Damien Duff supports Marco Tardelli’s take on ‘naive’ Irish footballers

Marco Tardelli's comments on Irish footballers' game management skills have been backed up by RTE pundits Damien Duff, Liam Brady and Didi Hamann.

The former Republic of Ireland assistant manager, who worked under Giovanni Trapattoni for five years in the role, was pretty damning of Irish players' apparent lack of nous in their 3-0 defeat to Belgium last Saturday.

"They made too many mistakes, one after the other, but all for the same reason: they have trouble handling the game tactically," the Italian said. "They don't get that football is also an intellectual matter, and not just about attacking and going forward."

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"They conceded two of their three goals on counters. It seems like an enormous paradox, but for them it's normal to play without stopping to think."

Many weren't happy with the comments, but former Ireland internationals Brady and Duff, who worked with Tardelli during his time as Trapattoni's right-hand man, feel the World Cup winner is correct. Duff used the example of the role James McCarthy and Ciaran Clark played in two of Belgium's goals as an example of Irish players being "naive."

"I think it is just being naive on Saturday with McCarthy and Clark. Would you get by  [Giorgio] Chiellini with that? No. He's taking him out rugby tackle style, whatever, pulling his shirt, nipping at his heels. Not going into hurt someone, just being clever. I just think Irish players, and the English players, just don't have it."

Hamann, the former Germany and Liverpool midfielder, said that Irish and English players aren't open to such game management skills, and prefer to "have fun" in training. He cited how Liverpool players were bored by Rafa Benitez's tactical training sessions when the Spaniard first arrived at Anfield in 2004.

"The English lads only want to play five-a-side, they want to have fun. But I said to them: 'You only have fun playing football when you win, and these guys [tactical coaches such as Trapattoni and Benitez] give you a far better chance of winning games.'"