AND SUDDENLY IRELAND’S toughest double-header in 20 years has stolen upon us.
First up is France at the Parc des Princes on Thursday – arguably the toughest assignment in international football – followed by the home clash with the Netherlands on Sunday.
Realistically, Ireland would be in bonus territory if they got more than a point from the two games but, regrettably, the minimum requirement is for more than that. Ireland’s defeat to France in March was expected but creditable; June’s loss to Greece in Athens is potentially ruinous. The subsequent victory over Gibraltar leaves Ireland with three points from three games, three points behind second-placed Greece having played the same number of games. They are level on points with the Dutch, who have a game in hand, while France are already out of sight, with four wins from four.
Stephen Kenny spoke last week of one big win putting Ireland right back in contention, and defender Nathan Collins chimed in agreement with his manager earlier today.
“It’s hard to say”, replied Collins when asked what would constitute a good window. “A good window would be six points, wouldn’t it? We would take that 100%. We just [have to] go and try to cause problems. There are a lot of chances there. Especially at home, with the crowd behind us, we can do anything.
“I think we can go and get a win, easily. Away from home I think we can cause so many problems and I think we can nick something, honest to God. They are two top teams but three points, four points, anything is good. If we can get something out of these two games it puts it right back into contention.”
France are almost at full-strength, as their only absentee is Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate. The French were close to fully-stocked in March as well, though, and Ireland lost narrowly to Benjamin Pavard’s long-ranger on a night they kept Kylian Mbappe without even a shot on target.
“Every game he plays he causes everyone problems”, said Collins on Mbappe. “There’s no way you can do it on your own, one v one he beats anyone. We have to defend as a unit, we have to defend as a team and back each other. If he does beat us, then there have to be more people waiting to come up against him. But we saw that about him, they have more quality on the other wing and more quality in the middle. It’s about balancing it all.”
Ireland arrive into this game as a curious mix. Collins is one of several players who are playing regularly and off the back of a recent transfer: he swapped Wolves for Brentford to stay in the Premier League, while Dara O’Shea (Burnley), Andrew Omobamidele (Nottingham Forest), and Chiedozie Ogbene (Luton Town) all earned moves to England’s top tier. But for all that exuberance, Ireland are without Seamus Coleman (injury) and Matt Doherty (suspended), while John Egan has undergone a scan for the injury he suffered against Everton on Saturday and is awaiting the results.
But balance all of that against the fact of Evan Ferguson, soaring into this game off the back of this hat-trick against Newcastle.
“It’s rare that you get more than three chances in a game as a striker, especially in the Premier League. So to take his three chances, he has done unbelievably well there. It’s one of the hardest things to do in football, easily, 100 percent, especially in the Premier League, one of the best leagues in the world. All credit to him, he deserves it.
“I saw the first and I was, like, he can go and score a few more now. I was watching it a bit and they were causing a lot of problems. We know how good Brighton are and you know you’ll get chances at the end of the game. I’m buzzing for him, of course, he deserves it and let’s hope he continues.”
A return to Paris will stir memories of the 2010 World Cup play-off, Thierry Henry and all that. Collins was only eight at the time, but said he remembers it.
“I was coming back from a Cheerios concert, if you can remember them, the charity ones. I was with my Mam and older brother. We were walking back to the train station and watching on the screen there. There was a big crowd of people waiting for the train watching it and, yeah, everyone was fuming. I just remember rowdy people, that’s all I remember!”
Asked who he remembers from the concert, Collins grinned, “All I remember is JLS!”
