Robinho Returns to Real Life

by Rossa McDermott

Late into the night Brazilian goal scorer Robinho arrived back to the team hotel near Maynooth after a deserved victory over the Republic of Ireland at Croke Park. With a flight back to Madrid completed on Thursday morning with the two other Brazilians at Real Madrid, Baptista and Marcelo, all arrived back from Dublin in time for the afternoon training session.

They all completed some recuperation exercises along with the other ten players who had returned from international duty.

For Robinho though it was progress down the bumpy road of football having arrived in 2006 to Europe from Brazil heralded as the next “great thing” with comparisons made to other Brazilians – Romario, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. With the burden of expectation weighing him down in his first season in Real Madrid he is slowly fulfilling that promise that attracted so much attention when he was at Pele’s old club, Santos.

That 67 minute goal at Croke Park that beat Shay Given clearly showed the ability and potential of the 24 year old Brazilian winger.

Meanwhile back from Holland duties unscathed were Ruud van Nistelrooy, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder who were 3-0 winner’s away win to Croatia. It was a performance that attracted much praise from their manager Marco van Basten afterwards, who had surprisingly recalled former Real Madrid midfielder Clarence Seedorf for the week.

For the 2006 World Cup winning captain, Fabio Cannavaro, there was a happy homecoming too after Italy had a convincing 3-1 win over Portugal in Zurich.

The two Spanish internationals Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas were part of a 1-0 victory in Malaga over a Raymond Domenech French selection and returned injury free. Liverpool striker Fernando Torres though will be out for ten days having picked up a knock and will miss the weekend tie against Chelsea.

For all now the focus will be on Real Madrid’s chase for the League and defending an unbeaten home record that has lasted for over a year. On Sunday they take on Valladolid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Before the break last week the club dropped their first three points in an eight game run by losing 2-0 to Almeria.

Barcelona on the other hand face Sevilla away and are without Zambrotta who returned from Italy duty with an injury that rules him out of the weekend game. Although Ronaldinho is back in training it is not clear whether he will play and Lionel Messi returned from the United States, where Argentina played an international friendly, fit and healthy

Former Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze was out of action for Argentina as he too was recovering from injury in Madrid

Cristoph Metzelder had little joy and there was little celebration of Germany's 3-0 victory over EURO 2008 hosts in Vienna as his prolonged foot injury may now require an operation and he spent the week with the Real Madrid medical team.

For Robinho though Sunday the news remains good as he will get another chance to do what Brazilian forwards love to do - torment defenders.

Steve Coppell for Ireland

In the five years he has been at Reading Football Club Steve Coppell has won a clutch of "Manager of the Month" awards culminating in 2006 with the Coca Cola Football League Championship Manager of the Year and the League Manager Association (LMA) Manager of the Year award. All the personal recognition was the result of achieving promotion to the Barclays Premiership in the same year with the unfashionable Berkshire club.

The longest period Steve Coppell worked at one club since joining Reading was at Crystal Palace where he started out in 1984 after his playing career was ended prematurely through injury.

During that time he was learning his trade and won no honours but the experience laid the foundation of an apprenticeship that was to serve him well in his current role - and also throw his name in the frame for the vacant Republic of Ireland job.

Born in Liverpool in 1995 Steve Coppell played football at school and in his later years attracted the attention of a few clubs as he was proving a speedy and tricky winger. But Coppell was focussed on his education and chose Tranmere Rovers in order to allow him pursue an Economics degree at the University Of Liverpool.

After two years with the club he had become a regular in the first team by 1975 and was offered a chance to join second division side Manchester United who were offering to double his wages. Given that Manchester was not too far from home he agreed to join on the basis that he could continue to complete his degree at Liverpool. Within a month of joining he made his debut against Cardiff City.

