Georgia v Ireland...the Georgians demand a place in the World Cup!!

I found the video for the penalty kick that was award Ireland versus Georgia during the qualifiers...thanks to "caughtoffsides." As stated in the blog post, figure out how this play results in a penalty kick for the Irish, giving them the goal they needed to draw with Georgia, granted they still would have finished 2 points ahead of Bulgaria however who knows, if Ireland were within striking distance at the end of the group stages Bulgaria might have given a better showing against Cyprus, to whom they lost 4-1!!! But just for fun, here is the video... I guess Robbie Keane should have told the referee there was no foul...



I have watched the video and absolutely no idea what the referee say. The play was offsides not a penalty...maybe he thought the Georgian defender had fouled Keane on the first play, but the defender clearly plays the ball and Keane is no where near the defender. The second action you might think a hand ball but the defender clearly uses his chest to deflect the second ball in...interesting.

Roy Keane on Ireland v France and the Hand of Frog

This is a fantastic video interview of Roy Keane. While I could not stand the player when he wore the Manchester United red, you can tell from his intensity why he was such a force in the midfield and not one to trifle with. Ah how I miss the Vieira v Keane battles....



About 2/3 of the way through, watch his reaction to someone's cell phone going off for the second time.

Ireland want payback!

A great blog post about the injustices done to Ireland...hand ball included. Ah a funny read! The fun continues. Maybe when Ireland get the 33rd World Cup spot all will be just again!

Ireland heading to the World Cup...only if the FIFA is completely mad

The latest in the Titi Henry hand ball saga is that Ireland are now lobbying to be allowed an extra spot in next summer's tournament. The fact that Blatter would even give this idea any legs by saying they discussed it is ridiculous. As I have stated in the past Ireland out played the French in Paris, the French goal should have been disallowed for a hand ball...however the referee did not see the transgression and therefore accorded the goal. That is life. There remains a human element to sports - a referee misses a hand ball, an off sides, gives 3 yellow cards to the same player, does not accord a goal that clearly crossed the line...



We see this in all sports - phantom tags in baseball called out, referees giving a team 5 downs, and countless other situations. Video replay is an answer to some of these issues, but at the end of the day part of sport is the fact humans are the judge of the rules and need to make rapid decisions, sometimes with less than perfect information. Teams suffer the consequences both good and bad. This will not and should not change...the human official should be allowed access to better technology in order to have greater access to information, but in the end it will still come down to human judgment. And that is a part of sports.

Roy Keane gets it! France v Ireland

For once I am on Roy Keane's side - he statement on the Irish loss was spot on - best quote: "They can complain all they want but France are going to the World Cup. Get over it." I complete agree with Keano. The former Irish captain has never been scared to speak his mind, good for him. I think that he mirrors some of the statements that this blog has made....surprising since I am usually a critic of the Irish man.

The article from the NYTimes - http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/11/20/sports/sports-uk-soccer-world-ireland-keane.html

Irish eyes are crying

Well 24 hours on from the "Hand of Frog" - I did not come up with that but will gladly "borrow" it! I have enjoyed reading and listening to the reaction of fans and pundits (it was even talked about on ESPN's PTI and Rome is Burning shows...I even heard it mentioned on my local sports radio show). Some of it is rational and well thought out, most of it, understandably is emotional, funny, true, heartfelt, sometimes crass and overall what makes sports so interesting. I particularly enjoyed the following video:



I guess the voodoo burning of Titi's picture is some Irish witch doctor trick. What I really love is that he is a Chelsea fan! But I do agree with him - country over club...always! This typifies the emotion felt by Irish fans and deservedly so. The way the Irish lost this match is no way to be left out of the World Cup. However sports, much like life are not always fair. The best team does not always win. Advantages are sometimes allowed for those that disregard the rules.

It stinks, trust me. I still shed a tear every time I watch, read about or think about the 1982 World Cup semi finals between RFA and France, where an absolute blatant foul by Schumacher on Battiston in the penalty area, put the Frenchman in the hospital and saw the German keeper suffer no punishment (it should have been a red card and penalty kick!!). That was an absolute howler of a missed call by an official...in a World Cup semi final. That by no means excuses what happened yesterday, but demonstrates that sh*t happens.

Not that this will make things easier for my Irish friends, but a couple of things to keep in mind:

• Had the goal been disallowed, which it should have, there remained a good 15 minutes of the match. At that stage of the match Ireland was clearly playing for PKs so who knows if France would have not scored a goal...I do not think the Irish had any intentions to look to get the second goal at this stage of the match.
  
• Even if France had not scored the goal, the game would have gone to penalties, and while many, including myself had little faith in France winning on PKs since when have Ireland been deemed the "Germany" of PKs? It would have been a crap shoot at best.
• Ireland can blame Henry and the referee....as well as themselves. If they capitalize on the other clear chances they had on goal, O'Shea is left all alone on the far post a the restart - he has the time to chest down the ball and tee up his volley only to put it into the upper stands, Keane sees Lloris make a desperate save on him midway through the first half, Evra makes a scrambling clearance on a Keane cross at the 50th minute, Keane finds himself alone versus Lloris with 15 minutes to go in regulation but cannot control the speed of the ball, and Duff sent through alone on goal with only Lloris to chip, the French keeper had gambled and covered the low shot, but instead the Fulham man sees his shot cleared by Lloris, again in desperation (Sagna's back tracking efforts also contributed to the miss). Score on one of these clear cut chances and we never go to extra time and never see the "hand of frog."
  

