Euro 2012: Trapattoni cancels training to help refocus Ireland players

• Squad get day off ahead of Euro 2012 Croatia clash
• Shay Given has slight muscle injury but 'will be right'
Ireland press conference
Giovanni Trapattoni gave his players an unexpected day off to try and ease some of the pre-tournament tension. Photograph: Adam Warzawa/EPA

Giovanni Trapattoni's Republic of Ireland do not do shows, as has been endlessly documented, even if 13,000 spectators are present and excited at one of their training sessions. The hordes that turned out at Gdynia's Municipal Stadium on Tuesday to welcome the Irish to their base camp, ahead of their first major tournament appearance in a decade, might have hoped for a bit of action. A penalty shootout at the end of the session. A crossbar challenge, perhaps.

What they got was jogging, stretches and a lot of two-touch work. The crowd cheered wildly when Aiden McGeady lofted a loose ball from halfway into one of the goals and they loved it when Shane Long showcased a Hollywood flick. It would also be remiss not the mention the magnificent sight of the kitman, Dick Redmond, leading the squad out through a cordon of cheerleaders as he shook pompoms above his head.

However, it generally felt low-key and underwhelming. Trapattoni, his green cap pulled low over his eyes, would doubtless have liked to remind everybody that for entertainment they ought to have been at La Scala. On the fringes, Shay Given chomped with impatience. Stood down from the session as a precaution over a problem that has not been officially explained but is believed to be a muscle niggle, the goalkeeper was a case study in frustration.

There has been a bit of it about the camp in the past few days, together with the inevitable nervous tension. Trapattoni's emotions have swung from the post-Hungary friendly eruption on Monday night, when he raged about how his 4-4-2 had not adequately stifled Hungary's attacking midfielders, to relaxed and smiling reflection.

McGeady, the Spartak Moscow winger, said that the players had been "jaded" at half-time against Hungary. The first batch of them reported to Dublin on 17 May, with the reminder joining up three days later. They have been away for some time.Every move, every soundbite, has been analysed extensively. This is how it is at the most rarified level. Trapattoni dismissed the notion that the players had been overtrained but the 73-year-old, who has been around the block once or twice, had the sense on Tuesday night that something was not right.

After meeting with his assistant, Marco Tardelli, and the goalkeeping coach, Alan Kelly, and taking in the views of the players, he cancelled Wednesday's training session and the planned media activities. Kelly called it a "shut down". The staff and players could enjoy a surprise day off, to take in the Baltic Sea breeze or luxuriate in the hotel facilities.

"Mentally and physically, it's good to have time out," Kelly said. "To refocus your mind and to hit the ground running in training on Thursday. You can't have a rigid format. It's all about Sunday's game against Croatia, whatever you have to do to be ready for that."

The matches cannot begin soon enough, particularly for Given, who is one of the four survivors from Ireland's adventure at the 2002 World Cup. The 36-year-old, who will consider his international future after the tournament, was described by Kelly as a "force of nature" who has been difficult to rein in.

Given hurt a knee in one of the first training sessions in Dublin and he missed the home friendly with Bosnia-Herzegovina on the Saturday before last. Although he featured in the first 45 minutes against Hungary, there have been what Kelly said were "compensatory issues" elsewhere in the leg. Given played well against Hungary and he made one reaction save from a deflected shot that was encouraging. "You don't make that save if you are not right," Kelly noted.

Given will be assessed on Thursday morning before the decision is taken as to whether he trains but if the suspicion nags that he lacks 100% fitness – and Kelly confirmed that he would be managed throughout the tournament – there is no question about him missing the Croatia game. "Wild horses wouldn't keep him away," Kelly said. If the tie were on Wednesday night, Kelly added, Given would have started.

Ireland's spirit is unquenchable and their belief that they can progress from Group C is rooted in them never having lost a competitive game away from home during the time Trapattoni has been in charge. They have lost only two at home. Unspectacular but effective, the squad watch each other's backs and there is an openness between them and the management.

"If you've not got a tight unit, little cracks will show, particularly when you are away for so long," Kelly said. "You have Twitter and Facebook … you'd see the evidence. But this squad has such inner belief. We know we can get results."

Trapattoni hoped that the breather on Wednesday would re-stoke the fires. Ireland are into the final countdown.

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