If one were to listen too intently to the burble of the bar stool and the prattle of the pundits, France pitch up on Irish soil next week with a travelling troupe headed by an eccentric and riven by internal strife.

The cartoonish figure that is Raymond Domenech, painted as a horoscope-reading, poker-playing narcissist, boasts a glittering array of talent, yet will arrive here with more holding midfielders than you can shake a 'bring back Andy Reid' banner at, while erstwhile stars such as Robert Pires and Patrick Vieira snipe from the sidelines.

Even the stars he does deploy either slag him off in the dressing-room -- Thierry Henry -- or don't seem overly bothered with all this international football malarkey, viz reluctant performer Karim Benzema nicking Stephen Ireland's dubious copyright.

Oh, and the defence is a shambles, the goalkeeper's position is an uncertain one and they defend set-pieces in a manner which makes Liverpool appear like a defensive fortress.

Yet despite all this, there is a mythical notion being peddled that France are somehow frightened of the Irish challenge, that Henry, sublime goalscorer in this country four years ago to end Brian Kerr's World Cup dreams, will somehow quake in his boots when confronted by a sea of green.

It's ridiculous, of course, but then myths and shibboleths have sustained Ireland throughout this qualification phase, so perhaps it is right that many continue to feed from the trough of the unverifiable.

Luck

The next fortnight will verify whether Giovanni Trapattoni has thus far owed more to luck than design, in the sense that his luck has seemed obvious to all at various stages of this campaign, whereas his design seems predicated on nothing more than simple instructions to arrow the little white orb towards the opposition goal.

Sure, we have enjoyed thrills and spills, but it will take a mighty gamble to dovetail a booze-filled celebration of two more stirring draws and the securing of World Cup qualification.

Domenech knows this, too, and if there is any fear, it is the fear of a hand-to-hand combat extending deep into the Parisien night of November 18, perhaps as deep as extra-time.

Hence, France will seek to close off such a stress-filled avenue well before then. That is where it will become worrying for Ireland, against whom no side has contemplated the variety of attacking opportunities which, belatedly, France managed to achieve late in their qualification campaign.

This renewed attacking vigour was spurred on, it would seem, by captain Henry's stirring dressing-room address on behalf of his colleagues in Belgrade before his side showed no little determination in recovering from a man and a goal down to draw. It was a different approach to that which had even seen Domenech deploy two defensive midfielders in the Faroe Islands, where they had only won 1-0 a month earlier.

"They'll be set up to have a go attacking wise," agrees Brian Kerr, valiant manager of those plucky Faroese. "I mean Bacary Sagna and Patrice Evra aren't going to be slow in coming forward. I don't think they're going to be frightened at the prospect of playing Ireland."

Ireland have encountered teams who can keep possession better than them, but France may insist that a two-goal cushion is necessary to negate a defensive-minded second-leg ambush.

Could Ireland counter such an approach? Ireland have occasionally shown they are capable of launching sustained attacks of their own but, on the verge of reaching a third major championship, will Trapattoni take such a risk?

The stains of failure at both the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004 are the only black marks on an otherwise accomplished Trapattoni CV. Will he apply any of the lessons he learned from those personally and professionally bruising experiences in this play-off?

After all, this play-off is an arena vastly removed in emphasis from that of the league-based qualification pool through which the Italian's stubborn certainty so comfortably guided his adopted land.

But does Trapattoni really see a difference? Worryingly, by his subtle hint that 200 and more minutes may be required to separate the sides, it doesn't seem so.

Yet Trapattoni has not always been as intransigent as currently caricatured. After that World Cup failure, a loss to Wales in Euro 2004 qualifying seemed set to accelerate his departure yet he altered his formation and, even more surprisingly, entertained en route to the Portuguese finals.

Unfortunately, he reverted to type at the tournament itself, conservatism once more taking hold, combining with other self-inflicted wounds to prematurely exit Italy from the championship and Trapattoni from his employment.

For all that, he is still revered in Italy, and this campaign has demonstrated vividly that he is held in inestimably higher regard than his successor, Marcello Lippi, the man who led the successful assault on the 2006 World Cup.

Soccer's ability to promulgate amoeba-like memories ensures than many also forget that but for a headbutt, Domenech -- not Lippi -- could have managed that year's World Cup winners.

Since then, France have floundered. Pires and David Trezeguet have been cast aside, Nicolas Anelka likewise before his restoration, while Franck Ribéry is now injured and Benzema is publically indifferent to the management.

And yet Domenech has been nothing if not pro-active, acknowledging, as Willie Sagnol did in a wide-ranging interview with the respected 'France Football' this week, that France lack the leaders of '98 (Laurent Blanc) or 2006 (Lilian Thuram).

Hence the surfeit of smokescreens this week that Vieira was going to be recalled to the squad which, given his lack of playing time for Inter, was always an illogical suggestion.

But leadership has been an issue for much of this campaign; perhaps Henry's interventionist speech may have reversed the tide. Domenech cannot offer much more.

He replaced the ageing Thuram, yet his replacement Philippe Mexes' calamitous performance did much to cause his side's implosion in the 3-1 defeat to Austria, which placed France behind the black ball for the rest of the campaign.

When coaching and public minds have met, Julien Escudé and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to name two startling examples, the former scores an own goal against Romania while the latter is sent off against Serbia.

In stark contrast to Trapattoni's unjust treatment of Andy Reid, his quizzical approach to Steven Reid, and his ambiguous interest in Stephen Ireland, clear logic backs the majority of Domenech's judgments.

If he continues to liberate his troops as of late, then it is not beyond the realms of expectations that they will seek to all but secure their safe passage before departing Dublin next Saturday.

At least some comfort for Irish supporters can be discerned by a certain mellowing on Trapattoni's behalf concerning matters of a more intimately physical nature. Having formerly presided over sex bans on his Italian stallions, Trapattoni has told us he will relent should Ireland reach South Africa.

The story goes that during Euro 2004, Vincenzo Montella's wife breached the ban by accrediting as a "celebrity reporter", but was accosted by the manager who gave her a choice. "If you're here as a reporter, get out now; if you're here as Vincenzo's wife, here's his room number," he told Mrs Montella.

Trapattoni has shown little signs of deploying such flexibility during this campaign, albeit hinting that he may accommodate more flair and fluidity should his side grace next summer's finals.

But will he get the chance? As he stands on the precipice of arguably his greatest international achievement, only he knows whether the methods which have got him this far in the race can propel him over the final furlong.

- David Kelly

Irish Independent