Bottom line, Ireland were the better team in Paris, no doubt. The goal should not have stood, should Henry have admitted this to the referee...um...would Robbie Keane have done so had the tables been turned? Doubtful. Will Henry's image be "tarnished" will he become too toxic for endorsements...no. Hey there are athletes who did far worse who still get endorsement deals - Kobe Bryant anyone? Henry will be fine, his image will be fine and fans of Barcelona, Arsenal and France will support him. When he comes play for the New York Red Bull all the fans and the MLS will talk about how great it is that he is here...after they mention the hand ball...

France will go to the World Cup next summer, they will be seeded (most likely in the first pot) they clearly have the talent to go far...or pull a World Cup 2002 and crash out in the first round. Either way it will have nothing to do with Henry being a "cheat" but everything to do with Domenech and what he does over the next 202 days. I am sure if France do well we will hear that it should be Ireland enjoying that run...if France do poorly it will be "karma." Germany seems to have done okay for itself after Schumacher blatantly cheated in 1982 and got away with it....

Ireland should feel robbed, yes. Should they complain, absolutely. Will there be a replay, highly unlikely. Do they need to get over it...yes.

The original "Hand of God" -

France v Ireland...The Hand of God, Frenchy style

Okay okay, might not have been in the World Cup in a knock out stage game between two nations that had recently fired their weapons against each other in anger....but this, in Ireland will be seen much as Maradona's hand ball is seen by England - a major travesty of justice! For France the essential is done, albeit under extreme duress, and they will be in South Africa next summer. The Irish can only feel extremely disappointed and let down, they were the better team tonight and yet they head back home and will not get to experience the first African world cup. A video recap first:



Truth be known I "watched" the match in a hodgepodge manner - Setanta's terrible video stream, the live text updates from numerous sites and the audio stream from RTL. With that in mind let us look at the match:

The Good:

• The Irish fighting spirit, clearly Ireland did not feel there was anything they could not accomplish and the fact they had to win by 2 goals away to France was not seen as an insurmountable mountain. Kudos to them. They came out and dominated the first half, clearly the better team. While the possession would make one believe France were dominating, watching the match it was clear that Ireland was allowing France to play their game but the French did not know what to do, routinely turning the ball over to the Irish and making huge mistakes. Keane rightfully punished the poor french defense in the 32nd minute when no one decided to pick up the Tottenham striker who was camped out in the French 18 yard box, everyone decided to watch as Duff drove the ball to the end line and calmly crossed to Keane who surgically finished. He could have had a goal a few minutes earlier but Lloris made a brave save punching the ball away just as Keane took a might whack at the loose ball...again a result of terrible French defending. The Irish could have had a second when Duff went through and once again the French keeper had to save his teammates from a summer vacation next year. Ireland fought bravely, Ireland believed they could win and Ireland's fight should have seen them get to penalties...kudos to the men in green shorts.
• I also have to call out Keane. I stated that he was invisible in the game in Dublin, which was the exact opposite in Paris. He was a major threat to the French goal, his goal was absolutely deserved and he was unfortunate to not getting another goal a few minutes sooner. Had he played like this in Dublin it might be the men in green packing their bags for South Africa next summer.
  
• The only player from France that can hold their head high is Lloris. After last match I stated he was clearly France's #1, after this match I think he has clearly cemented his place as France's backstop for the World Cup. Once again his serenity, bravery and ability was what prevented France from taking what could have been a 2 or 3 goal defeat. His save on Keane, mentioned above, was superb and saved the French house. His save after 60 minutes on a break away on Duff also saved the French bacon. The goal was unstoppable and on his defenders not him. Lloris also demonstrated a coolness needed at the end of the match to keep the game under control. Bravo Hugo, tu est le numero 1.
• France is going to South Africa....ok might not be good for the Ireland or the fans of the green, and having the Irish fans and team in South Africa would have been good for the event. However France remains one of footie's power houses and not having them in South Africa would have been a big loss. Now Les Bleus can go to South Africa and play their 3 games and come home...

The Bad:

• The French defense. It looked like the Maginot line at times, completely standing still and being by passed by the Irish offense. Too often they were too slow and in poor position allowing the Irish to run around them. On the Keane goal, 3 French defenders were caught flat allowing Keane to receive the cheeky Duff cross and calmly slot home the shot. Neither Diarra covered themselves in glory either giving the back 4 cover. Were it not for the heroics from Lloris they would be carrying the title of French Goat.
• Gourcuff once again seemed slow and was never the offensive and creative presence we expect of the French playmaker. I realize the Irish defense as well as his time off due to injury play a role but a player of his talent needs to make himself more influential in such matches.
• Without the creative expression from Gourcuff, the French offense suffers and once again does not cover itself with glory. Henry, Anelka and Gignac all appeared to grow frustrated at the Irish defense and never got into a rhythm offensively. There is too much offensive talent available for Les Bleus to not show more offensive prowess.

The Ugly:

• Um no surprise...but the Gallas goal. Okay it was not Gallas' goal but the assist from Henry. Clearly he handled the ball with his forearm and then seemed to gently palm it into his feet to give a nice pass to Gallas who just had to tap in for the goal. Clearly on the video you can see Henry handles the ball before giving Gallas a soft pass to easily head in the tying goal. However watch the play at regular speed and think about where the official is standing.
  
