Henry plays down Dublin clash
Although the pressure is mounting on France to reach the World Cup finals, striker Thierry Henry believes victory over the Republic of Ireland is not essential in their quest to qualify for next summer’s event.
Les Bleus, who defeated the Faroe Islands 3-0 in Lens at the weekend, are one of three teams tied at the top of Group 4 on 13 points along with Switzerland and Ireland – the side they will face in Dublin on Wednesday.
France were held to a goalless draw by the Irish at the Stade de France last October, yet although the visitors will be hoping for three points, Henry insists another stalemate would not end their chances of a trip to Germany in 2006.
“We are now concentrating fully on Ireland and this will be a very important match,” said Henry. “But on the other hand we should not try to score at any price because we are not obliged to win.
“Of course a victory would be better than a draw but we are not condemned to win.
“We will have to negotiate this match well with all the experienced players that we have.
“Of course we will try to go there to win even if this is not absolutely necessary. We will have to be patient and see how the match goes to strike at the right time.”
Henry has also asked people not to read too much into their victory over the Faroe Islands, after the side faced some criticism for failing to add more goals to their tally.
Henry added: “The Irish only beat them 2-0. Only Switzerland managed to defeat them by a large score. Things are not always easy and on Saturday, considering the number of opportunities we had, the final score could have been far larger.
“They did not play badly. For us, the most important thing was to win so that we can go to Ireland in the best possible shape.”
