Domenech:Back in the Day
At approximately 14: 07 CET on Monday afternoon, there was a collective sigh around the country. The Republic of Ireland were drawn against France in the FIFA World Cup Qualifying Play-off. ”Feck it anyway” we muttered. But of the 4 potential opponents in the draw for Ireland, 3 of them would have provoked a similar reaction. Having avoided facing the freezing cold of an away leg on a plastic pitch in Russia, and sidestepped the now strangely likeable Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, now we must turn our attentions to the French and analyse the dangers posed by Raymond Domenech’s mismanaged side.
News of Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery’s recurring knee injury has been met with jigs of glee all around the emerald isle. But the illusive winger has not been firing on all cylinders for club or country this season. Rumours are abound that he doesn’t see eye to eye with club coach Louis Van Gaal. He is seemingly frustrated at Bayern’s refusal to sell him to Real Madrid in the summer, and has had a certain amount of his thunder stolen by the arrival of Arjen Robben at the Allianz Arena. With just 2 Bundesliga starts under his belt this term, he has failed to start any of France’s final 4 Group 7 games. For most nations, Ribery’s absence would be severely felt. But France aren’t most nations.
Domenech has experimented with playing 3 strikers in recent games. Big-name stars Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka have been forced to play out wide, with the lesser-known Andre-Pierre Gignac of Toulouse playing in a central role. This has seen £35 million Karim Benzema on the bench, apart from in the final group game against Austria. Ribery would struggle to break into the side even if he were fit. But it’s not their just formidable attack we must fear.
In an advanced midfield role, playmaker Yoann Gourcuff is living up to the promise of his youth at Rennes. After a disastrous spell at AC Milan, Gourcuff joined Bordeaux on loan in the summer of 2008. He inspired them to their first league title in a decade, and was voted Ligue 1 Player of the Year. His stunning individual effort against Paris St-Germain was Ligue 1 Goal of the Season. It will be interesting to see how Ireland deal with Gourcuff’s threat. With excellent close-control and balance, his dribbling ability will test the resolve of the Irish defence. Perhaps a plan to man-mark Gourcuff could be implented, but if we go down this road then what of the 3 front-men? These are the decisions that will prove whether Giovanni Trapattoni is worth his €2 million salary or not.
There are numerous tactical elements to consider. And Trapattoni has proved himself a master-tactician over the years. While we can comfortably predict the system that Ireland will use, it’s a question of how it can be adapted to deal with the threat of France.
The pace of the French all over the field is unlike anything Trapattoni’s side will have dealt with in the qualifiers to date. The only player of lightening speed Ireland have faced would be Martin Petrov of Bulgaria, but he was returning from injury and looked rusty back in June. Even on the wrong side of 30, Henry and Anelka’s speed and acceleration are still amongst their prized assets. Patrice Evra’s marauding runs from full-back have given Manchester United another dimension, and now France. Amazingly Evra has only 14 international caps to his name, with Domenech preferring the cumbersome Eric Abidal at left-full for quite some time. If selected, Bacary Sagna will provide similar penetration from right-back.
With such adventurous full-backs to contend with, this will surely be factor in who Il Trap selects in his wide midfield positions. Liam Lawrence nullified Fabio Grosso threat from left-back in the draw with Italy a fortnight ago, while Aiden McGeady on the opposite flank was often caught napping during Gianluca Zambrotta’s ventures upfield. Damien Duff will surely start and has the ability to put Sagna and Evra on the back-foot. The Fulham star is disciplined enough to track his man back also. It’s been a long time since the Irish crowd witnessed a Duff performance to remember. At 30, this is surely his last chance at making a 2nd World Cup. Ireland expects.
Set-pieces are have been a great source of goals for Ireland throughout Group 8, with half of their 12 goals coming from dead balls. It is most certainly an area where France could struggle. For all his qualities, William Gallas has never been dominant in the air. His likely central defensive partner Abidal is 6’1” tall, but jumps like he’s 5’8”. Richard Dunne, Sean St Ledger and John O’ Shea will provide lofty targets for Lawrence to aim for.
With the first leg at Croke Park, many see this as a disadvantage. However this will suit the Irish better. A 0-0 at Croker would mean a score draw in France would see Ireland in South Africa. If the first leg was drawn away, a defeat in the Stade de France of 2-0, for example, would end Ireland’s dream. As the away team, Domenech’s men will not want to give too much away. Nor will Trapattoni as the hosts.
A predication I hear you ask? I think the French will have too much quality for us. I’ll stick my neck on the line, with France prevailing 1-0 in Dublin, and 2-1 in Paris. The head has ruled the heart, but I sincerely hope I am proved very wrong.
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