  
  
  He has at least 6 to 7 bodies in front of him all scrambling towards the ball and Henry has an Irish defender blanketing him, so at full speed it is not as clear as to whether or not he handled the ball or if just bounced off his chest or upper leg. Does such a play add fuel to the fire to add more officials? Have video replay? Absolutely. But Henry did what we are all taught...play to the whistle. Should France be penalized for Henry's actions? Um...seriously? Should the Yankees give back the AL East title to the Red Sox in 1978 for Bucky Dent using a corked bat? Should Argentina give back the 1986 World Cup title because they won a game on the "hand of god?" Does Manchester United need to give back the game that Roy Carroll "saved" a ball clearly over the goal line? This carries more weight because of the stakes, no doubt. Let us not forget that had the goal not counted all that was guaranteed is that the game go to penalties, while everyone was favoring the Irish in this exercise, it is by no means a certainty. Maybe it was karma since a few minutes earlier there appeared a clear foul by Given on Anelka in the 18 yard box that was not called (as well as one on Evra in the game in Ireland). At least Henry has admitted the digression.
  
• The overall game from France was ugly, I realize I already called many parts bad...but the entire match was ugly! If Les Bleus play like that next summer it will be a very short trip. There are still some ugly holes that the squad needs resolved - Who will be the central defensive pairing? What is the best formation for Les Bleus? Gignac or Benzema? Will Govou play an important role? What about players such as Mexes, Flamini, Nasri, to name a few. This qualifying campaign did nothing other than get France to the World Cup, they have not found their "soul" nor their system and the players are not clearly defined as to who are the building blocks.

So I can finally breath a small sigh of relief. France will be part of the celebration next summer. I do not have much faith that they will be able to do much - a 1/4 final appearance for me would be an over achievement! Domenech has had this team since 2004, on paper his record is not terrible - World Cup finalist 2006 and qualified for the 3 major tournaments he has had control of the squad. However that is on paper, in reality he has survived what should have been a sackable offense - his showing during the Euros 2008 - he has struggled to qualify, needing the old guard in 2005 to come back, has not clearly demonstrated a grasp of the talent he has at his disposal and has yet to give this squad any soul.

I realize this will never happen, but for France to have any chance next summer I believe they would need to sack Domemech now and put in a manager that can take the talent at hand and get a team together. Figure out how to get the likes of Mexes, Nasri, Benzema, Henry, Anelka, Diarra, Gourcuff, etc etc to work together and how to build a team. Unfortunately that will not happen. So we will go to South Africa with 2 holding midfielders, a right winger who is really a striker, a left winger who is more a left forward, a question mark at left central defense.....and a player such as Benzema on the bench, Mexes at home....and a whole host of other anomalies.

Congratulations Les Bleus you made it to South Africa....the real work starts now.

Ouf Ouf Ouf......France 1 - Ireland 1.....France limp through

Congrats to Ireland...they deserved better. It should have gone to PKs were it not for the referee's poor decision to allow the French goal to stand after a hand ball from Henry. Les Bleus are the last team into the World Cup in South Africa...they do not get points for style, just for results...ugh. Need to think about what this all means...for now I need to regroup and catch my breath.

France v Ireland...the "second half"

We have had over 2 days now to chew on France's 1-0 victory at Croke Park, and now the hard part is at hand - the return leg in Paris' Stade de France. As we all know, France has also suffered some more injuries - Abidal, Diaby and Toulalan all officially out for the return leg. What is a little disconcerting is that France lose two of their options in the defensive midfield as well as their starting center back from the Dublin match. What is absolutely inexplicable is that Domenech has not called up any replacements - Vieira (maybe too awkward after slighting the former France captain from the get go), Flamini, Cheyrou, Matuidi and Mavuba - all available and most have already experienced wearing the French kit. Clearly Domenech and his staff have known about the potential for forfeit of Diaby and Toulalan well before the first game in Dublin....so why not think about having a plan b, get one of midfield options to Clairefontaine, just in case. As Sport24 stated, what if one of the Diarra's gets hurt? France only have the TFC player - Sissoko - as cover right now at holding midfielder. Funny how many were critical of Domenech taking too many holding players and now he might be short at the position! Add to this the loss of Abidal and it is shocking that no player had been brought in over the weekend to at least get 48 hours of preparation with the squad as cover. Equal surprising since most international managers would see the a player(s) having to sit out the match as a great chance to call up players they might want to take a closer look at...even if it is only for 48 - 72 hours. However, once again Domenech appears to be going the unconventional way and feels as if he has enough to navigate the return match. I really hope he is right.

So moving on to the match. The next fear, which we all knew could be a reality, is that the Stade de France resembles a green cauldron with close to 20,000 Irish descending on Paris. This would not be ideal, but everyone knows that the fans from the UK travel extremely well...look at the Parc des Princes during the Scotland - France Euro qualifier...you would think you were in Glasgow! Just a reminder of what could happen -



The strike was a thunder bolt, but pay attention to all the Scottish flags that were ringing the stadium! Get ready to see the Irish green white and orange flags in place of Scotland's blue and white!

I think this will help the Irish cause more than hurt the French cause, but it something not to be taken lightly, allowing the Irish to have a strong fan base to rely on to stir up the emotions. I am not sure if that will have enough of an impact. Can Ireland win? Of course, they are a solid squad and very well coached...plus they are making this a match for the respect of the Irish people.

