It’s the start of a major week for Giovanni Trapattoni and the Ireland squad, as they head to Sweden for a Friday night fixture that will almost certainly prove to be crucial in the race for World Cup qualification.

The big news ahead of Friday night’s game is Trapattoni’s decision to not include Kevin Doyle in the squad. Eoin Hand, former Ireland manager, told Newstalk Breakfast today that he thinks “it’s a huge, huge mistake.”

Beyond the discussion there are concerns over the defensive plan, with the potent threat of Zlatan Ibrahimovic on everyone’s minds. The absence of Richard Dunne is a major blow, and it appears John O’Shea and Ciaran Clark will be the men tasked with containing a player who is famously capable of conjuring goals from nothing.

Newstalk’s Oisin Langan spoke to Eoin Hand about the defensive worries and Trapattoni’s – once again – controversial squad selection policy.

Image: Kevin Doyle
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