However, as the outstanding Zlatan Ibrahimovic started to wield more influence, Ireland switched off and allowed Sweden to get back into the game. Despite Trapattoni's reputation for building solid 'catenaccio' systems, Ireland's defending was slipshod and incompetent for the two crucial, preventable goals. McClean fell asleep for the first goal, closing down an already-marked Larsson to allow Lustig the time and space to pick out a dangerous cross. Whelan was caught in no-man's land in the second half, as the 37-year-old Anders Svensson bisected the Irish defence to finish past David Forde. Ireland's attempts to force an equaliser slipped away in a flurry of long balls and poor decision-making, particularly from the hard-running but frustrating Long. As the game slipped away, Ireland's morale and self-belief expired.
There has been a lot of soul-searching in the past few days. Trapattoni blamed the Irish grassroots for failing to provide the requisite talent, with an ill-advised dig at the domestic league. Many pundits, conversely, blame Trapattoni for not making the best of what is available. It's a circular argument which reflects negatively on both Ireland's playing pool and how they have been managed since Paris in 2009, when Ireland out-passed a French side containing Henry, Evra, Gourcuff and Anelka. The foundations were laid that night for an exciting, strong, competitive Irish team, but it was never built upon. Qualification for the Euros was, on paper, a fait accompli, but the Slovakian collapse in that group, and an amazingly fortunate playoff draw, tended to obscure the glaring weaknesses in the Irish side. Those weaknesses have been ruthlessly exposed ever since.
The Irish defence has never been wholly reliable or consistent under Trapattoni. Think back to goals conceded from set-pieces against Italy (twice), Croatia, Slovakia, Russia and Kazakhstan - the type of goals that should not be conceded by a well-organised team. The centre of midfield has been a wasteland, populated by players who lack the requisite technical ability to fill the basic requirements at this level. The likes of Whelan, Andrews and Green are fine athletes, but the 37-year-old Svensson - who never played for a bigger club than Southampton in his career - showed on Friday night that intelligent movement and sound technique will always trump graft and attrition in the international arena. Neither he, Albin Ekdal, nor Kim Kallstrom could be regarded as midfield enforcers in the Makelele or Roy Keane mould - they are tidy footballers who do the basics, make their interceptions, keep the ball, and provide a link between defence and attack.
The game no longer calls for midfielders to fly into tackles with the ferocity and frequency of yesteryear. Statistics show that Bayern Munich - the German and European Champions, regarded as pioneers of modern, technical football - averaged fourteen tackles per game last season. Even Everton, who were regarded as a 'physical' side under David Moyes, averaged a total of eighteen, with central midfielders making between three and five tackles per game. Given this trend, in a game where midfield players are expected to average between fifty and sixty passes in the ninety minutes, is it fair or even sensible that Wes Hoolahan is omitted from the Irish team for his perceived lack of athleticism or defensive ability?
Players like Hoolahan, McCarthy, Andy Reid, Stephen Quinn, Chris McCann, Owen Garvan and Darron Gibson have all been available to the Irish manager since 2009. All are regarded as better passers of the ball than Andrews, Whelan and Green, and have mostly played at a comparable level in England to those incumbents. Then, consider that Trapattoni has latterly pursued a baffling propensity for putting one-dimensional strikers - Cox, Keogh and Walters - on the wing instead of trusting the promising talents of Robbie Brady. Is there any doubt that Trapattoni has erred in his brief to pick the most effective Irish team? He has created a defensively-minded team that can't actually defend; a team which plays long, high balls to Keane, Doyle and Long, who are all under six feet tall. The midfield is picked for its defensive ability, yet their individual and collective inability to keep possession constantly puts Ireland on the back foot. It is a mess of self-defeating and unnecessary contradictions which leaves the Irish players at a considerable handicap before a ball is kicked.
Ireland will go into battle against Austria tonight needing a favour from Kazakhstan to stay within distance of a playoff place, yet it seems immaterial. The Trapattoni era is in its death throes, and an unlikely win tonight may only provide a stay of execution. Even if, by some miracle, Ireland scraped into second place, the 'worst runners-up' spot would be a very realistic fate. Austria are a more sophisticated team than Sweden, with a solid core of Bundesliga players, marshalled by the excellent David Alaba. The way they outplayed Ireland in the second half in Dublin does not bode well for tonight's game. The mood can not be positive in the Irish camp after Friday night, and though we may see a spirited performance, the required victory should be a bridge too far.
Ireland's hopes will go no further, but the discussions will continue, at least until the Euro 2016 campaign begins. How can Ireland go forward? Will a change of manager consign the international side to Wales/Scotland also-ran status, or will the mistakes of Trapattoni's era be rectified? Where are the players going to come from?
The dysfunction and schism at grassroots level, the financial travails of the League of Ireland, and the trend of Irish players coming through English academies to be sold off to lower-tier sides without any top-level experience - these are the challenges which continue to face Irish football, and none can be resolved without a major overhaul. That, unfortunately, would require investment and capital which is beyond the FAI's resources at present, even if the expertise were there to formulate any wide-reaching technical development plan. Discussion about such reform will remain a utopian pipe dream until the brains and the finance are readily available to the FAI, without being held back by the misdirected funding, abuses of power, cronyism and shoddy administration we have come to expect from the maligned Association.
In spite of all this, there are enough Irish players knocking about at a high level to be competitive against teams like Bulgaria, Slovakia, Sweden and Austria, and pose a more compelling challenge in these games. A manager is required with the organisational skills, common-sense, diplomacy and progressive approach to get the best out of this Irish player pool, and despite his pedigree, Trapattoni has not proved to be that man. Despite initial glimpses of promise in the 2010 qualifiers, and the kudos acquired from grinding out important victories in the Euro 2012 campaign, Ireland have regressed to something far removed from the organised, well-drilled, tactically aware, patient and mentally strong unit that Trapattoni's appointment and early performances promised in 2008. Trapattoni's mistakes in 2012 and 2013 have brought to mind the worst of Brian Kerr's conservatism and Staunton's bizarre selections and defensive frailty. We had a right to expect more.
In spite of all this, there are enough Irish players knocking about at a high level to be competitive against teams like Bulgaria, Slovakia, Sweden and Austria, and pose a more compelling challenge in these games. A manager is required with the organisational skills, common-sense, diplomacy and progressive approach to get the best out of this Irish player pool, and despite his pedigree, Trapattoni has not proved to be that man. Despite initial glimpses of promise in the 2010 qualifiers, and the kudos acquired from grinding out important victories in the Euro 2012 campaign, Ireland have regressed to something far removed from the organised, well-drilled, tactically aware, patient and mentally strong unit that Trapattoni's appointment and early performances promised in 2008. Trapattoni's mistakes in 2012 and 2013 have brought to mind the worst of Brian Kerr's conservatism and Staunton's bizarre selections and defensive frailty. We had a right to expect more.
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