I think that Trapattoni and his Irish team will start very much as they did over the weekend in Dublin - cautiously. They will let the French take the game and dictate the pace, always looking to counter and secure set pieces. As they showed in Dublin any set piece is license to drive a high ball into the French 18 yard box, the fact that Given was taking any kick in the Ireland defense 1/3 was an indication that we are going to drive high balls from anywhere on the pitch into the French 18 yard box (clearly having your keeper take "goal kicks" from your defense side means you are not looking for precision but rather high driven balls that will force your defenders to deal with this mortar shots). Trap and the Irish will look to leverage the "bend don't break" defense and see if they cannot steal an early goal on a set piece or a French mistake. If they can go into half time up 1-0, they may look to continue this play and try to get to penalty kicks...where everything is a crap shoot. If they go into the half time even 0-0 then Trapattoni will have the next 45 minutes to seek the precious goal, he might decide to go another 20 minutes with a similar strategy and then start bringing in additional attacking options for the final 25 minutes - hoping that the pressure to hold the lead will be increasingly heavy on the French shoulders. I am not sure Ireland can score 2 goals against Les Bleus, not that Irish do not have the talent, but that Trapattoni's style coupled with Les Bleus' defensive posture should not allow for 2 goals from Ireland.

Ireland's hopes should be bolstered by the fact they had at least 3 clear chances against France in Ireland only to suffer poor finishing. If they can just convert one of those chances in Paris, then it is anyone's game.

As for Domenech and Les Bleus, I think they need to go for the coup de grace early, try to get another goal in the first half, make it close to impossible for Ireland. This will depend much on how Gourcuff plays and if he and Anelka can "coexist" running the offense. There have been some grumblings this week that Anelka was wandering into Gourcuff's central area making it difficult for the Bordeaux man to make himself heard during the match. I do not think this is as much of a problem as is reported. I do think that Les Bleus will need to defend better on set pieces, reduce the sloppy passes and take more chances in front of the Irish goal. If they can do all three, they will succeed.

Prediction - France 1 Ireland 1 - Anelka scores in the 38th minute. Keane equalizes in the 76th minute, making for a nerve wracking final 15 minutes.

France v Ireland...."First Half"....France 1 - Ireland 0

Ooof...that was a tough match to watch. France escape Dublin with a 1-0 victory as well as no players suspended for the second leg in Paris on Wednesday. Good to see a little fracas after the match...with Richard Dunne in the middle of it! Overall not a surprising match, Ireland defended in lines of 4 behind the ball and allowed the French to come to them, blocking Les Bleus once they came close to the 18 yard box. On the flip side, the Irish took their chances on set pieces and long balls into the box causing the French fits, something to be concerned about for the return leg. Let us jump into the match -

The Good:

• France get the essential done - win on the road. Having the away goal in hand will force the Irish to seek to win the game back in Paris, this is not impossible but the stakes have been raised considerably.
• Hugo Lloris, he was absolutely huge in this match. I wrote previouslyy that neither he nor Mandanda have stepped up to claim the #1 shirt, well games like this go a long way to doing just that. While he did not have a large number of shots to face - 4 shots - he made the save of the match in the last 10 minutes when Abidal inexplicably misplayed a harmless ball right into the path of the Irish attack resulting in Whelan having an absolute point blank shot saved by a sprawling Lloris - text book keeping! However it was not just that save, but Lloris' complete command of his 18 yard box. On multiple occasions he came off his line to corral dangerous crosses from the Irish. He did have a few poor kicks on back passes from his defense, otherwise played a solid match and saved the victory for Les Bleus late in the match.
• While Lloris could be considered man of the match for Les Bleus, that would go to Anelka. He was absolutely everywhere for Les Bleus. Slotted as the right offensive midfielder, he was much more of a #10 being present everywhere on the pitch, slotting deeper to pick up the ball, holding his right channel, drifting to the middle and even defending. His goal was fortunate in that it took a deflection, but like all good goal scorers you know good things happened when you put the ball on net.
  
  
  
  The Irish defense had no solution for the Chelsea man. Nico was clearly the man of the match.
• Take away his terrible last minute gaff and you realize that Abidal had a tremendous game defensively. His pace and power clearly were put to the test as he had to provide cover to Evra and Sagna who both were constantly pushing up high as if they were the French wingers. Abidal showed the composure and presence needed to play central defense. Now if he can avoid having gaffs like the one that almost led to the equalizer!
• From the Irish side, Duff was absolutely huge. He gave the Irish the creative maestro in the midfield. The turn he had on Evra in the first half was Brazilianesc. He gave Les Bleus fits all game and was dangerous every time he touched the ball. Unfortunately for him, Robbie Keane was fairly invisible during most of the match leaving Duff alone in attack.
• Shay Given also had a solid match. He made some solid saves including one that was called back on an offside call but he still made a superb save on a header from Gignac. The goal was clearly not his fault after taking an unlucky deflection.
• Finally and very good were the fans at Croke Park. The atmosphere was electric, the fans were clearly into the game and understood the importance of the match; however, clearly it was all in good sport. You could hear fans singing the Marseillaise...even some of the Irish fans! Too often I have seen the Marseillaise booed - in Serbia, at Ukraine...even during the Algeria and Tunisia games at the Stade de France. I think that it is completely unacceptable to boo the anthems, no matter what your feels towards that nation. Fans need to demonstrate the respect associated with teams representing their nations for nothing more than the pride of wearing your national colors. Kudos for the Irish fans for showing class during the anthems. Throughout the entire match the fans were engaged and brought an incredible atmosphere (especially when you saw the other matches being played to half full stadiums - except for the Portugal match). While the audience was clearly for the lads in green, they are to be applauded as an example for the rest of Europe and the World.
  