In the same season United returned to the top flight under manager Tommy Docherty who was building the framework of a side that was to be an exciting and dynamic addition to the First Division.
Tommy Docherty recalled the scene on the journeys to and from away matches: 'Some players whiled away the time by reading newspapers or books, others gathered around one table for Lou Macari's card school. More often than not the other table would be occupied by Coppell and Martin Buchan, on which they would spread their college books.'
In the next two seasons Coppell reached two FA Cup finals losing the first to Southampton in 1976, even though they were favourites; then winning the next year against Liverpool, who were chasing the treble at the time.

The success at Old Trafford brought him England recognition and his first cap was playing Italy in the 1978 Argentina World Cup campaign under Ron Greenwood.

In 1980 he was in Italy with England again for the European Championship Finals and was a vital part of squad in the 1982 World Cup qualification campaign. However during in a match against Hungary he was suffered a serious knee injury and one that ultimately required various operations in the months to follow.

Although it was his throw-in in Bilbao that led to Bryan Robson’s record 27 second goal against France in their opening group match of the 1982 World Cup he was still not fully recovered for that competition. Like England’s campaign that summer Coppell also struggled and along with Ron Greenwood he ended his international career that July in Madrid

Facing another operation later that year Steve Coppell went onto play intermittently that season and eventually his knee worsened preventing him from playing for Manchester United in the 1983 FA Cup Final against Brighton & Hove Albion, which United won 4-0 in the replay.

Coppell announced his retirement from the game in October 1983 at the age of 28 after 373 appearances and 70 goals for Manchester United and with a haul from his time with England career of 42 caps and seven goals.

In 1984 he became the youngest manager in the football league when he took over at second division Crystal Palace and after five years he had gained them promotion as well as reaching 1990 FA Cup final, where they were beaten 1-0 in a replay by his former club Manchester United.

Coppell led Palace to their highest ever league finish of third place in Division One before the club suffered a turnaround in fortunes and he resigned after their relegation in 1993.

For the next ten years though the normal quiet, thoughtful and pensive Steve Coppell held a variety of positions until he joined Reading in 2003.

It started with a return to Crystal Palace two years after he had left the club becoming Director of Football in 1995. After a year he had left the club again. The next position was a thirty three day stint at Manchester City in 1996 before he returned to Crystal Palace a year later where he stayed until 2000.

The next two years were spent with a spells at Brentford and on the south coast of England with Brighton & Hove Albion, with a spell as Assistant Manager with Swindon Town between these two positions. When Alan Pardew moved to West Ham Coppell got the call from Reading and in the past five years has built a team that earned promotion to the Premier League in 2006.

Currently though Reading lie fourth from the bottom of the Premier League table and their next game is against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Beckham Joins Real

by Rossa McDermott

Real Madrid's history of buying English players to bolster its ranks is quite limited over recent years and only accounts for three major transactions.

All of those have taken place in recent memory. Indeed, the history of players from England achieving success in Spain in 'La Liga' is also limited at any level. Moreover, the longevity of either managers or players in Spanish football can also be counted on one hand and with only name coming to mind that has gained any real success.

That name remains former Liverpool midfielder, Steve McMananam, who even with a couple of Champions League Medals has seen his England career disintegrate before his eyes.

Therefore beyond the hoopla and razzmatazz that will engulf the arrival of David Beckham to Madrid for the traditional pre-season 'presentation' of players on July 7th the focus has to be more on the new order in European Football rather than relying on history for any indication of what may lie ahead. The commercial profile of Beckham in Asia, his ability to sell numerous thousands of replica jerseys, his appeal to the merchandising public of the UK and his continued allegiance to sportswear manufacturer, Adidas and the marketing thrust of Vodafone, are the new driving forces in the modern game.

On the other hand, so far so good for the new ways of Real Madrid Club President, Florentino Perez, who has driven the new 'brand' to greater heights; cleared the clubs massive debts and brought the world's best players to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium to entertain the fans. Not bad either for season ticket holders at Real Madrid ? Roberto Carlos, Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo, Raul, and now Beckham.

