sligoman
15/08/2005, 11:54 AM
Former Irish international Steve Staunton believes a good start is imperative if Ireland are to defeat Italy in Wednesday nights friendly.
The Drogheda man was part of the last Irish team to defeat Italy at the 1994 World Cup and has warned the current team not to let Italy grow in confidence. He said “If Italian teams grow in confidence early on, they can be very hard to shift and we were aware of that in the Giants Stadium in 1994.”
Ray Houghton’s volley decided matters that day and Stan believes Brian Kerr’s men must adapt a similar approach to achieve success. He continued “Our plan was to try to hit them with an early goal in the belief that if we succeeded, it would eat into their confidence.”
Staunton now at Walsall sees Septembers match with France as vital to Ireland’s chances of progression to Germany in 2006. He said “The game with France at Lansdowne Road is key to everything. If we get a result there I reckon we could be on the road to Germany. But the bottom line is if we do well against the Italians it will be a huge boost going into the game with France.”
http://www.eleven-a-side.com/worldcup2006/irish_soccer_detail.asp?newsid=18665
The Drogheda man was part of the last Irish team to defeat Italy at the 1994 World Cup and has warned the current team not to let Italy grow in confidence. He said “If Italian teams grow in confidence early on, they can be very hard to shift and we were aware of that in the Giants Stadium in 1994.”
Ray Houghton’s volley decided matters that day and Stan believes Brian Kerr’s men must adapt a similar approach to achieve success. He continued “Our plan was to try to hit them with an early goal in the belief that if we succeeded, it would eat into their confidence.”
Staunton now at Walsall sees Septembers match with France as vital to Ireland’s chances of progression to Germany in 2006. He said “The game with France at Lansdowne Road is key to everything. If we get a result there I reckon we could be on the road to Germany. But the bottom line is if we do well against the Italians it will be a huge boost going into the game with France.”
http://www.eleven-a-side.com/worldcup2006/irish_soccer_detail.asp?newsid=18665