a famous player, was captain of Ireland. In Italy there are 20 or 30 ex-players that work in television. Should we all stop playing because they are criticising us? We are not children. We are grown men. If these are the worries we have, instead of thinking about qualifying for the World Cup, then it's better we stay at home."

Trapattoni did not address the suggestion, confirmed by those close to some players, that certain squad members also find Brady's attitude towards them arrogant but he went on to dismiss as unimportant reports that a number of players broke a curfew in Portugal. None of the squad's bigger names appear to have been involved in the incident, which he refused even to confirm had happened, and the Italian coach pointed to the fact his side had come from behind to equalise in the 91st minute against Serbia on Saturday evening as evidence they had prepared well for the game.

He was speaking after yesterday's training session in Malahide where John O'Shea was among the players to take a full part. Of those who featured at Croke Park, Daryl Murphy (knee), Paul McShane (neck) and Richard Dunne (foot) have emerged with slight injury problems but all are expected to recover fully in time to be considered for the Colombia match on Thursday evening in London. Aiden McGeady is a major doubt for the game and with the Celtic winger having missed the training camp and picked up a knock while playing for Celtic last Thursday, the coach hinted strongly he may be left to rest.

O'Shea, on the other hand, is likely to start at Craven Cottage but Trapattoni made it clear he has no intention of making wholesale changes just so that everybody who is a part of the squad gets the chance to play.

"At the moment I am looking for more confidence, for a tight, solid team. I know now that players like (Andy) Keogh and (Damien) Delaney have already made huge progress. And in just 10 minutes I saw some real intelligent movement from (Shane) Long. But if we make too many changes we lose focus and concentration. There has to be a foundation we can build on. Otherwise, if we lose the next game confidence will be lost and you guys will come and ask me: 'Hey, why did you change so many players?'."

The 69-year-old rejected most of the criticisms levelled at Saturday's showing and insisted it was "an excellent performance apart from two moments of distraction which first gave Serbia an opportunity to score and then eventually the goal. When you want to win, it's normal you leave some space to your opponent which, if you lose the ball, they can exploit in a counter-attack. But this is normal, it happens all over the world."

He said he would be "looking for more fluency and hoping to build more offensive action". Damien Duff and Andy Keogh were singled out for particular praise in this department.

On the defensive front, he insisted McShane's error for the goal was the result of youthful inexperience and sought to dwell instead on what he saw as the positive aspects of the team's display at the back.

"We have eliminated a lot of fouls that give away dangerous frees," he said. "Defence has always been a matter of contention for Ireland. But I think last night the defence played well. The goal came because of a lack of concentration. Paul wanted to play offside and the others stayed back. We need confidence and they can improve. Paul is only 23, not 30.

"But as all the players gain confidence, there will be less incidence of error. For example, Richard Dunne coming in brought a lot of trust to the little defensive structure we'd been working on. And with John O'Shea coming back, we will have even more experience.

"With five or six senior players, I am certain the team will grow in confidence. I am optimistic that Ireland can eliminate the kind of small errors that caused them to lose in the past. This match demonstrated we are a compact, tight team.

"We don't have excellent, amazing super stars," he concluded, "but we are a very good team."