The Bad:

• French passing....there were occasions during the match I thought I was watching a pub league game on a chewed up field...why? Because there were countless passes from Les Bleus that were lazy and ended up at the feet of the Irish. None of the passes were anything of creative difficulty, simple square passes or through passes in the midfield area....not good.
• The Bordeaux boys - ADiarra and Gourcuff - Diarra was not out and out bad, but I expected more from him. He appeared timid and unsure of himself right from the start. I thought that having his physical presence would make a difference in the aerial game, but instead he at times appeared tentative and not sure of himself allowing the Irish to take advantage of him, something that should not have been allowed to happen. He did settle in, but at times his inability to take control of aerial game could have cost Les Bleus. And what about Gourcuff? I got through the first 30 minutes of the game and had to remind myself that he was on the pitch. When he did get the ball he tried to be too complicated, appearing as if he wanted to dazzle and justify the "next Zizou" moniker that he has had to burden. The few occasions he did have to threaten the goal his shots looked barely better than the ones I am able to muster in my hack league games. He was slow to react to a ball in the area in the 69th minute that he should have gotten to ahead of Given. I realize that he has been injured and not 100% back to game form, but he was invisible for too many stretches of the match for a player of his caliber.
• Gignac did not cover himself in glory today. Granted he had moments of good play and looked dangerous on some occasions. He also proved why Domenech favors him as the lone striker. He is physical, has pace and is not afraid to shoot. However as Manu Petit (one of the commentators on TV5) pointed out, his first touch was a bit heavy today. One a few occasions his first touch let him down and rather than put himself in a position to score he did the Ireland defenses job for them. The worst of these may have been with 10 minutes left in the game with an open goal in front of him, he butchered the shot which should have given Les Bleus a 2-0 cushion. Not sure why Benzema was not brought on in his place late in the game, more on that later.
  

The Ugly:

• The scuffle at the end of the match. Not sure it is "ugly" just showing the intensity that is involved in this match. But the game was played well, there were hard tackles and hard fought one on one battles, but it was all within the laws of the game. So no need to re-enact traditional post US-Mexico activities. Should lead to an interesting return leg on Wednesday. Of course Trap claims that Lass insulted the Irish people and that is why there was a scuffle...how is that for mind games to try and rally the entire nation...not as if they did not need the motivation already.
  
  
  
  
• I know I sound like a broken record...and I always take a chance to criticize the France manager...but Domench once again drove me crazy. Why? How can you return back to Paris with your 3 substitutions in your pocket...the Malouda substitution was completely inconsequential and did not make much sense coming so late in the game. Clearly as the game was moving along in the second half it was clear that Gignac was not having his best of matches, maybe bring in a Benzema in his place. Ireland had a tired defense as they started to show signs of cracking, maybe a fresh stiker with the talent of a Benzema could have added another goal. Or how about Gourcuff? First he was already on a yellow so another one and he would be suspended for the return leg. Second he was clearly not at his best and was getting tired. Maybe take him out with 15 minutes left - after you have the 1-0 advantage. Maybe bring in a Govou to spell Gourcuff and go with a 4-2-2-2, allowing more width to be added. Or if you want to be really cautious bring in Sissoko and play with 3 holding midfielders, let Henry and Anelka carry the game behind Gignac. I would have brought on Benzema at the 60 minute mark, give him a good 30 minutes to run. Once you have the lead I would think of taking out Gourcuff with 15 minutes to go, get Sissoko in there and play a 4-3-3, or let Lass push higher as he does with Real Madrid. But at least use your subs! You have a game in 4 days. You will need fresh legs. Clearly that did not weigh on Domenech's mind, which is completely incomprehensible. TV5 was speaking that maybe Domenech was comfortable with the way the game was being managed...sure, but you need to think about the following game. You should also have a substitution rotation ready - for any situation - leading, needing a goal, injury, etc. Yes he got the victory, but he could have managed better and might have even had another goal...or had fresher legs to defend so we would not need Lloris' heroics to save the victory.
• The fact the game might not be televised on Wednesday is ugly!!! With the FFF having some issues with the TV rights it might get down right ugly and not be available for fans across the globe to watch the match. I realize this is all about money, but think of the money you will lose if fans are shut out. Get it worked out, get it done.

So now we have a few more days before the return leg. Much to think about. Nothing is done yet, France have a slight advantage having securing the victory. For Ireland heading to Paris down 1-0 or 1-1...even 0-0 makes no difference, they will need to chase the goal. So the final score does not change how I think Ireland will approach the match, unless they had a win leaving Dublin they were always destined to be the team chasing the goals. This should be very interesting as both managers look to devise the strategies needed to get to South Africa.

I am going to take a deep breath now...read all that I can, maybe even watch the game again, but the stress level will only increase since there remains 90 minutes of football!

France v Ireland - Line ups

France and Ireland have announced their starting line ups for the match -

FRANCE : Lloris - Sagna, Gallas, Abidal, Evra - A. Diarra, L. Diarra - Anelka, Gourcuff, Henry - Gignac.

IRLANDE : Given - O'Shea, Dunne, St. Ledger, Kilbane - Andrews, Whelan - Lawrence, Duff - Doyle, Rob. Keane

Anelka on the right, Henry on the left with Gignac up front is not surprising and should bring much offensive power to the French attack with Gourcuff supporting the offense. ADiarra was favored over a nicked up Toulalan, which I think is a blessing in disguise since the Bordeaux man brings added height to Les Bleus which will be crucial on set pieces. Trapattoni seems to be looking for a more defensive start to the match, maybe looking to hold off the French for the first half or 60 minutes before looking to strike on a late counter.

France v Ireland...final thoughts and ramblings before kick off

The play offs for the final spots in the World Cup are well under way, with the latest side - New Zealand - with a tight 1-0 victory over Bahrain, New Zealand had to stop a penalty in the second half otherwise a non scoreless draw would have seen the visitors progress. Congrats to the Kiwis for making only their second World Cup - last time being 1982 in Spain.