Having clinched their record ninth European Title last year at Hampden Park, Florentino Perez strategic plan continues to move on. His transfers and new signings so far have all been success stories and are not overshadowed by the failures of Seventies and Eighties when the likes of Laurie Cunnigham moved to Madrid in 1979 for a record fee at the time of nine hundred and ninety five thousand pounds sterling. Having been spotted playing an astonishing match at the Hawthorns for West Bromwich Albion in a 1977 UEFA Cup tie against Valencia, Real Madrid secured his services as quickly as possible.


Having been the first black player to play for England at Under 21 level, Cunnigham was used to challenges and moving to Madrid was another one of those. Sadly however his career never developed and after an indifferent season he succumbed to injury and never regained the prowess he showed under Ron Atkinson. The huge leap from Leyton Orient in 1977 to WBA and then Europe's leading club, Real Madrid, was too much it seemed despite wining the League and Cup in his first season.


A combination of a foot injury and different tactics for Real's Yugoslav coach Boskov, affected Cunningham's club and international chances. After leaving in 1983 he became a journeyman in Europe playing for Manchester United, Sporting Gijon, Leicester City, Betis, Charleroi, Wimbledon and finally Rayo Vallecano. He also lived a life style that often prejudiced the chances of a good performance. He died on the outskirts of Madrid in a car crash in 1989 having just helped Vallecano return to the First Division.

The era of former Liverpool and Wales striker John Toshack was in two stages, the last leading to a substitution by the current manager, Vicente del Bosque. His first tenure was in 1989 after he replaced Dutch man Leo Beenhaker and he lasted about fifteen months. The second stint was only for nine months and again he replaced a Dutch manager, Gus Hiddink. Since Toshack's departure the club has found a rich vein of form, which has seen them dominate the domestic Spanish league and also become serious European contenders under what the club always viewed a temporary manager.

When former West Brom and Manchester United manager, Ron Atkinson, moved to Spain his task was to lead Real Madrid rivals, Atletico Madrid, to greater thing. His tenure was a matter of months under the club president, Jesus Gil & Gil.

Other players had indifferent spells in Spain, former Aston Villa player Dalian Atkinson spent a year at Real Sociedad before returning to Britain. Ireland defender, Kevin Moran, spent a couple of seasons between 1988-1990 with Sporting Gijon before returning to Blackburn Rovers where he ended his career. Former Liverpool players John Aldridge and Michael Robinson also made their way to Spain when La Liga with Aldridge spending time with Real Sociedad in San Sebastian. Robinson joined Sammy Lee at Osasuna. From Northern Ireland the hero of the 1982 World Cup Gerry Armstrong also went to Real Mallorca in the eighties but it was also towards the end of his football career.

The National League also had two players earn their keep in Spain in the late eighties at the start of their careers, both of whom came from the successful Shamrock Rovers team at Glenmalure Park, and they were Alan Campbell and Liam Buckley. Both strikers played at Racing Santander in different seasons and their profile earned them scant recognition and a couple of international caps under Jack Charlton.

For the glamorous clubs though, few of them sought stars from Football League and it was therefore a surprising move for Steve McMananam to join Real Madrid in 1999. That had more to do with former Liverpool striker, John Toshack being in charge at the time. Following his departure the England midfielder has battled against the odds to stay in the squad under Del Bosque. In Paris in 2000 the patience and work ethic paid dividends as he played a key role in unravelling Valencia to clinch the Champions League title.

Following that victory his task at Madrid became tougher with the arrival of Figo, then Zidane, Ronaldo and now Beckham. In addition there are the talents of Raul, Guti, Scolari and Morrientes to contend with as well. In that sense you have to view McMananam as a success story when compared to the time Cunnigham struggled at the club.

