Giovanni Trapattoni's streetwise Irish on right road after Armenia win

Giovanni Trapattoni believes his Republic of Ireland team are ready to come of age and qualify for the Euro 2012 finals, after starting with a 1-0 victory in Armenia. The manager detects greater maturity and a more streetwise edge to his players, and he is delighted they kept their composure on a steamy night in Yerevan on Friday, not only to take the lead in the 76th minute through the substitute Keith Fahey but to close out the result. During their qualification campaign for the World Cup in South Africa, Trapattoni's team squandered points from a winning position against Bulgaria at home and away, and against Italy at home. "My good fortune has been that the players understand my philosophy in terms of how to achieve the result," Trapattoni says. "When it is not a beautiful day for us, we try to look for the result. We have learnt from the Italy game in Dublin, for example. "Before I came here, the players made needless fouls on the wing. We conceded goals from free-kicks. We pushed forward when we should have stayed. It was important that they understood that games are won and lost in the little details. We have improved." Ireland have never won a competitive fixture under Trapattoni by more than one goal but have the opportunity to do so against Andorra in Dublin on Tuesday. Not without good reason are Andorra regarded as one of European football's whipping boys. Since they came on to the scene in 1996, they have won only one competitive game and drawn two, the results coming in qualification for the 2006 World Cup. Their goal difference has regularly made for ugly reading. But Trapattoni says he will be happy enough if Ireland simply take their points tally to six, ahead of the more difficult fixtures against Russia and Slovakia next month. "World football is very difficult," Trapattoni says. "Look at France's defeat at home to Belarus. But yes, we must beat Andorra." Robbie Keane will continue to partner Kevin Doyle up front, despite his ongoing knee injury. Trapattoni insists his captain does not need an operation and that the problem is merely to do with inflammation. The manager has also bemoaned the dearth of attacking options behind his regular strike partnership. He is expected to name the same team, with Paul Green once again being preferred to Darron Gibson in central midfield, despite his nervous performance in Yerevan, and Aiden McGeady resisting the starting claims of Fahey.