Familiar frailties a concern ahead of France fixture

Stephen Kenny's side came into Wednesday night’s friendly international looking to lay down a positive marker ahead of Monday’s home clash with France, and while Ireland ultimately dug in to snatch a 3-2 victory over Latvia, there were flaws in the performance that would most likely have proved fatal against a better quality of opposition.

The arrival of the World Cup finalists marks the start of yet another international qualifying campaign, as the clash with Didier Deschamps' side is the first of eight games on the road to Germany 2024.

Two teams to qualify out of Group B, however, before a ball is even kicked, Ireland are facing an uphill task as they not only take on France, but also the highly fancied Dutch in their quest to reach next summer’s showpiece event.

The Latvia match served its purpose, to put minutes into the lungs and legs of several players who have been lacking gametime at their club, while the manager was also hoping that some players would put their hand up for a playing role against the French.

With five days between the games, player fatigue was never going to be an issue, while there were some solid performances to take from the friendly affair, with Will Smallbone securing the player of the match award on his debut, while Evan Ferguson scored on his first start for his country.

Smallbone showed a wide range of attributes that could see him potentially break into the starting XI on Monday with his excellent link-up play with Matt Doherty on the right, his composure and precision on and with the ball, not to mention his excellent range of set-piece deliveries, which could prove vital as the campaign progresses.

"Will, having watched a lot of Stoke recently, I’m just so impressed with how he has kicked