ESTONIA MAY SURPASS all of their dreams by reaching Euro 2012 but manager Tarmo Ruutli admits he has another: “Sometimes if I look at the videos, I dream that Ireland is my team. I could lead them! They have quality players, the team is very good.”
That kind of self-deprecating appraisal of opponents has been very much in keeping with the mood in Estonia, with captain Raio Piiroja also going so far as to describe Robbie Keane as a “world football legend”.
But it should not be confused with fear or even satisfaction with just getting so far.
At one point during today’s press conference, the English-speaking Ruutli broke off in order to engage in a long discussion with his press officer about what exactly the term “underdog” meant. Whether that is an omen or not, it reflects a very relaxed mentality within the Estonian squad.
They have a lot of respect for Ireland but absolutely no fear.
“If you ask simply what chances we have, they are 50-50 at this moment. We have tasted success so we know what it means.”
By success, of course, Ruutli is referring to the victories over Serbia and Slovenia which propelled Estonia into the pay-offs. And such results marked a very sudden jump forward on what has been a long road for the squad. With a population of just 1.3m, Estonia would be the smallest nation to ever qualify for the European Championships if they eliminate Ireland.
Ruutli, however, doesn’t put their progress down to alchemy. Just simple “hard work over a long period”.
“In this group it was not easy. You have maybe some luck that you need for success and that’s it. We got it. But, for more than 10 years we have been working hard and a lot of players have been playing abroad and so on.”
Of course, many people might have similar sentiments about Ireland. Particularly since Giovanni Trapattoni’s side were the least successful of the top seeds. But Ruutli claims he wasn’t exactly happy to draw Ireland.
“I can’t say that I was satisfied. Trapattoni is very experienced. And I will not be surprised if he finds some extra steps for tomorrow. We can say he is an old fox.”
Preparation
Midfielder Martin Vunk, however, revealed a pretty standard view of the Irish squad.
“We know that Ireland is a good team in defence, well organised. We have to prepare well.”
At the least, manager Ruutli seems to have kept any excitement within the squad in check. When asked what it would mean for Estonia to qualify for a first ever international tournament, he gave a very deadpan response.
“It’s hard to say. It’s the first time for us. We have no experience.
“We have been thinking that [Latvia] reached it. So why not us?”
The manager was also similarly flippant about what would constitute a good result for his team tomorrow.
“Two-nil. A win at home and draw away. It is important not to concede but more important to score.”
