Ahead of Ireland’s clash with Germany in Cologne, Ron Ullrich of the cult German football magazine 11freunde.de examines Giovanni Trapattoni’s impact in Munich and the far from unanimous support for current national team coach Joachim Löw.
If we were singing different tunes before kick-off, Irish football followers are on the same hymn-sheet now. The calls for the head of Trapattoni are reaching a crescendo. We are falling over ourselves to scream loudest: “Trap out.” And the Germans have noticed it too.
Remarkably, Ireland have recorded quite a few successes against the Germans over the years, especially at home. Despite the shambolic reign of Steve Staunton, we still gave them two tough encounters when last paired in a qualifying group. Despite the gloom among the home supporters, tonight’s visitors are well aware they face a potentially uncomfortable evening at Lansdowne Road.
Giovanni Trapattoni has named the side to face Germany at the Aviva Stadium. John O’Shea takes the captain’s armband while Seamus Coleman and Jon Walters are included.
It’s ten years since Robbie Keane danced through the German defence and blasted a last gasp equaliser past Oliver Khan. Miroslav Klose, the man who scored Germany’s opener that day, is still leading the attack but Robbie won’t be doing cartwheels after being ruled out of Friday’s clash between the sides. The interest of a pessimistic Irish public, however, has also gone head over heels.
The high priest of Ireland’s football religion won’t be converted but Giovanni Trapattoni has a few new disciples. Announcing his squad for the upcoming qualifiers, Robbie Brady is on standby while the manager says Ireland needs a miracle to have Richard Dunne available. Now the Germans are coming to hammer the first nail in our World Cup hopes.
Not content with ruining football with madcap ideas like hosting the 2020 Euros all across the continent, UEFA were busying themselves in Poland and Ukraine by manipulating the live television coverage. It turns out footage of a German fan crying after the defeat to Italy was pre-recorded. And that’s not all.