It was always going to be tough for Stephen Kenny's Ireland in Paris on Thursday evening, but the manner of their 2-0 defeat to France is likely to pile more pressure on the manager as hopes of qualifying for EURO 2024 now look to be almost nil.
Ireland started well in marshalling the star-studded French attack, but were sorely lacking in invention and impetus when in possession at the other end, and it was no surprise when France took the lead through Aurélien Tchouameni in the first-half.
A second goal from Marcus Thuram after the break was ultimately enough, and there were two more golden opportunities for Thuram to add to his and France's tally in the second-half.
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Several Irish players showed serious fight but it ended up being a night where Stephen Kenny's side couldn't lay a finger on the best team in European football.
There is no shame in losing to such a wonderful side on their home turf, but question marks will nonetheless be posed at Kenny for several selection decisions. The decision to field both Enda Stevens and James McClean ahead of Ryan Manning at left wing-back puzzled many, while his in-game changes saw him introduce three defensive players at a time when Ireland were chasing the game.
Ireland now stand on three points from their first four qualifying games, and hopes of qualifying automatically for EURO 2024 are all but gone, and Stephen Kenny spoke to RTÉ after the game about where he and this team may go from here - and the same old tropes that have been rolled out after past defeats once again came up.
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France v Ireland: Pressure mounts on Stephen Kenny
The gulf in class between France and Ireland cannot be underestimated but, yet again, it was a night where the set-up for Ireland felt ill-judged against such mighty opposition.
Stephen Kenny has now won just five of his 25 competitive games in charge of Ireland and, even if Thursday's was certainly one which could be excused, there have been several moments to forget during this qualifying campaign.
Ireland manager Stephen Kenny left ruing the concession of another goal soon after half-time, as he tells @Corktod that Sunday's game against the Netherlands is a must win
Report: https://t.co/MZA9Fvj46q pic.twitter.com/eFPbmFmEVc— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) September 7, 2023
Speaking to RTÉ after the game, Kenny was quick to praise his players for their effort but, when his attention quickly turned to Sunday's game against the Netherlands, it became clear the same phrases we have become used to from Stephen Kenny would once again be rolled out.
And, sure enough, they were.
"That's the first time ever - no matter who we played, all these top teams - we've been beaten by more than one goal."
"From our point of view, it's all about Sunday - that was, you know, that's the main objective."
"We won three of our last four competitive games at home, we scored nine goals. We only lost to France."
"Since COVID is finished and we've been able to get full capacity crowds, you know, all our crowds are sell out...no matter who we're playing."
Forgive us if you feel you've heard the above before. The emphasis on the narrow margins of defeat, and the magnitude of Ireland's opposition is a point Kenny has raised before.
He has similarly tried on several occasions in the past to deflect attention to the next game. It's not as though Sunday's task at home against the Netherlands will be easy, but we've heard this attitude from Kenny before.
7 September 2023; Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny during the UEFA EURO 2024 Championship qualifying group B match between France and Republic of Ireland at Parc des Princes in Paris, France. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
And Stephen Kenny has often had a tendency to quickly bring up impressive elements of his record as Ireland manager in an attempt to deflect attention from the overall very poor results. He did so after the initial defeat to France in March, and he has done so again tonight.
It is hard to hold too much ill will towards Kenny for Thursday night's game. This is a French team who lost a World Cup final by the narrowest of margins less than a year ago, and hold probably the finest player in world football as their talisman.
Three of France's substitutes have won Champions Leagues. Only one of Ireland's substitutes is playing regular first division football. The gulf in class is clear as day, and any result on Thursday would have been a miracle.
And it cannot be denied that Ireland were stretched thin on Thursday, with at least three regular starters missing in Evan Ferguson (injury), Matt Doherty (suspension), and Séamus Coleman (injury) - while those who could have been used as back-ups, Andrew Omobamidele and Michael Obafemi were also missing.
The attitude from Kenny in the aftermath of the game, however, leaves a sour taste. Sure, he's right, Ireland can hold their heads high for giving it a good run in Paris.
But his persistent defence of his own record and hope against hope attitude in interviews is beginning to ring hollow. Ireland have scored three goals in three of their last four competitive home games. But two of those were against Gibraltar and Armenia, and they conceded two in the latter game and only won because of a late capitulation which brought two opposition red cards.
And, to their credit, they have given it a good go in games against top opposition, even if they are yet to take any scalps from those games.
11 November 2021; Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu watches as a header from Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo sails narrowly wide during the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifying group A match between Republic of Ireland and Portugal at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
The reality is that the record under Stephen Kenny is dire. The only competitive wins under Kenny have come against Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Scotland, Armenia, and Gibraltar.
In that time, they have lost to sides such as Finland (twice), Luxembourg (at home), Armenia, Greece, and Norway. It's now been over three years since Kenny took charge of Ireland for the first time, and the national team has actively regressed from being a penalty shootout away from qualifying for EURO 2020 in his third game in charge.
Maybe the narrative will change on Sunday night. Any kind of result against the Netherlands in Dublin could turn the tide, and there would be justifiable reason for optimism.
But the excuses are wearing thin, especially after the frequency with which they have been rolled out.
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