STEPHEN KENNY IS stressing the need for concentration ahead of Monday’s Euro 2024 qualifier against France in Dublin.
Much of what was good about Ireland’s play in recent games has been undermined by moments of baffling laxness, and they have now blown two-goal leads in two of their last four games, first against Armenia and then against Latvia on Wednesday.
With arguably the greatest challenge of Kenny’s tenure in store on Monday night, defender Dara O’Shea says the manager has accentuated the need for sharp minds.
“Stick together as a team you know and stay concentrated is the main thing”, replied O’Shea when asked for the manager’s main message ahead of Monday night. “I keep saying that word but we’re going to have to be. When you come up against these players, all it takes is a split second to change the game and you know we’ve got some excellent players, leaders and players who have played games like that as well so we’ve got to use their knowledge in that sense and take that into the game.
“At the end of the day, these are the best players in the world, it’s going to be a tough task but if we do what we do and stay concentrated and that’s the main thing. We can’t really let up. There’s no room for error in these situations so we have to give it our best. We’re all good players at the end of the day, we’re playing at a high level and if we all pull together in the same direction, I think that’s going to be massive as a team. It’s not going to take one individual to stop someone, it’s a team.”
Advertisement
The Irish team in which O’Shea started against Latvia had an average age of 23.6, the youngest XI to line-out for Ireland since a 1998 friendly against Mexico. The starting team against France will be more experienced – John Egan, for one, will return to the back three – while captain Seamus Coleman is in contention for a start, provided he recovers from a muscle injury.
“Seamus has been amazing for this country”, said O’Shea. “He is a great human at the end of the day and as a footballer he has been unbelievable. He really is the leader in the group and instills that. He’s been great for the young lads coming through, you always need someone who is going to be there and welcome you with open arms and he’s been that person from the very start.
“It’s a young team, the average age was quite young the other day and players like him coming back into the fold are great for us, you need them players who have the experience of playing in them games. He’s an unbelievable player as well and so it’s a great positive for us.”
France is a daunting challenge, but O’Shea says it is one to “relish.”
“Every game is an opportunity but when you come up against a side that are as good as France, and played in a World Cup final recently, it’s a massive opportunity ourselves. At the end of the day, we all want to play against the best and be the best at some stage, and be the best we can be in our career. So games like these are games that he players really relish and look forward to.”
It is, O’Shea says, probably the biggest night of his career. He hobbled off with a broken foot early in Ireland’s 2021 loss to Portugal, and didn’t play another game for Ireland until the friendly win over Lithuania a year ago.
He has long-since recovered from that injury in Faro, and he has played every single minute of the Championship season thus far for West Brom.
As Group B is a five-team group, tonight is the first of Ireland’s off-nights, and thus they will have the chance to watch France open their campaign against the Netherlands in Paris.
O’Shea followed Ireland as a fan long before he became a player, and went to the Euro 2016 group games in France.
The ambition now is to have a part in making the memories rather than basking in them.
“These are the nights we want to have as a group, we’ve watched back those nights as fans. Some of the lads have played in those and can show their expertise and knowledge and share that with us, but, yeah, we want to write our own history. We want to go out and put a good performance in and do the country proud.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
6 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
O'Shea: Concentration and experience key for Ireland in massive France clash
STEPHEN KENNY IS stressing the need for concentration ahead of Monday’s Euro 2024 qualifier against France in Dublin.
Much of what was good about Ireland’s play in recent games has been undermined by moments of baffling laxness, and they have now blown two-goal leads in two of their last four games, first against Armenia and then against Latvia on Wednesday.
With arguably the greatest challenge of Kenny’s tenure in store on Monday night, defender Dara O’Shea says the manager has accentuated the need for sharp minds.
“Stick together as a team you know and stay concentrated is the main thing”, replied O’Shea when asked for the manager’s main message ahead of Monday night. “I keep saying that word but we’re going to have to be. When you come up against these players, all it takes is a split second to change the game and you know we’ve got some excellent players, leaders and players who have played games like that as well so we’ve got to use their knowledge in that sense and take that into the game.
“At the end of the day, these are the best players in the world, it’s going to be a tough task but if we do what we do and stay concentrated and that’s the main thing. We can’t really let up. There’s no room for error in these situations so we have to give it our best. We’re all good players at the end of the day, we’re playing at a high level and if we all pull together in the same direction, I think that’s going to be massive as a team. It’s not going to take one individual to stop someone, it’s a team.”
The Irish team in which O’Shea started against Latvia had an average age of 23.6, the youngest XI to line-out for Ireland since a 1998 friendly against Mexico. The starting team against France will be more experienced – John Egan, for one, will return to the back three – while captain Seamus Coleman is in contention for a start, provided he recovers from a muscle injury.
“Seamus has been amazing for this country”, said O’Shea. “He is a great human at the end of the day and as a footballer he has been unbelievable. He really is the leader in the group and instills that. He’s been great for the young lads coming through, you always need someone who is going to be there and welcome you with open arms and he’s been that person from the very start.
“It’s a young team, the average age was quite young the other day and players like him coming back into the fold are great for us, you need them players who have the experience of playing in them games. He’s an unbelievable player as well and so it’s a great positive for us.”
France is a daunting challenge, but O’Shea says it is one to “relish.”
“Every game is an opportunity but when you come up against a side that are as good as France, and played in a World Cup final recently, it’s a massive opportunity ourselves. At the end of the day, we all want to play against the best and be the best at some stage, and be the best we can be in our career. So games like these are games that he players really relish and look forward to.”
It is, O’Shea says, probably the biggest night of his career. He hobbled off with a broken foot early in Ireland’s 2021 loss to Portugal, and didn’t play another game for Ireland until the friendly win over Lithuania a year ago.
He has long-since recovered from that injury in Faro, and he has played every single minute of the Championship season thus far for West Brom.
As Group B is a five-team group, tonight is the first of Ireland’s off-nights, and thus they will have the chance to watch France open their campaign against the Netherlands in Paris.
O’Shea followed Ireland as a fan long before he became a player, and went to the Euro 2016 group games in France.
The ambition now is to have a part in making the memories rather than basking in them.
“These are the nights we want to have as a group, we’ve watched back those nights as fans. Some of the lads have played in those and can show their expertise and knowledge and share that with us, but, yeah, we want to write our own history. We want to go out and put a good performance in and do the country proud.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
dara o'shea Republic Of Ireland Sharp Minds