TheJamaicanP.M.
22/03/2005, 1:55 PM
As we are all well aware, Ireland have reached a crucial stage in this World Cup qualifying campaign, with the huge qualifier against Israel on Saturday. This is a game which has been on our minds for months and caused worry for many Ireland supporters. Rightly so, as Israel are a good side and have had some good results thus far.
However, I feel that we need to be more positive about our own team and our position in this group. With the exception of Alan Quinn, we should have a fully fit squad. Crucially, that means that the trinity of Damien Duff, Roy Keane, and Robbie Keane are available at a period of the season when we often suffer with injuries. In addition, our aging but inspirational skipper, Kenny Cunningham is available for a game that will demand leadership. I'm not overly concerned by the talk of Given being injured. He is obviously carrying a knock but the media are simply trying to create a news story in the knowledge that Brian Kerr doesnt give away much before kick-off.
I think experience is the key to winning this game and indeed, this group. A lot of people complain that our team lacks Champions League experience. That may be true, but we have international experience in abundance. I think the only difficult decision Kerr has to make is whether to start with Steve Finnan or Andy Reid on the right, both in-form players at the moment. If Kerr starts with Finnan, the Irish starting 11 will have an average of 45 caps each. That is the type of experience that most other international teams can only dream of, and I believe that will be a huge benefit in this difficult encounter.
In fact, I firmly believe that our experience and organisation will be enough to see off a poorly-managed French team in September. From what I can see, the longer Raymond Domenesch is in charge of the French, the better it is for Ireland. The French may still have world-class players, but they are a shadow of their former selves. Zidane, Thuram, Desailly, Lizarazu, and Makelele have all departed. There is no squad in the world that can afford to lose so many experienced heads from their set-up. Added to these retirements is a manager who would appear to be struggling to win the respect of his players. Take for example Robert Pires. The Arsenal man has been frozen out by Domenesch. Rightly or wrongly, the French manager must be questioned over this decision. He has also persisted with a relatively novice defensive pairing
from Monaco of Gael Givet and Sebastian Squillaci. While these players may be highly regarded in the upper echelons of European club football, the international scene is a different kettle of fish. In September 2001, Holland brought the much sought after central defender, Hoffland to Lansdowne Road. At the time, Arsene Wenger was weighing up a £15M move for the young defender. However, he froze in what was a highly pressurised game. This reinforces my point about the importance of international experience. With regard to the French, they look a lot less ominous than they did a year ago. Patrick Viera has had a poor season by his standards. The team does not have the same aura as it once did. To be honest, the only players who strike fear into me are Henry, Trezeguet and Giuly. I'm not sure is Henry going to miss France's up-coming games against Switzerland and Israel, but if he is, I believe the French will drop points.
With regard to our own game against Israel, there is no doubt that the home side will be up for it and the crowd will be partizan. Firstly, we need to match Isreal in terms of commitment and enthusiasm. If we do this the home crowd will quiten and the Israeli challenge may fade somewhat. As always, the first 20 minutes will be vital. We need all our players to stand up and be counted for. Unlike Basel last September, I believe the attitude of the players will be right on this occasion. This game has been built-up, and the manager and players understand its importance. On paper, Israel do not have the same quality as us. Although a number of their players have experience in Europe, they have only a handfull of players in the big European leagues. Tal Ben-Haim has done little for Bolton, while Idan Tal looked weak in physical terms during his spell at Everton. From the little I have seen of Benayoun of Santander, he is a talented player (somewhat similar to Hakan Yakin). However, I think Roy Keane and Kevin Kilbane are capable of bullying such a player. We cannot allow him get on the ball and I dont think we will. I remember when we played Estonia in the 2002 WC qualifiers, there was a lot of talk about Zelinski and Oper. The two of them had run amuck against Holland 4 days earlier. However, unlike the Dutch, the Irish team did not stand off and allow the Estonian midfield to play. In a similar way, I believe that this Irish team will stamp their authority on the game and I can see us shutting down the threat of Benayoun.
