If the news of Evan Ferguson's injury did not land a knock-out blow on Stephen Kenny, it most likely resulted in a metaphorical standing count for the Ireland manager.
Certain media reports suggest that Kenny is on the ropes heading into this week’s double header, and the loss of such a key player in the days after a remarkable Premier League hat-trick had to prove a real body blow.
The trials and tribulations that have proved part and parcel of this particular post-Covid era of Irish football might suggest that the manager is the unluckiest Ireland boss in the modern era, however, there are others that would suggest that based on his results, he is lucky to be in the job.
Kenny may well be fighting a losing battle in relation to the longevity of his current role as head of his national side, however, raised on the mean streets of the League of Ireland circuit, he has come out fighting before and will no doubt relish the mammoth task that lies in wait tonight at the Parc des Princes and onwards to the Dutch in Dublin on Sunday night.
But first, Ferguson.
How does a manager fill the huge void left by the star teenager’s injury just days out from such a vital stage of the campaign?
The Covid chronicles would have taught the manager a thing or two about last-minute changes, having lost his strike partnership as a result of sitting too close to the contagion on an aeroplane en route to Slovakia, before losing a whole host of players in the hours ahead of a home Nations League game against Wales.
Whether it is a straight swap or a bit of moving around the positions for Kenny, he will have several options to call on, with the advantage being that Ferguson is so new to the scene that it is just really a case of reverting to type.
Adam Idah will likely lead the line – there was a good chance that he would have started alongside Ferguson anyway – while Chiedozie Ogbene will probably join him in attack. Aaron Connolly and Will Keane have enjoyed a fine start to the season and both will be champing at the bit to get involved tonight.
The link-up play that Feguson can bring to the team – not to mention the potential goals – will be replaced by a more energetic approach, which will have its benefits when it comes to getting players behind the ball.
A thankless task, perhaps, for Ogbene, who has just broken into the Premier League with new club Luton, while it is likely to be something similar for Jason Knight who looks set to sit in midfield, expected to put in a shift, while also breaking forward to make it a three in attack when opportunity presents itself.
A similar, if less glamourous, dilemma exists at the back with John Egan coming into camp nursing an injury following last week’s game for Sheffield United.
Shane Duffy, who has been playing consistently for Norwich in the Championship, is a ready-made replacement for the influential Egan, and offers a similar goalscoring threat from set-pieces.
Egan travelled with the squad, having trained in Dublin, which suggests that the manager is affording his preferred option every opportunity to prove his fitness, however, with 90 minutes of what could be relentless pressure on the defence, Kenny will need to be 100% confident that Egan is primed for such a scenario.
While Egan can be replaced, the vacant berth at right wing-back also needs filling in the absence of the suspended Matt Doherty and the injured Seamus Coleman.
Alan Browne has played there before, Festy Ebosele plays the position in the Italian top flight with Udinese, however, the manager might be tempted to bring Darragh Lenihan into the mix and perhaps move another central defender out wide. Enda Stevens looks set to return in the left wing-back role.
No such issues in midfield, however, with Josh Cullen and Jayson Molumby set to resume their partnership in the engine room.
France, at least, are a predictable sort, playing so long together, with much success, it should be noted, under the stewardship of World Cup winning captain and coach Didier Deschamps.
The coach is already playing with both eyes on next summer’s tournament, having won four in a row to start the campaign, and happy to look beyond stalwarts like N’Golo Kante and Paul Pobga, at this juncture, to start to build a squad for Germany.
That said, French pride would have taken a bit of a hit following the outing in Dublin, most notably in the final stages where they had to hang on for the slender victory, with goalkeeper Mike Maignan required to make a world class save at the death.
So while Deschamps will be open to experimentation as qualification edges closer, the renowned coach will also want to put on a performance, especially playing away from the familiarity of the Stade de France, at the home of Paris Saint-Germain on the opposite side of the capital city.
The Ireland players on media duty have been talking up their chances this week, speaking about the confidence that exists in the squad and the desire that exists to take control of their own destiny once again in the group.
The manager appears to have put it up to the players to perform this week and to secure that huge group result that every successful campaign needs in terms of qualification.
And while that result may not arrive in Paris tonight, real groundwork and a confidence-building performance is the bare minimum required to take back to Dublin for that decisive Dutch duel on Sunday night.
Watch France v Republic of Ireland in Euro 2024 qualifying on Thursday from 7pm live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app or listen to live commentary on 2fm's Game On
