France Coach Domenech Riles Irish With 'England B' Jibe

The France coach has handed his Irish counterpart a great motivational tool.

Oct 20, 2009 10:41:06 AM

Raymond Domenech (France)

France coach Raymond Domenech has found a way to make sure that Ireland's players will be more motivated than ever ahead of their World Cup play-off by referring to Giovanni Trapattoni’s team as "a sort of England B side".

"Whoever our opponents were, I would have said the same thing, the objective is to qualify: but now it’s Ireland, we just have to get on with it," Domenech was quoted as saying by the Irish Examiner.

"The advantage is that everyone knows them. They are a sort of England B side. They all play in the English league so all our players know them: some of our players play alongside them, while others against them. There will be no surprises. We know what to expect and we know what we have to do.

The Frenchman paid tribute to Ireland’s record in their qualifying group.

"They have not lost during the qualification period, and they only drew against Italy in their last match because of a last-minute goal. We know they are a solid side, they’re all Premier League players. They’re tough, but we are too."

Domenech’s comments will be more than likely employed as a motivational tool by the Irish ahead of the first leg at Croke Park on Saturday, November 14.

Stefan Coerts, Goal.com

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France Coach Domenech Riles Irish With 'England B' Jibe

The France coach has handed his Irish counterpart a great motivational tool.

Oct 20, 2009 10:41:06 AM

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