Denis Irwin: Greece clash is must-win for Kenny’s Ireland
Former international stalwart Denis Irwin has described Friday’s UEFA European Championship qualifier against Greece in Athens as a game the Republic of Ireland can ill-afford to lose.
Following a commendable performance in a 1-0 defeat at home to World Cup finalists France in March, Stephen Kenny’s men will be looking to establish their Group B credentials in the coming week. They welcome bottom seeds Gibraltar to the Aviva Stadium next Monday, but will hope to have some points on the board by then.
While the perceived wisdom before the campaign got underway was that France and the Netherlands were nailed on for the automatic qualification spots in the group, a 4-0 reversal at the hands of the French a little under three months ago has raised some doubts about this current Dutch side.
The UEFA Nations League standings could provide a path into the play-off phase if Ireland don’t finish in the top-two, but Irwin nevertheless believes it is important for them to get a result in the Greek capital.
“It’s a results business, so I think Stephen will know that this is a big campaign for him. I thought we played very well against France here. Deserved a draw really, but this is a huge game. Greece away and Greece at home are huge games,” Irwin said.
“We can’t lose on Friday night, but obviously we want to win. Simple as that. Obviously Gibraltar must be a given here, so it’s a big game for us.”
A native of Togher on the southside of Cork City, Irwin was at the Aviva Stadium yesterday to help launch a pre-season friendly between his former club Manchester United and La Liga outfit Athletic Bilbao at the venue on August 6.
This signalled a short return to Dublin for the 57-year-old as he was also at a Champions League fan event hosted by LiveScore in The Camden at the end of last month.
Alongside him on that night were ex-Republic of Ireland women’s soccer international Emma Byrne and current men’s teenage prodigy Evan Ferguson.
Irwin waxed lyrical about Ferguson on that particular evening and while he is wary of putting too much pressure on the shoulders of a player who only turned 18 last October, he is confident the Meath man has what it takes to be a future star.
“I’m probably going to put too much pressure on him, but he looks a really good player. Good breakthrough season for him down at Brighton. A good club to be at, at the moment. Very stable club. The manager seems very good. They play a lovely style of football, a different style of football.
“He’ll always be judged on his goals as centre-forwards do, but he looks like he joins the play up as well. He is at a good place at the moment and we have not had a centre-forward with his ability since Robbie Keane.”
When Irwin opted to step away from international football in January 2000 with 56 senior caps to his name, current Republic of Ireland boss Kenny was at the Longford Town helm and on the cusp of guiding the Midlanders towards promotion from the League of Ireland First Division.
He is now just over three years into his stint as senior international supremo and Irwin admitted this Euro 2024 qualification campaign will most likely be a defining one for the Dubliner.
“He took over and there was a couple of hard campaigns. Obviously not being very fortunate with the draw out of this with France and Holland, but it is what it is.
“It is a big year for him, the next year or so,” Irwin added.