Chiedozie Ogbene has warned the Republic of Ireland they need to anticipate the Netherlands to be each bit nearly as good as France as they head into Sunday’s do-or-die Euro 2024 qualifier in Dublin.
The 26-year-old Luton frontman and his team-mates have been again on house soil on Friday, nonetheless licking their wounds after a 2-0 Group B defeat in Paris by which they have been subjected to the total armoury at Didier Deschamps’ disposal.
With solely three factors banked from their first 4 video games – and people from a 3-0 victory over Gibraltar – something lower than a win in opposition to the Dutch would depart their qualification hopes in tatters.
But requested if they might a least hope Ronald Koeman’s facet wouldn’t be as highly effective because the French, Ogbene stated: “I think they will be as good.
“The Dutch have good experience in this competition. We’ll take nothing for granted. We’ll do our homework and try and get a positive result because that is what we need right now. Any sort of good result to help us control our destiny in this competition.
“Nothing is over until it is over. We like to control our destiny. If we don’t get a positive result, it is out of our hands.”
Ireland have been taught a brutal lesson on the Parc des Princes by the facet ranked second on the planet and needed to defend for pricey life to remain inside touching distance.
The Netherlands are solely 5 locations worse off, whereas Ireland sit in 53rd place within the desk and the journey to Paris proved a bruising one.
We all wish to qualify for Germany and do nicely for the nation
Chiedozie Ogbene
However, Ogbene is aware of there may be solely a lot time to mirror earlier than minds must focus as soon as once more.
He stated: “It’s difficult for some players because everyone is emotionally engaged in this competition. We all want to qualify for Germany and do well for the nation.
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“It’s not as easy as it says, just to move on to Sunday. We have to do it. We have 24 hours (for it) to sink in and let our thoughts run wild.
“After 24 hours, you have to move on because we have a big game on Sunday. If we win that, we’re back in the running.”
Manager Stephen Kenny is hoping that’s precisely what occurs with knives being sharpened on the prospect of the marketing campaign successfully ending with three video games to go.
For a era of Ireland supporters, reminiscences of a well-known 1-0 World Cup qualifier win over a Dutch facet which included Edwin Van Der Sar, Jaap Stam, Marc Overmars, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Patrick Kluivert at Lansdowne Road in September 2001 stay vivid and a repeat may hardly be extra well timed.
Kenny stated: “I was a supporter in the crowd at that game. It was an unbelievable performance all right and a great win and a famous win, of course.
“That team was a really top-class Irish team. But from our point of view, that’s what we need to do. We have got to believe that we can put in the performance that can get the result we need.”