When you look back at the great era and those glory years of the 60's and 70's, Real Madrid embraced all nationals in their side ranging from French man Raymond Kopa to Argentina's Alfredo Di Stefano to Hungary's Ferenc Puskas. It is more that coincidence that the current side reflects a similar international flavour.

However in 1973 Real Madrid encountered a serious rival in domestic football, and that was Barcelona. With the Catalunya region strongly trying to protect its cultural and linguistic identity, Football Club Barcelona brought Europe's best to rekindle its fortunes with the arrival of Johan Cruyff from Ajax. He secured the league championship and along with Johan Neeskens and Mario Marinho after the 1974 World Cup triggered a belief in the club that success was not excusive to Real Madrid.

That period initiated a ferocious domestic rivalry that still exists today. The club has seen some of the greatest pass through its door during the past two decades with Allan Simonnsen, Diego Armando Maradona, Hristo Stoichkov, Georgi Hagi, Ronaldo and Luis Figo to mention but a few.

Their activities often eclipsed Real Madrid and coincided with a time when the Madrid team were under achieving. Those times seem to have now moved back into Real Madrid's' favour.

In terms of personnel, Barcelona also had mixed experiences with English players and managers. The arrival of Terry Venables and Alan Harris in 1986 heralded the playing of the game the English way. Under Venables a lean spell at the club saw them win the League championship at his first attempt and reach the European Cup Final in Seville, which they lost to Steaua Bucharest. Three key players during that time travelled from Tottenham Hotspur to help enables efforts, Steve Archibald, Gary Lineker and Mark Hughes.

Steve Archibald became a top sorer and succeeded in a league that threw up few chances but returned to England with the arrival of Gary Lineker as sides were limited to two foreigners at time. As if to reassure us that statistics never lie, the tenure of Terry Venables did last more than three years, seeing him return to take over Tottenham Hotspur in 1987 having been preceded by Mark Hughes who went to Bayern Munich.

The return of Johan Cruyff saw Lineker end up playing a wide role on the wings, which eventually led to return to England as well.

As a result one has to view the move of David Beckham to Madrid this week as reflecting European football in the 21st century. A club president intent on seeking Real Madrid's profile in the world and replica sales in key markets like Brazil, France, England and Asia.

It also reflects the pan European nature of the game transformed by a revitalised Champions League and powerful TV coverage. Clearly the expansion of the club game with teams probably better than many national teams will only enhance the power of the Group 14 and the plans for a Super League.

For many of the purists that maybe tacky. But for football lovers it is the new game and these are the new rules. It is not too long ago when no-one watched or cared about 'La Liga'.

In fact not too long ago the game had any money and Real Madrid were almost bankrupt.

If a week is a long time in politics then 90 minutes is a long time in football. The game is changing and so are the players. David Beckham joins Real Madrid not knowing whether Raul will concede his number 7 jersey and rumoured to be facing some unsettled teammates.

He travels this road with Florentino Perez fulfilling his commercial ambitions for the club. Time can only hope that in the years to come Beckham equals or improves on the success of Steve McMananam. All those who have gone to Spain in search of glory and his remains the best story to date.

Temporary Manager Does Well

By Rossa McDermott

For a lengthy period during the seventies and eighties Real Madrid were unable to get beyond the semi-finals stage of the European Cup and their history weighed heavily upon the club for those decades.

Those who followed the era of Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas and Paco Gento failed to match the achievements of that glorious age of Real Madrid in the nineteen sixties.

During that era of six victories Real Madrid even won the European Cup in front of their home crowd in 1957. The club dominated the tournament until the mid sixties and then slipped from the limelight as that great group of players broke up.

The closest Madrid came to the tournament after that was when the final was hosted in the Santiago Bernabeu in 1969 between Inter Milan and Ajax.

Although the Italians won 4-1 on that night it was the Dutch team that would become the power force in European football in the ensuing five years, winning three finals in a row between 1970 and 1973. The names on everyone's lips that night were players like Cruijff, Neeskens, Hulshoff and they were to form what came to be known as the 'Clockwork Orange' during the World Cup Finals of 1974 and 1978 with Holland losing out on both finals to the tournament hosts.

