No slow death for Ireland as Stephen Kenny calls on a song of ice and fire

Macdara Ferris reports from FAI HQ in Abbotstown

Summer is coming and with foes from France venturing north to take on Ireland, Stephen Kenny is calling on his team to show ice and fire and put thoughts of any slow death behind them.

Faced with the World Cup winners from 2018 and runners up last year, Stephen Kenny says now is not the time to act conservatively.

“We've been working on a way of playing for the last two years,” said Kenny speaking to the Irish media ahead of Monday’s game – just one member of the French press attended the midday press conference in Abbotstown.

“We're very, very comfortable in possession, as comfortable as any team in Europe now as possession. Why would we change now? Why would we take a step back now?

“And France, one of the best teams in the world coming at us, do we just suddenly change and not have to courage to do that? And just accept a slow death? Definitely not. We'll need to show fire and ice.

"We need to show fire, we need to have that level of tenacity in our play and aggression in our play but also have composure in possession and have that level of calm in our play in possession. And it's trying to combine the two.

“It's not easy, not easy against the best team in the world who are in formidable form as we saw the other night but that's the way we will definitely approach it."

The French team defeated the Dutch 4-0 in the Stade de France on Friday night with new skipper Kylian Mbappe on the scoresheet twice.

“They have been the best team in the world over the last eight years for sure, consistently getting to two world cup finals, winning the world cup, losing the second one on penalties.

"It was an impressive performance (against the Netherlands). It is very rare a number one seed with world class players as Holland are, get taken apart like that and defeated convincingly.

“I think we respect the talents that France have. I think Mbappe is obviously an exceptional player and we have to back ourselves and have conviction in the way we play. Ultimately we will show the courage that is needed tomorrow night.”

Portuguese referee Artur Dias to officiate Ireland clash with France https://t.co/ilzpkMbSAJpic.twitter.com/2nwlCbp4pR

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Kenny spoke about how he is happy with where his team and squad are coming into this European Championship campaign.

“I am very pleased with the quality overall the players have shown recently. We are an improving team, we have won eight of our last 15 games and over the last 20 games we have lost five and none of them have been by more than a goal.

“We feel we can play well against a lot of teams. France are a level up, they have been exceptional, it will be a real test there’s no doubt about it. A huge test, but that is what you live for, these games. The players all want to play and are excited about playing.”

The teams last met in a World Cup warm up friendly in Paris when France won 2-0. Games like the 2010 World Cup play-off will be close to people’s minds and you have to go back to 1981 when the Boys in Green last defeated Les Blues.

That was a 3-2 win in the old Lansdowne Road. Monday’s match will be played out in front of a 50,000+ sold out crowd in the Aviva Stadium.

“It is a special night and there is a great tradition with Ireland and France over the years. The players can take inspiration from that. This is the time that the team needs to show conviction, when the lights come on in the Aviva and the atmosphere is rocking as it will ever be and as electric as it will ever be.” 

There are major doubts over the availability of Ireland captain Seamus Coleman and Callum O’Dowda who picked up a groin strain. Robbie Brady has been drafted in and Kenny confirmed that Adam Idah is “fully fit and ready to go”.

Didier Deschamps French team preparing for “a fight” in Dublin after destroying Dutch side in Paris - https://t.co/94rjArrGiRhttps://t.co/iRC3yBhf5F

— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) March 25, 2023