France v Ireland....Part II...more injuries

The latest news from Clairefontaine, Abidal is out for the return leg on Wednesday (so is Toulalan but he was already injured for the Dublin clash). This is an interesting wrinkle for the match. Abidal played, other than the terrible mistake late in the game gifting the ball to the Irish in the French camp, a very strong game. He was able to bring a degree of calmness and steadiness that the central defense has not had in a long time.

So what will Domenech resort to in the return leg? Clearly the favorite should be Squillaci, who shouldered Gallas very nicely when given the chance. In addition, Squillaci is a big center back and strong in the air, clearly something the French will need defending the long ball bombs the Irish are sure to lob into the French 18 yard box in Paris. I cannot see Domenech going with Escude, who has been shaky in the past few games from Les Bleus, especially against Romania when his own goal gave Romania the draw in Paris. Interestingly, Domenech has not looked to call up replacements for either player. I would think this opportunity would be a golden chance for him to at least call up his binky - Boumsong.