Russia already defeated Slovenia 2-1, however a late goal by the visitors might make the return leg much more interesting than had Russia preserved their 2-0 goal cushion. With the away goal in hand, Slovenia would progress with a simple 1-0 victory from their home match. Meanwhile Ukraine and Greece are deadlocked at 0-0 with less than 10 minutes left in the first half, however Sheva had a screamer of a free kick warm the Greek keepers' gloves in the 7th minute.

But on to what I and would guess most neutral footie fans are looking for - France v Ireland - it is the most intriguing match up. Domenech v Trapattoni, a large percentage of players from the Premiership, France's maddening inconsistency and the potential to see the biggest footballing nation miss next year's World Cup. I still stand by my believe that Les Bleus will find a way to go through. I think another player to watch for is Anelka. As Lekarlokin commented a few posts ago, Anelka should be very motivated during these matches (granted any player that is at the doorstep of a World Cup needs no added incentive) because this is his last chance to play in his first world cup. Granted he could be a factor in 4 years, but I doubt it. If France do not make the World Cup the team will be completely revamped - Henry, Gallas, Anelka, Vieira to name a few will most likely be done as French internationals. Anelka was one of the last players cut in 1998, was left at home in 2002 with DCisse taking his place (Cisse was the leading scorer in Ligue 1 that year), and was somewhat inexplicably left at home in 2006 after the same Cisse suffered a horrific broken leg in a pre World Cup game against China (Domenech's binky Govou was preferred over Anelka...not sure why you look to take a winger on rather than another pure striker). So we arrive at this week, which might be just the platform a player such as Anelka needs to shine to get his team into the World Cup finals. I think he could hold the key to France's success - if he is lined up on the right he will be asked to bring width to the French attack and find a way to link up with Sagna as the Arsenal man makes his trademark runs on the right flank. If Anelka is lined up as the lone striker, France will need him to provide much of the danger for Shay Given. Of course if he ends up on the bench...he might need to come on late in the game to give the change of pace necessary to snatch a goal from the Irish. Allez Nico! Prends ta chance!!!

One final note, it appears that the grounds crew have decided to water the pitch even though it has been raining...hmmm making the pitch water logged are we...maybe slow down the French attack? Increase the risk of losing ones' footing during free kicks????

Allez les Bleus!!!!

France v Ireland....Predictions....at least for the game in Ireland

So I have given the match tomorrow much though...really thinking about the match since it became apparent that France would be playing the 2nd place matches. As with many of these matches, the underdog is hyped up and sometimes based on what you would read you would think the favorite has no chance against the scrappy, tough and hungry underdog. This game is no exception, with many pundits giving the Irish a better than average chance against Les Bleus, and seeing Ireland advance to South Africa. I put myself in this camp.

France have many advantages against their Irish opponent, and on paper should find a way to get the necessary goals to defeat the Green Machine. However they seem to be consistently underachieving ever since Domenech has taken charge - struggled to qualify for World Cup 2006, only to be rescued by the old guard of Zidane, Thuram and Makelele - struggled in the group stages during the World Cup, only to be rescued by Vieira and Zidane - struggled to qualify for Euro 2008, only to be rescued by Scotland's inexplicable lose at Georgia and the Italians' victory in Scotland - disaster at the Euros to be rescued by no one. Now they struggle to qualify for South Africa. The question remains will have they someone to save them this time? I am not sure.

However I did take a step back and looked at their recent matches and their overall qualifying campaign, and something did stick out - they have played fairly well when their backs were against the wall - down 2-0 at Romania, down 1-0 and a man at Serbia, difficult away fixture at Lithuania on a terrible pitch...and each time they did the necessary to capture points. Take out the terrible first match against Austria where they were clearly awful and France has played well, and for some spells have been world class (the Romania game after being down 2-0, the Serbia game after going down a goal and man and the second Austria game).

They should have beaten Romania at home, a game they completely dominated were it not for an unfortunate own goal would have had the full 3 points. At Serbia, they find themselves in a hostile environment, I might even suggest it will prove more hostile that Croke Park tomorrow, they go down a man (and the keeper at that...so really down 1.5 players since they lose their keeper and have to substitute out a field player to bring in Mandanda, therefore using one of their substitutions) and France still outplay their Eastern European opponents and really could have expected to get a win. While France should have qualified directly, they are not the JV.

And let us not forget that Ireland did not have the best qualifying campaign either. The focus is on the fact they held the defending World Cup Champions Italy to two draws. However they also had the same result against....Montenegro and beat the previously mentioned Georgia 2-1 twice as well as struggled against Cyprus (scoring 3 goals and conceding 1). I have read some that point out that Ireland have scored in all but 2 matches during the campaign...however the statistics show that the French offense is more effective:

• Ireland 12 goals for, 8 conceded
• France 18 goals for, 9 conceded (and before someone says, yeah but France had the Faroe's...well combined they only scored 6 goals against them...so no goal deluge to skew the numbers)

In addition the teams that finished behind France and Ireland were similar in terms of "rank" per the FIFA nations ranking, the teams that finished behind Ireland had an average rank of 35.75 while France's chasers 32.75 (this is looking at their UEFA ranking) The difference for me, France suffered arguably 60 minutes of terrible football - the first 30 minutes against Austria in Vienna, the first 20 minutes at Romania and the same in Serbia....otherwise they would be heading to South Africa already. I think that over 180 minutes of football that Les Bleus will have more good minutes than bad. This all starts this weekend in Dublin. France have shown they can travel and play in extreme conditions - see Romania and Serbia. If Dumbenech aligns an intelligent formation - one that will leverage his advantage at the striker position -

Lloris
Evra, Gallas, Abidal, Sagna
ADiara, LDiarra (Toulalan might be injured, and I would prefer the Bordeaux's man height and size on set pieces)
Anelka, Gourcuff, Henry
Benzema

This formation, while on paper is a 4-2-3-1, it can very easily switch to a 4-3-3 which would give Ireland defensive nightmares. I respect the offensive ability of Ireland, however I fear more the set pieces and the counters, which the Diarras should be strong at stopping. I do think that the Irish need to be put under constant pressure and go for the victory. I cannot envisage Ireland beating France twice over the next 2 games, getting 2 draws yes. So for Les Bleus getting goals in Ireland is crucial, even if it is a draw for the away goals will be huge.

