Whelan walks tightrope

Giovanni Trapattoni has told Glenn Whelan to hold nothing back as the Republic of Ireland attempt to edge closer to Euro 2012 qualification in Andorra.

The 27-year-old Stoke midfielder, who has become a mainstay of Trapattoni’s team, heads into tonight’s game at the Estadi Comunal knowing another booking would rule him out of the potentially decisive clash with Armenia at the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday evening. However, Trapattoni is focusing only on the three points at stake in the Pyrenees and if the worst does happen and Whelan is suspended, he will worry about how to plug the gap later.

Asked if Whelan’s situation was a concern, the Italian said: “Absolutely not. We have played well in the past when we have had players missing, against Italy, against Croatia and others.

“We must play with the right team and wait and see what happens. I will advise him to be careful, but he must play like he always does.

“We have other midfielders. We have to play to win this game and ahead of the game in Dublin, we have time to think.

“These three points are more important than whether he gets a yellow card or not.”