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You can’t tell the full story of Shamrock Rovers’ Europa League battle against Juventus a decade ago without mentioning the music.
Michael O’Neill’s men had overcome a difficult tie against Israel’s Bnei Yehuda in the second qualifying round to prepare for a meeting with one of the continent’s most illustrious names.
A brace from Brazil-born Italian international Amauri gave Juve a 2-0 win at Tallaght, but the roving Hoops were denied a chance to grace the Stadio Olimpico in Turin for the second leg.
Instead, they had to head 290 km southeast to Modena, displaced because another group of Dublin travelers, U2, was in Turin to showcase their 360 ° Tour.
Thus the sky opened at the Stadio Braglia and Allesandro del Piero settled a close match with a magnificent free-kick.
Defeat in a monsoon, but great memories and that proved to be a launching pad for the coach and the team.
The Rovers reached the group stage the following year, and O’Neill further enhanced his reputation with Northern Ireland, whom he led to Euro 2016.
Stevens joined Aston Villa in late 2012, when he was 22 years old, and while his journey has had its ups and downs, his shares now have never been higher.
See the opportunity that a game against one of the greats represents for ambitious young players.
“It’s huge, brilliant … brilliant to watch and I look forward to seeing it,” said the Sheffield United man as he reflected on his former club’s impending Europa League showdown with another Italian giant, AC Milan.
“It’s a bit disappointing that the fans aren’t there, but it’s still a great draw.
“It was a great occasion for me personally, the arrival of Juventus in Tallaght. It was an experience.
“It is an opportunity for the Rovers to show what they can do. They must have the belief that they can go and win the game. It is a unique game, especially at home, it will be something of experience, but it should not disturb them.
“They should go out and express themselves.
“There is always an opportunity, especially in a one-off match. They play a good style of football. Hopefully they can make a game.”
There could have been another delightful twist in the tie if one of the more intriguing summer transfer rumors had materialized. “It would have been strange if Jeff Hendrick [linked to Milan before heading for Newcastle] He had been making his Tallaght debut! Stevens laughed.
The defender spoke after his first day of training with new Republic of Ireland coach Stephen Kenny, who was running Derry City when Shamrock Rovers was rubbing shoulders with Juve.
Both men are in fashion these days. Kenny’s attractive style of football, as well as the scale of his achievements, was key to landing the position in Ireland, while Stevens has emerged as one of the Premier League’s top attacking backs, a position he appears to have won. importance since then. Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp effectively built the position within their own supreme teams.
Many other parties have followed suit. Tottenham just spent £ 15m to attract Dubliner Matt Doherty from the Wolves and Kenny said he ranks Shane Duffy, John Egan, Matt Doherty and Enda Stevens as one of the best international defenders in Europe.
“It’s obviously a great compliment,” Stevens said of that valuation, “but it’s up to the players to consistently produce that level of performance to maintain it.
“You can’t take your foot off the pedal. There’s a lot more freedom to go and express yourself higher up the field.
“Matt’s stats are crazy for someone who plays as a winger. He has scored a lot of goals and received a lot of assists in the last two seasons. He has been excellent as a winger in recent years. It’s just a new dimension for the teams, the way they can play, and it’s a good thing for us.
“We were all delighted for Matt. It’s a brilliant move for him. He’s come a long way since his days at Cabra! Everyone is loving him, he’s amazing.”
Stevens’ clubmate Egan is another player who has matured under Chris Wilder’s astute leadership on Bramall Lane.
Egan has filled the gap left by Richard Keogh in the heart of the defense to form a very strong partnership with Duffy. Stevens describes the Corkman as “a born leader.”
“It’s a natural thing for him on the court. He’s one of the loudest in the locker room and one of the loudest on the court. He just demands the best of his teammates. He’s probably grown every year, he’s gotten better and better and better. best.”
Life with Kenny will be different for these players from Ireland. He’s determined to prepare his team for play, and players like Stevens and Doherty are likely to really benefit from a more progressive and expansive approach.
“I think he just wants to instill confidence in us to play, to go ahead and play,” added the 30-year-old.
“It’s different. The players just have to accept it and listen to what he has to say. In today’s training session we were working hard. We are learning. Hopefully Thursday [against Bulgaria in the Nations League] we can do it in the field.
“You see his passion in the meetings. He really wants us to do well, he wants us to go and express ourselves, to show what we can do when we go out on the field.”
“Everything is falling into place now. It’s something to look forward to.”
Follow Bulgaria v Republic of Ireland this Thursday via our live blog on RTÉ.ie and the RTÉ News app or listen to live commentary on RTÉ 2FM’s Game On.
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