The next week will have a major bearing on the outcome of this group. Our game against Israel is the key to us winning the group. Regardless of the results of the other games, some of the top teams will drop points against each other. When this happens, we may well have the breathing space we require in this group. All in all, I'm confident that this will be the first Irish team to go on and win a qualifying group for a major tournament.
However, I feel that we need to be more positive about our own team and our position in this group. With the exception of Alan Quinn, we should have a fully fit squad. Crucially, that means that the trinity of Damien Duff, Roy Keane, and Robbie Keane are available at a period of the season when we often suffer with injuries. In addition, our aging but inspirational skipper, Kenny Cunningham is available for a game that will demand leadership. I'm not overly concerned by the talk of Given being injured. He is obviously carrying a knock but the media are simply trying to create a news story in the knowledge that Brian Kerr doesnt give away much before kick-off.
I think experience is the key to winning this game and indeed, this group. A lot of people complain that our team lacks Champions League experience. That may be true, but we have international experience in abundance. I think the only difficult decision Kerr has to make is whether to start with Steve Finnan or Andy Reid on the right, both in-form players at the moment. If Kerr starts with Finnan, the Irish starting 11 will have an average of 45 caps each. That is the type of experience that most other international teams can only dream of, and I believe that will be a huge benefit in this difficult encounter.
In fact, I firmly believe that our experience and organisation will be enough to see off a poorly-managed French team in September. From what I can see, the longer Raymond Domenesch is in charge of the French, the better it is for Ireland. The French may still have world-class players, but they are a shadow of their former selves. Zidane, Thuram, Desailly, Lizarazu, and Makelele have all departed. There is no squad in the world that can afford to lose so many experienced heads from their set-up. Added to these retirements is a manager who would appear to be struggling to win the respect of his players. Take for example Robert Pires. The Arsenal man has been frozen out by Domenesch. Rightly or wrongly, the French manager must be questioned over this decision. He has also persisted with a relatively novice defensive pairing
from Monaco of Gael Givet and Sebastian Squillaci. While these players may be highly regarded in the upper echelons of European club football, the international scene is a different kettle of fish. In September 2001, Holland brought the much sought after central defender, Hoffland to Lansdowne Road. At the time, Arsene Wenger was weighing up a £15M move for the young defender. However, he froze in what was a highly pressurised game. This reinforces my point about the importance of international experience. With regard to the French, they look a lot less ominous than they did a year ago. Patrick Viera has had a poor season by his standards. The team does not have the same aura as it once did. To be honest, the only players who strike fear into me are Henry, Trezeguet and Giuly. I'm not sure is Henry going to miss France's up-coming games against Switzerland and Israel, but if he is, I believe the French will drop points.
With regard to our own game against Israel, there is no doubt that the home side will be up for it and the crowd will be partizan. Firstly, we need to match Isreal in terms of commitment and enthusiasm. If we do this the home crowd will quiten and the Israeli challenge may fade somewhat. As always, the first 20 minutes will be vital. We need all our players to stand up and be counted for. Unlike Basel last September, I believe the attitude of the players will be right on this occasion. This game has been built-up, and the manager and players understand its importance. On paper, Israel do not have the same quality as us. Although a number of their players have experience in Europe, they have only a handfull of players in the big European leagues. Tal Ben-Haim has done little for Bolton, while Idan Tal looked weak in physical terms during his spell at Everton. From the little I have seen of Benayoun of Santander, he is a talented player (somewhat similar to Hakan Yakin). However, I think Roy Keane and Kevin Kilbane are capable of bullying such a player. We cannot allow him get on the ball and I dont think we will. I remember when we played Estonia in the 2002 WC qualifiers, there was a lot of talk about Zelinski and Oper. The two of them had run amuck against Holland 4 days earlier. However, unlike the Dutch, the Irish team did not stand off and allow the Estonian midfield to play. In a similar way, I believe that this Irish team will stamp their authority on the game and I can see us shutting down the threat of Benayoun.
The next week will have a major bearing on the outcome of this group. Our game against Israel is the key to us winning the group. Regardless of the results of the other games, some of the top teams will drop points against each other. When this happens, we may well have the breathing space we require in this group. All in all, I'm confident that this will be the first Irish team to go on and win a qualifying group for a major tournament.