Captain Keane confident ahead of Germany clash

By Glenn Mason

There was an unsurprising air of confidence about the Republic of Ireland players as they left Aviva Stadium last night following their 7-0 hammering of Gibraltar.

Within hours, that confidence will have taken a knock with Poland's shock win over Germany.

The result in Warsaw is more significant for the vital three points it delivered to Poland than the effect it will have on Germany.

Tuesday's game in Gelsenkirchen is a daunting prospect regardless of whether Germany won, lost or drew last night.

Ireland are more likely to be challenging Poland and Scotland for second place in the group rather than Germany for first place.

Captain Robbie Keane had acted as optimist-in-chief boldly stating that they can return from Gelsenkirchen on Tuesday with their unbeaten start to the campaign intact.

"It's a great opportunity playing against the World Cup champions, but we're not going there just to make the numbers up" - Robbie Keane

"Make no mistake, we can go there and get something out of that game, there's no question about that," he stated.

There was also a sense of pragmatism in Keane's comments, and while he knows Germany are far from their World Cup-winning best, they still remain formidable opposition, a fact Ireland need no reminding of after their two comprehensive defeats to Germany in the last qualifying campaign.

He said: "It's a tough game. Completely different [to Gibraltar]. Obviously, the opposition is going to be a tough test.

"I think before this game, our main aim was to get six points going into the Germany game and we've done that so we're going into the Germany game with a lot of confidence."

Ireland conceded nine goals against Germany in the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign, including six in an embarrassing rout in Dublin.

This time around, many things are different. Martin O'Neill is in charge and the players seem to have more belief in themselves. Keane believes this Ireland team is far stronger and better prepared than the one that was comprehensively outclassed in Dublin two years ago.

He said: "Put it this way, we're way ahead of that. That was a one-off in a different situation.

"As I said, I don't think about what happened before. We move on to Tuesday's game, it's a great opportunity playing against the World Cup champions, but we're not going there just to make the numbers up.

"We're going there to get something out of the game and I believe with the squad of players that we have, we can do that."

Keane's place in the side has been the subject of much speculation in recent weeks following his performance against Georgia, when he was often isolated as a lone striker.

Shane Long, who was left on the bench against Gibraltar, has been tipped to play the lone role in front of a five-man midfield in Gelsenkirchen.

Keane accepted that he have to settle for a place on the bench on Tuesday night.

"Listen, everyone wants to play, there's no question, but the manager has to pick what's right for the team," he said.

"If it's right for the team, regardless of if I'm playing or not, I don't really care. As long as we get a result, I couldn't care less.

"It's about the team. I think as you get older you understand that and you appreciate that more. When you're young and you're hungry, you're more selfish. As you get older, you appreciate the team. The team always comes first."

It was special night for Keane as he took full advantage of the weakest opposition in European football to score a first half hat-trick and set the record for the most goals scored in European Championship qualifiers with 21.

The three goals last night also took his international tally to 65, but that total and the European record matter little to the Tallaght man.

"Honestly, I don't really think about it," he told reporters when asked about surpassing Brazil's Ronaldo in the all-time goalscoring standings.

"I get messages from people but personally I don't really think about.

"I never think about what's happened before. I never think about what's going to happen in the future because I can't predict what's going to happen in the future.

"The past is the past, I scored those goals, but I'm so focused on what I'm doing now that I'm not really interested in anybody else to be honest."

The Ireland skipper may not take any notice of his goal record, but his team-mates certainly appreciate his feats in front of goal.

"People will obviously crib because they are desperate to knock Robbie as soon as they can, but believe me he is an absolute legend, purely because of his goalscoring, his finishing," said John O'Shea.

"He still has to put those chances away, in the right place at the right time, and he's a special, special player and [will] be for years to come."

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