Stephen Kenny needs a firm grip of the controls if he is to knock ‘PlayStation’ star Kylian Mbappe off his stride in March.
And for that reason, Shay Given has urged him to use Ireland’s famous win over Germany as a blueprint for success - or risk blowing Euro qualifying.
France star Mbappe ran riot in Les Blues come-from-behind 4-1 World Cup win over Australia on Tuesday, scoring one and assisting another for Olivier Giroud.
READ MORE: Robbie Keane shares "Crazy" 2002 World Cup memories
Missing key players through injury like Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba, the reigning world champions were expected to struggle in their trophy defence.
But after a slow start they looked the part and, for Kenny who is scouting them in Qatar, it was a glimpse into the future when Ireland host France in their Euro 2024 opener in March.
By then, Zinedine Zidane is expected to be at the helm as he is due to succeed long-serving boss Didier Deschamps after the World Cup.
But Ireland legend Given insists Kenny must adapt his approach if the Boys in Green have any chance of landing a prized scalp.
Given - who has been inducted into the FAI’s Hall of Fame - said: “With Mbappe, it’s just PlayStation stuff.
“Giroud’s goal, when he slowed the defender down, knocked it past him, got back and knocked it past him again, it was like the double fast buttons on the remote control!
“He was just unplayable, he was that good. He’s a superstar and it’s going to be tough.
“France started taking players off the bench and you’re thinking ‘Oh my God, they’ve got him, they’ve got him and they’ve got him…’
“But we’ve done it before against them, and against other big nations. We’ll have to get a result and start the campaign right."
Given continued: “We have to make it horrible, ugly and old school,” said Given. “If we try to outplay France in Dublin it will be difficult.
“I’m an Irish fan and I want us, Stephen and the team to do well. We want to qualify and get to major tournaments.
“It hits home even more now because the World Cup is on. Had Ireland played yesterday at 1pm, the streets would have been rocking. It’s just frustrating.”
Given continued: “Stephen has been given the time to implement how he wants to play and now we have to back it up with some results. I think we all agree that results need to improve now."
Given wants Kenny to adopt a more pragmatic approach in March as he feels Ireland will be punished if they try and play through France’s star-studded team.
The former goalkeeper has mixed emotions when he thinks back to the famous 1-0 win over Germany in 2015 when Shane Long blew the roof off Aviva Stadium.
Given was injured and had to be carried off on a stretcher just before half-time, with Darren Randolph replacing him.
And Randolph played a vital role with the assist for Long’s goal that floored the then world champions.
“For a night we all thought we were world champions because we beat them,” beamed Given yesterday. “It was direct, it was a flick on and Shane Long was in with a brilliant finish.
“I'm not saying go back to the Jack Charlton era and get high up the pitch but sometimes you have to realise that the opposition are maybe too strong.
“The likes of Mbappe, Rabiot, Dembele and these guys, Coman off the bench, they're serious players. If you try to play through them you will get punished.”
Given pinpoints Ireland’s 3-0 win over Scotland in the Nations League as an example of Kenny showing that he can be flexible when needed.
John McGinn and Ryan Christie should have punished Ireland for their all-too-casual playing out from the back in the first-half.
After the break, Kenny’s men went more direct and the Boys in Green ran riot in a comfortable victory over the shell-shocked Scots.
Given said: “No disrespect to McGinn but if that's an Mbappe or Dembele then they only need one chance and it's in the back of the net.
“Second-half, we went a bit more direct and that's not me being a dinosaur or going back to the stone age. It's just a realisation of the team and opposition you're playing against. Stephen will have to get that balance right.”
During his time as a Derby County coach, Given became an admirer of Brentford boss Thomas Frank from their Championship battles.
Frank - and Kenny, too, for that matter - was in his thoughts while sitting in the crowd at the Etihad watching Brentford’s recent shock Premier League win over Manchester City.
“Thomas Frank would be a coach I admire a lot and is known for playing out through the thirds,” he continued. “They were one of the toughest teams we played against.
“But there was a realisation going to the Etihad the other week that ‘we ain’t good enough to play out against this Man City team’.
“We all talk about the flair of Man City but they’re one of the best pressing teams in Europe.
“He said ‘Do you know what? We’re going to miss that press out, we’re going to go to Ivan Toney, we’re going to get bodies around him and try and play in their half’.
“And, yes, for long parts of the second half they were camped on the edge of their own box but very disciplined with the team shape and then broke with pace.
“But they were much more solid and very difficult to break down and that's something we can look at against France.”
Given is adamant that Ireland can hold their own in Euro qualifying but stressed the need for a good start.
“That’s the biggest thing,” he added: “In the campaign just gone, we lost to Armenia and Ukraine and it just fizzled out.
“France (could) drop off a yard on the night, or think they just have to turn up like Argentina against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Every single player has to be right on the top of his game, like the Germany game.
“Stephen has brought a fresh way of playing and it’s brilliant on the eye, but there has to be a realisation that maybe against France it’s not the way to play.”
READ NEXT:
- Sligo Rovers announce stadium redevelopment plans
- Pep Guardiola signs new Manchester City contract
- David Clifford to captain Kerry in 2023
- Conor McGregor sued for millions by friend over Proper 12 Whiskey
- Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United part ways
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