I think Les Bleus come home with a precious 1-0 victory - goal from Benzema.

Of course Dumbenech could go with the same line up as above, but replace Anelka on the right with Govou and Gignac up front .... in which case I cannot see many French goals.

Allez les Bleus!!!!!!

France v Ireland....the intangibles

Okay last part of my ramblings on the upcoming France v Ireland match...well last area of focus prior to my predictions. So let us take a look at the intangibles.

Ireland - They will be hosting the first leg of the home and away series. An advantage? Yes and no. It is if you can hold your opponent goalless, then you know heading back to their home pitch all you need is a non-goalless draw or straight victory to move on, and if the game ends goalless you go to extra time. Also, even if you are heading back with a deficit, at least you know what you need to do to move on (so will the French, but the Irish will have the ability to grab away goals which adds a slight edge) - granted that does not always mean you will or can achieve that need.....but at least you know how to prepare. Second, Croke Park will be a veritable green cauldron, giving the Irish a tremendous home field advantage. With a capacity over 80,000 I am sure the place will be a very vocal and strong 12th man for the Irish. While the majority of the French players play in front of similar crowds on a regular basis for their clubs, the boost it will give the Dunne's and Keane's of Ireland will not be insignificant. Finally Ireland are clearly the underdog, they are playing the World Cup finalist, Ireland already held more than their own twice versus defending World Cup champion Italy. They are only 1 of 5 nations that did not lose a game during the qualifying campaign. Ireland is managed by a veteran Italian manager....what about Les Bleus?

France - Les Bleus are a team still trying to find their soul...these games will either give them a definition and purpose, or will force them to watch the games from their couches and for the rebuilding to commence...under a new manager. I realize that the last two matches showed what France is capable of...granted one of the teams was Faroe Islands...and the other Austria...so not power house nations. I am not convinced that the team knows who they are, have resolved their beef with Domenech or really know what they are trying to accomplish. I know that the FFF has changed some ticketing policy, but I fear that the Stade the France might look a little too green for my liking on the return leg. Remember what the stadium looked like during the Scottish matches in the Euro 2008 qualifiers? Fans from the UK travel very well. Finally, France is clearly not where they expected or wanted to be. Clearly when the groups were announced most pundits figured France would get the automatic qualifier and Romania/Serbia would fight for the second spot...oops. After a terrible start and a shaky and unconvincing campaign, France pulled into the second spot (which really was not guaranteed until late) and now have to play 2 crucial matches rather than playing tune up friendlies. The question is how does this weigh on the French mentality? Were this team lead by a manager such as Wenger, Mourinho, Hiddink or even Benitez I would have more faith, however they are led by Dumbenech. I am not convinced that he can motivate and organize his team to succeed. I just look back to the Euros, France head into the last match against Italy and need a win to have any hopes to advance. So he lines up a different back tandem in central defense - Abidal/Gallas. After Abidal gets red carded rather than reorganize with scoring goals in mind....he brings in Boumsong for Nasri???? This after he had already lost Ribery to injury....um how is that for big game management?

Advantage - Ireland. They are the underdog, they have the more rabid fans, they have nothing to lose and they will head to France knowing what they need to do with the potential for away goals...

France v Ireland....The Players

So I gave some th0ught to the managers last post, now let us look at the players. Since at the end of the day it is the players on the pitch that will make the passes, take the shots, defend, score and make the saves. Where to start...might as well go from the back to the front:

Goalkeepers: Ireland is very stable with their starting keeper. Shay Given has been a main stay in the back for Ireland for a long time, since 1996 to be exact. In that time span he has 100 caps to his credit. He was the Irish keeper during the World Cup 2006 qualifying campaign, so is no stranger to having to play Les Bleus in a qualifying campaign. Also, he also has been in the middle of the Premiership since 1991, having played over 350 games for Newcastle...not a place without huge pressure from the fans. France will be backstopped by either Mandanda or Lloris - who have a combined 17 selections for the French national team. Based on Domenech's track record I would assume Lloris will find himself between the pipes for both matches. Both keepers are incredibly talented and have very bright futures ahead of them, however neither's performance has made him the clear cut #1 for Les Bleus. In such a high pressure match, experience will play a huge part in the ability of the keepers to make a difference, both positively or negatively....for that I will give Ireland the edge.

Defense: Rather than looking at individual defenders I will look at the entire units. Ireland will lean on Richard Dunn and John O'Shea to anchor their back line, both of which are veterans of the Premiership. They can even expect the unexpected goals such as against Italy when Sean St Ledger scoring the opener on a set piece.



This unit is solid, have veteran leadership and under Trap I am sure will be prepared to defend. As for Les Bleus they are still maddeningly inconsistent at the center back tandem - who to pair with Gallas? While I still contend that Mexes should be that player, and the heir apparent for the future "patron" of the back 4, he has not shown the consistency nor the opportunity from Domenech to establish himself in that role. The wide defenders are some of the best in the world at their positions - Sagna and Evra. The question becomes who will shoulder the central defensive role with Gallas? My bet is on Abidal, not that he is a natural central defender, but he appears to be the most consistent of the inconsistents. Edge is a push - on talent alone it would go to France but the instability gives me pause for concern.

