GIOVANNI Trapattoni has defended his decision not to play Hull City's Robbie Brady in the Republic of Ireland's 0-0 draw with Sweden.
Brady was an unused substitute in Stockholm, having initially looked as though he would start the key World Cup qualifying clash.
But 74-year-old Trapattoni, who only speaks broken English, claims Brady was not dropped and that the media misunderstood his pre-match comments about the youngster's mental strength.
The 21-year-old Tigers star was ultimately left out in the reshuffle which saw both James McCarthy and Jon Walters drafted in following Glenn Whelan's withdrawal with an ankle injury.
But Trapattoni insists the late swap had nothing to do with Brady's mental condition and that the pre-match headlines were based on comments that had been lost in translation.
"Reporters in the world are good at writing pieces in the newspaper, but I never said he was confused," the manager explained after training in Malahide.
"What I wanted to say was that I want to stimulate him psychologically. I want to see him more focused. I want to see him stronger psychologically. I never said, or I didn't mean to say, that he's confused.
"I know what he can do. He's creative. The headlines are different but there's no problem with Robbie."
Explaining the late changes to his starting XI, Trapattoni added: "International games need strength. The fact that Whelan wasn't fit then conditioned the other two choices.
"It had nothing to do with Robbie. It was a consequence of Whelan. It was just a case of finding the right balance and the right physical weight in the team."
Trapattoni had taken some flak for his decision to leave McCarthy out of his original starting XI, naming Paul Green alongside Whelan in central midfield as part of his plan to stifle Sweden.
As it turned out, McCarthy was Ireland's star man, earning plaudits and the man-of-the-match award for his assured display in Friday's 0-0 draw.
"If young players are in the squad, it's because I trust them and have confidence in them in the first place," Trapattoni said. "We need to give them a chance to improve and increase in every game."
Skipper Robbie Keane is out of tomorrow's home qualifier with Austria because of a calf injury.