During that decade Real Madrid also met Manchester United on the first occasion the Red Devils won the European Cup Final. In that tie the game was played in Manchester first with the home side winning by one goal to nil. In the second leg, the roar at the Santiago Bernabeu was cataclysmic when the home side went in to a 3-1 lead. Needless to say history records a powerful comeback and Manchester United drew the game level going on to meet Benfica in the final, which was played at the now demolished Wembley Stadium.

That night in Madrid George Best slipped out from his hotel to celebrate in the only English pub in Madrid at the time, The Red Lion. The achievement of that victory was immense particularly against the European football aristocrats, Real Madrid. The year we must remember was 1968.

The next time the European Cup Final was hosted in Madrid it was the 1979-80 season and again it was another team that was dominant in Europe for a while, Nottingham Forest. Indeed, the final itself had a strong English flavour given that Kevin Keegan was playing with Hamburg SV, the other finalists on that occasion. For Real Madrid the dream of winning the trophy in their home ground evaporated when they were beaten 5-3 on aggregate by the German champions. In an extremely unmemorable final the half filled Bernabeu stadium saw Nottingham Forest win the game by one goal to nil.

For Real Madrid the 1980's brought more hope and the current Real Madrid Manager Vicente Del Bosque was at the peak of his career when the club finally reached a European Cup Final. In some ways it was part of the renaissance of Spanish football and the final in Paris was against English opponents Liverpool, who themselves were to become an established presence in Europe until the Heysel tragedy in 1985. During the run in 1979/80 the team benefited from del Bosque's skill and deft touch had seen him play in all eight games. In the following season, his influence was waning with age and he played in only five of the nine games, watching the final from the bench in Paris. It was not a memorable game for him.

On the way to that particular final Real Madrid played the Irish National League Champions Limerick losing only 2-1 in the Santiago Bernabeu under the leadership of Eoin Hand. The return leg was switched to Lansdowne Road and Limerick suffered a defeat allowing Madrid to go through to meet Honved, whom they beat earning a place in the semi finals against Inter Milan. In beating the Italians Real Madrid reached a final for the first time since the mid sixties and it was a goal from Alan Kennedy that settled the game in Liverpool's favour leaving Real Madrid trophyless yet again. For the likes of Del Bosque and others who had joined the club the previous decade such a defeat had much significance and was a heavy burden to bear.

Although Del Bosque played eighteen times for his country he was an enigmatic figure on the field of play. Skilful and talented he was often criticised for this lack of effort and physical commitment. However, his vision and pinpoint passing made him stand out and his pensive well thought out interviews earned him the nickname 'The Professor'. In that era Madrid were merely spectators on the European Cup scene and Del Bosque's learned much it seems from those defeats. In the 1982-83 he was still part of the squad that travelled to Gothenburg to play Aberdeen in the Cup Winners Cup Final. The Scottish team that night was managed by Alex Ferguson and he had a blend of names that had yet to become major stars. The team included Willie Miller, Mark McGhee and Gordon Strachan.

In stark contrast Real Madrid travelled to Sweden boasting a host of Spanish internationals and foreign players such as German International, Uli Stielike and Dutch defender and Nottingham Forest player, Johnny Metgod. On a wet and rainy night in Gothenburg the Scottish Cup Winners played a defensive game working on quick counter attacks to open up the Spanish side. After seven minutes Eric Black put them ahead and despite a penalty from Juanito to equalise the game went into extra time. In the 112 minute Aberdeen won a ball in midfield and it led to the winning goal from John Hewitt, which gave the Scottish side a historic victory. In meeting United at Old Trafford on Wednesday Del Bosque was concerned that history would repeat itself.

