Trapattoni: We must forget the past

Giovanni Trapattoni says his Republic of Ireland team must forget the past as they prepare to take on Germany in a World Cup qualifier.

Trapattoni also admitted that he had been ‘too critical’ of his players in the aftermath of their narrow 2-1 victory against Kazakhstan and reiterated his belief that the team ‘deserved’ to win the tie.

“We must forget what happened months ago,” Trapattoni said at the squad announcement for the forthcoming World Cup qualification matches.

“Kazakhstan, Serbia, Oman, we can forget that (too). There were mistakes made in the emotion of the European Championship against Croatia and Italy but let’s start again. It’s another 90-minute game.”

He continued: “After Kazakhstan I was too critical with my players. In the first 50 minutes we could have scored a goal. After their goal we lost a bit of trust. But after that we went in the right direction and we deserved to win the game.”

Trapattoni hinted that Ireland could possibly play with three players in the centre of midfield against Germany, but reminded reporters that Ireland were not Spain.

“We can change because we can play with two or three in central midfield. The European champions, Spain, play without a striker,” he said.

“In Ireland, that would be the end of the world. It’s possible because we are deciding what is the best thing to do. Maybe after an hour, we can switch. Against Germany, why not think about three midfielders, for example?”

Meanwhile, Trapattoni has defended his decision to place Aston Villa defender Richard Dunne on standby for the games against Germany and Faroe Islands.

“Richard said if he plays one game (for the club), maybe he will be available,” he said.

“I don’t think about him, but maybe miracles can happen. It’s better that we have the option, that’s why we’ve named him.”