Luck of the draw does Stephen Kenny no favours 

TOUGH DRAW: Ireland were drawn in Group B with France and the Netherlands. Pic: Lukas Schulze/UEFA via Sportsfile

In the desperate search for an upside to Sunday’s horrific Euro 2024 qualification draw at least the FAI can be assured of breaking their season-ticket sale records.

The visit of Kylian Mbappé and Karim Benzema in the France team for the campaign opener on March 27, as well as Virgil van Dijk and Frenkie de Jong harnessing the Dutch side on September 10, will guarantee this year’s ceiling of 18,500 will be smashed.

What is more critical to Ireland – and manager Stephen Kenny’s employment prospects – is still being in the mix for a top-two finish by that Autumn visit.

An orange crush of our Euro hopes at that point, rather than in the return game in Amsterdam on the final day in November, wouldn’t be great for either party too.

Were Kenny to split the two heavyweights, both among the eight top-eight ranked nations in the world, it would surpass anything he’s accomplished previously in management, extending his tenure into another World Cup campaign to boot.

Nevertheless, 2026 is a long time into the distance and the focus by all concerned is getting to Germany.

Kenny openly admitted last September once his World Cup tilt went awry that it was essentially a free hit in the context of the bigger picture of this looming campaign.

Had his target of top spot in the recently-completed Nations League campaign come to pass, the risk of such a daunting group like this from being a third seed was avoidable.

Naturally, he was putting on a brave face about it at Frankfurt’s Festhalle yesterday.

Landing one of the worst potential permutations was grim enough before Gus Poyet’s resurgent Greece side were pulled out as the opponent from pot four.

“A lot of players made their international debuts in that campaign,” Kenny said, summarising where his team is at, contrasted with the last tilt that marginally salvaged a third-placed finish.

“They had hardly any caps and I think we are more established as a team.

“We can see the team is evolving but we will have to produce even better performances to beat France and Netherlands.

“The players will relish the opportunity to do that because they are career-defining games. Those results will have a really significant impact for their country.” 

Clouding the outlook as well is the likelihood of the playoff consolation becoming a nervous wait.

That complication is parked for now.

Prayers can be offered towards a wish that two nations renowned for self-inflicting pain suffer a hangover from their exertions at the World Cup in December.

Kenny will probably view the proposition up close himself by travelling to Qatar for the tournament that both nations are prioritising.

Louis Van Gaal, due to be replaced by Ronald Koeman by the start of the Euro quest, didn’t even travel to the draw yesterday.

Didier Deschamps did so, yet was typically nonplussed as he’s got the pressing matter of calming the latest off-field ruckus, this time around Paul Pogba, in time for defending their Jules Rimet Trophy.

“It's a fairly dense group - a group of value,” declared the French manager. ”The draw could have been worse but it is better than tournaments in the past whereby two teams now qualify automatically.” 

A clash with the Rugby World Cup next September means that any revenge Ireland wish to exact on France over the Thierry Henry handball controversy will occur away from the crime scene. Lyon – where the teams met at Euro 2016 – has already been floated as an alternative to the Stade de France.

How Ireland fare in Greece three months earlier promises to be equally pivotal. The 2004 Euro winners have won six of their eight games since the arrival of ex-Sunderland and Brighton boss Poyet in March. Last year, they beat Sweden and drew with Spain.

“There are two clear favourites to qualify,” he affirmed.

“The rest of us need to try to nick points everywhere and win the games you must win.

“Our games against Ireland are fundamental. You cannot draw those game, only win, because the others are so difficult.” 

Difficult. Expect to hear that on repeat for the latest episode of the Kenny odyssey.