Although that season was to be Del Bosque's last and he went into management with Real Madrid. He again saw the club's fortunes come and go in Europe as he managed the youth side. A victory in the UEFA Cup two seasons in a row in 1985 and 1986 was the major achievement by Real Madrid in the 1980's. Despite many big name managers coming to the club they all failed and the nineties suggested that Real Madrid would no longer dominate this tournament even in the newly regenerated format, the Champions League.

In 1998 that all changed when Real Madrid reached the final in Amsterdam against Juventus and won it by one goal to nil. Two years later they were back in Paris to play Valencia and Del Bosque's side broke down Gaiko Mendieta's side to win by 3 goals to nil. The following year the attempt was foiled at the semi-final stage by Bayern Munich and the Madrid club focussed on their centenary season 2001/2002 as the time to claim their ninth European Cup Title. In Hampden Park last May they duly did so through the brilliance of Raul and Zinedine Zidane to beat Bayer Leverkusen.

For Del Bosque most of this story in the Champions League has been done in his capacity as 'temporary' manager having replaced John Toshack a few seasons ago. On a previous occasion he replaced Jorge Valdano as Manager and now with two Champions League titles under his belt in three years he travels to Old Trafford knowing his own ability having beaten United before at home a few years ago. This time though the visit was completed without Raul Gonzalez absent with appendicitis.

History recalls that Real Madrid won their second title at home in 1957, and Del Bosque knows how much Sir Alex Ferguson would love to so the same this season. In the game against Manchester United 'The Professor' will leave no stone unturned in seeking a chance for Real Madrid's to win their 10th title in a visit in late May to Old Trafford.

Having just been offered an extensive contract Del Bosque is not frightened by insecurity. What drives him more is to make up for these defeats he experienced in the 80's when he was to come so close to European silverware and never get his hands on it. As a manager of Real Madrid he has become very used to lifting silverware.

Camacho Faces the weight of his own Expectations

The burden of expectation weighs heavy on the former international defender, Jose Antonio Camacho, who manages his national side in this 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea. As a player in the seventies and eighties for Real Madrid, Camacho’s style was uncompromising - all about passion and commitment. His combination of skill, athleticism and sheer grit made him a very special player in a league that was dotted with technique and touch of foreign imports. These were the times of “La Liga’s” first coming, when after the 1974 World Cup stars like Brazilian Mario Marinho; Germans Gunther Netzer and Paul Breitner, Argentineans, Ruben Ayala and Dutchmen, Johan Cruyff and Johan Neeskens moved to Spain to earn their keep. It was also a time when the dominance of Spanish teams had not been the same as it was in the previous decade, as there was no great successes in the European Cup.

The international side failed to qualify for the 1974 World Cup and failed miserably in Argentina in 1978 when they did qualify. During those years Camacho’s star was rising and he was soon to become one of the outstanding domestic players. On match days his role invariably was against those famous imports in a man-to-man marking role. His tussles with Johan Cruyff in the matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona, are legendary in Spain, with the Dutchman rarely the winner. With a career that included 415 games for Real Madrid between 1973 -1989, he won 9 league titles, 3 cups, 1 Supercup and 2 UEFA Cups.

Going into this tournament Camacho was clear that the failures of the past needed to be surmounted and the varying performances of previous tournaments needed improvement. It was his objective that in 2002, Spain would fulfil their potential and at least go home after playing their best and not as in past years, where bizarre goals had seen them eliminated. Let’s not forget that Spain qualified for this tournament without defeat, something that they have managed consistently in the past few tournaments and having played at international level 81 times himself, Camacho was invariably on the receiving end of some of those poor results, and remain ingrained in his memory. As Spain’s the third most capped player, he also played in the world cups of 1982 at home in Spain and in Mexico 1986.

