Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni says players were ‘impotent’ at European Championship

Gaffer tried to blame players for team's embarrassment

“Until now is has been good, and I can’t just turn the page and forget about it. It’s not professional, it is not correct.”

As for potential retirements within the squad, Trapattoni confirmed that he has spoken to some of his senior players but has yet to hear their decisions.

“I can say the names, but I won’t say the names. I am sure they need to stay with their families, I don’t know,” said Trapattoni.

“But I said two months ago, it is important for us that these senior players help also the young to gain new experience. That’s life, it is not only football.

“The young are usually arrogant or shy and the senior players help them grow. That is life, it is not only football.”
 
Keane’s Defense

Ireland captain Robbie Keane has hit out at claims that manager Giovanni Trapattoni should lose his job in the wake of the team’s European Championship disappointment.

Keane, yet to decide on his own international future, believes Trapattoni must be allowed to see out the remaining two years on his contract.

“There’s no chance of a change in management, why should there be?” asked Keane in response to questions about Trap’s future.

“That’s just going against everything we’ve done in the last four years. We have played that way for four years under Trap so I think it would be wrong to come into a tournament and try to change that.

“It’s the manager’s decision so we were happy for the last four years with the way we’ve playing. This tournament, we can talk about tactics and stuff like that, but I don’t think it’s anything like that.

“It’s been disappointing for everyone of course. You want to do the best you can and make the country proud. I don’t know whether the players could have done any more than they did. They gave 100%.

“I think sometimes in life you just have to hold your hands up and say we’ve been beaten by better teams.”

Keane also spoke of the disappointment within the Irish squad after their Euro effort ended with a third straight defeat, this time to the Italians on Monday.

He added, “We’re disappointed. We wanted to try and give something to the fans and the players to go home with.

“It is disappointing that we didn’t get something out of the game. It was a game that going in to it we knew we could get something out of it, but we were beaten again by two set-piece goals, which we haven’t been getting beaten in that department in a long time.

“I think we got in their faces a lot more. We knew from playing against Italy in previous games about getting into their faces and not give them much time and that was the case tonight.

“We played well in some parts but without again creating too many chances for ourselves. To get beaten from a corner from probably the smallest player on the pitch is disappointing.”

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Nster.com