HENRY NOW WATER UNDER BRIDGE FOR HOSTS

FRANCE assistant manager Guy Stephan has admitted that the host nation squad have discussed Thierry Henry’s infamous handball incident against Ireland, as the two sides prepare to get reacquainted tomorrow. Four of the current France squad started the second-leg of the World Cup play-off at Stade de France in November 2009 — Hugo Loris, Bacary Sagna, Patrice Evra and AndréPierre Gignac (Moussa Sissoko and Steve Mandanda were unused substitutes) — but Didier Deschamps’ number two believes both countries have since moved on. ‘That was six years ago, so a lot of water has gone under the bridge since then,’ Stephan (left) said. ‘Of course we have discussed it, but I don’t think it will impact on the game. There are many French players on the team now who weren’t involved in that game. The coaches have changed, the context is different.’ Contrary to Stephan’s comments, the incident remains a huge talkingpoint in France, with French media giving extensive coverage to Henry’s handball throughout the week, while one French TV station replayed the entire game in full last night. Regardless of whether revenge will be on the minds of Martin O’Neills’ squad, Stephan feels that Ireland have enough quality to cause France problems. ‘They are a really welldisciplined team that can play different formations. There are no players from Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool or Arsenal, but there are some good Premier League players who play at Stoke, Aston Villa, Norwich or Southampton. ‘Physically they are very good, but there is more to them than that. Since the odds of coming up against Northern Ireland were much higher than the Republic of Ireland, or even Belgium or Sweden, we had already begun to prepare for and study Northern Ireland. ‘Then on Wednesday evening we had to completely shift our focus to the Republic of Ireland.’