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.

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.

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....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...