The challenge for the Republic of Ireland, as Roy Keane outlined, will be to impose their game on France in the last 16 on Sunday in much the same way that they did against Italy in Wednesday’s memorable 1-0 win.
A major difference will be found in the stands. For the Italy game, the majority of those packed into the 50,100-capacity Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille were Irish and how they made themselves heard. Against the host nation at the Stade de Lyon, which holds 58,000, Keane said that the organisers had given Ireland around 4,000 tickets. On behalf of the staff and squad, the assistant manager said that it was not fair.
“There is genuine disappointment – not just for a silly quote – that there’s not more Irish fans getting to the game,” Keane said. “That is a genuine feeling among the whole group. It does seem unfair, for the supporters. Someone said we have three-and-a-half, four-and-a-half thousand; the capacity is 58,000 – it does seem a bit lopsided.
“You’d expect the home nation to have got an extra few, but that’s a lot more. It’s unfair, particularly the way the Irish fans have travelled and what they’ve brought to the tournament. I was thinking we’d have maybe 15,000 or 20,000 in the stadium, but we can’t change it.”
Keane’s other concern was the disparity in preparation time for each team. France, who last played against Switzerland in Lille on Sunday, will have had seven days, compared with Ireland’s four. After the victory over Italy, Ireland returned by bus to their base here and did not make it back until 5am on Thursday. Keane estimated that the routine post-match doping tests delayed them by an hour.
The squad had a recovery day on Thursday and they trained on Friday before flying to Lyon at 8pm. “It’s more unfair about the ticket allocation, but if you asked me: ‘Do I think seven days’ recovery is better than four?’ Then yeah, you bet your life it is.”
This is the first meeting between the nations since the 2010 World Cup play-off, second leg in Paris, when Thierry Henry’s handball helped France to reach the finals. Possibly out of guilt, the hosts have been preoccupied with the story and Keane was asked by a French journalist whether Ireland were considering the possibility of revenge. He shot down the notion. “We don’t have that mentality,” he said. “Revenge does not come into it.”
Keane stressed how it was about Ireland looking forward and at themselves. Against Italy, in what was a must-win game, it was noticeable how they left a few calling cards on their opponents in the early running. The stand-in captain, Séamus Coleman, was late on Mattia De Sciglio in the first minute and it recalled Keane’s tackle on Marc Overmars at the start of the vital World Cup qualifier against Holland in 2001, which Ireland won 1-0.
On both occasions, the challenges set the tone for the team; Ireland fought for the right to play. Keane talked about how important it would be to work tirelessly and win the ball back quickly against France, as they did in the Italy game, and he hoped that the do-or-die nature of it would chime more readily with Ireland’s mentality, in terms of them liking to have a go. Sometimes in group matches, Keane said, they could be caught between sticking and twisting.
“As Jack [Charlton] said years ago: ‘Put ’em under pressure,’” Keane said. “I’m sure there’s a song about that. You do that by getting a foothold, tackling, by getting the ball into the box, by getting midfield runners, by your decision-making, by being physical, having good energy levels. We had that against Italy. Can we get it back for France?”
Keane said nice things about Coleman, the right-back, who took over the captaincy from John O’Shea, who was dropped against Italy. When it comes from Keane, it is never lip service. “I can’t speak highly enough of him,” he said. “He is a top player. I know he’s at a good club like Everton but he could play for any of the real big teams. He could do that with his eyes shut.
“I’m not sure what went on in the huddle but apparently he said some pretty good stuff, which is good to hear. I was getting a bit cynical about huddles, thinking the more times teams do them, the more times they seem to lose. But it worked. Let’s hope it works on Sunday.”
In the other full-back position, Stephen Ward is a doubt with an ankle knock. If he does not make it, Robbie Brady, who played well in midfield against Italy and scored the winning goal, could switch to left-back.
.png?w=600)
