TWENTY EIGHT SECONDS, eight mistakes, and one Arnold Schwarzenegger.

That is how Damien Duff broke down Shelbourne’s concession of the opening goal in their 3-0 first-leg defeat to FC Zurich last week.

The Swiss side’s comfortable win means the outcome is all but certain in the return fixture of their Europa Conference League second-round qualifier at Tolka Park on Thursday evening.

Duff, however, was still happy to provide illuminating insight into some of the triggers that make his side tick.

Schwarzenegger has become an unlikely inspiration while former Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni, Manchester City talisman Kevin De Bruyne, Duff himself and even Robbie Savage are words that hold particular meaning in the dressing room.

“Back pressing – we call that Trapattoni. I’m a big believer in small little details, and small, small little mistakes. If you make enough of them it ends up a big problem,” Duff said.

“Even the first goal we concede after 28 seconds, I don’t mind saying it there were eight little issues in the 28 seconds and eight little issues ends up a big problem, i.e. a goal.

“We have a name for everything, maybe they don’t know how I coach, but we have a name for everything.

“A De Bruyne, a Trapattoni, a this or that, so Trapattoni [is] back pressing, clearing the ball. Doesn’t [mean] walking when you should be jogging, filling the peno spot.

“Eh, Joe [O'Brien] calls Will [Jarvis] or what have you, ‘You need to do the Duffer’. I won’t get into what the Duffer is but we do have a saying for absolutely everything. I might have to go back and tell them what they actually are because some lads who are new in the door are like, ‘what the hell is [that]?’”

Shane Griffin has been around Duff long enough to know how his manager works, so much so that speaking after his manager had finished his own media duties he was somewhat reluctant to give too much away.

“I’d better be careful with what I say now,” Griffin said. “There’s the Robbie Savage Ball. When they say Trapattoni, we don’t think of the manager, we think back pressing. Stuff like that catches on. It does happen [elsewhere] but putting names on it is unique. It’s a good way because everybody catches on straight away. People know what he’s talking about with these trigger words. It’s good coaching.”

The reasoning behind Schwarzenegger’s inspiration might just confound those who feel Duff prefers total control over all aspects of his players’ game.

“Arnie, you don’t know what that is, it’s Arnie Schwarzenegger,” he said. “Okay, you’re told to do something but if you watch his Netflix show, you listen to your coaches 99% of the time, but one time there is, ‘Oh no, I should do this’ so there is an Arnie moment in it as well.

“If you haven’t watched that show on Netflix, it’s outstanding, we reference Arnold Schwarznegger a lot,” Duff added. “It’s about having vision, about getting off your arse and doing something. I think there is a real marked difference between having a dream and having a vision.

“We can all dream, I can lie on my bed and dream whereas vision is getting up and doing something about it. So we reference Arnie a lot.

“We are where we are because of structure, where to be, where to stand, where to run, and I absolutely believe that if we didn’t have that we wouldn’t be where we are. But, at the same time, one of the eight moments [in Zurich] was an Arnie moment, ‘Yeah, but you told me to do this’… I know, but it’s just going off [instinct] and doing your own thing, putting our own stamp on it, your own personality on it.

“I don’t know, I’m trying to think of one now. A wide free kick, we have a word for a wide free kick on the right, ‘Well, the manager told me to do this and we have to do this’. Well, we might take it quick [instead] and go and dribble with it, that would be Arnie.”

Shels won’t be back in European action this season after Thursday, barring a famous – and historic – turnaround.

Duff also confirmed that he has a plan to manage the game time of his players with one eye on Monday’s vital top-of-the-table meeting with Derry City.

“Listen, the European thing is absolutely amazing but I don’t know if I’ve said this, the priority for me is still the league.

“We’re fully prepared so hopefully we can give a fright, give a shock. The league is still the most important thing.

“You’re in a great spot with Europe if you win the league but even next season it’s always ‘ok, what can we win?’ Are we going to win the Champions League? Are [Shamrock] Rovers? No. I want to win things, silverware.

“Every year it’s league, cup and, bizarre as it sounds, if I have a chance of winning silverware that’s the most important thing.”

Thursday – Europa Conference League second-round qualifier (second leg): Shelbourne (0) v FC Zurich (3), Live: 7.45pm.