The Midfields: This causes fans of Les Bleus some serious hair pulling at times. With all the potential that Domenech has at his disposal it appears he constantly leans on defensive minded midfielders, rather than take a balanced approach. Granted some of the offensive talent is injured - Nasri and Ribery - however there are other players that could have/should have been blooded earlier in the campaign - Menez, Feghouli, and Mounier - or players that could still serve a purpose - Pires and Giuly. It would have been nice to at least have a greater pool to pull from with regards to the offensive midfield. Defensively France have holding/defensive midfielders in spades - Toulalan, ADiarra, LDiarra, Sissoko and Diaby (he will most likely have to withdraw due to injury). That is not even looking at the likes of Vieira or Mavuba that have been used in the past. As for the Irish, the midfield would be much more formidable if Stephen Ireland would decide to play for his nation. A strange decision indeed for the young 23 year old, who is clearly Ireland's most creative player. Add to this Damien Duff's recent injury for club and the Irish midfield might have to rely on the likes of Hunt, McGeady and Miller...not house hold names. Advantage - Les Bleus, and if Ribery/Nasri had been healthy the advantage would be even greater.

The Strikers: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea...3 of France's strikers are all starters at these clubs. Ireland? Their main striker plays at Tottenham and could not make his mark at Liverpool. Now Keane is not slouch, he is a solid striker so please don't bombard me with comments that I am not giving him enough respect...he is a good striker...I just said it again. However, looking at the offensive punch Les Bleus can pull together means that purely on paper the advantage is clearly with Les Bleus...I really do not need to go into further analysis. The question is the following - will Domenech leverage all this offensive power or put most of it on the bench? Will he have Henry/Anelka on the field...how will Benzema be leverage? Will Gignac be the choice striker? Unless Domenech plays a 4-3-3 there will be a striker or two left on the bench. Not a bad thing to have late in games, but if you have 2 of the said strikers on your bench you will clearly be wasting one of them...(doubt you would bring in 2 strikers late unless you are chasing a goal). So how Domenech selects the starters will play a role in how much of an advantage France can take with regards to their talent offensively. I would argue that Keane is a wash with any of the strikers France will throw on the pitch - it is the second and third striker options where the gap becomes apparent. Advantage - Les Bleus.

On paper France clearly have the more talented squad. However that does not always guarantee a win...

France v Ireland...the Managers

As we are less than a week away from the first match between France and Ireland, I was thinking about all the elements that go into the game...why not...I have time and why not over analyze the matches! So the first entry will be on the Managers. Since they are the ones that select the players, the line ups, tactics, formations and provide the inspirational speeches...or in Domenech's case some astrological explanations.

Let us start with the Irish manager...who is Italian. Giovanni Trapattoni, or Trap to his closest friends. Anyone who follows footie knows of the Italian and his storied track record with clubs, less glorious with nations since the Italian teams he lead did not shower themselves in titles. Granted, his Japan/South Korea adventure could have ended better had Italy not gone out in controversial manner to the co hosts South Korea. However, the Italian is very adept at the art of football management and ensuring he gets the most out of what he has at hand. At the club level he has won everything one could hope for, no need to list it out you can follow his link above to see his record. I think he is a solid manager when it comes to knock out style competitions, which is really what we have coming up. You do not win all the major club silverware without having a knowledge of managing game to game, knowing that a loss and you are out. Finally he is Italian...so he knows how to get his teams to defend and play for the 1-0 win...with over 2 weeks to prepare I am sure that he has poured over match video and statistics and is keenly aware of France's weaknesses....ok really does not need to study too much, he could just read this blog - we all know that Les Bleus are vulnerable to set pieces, something Ireland is rather adept at. I am sure he will have some thoughts about how to get set pieces anywhere inside the French half and how to exploit France's skittish defending on these actions. He will give Ireland and their fans much to hope for, granted his team had some poor performances in the group stages, but were able to draw twice with Italy...almost beating them at Croke Park.

What about Les Bleus...well we all know who their manager is...and how I feel about him. He has been fairly consistent during his tenure with France. Consistently maddening! He continues to insist on having 2 holding midfielders, even against weaker sides. He jettisons players without much reason - Pires, Guily, Trezeguet to name a few. He has a bunch of binkies...who are terrible - Boumsong. He should have been axed after a disasterous Euro campaign. Finally he has the personnel skills of a gnat - see how he jettisoned Pires and Guily or how he "informed" Malouda that he would not be playing in a recent match. Yet through all of this he maintains his job. The side he has selected for these matches are very close to what he has always leaned on these days, so for creativity a zero. But I think consistency needs to be factored so that is good. His in game tactics leave much to be desired...something I have written about in the past. I think he uses his substitutions poorly, not controlling the pace and rhythm of the game when he could be (one match in particular against Israel where up 1-0 but down a player he does not use a substitute until the game is level, when he could have used his subs to get fresh legs on the pitch and slow down the Israeli momentum). Finally there is no love lost between Domenech and the Italians. Clearly during his time managing the U20s he had many a run ins with the Italians that did not come out in his favor. Is it mental? Does he have something against managing versus an Italian counterpart?

Overall I give the edge to Trap. While Domenech has a superior pool of players to select from, Trapattoni is a better in game manager and his club experience will make him very comfortable managing a home-away situation. Advantage - Ireland.