In taking the job as National Manager, Jose Antonio Camacho did so with no clear pedigree at that level of football and having won no major titles in that capacity. As coach of the Madrid side, Rayo Vallecano, some years ago, he did get them promoted to the 1st Division in his first year and then moved to Barcelona, where he got the other team in the city, Espanyol, promoted in his first season in charge. They also qualified for the UEFA Cup under his charge, which was no mean achievement given they were considered the “poorer” side of the Catalan capital. It was this part of his career after Espanyol that was unusually turbulent, as he spent a brief period with Sevilla, before getting the call to manage his “alma mater”, Real Madrid Club de Futbol. What looked like a dream partnership and a homecoming lasted only 22 days and without a game played while he was in charge, Camacho left the club. When the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) lost Javier Clemente after the World Cup of 1998 and he departed under controversy, they looked for youthful alternatives with passion and commitment. The names all lead to one candidate.

In considering Camacho they overlooked his empty trophy cabinet as a manager and trusted his integrity and tenacity as keys to success. His name invoked the memories of his defiant and uncompromising style of play and so the Spanish Federation (RFEF) offered him a contract that covered the Euro 2000 Championships and this World Cup. In doing so, Spain brought a new style of play to the world stage which has been helped by the quality of “La Liga” as we know it, which has again been flooded by world class players. More importantly, there is a crop of current Spanish players that are a class apart; names like Raul, Valeron, Tristan and Luis Enrique come to mind.

For the record, the Spanish manager is no great lover of the Spanish press, who have in their time brought down many a national manager in Spain and never more so than in 1982 when as host nation they failed to ignite the aspirations of the Spanish people. Once the tournament was over the manager. Jose Maria Santamaria, and the players suffered the consequences and in coming to this World Cup, and following their quarterfinal defeat to the eventual winners France in Euro 2000, Spain are very focussed on fulfilling their potential. Their natural 4-4-2 style of the past few seasons contrasts sharply with the style of his predecessors, and so far has yielded positive results, given that they took maximum points out of Group D, having beaten Paraguay, South Africa and Slovenia. As well as the nine points, they have also scored nine goals, three of which have come from Real Madrid hero, Raul Gonzalez.

In approaching the game against Ireland, Camacho and his squad have been largely respectful, claiming that winning their own group was their first objective as it also allows for another day of rest, given the match against Ireland is on Sunday, and Germany play their game on Saturday. As the game approaches though, Jose Antonio Camacho will be looking to his players to deliver to their maximum and if they do Ireland could be under pressure. However, Camacho will also feel the past haunting him when events have often overcome the Spanish team and seen them vanquish themselves in front of lesser opponents.

On this occasion they will not be underestimating Ireland no matter what the papers say, as Camacho knows too well his own weak points. He will direct the game plan as he always has approached big matches like this, uncompromisingly and with a focus on winning. It could be that this side have inherited his “winners” instinct and they could go far in this tournament. On the other hand he also knows himself there are hurdles out there that have yet to be overcome and one of them is Mick McCarthy’s team.

“It is always said that we are candidates to win titles and we never win anything” said Spanish Manager, Jose Antonio Camacho, in a press conference in Spain last month before leaving for Japan and Korea, “The players that come to this tournament need to convince themselves that we are playing for the title”.

Although some of the media have mustered some less complimentary pieces about the technique of Ireland, Camacho recognises that the match against Ireland will not be won with newspapers column inches. “They will be difficult, they are also unbeaten in their group, with a formation that is compact and hard to breakdown. To beat them will not be easy”, said Jose Antonio Camacho.

Real Madrid Manager, Del Bosque wrote in Spanish Daily El Paris

“Ireland will not be easy opponents, they are naturally competitive and have a special spirit… Not only that, they also have quality players; Harte, Kelly, Kinsella and Robbie Keane.”

“The real tournament starts now,” explained Raul to El Pais after the match against South Africa. “We have seen how France and Argentina have gone home. If you are not 100%, it won’t be enough. Ireland have impressed me and I have enjoyed watching their play so far.”