2010 WORLD CUP PLAY-OFF/FRANCE v REPUBLIC OF IRELAND:There is a chance. France can be vulnerable and brittle, writes MARK LAWRENSON

THE MORE I've thought about Saturday's game the more I believe you just couldn't fault a single Irish player on that pitch; they all played either to or above their ability. And you just can't ask for any more than that. Giovanni Trapattoni consistently gets the very best out of the players he picks - the question is whether that's good enough to beat the French over two legs. I'm not so sure, but I think we'll run them very close.

Will Trapattoni and the players have learnt anything useful from Saturday that will help them tonight?

Well, they might not have taken any of them, but the fact that they made several clear-cut chances will have pleasantly surprised them and will encourage them going in to tonight. Remember, Hugo Lloris made two brilliant blocking saves, it's not as if he was idle all night.

What we have to cling to is the fact France are a little bit nervy at home. They often concede in Paris, they don't trust their manager, they don't believe he's tactically wise, and the crowd are more than likely going to get on their backs if the game drifts on without them scoring.

Ireland must take heart from all of those factors, do their utmost to make the crowd impatient and then just see what effect that has on France.

Just get to half-time with it at 0-0, just don't give them any encouragement. I've seen a few games in that stadium and very early the rumbling starts. Even on Saturday, remember, William Gallas came over to speak to Raymond Domenech in a "what on earth are you on about" kind of way. And Thierry Henry and Patrice Evra had words when the frustration was mounting. And Nicolas Anelka threw his arms in the air when things weren't going right. Again, they are brittle, that kind of attitude just bubbles under all the time with this team.

Admittedly, the Paris crowd issue can be overplayed a bit, but as a player that kind of atmosphere really can get at you. We are stronger mentally than this French team.

They're better, of course, individually, but collectively? I don't think so. The big personalities of years gone by - players like Marcel Desailly, Didier Deschamps, Laurent Blanc, Lilian Thuram - were real leaders. I just don't see any people like that in this French team, gifted and all as they are.

All of which will count for nothing if they play to their ability, and they have more than enough to see this through - we all know that.

But get a goal and you just never know, it would be interesting to see how they - and the crowd - respond, if things got a little uncomfortable.

Trapattoni will simply tell his players to stay in the game for as long as they possibly can - and he will believe that if we're still 0-0 after 60, 70 minutes, then the pressure really starts to build for France, that's when they start worrying about us nicking a goal.

If nobody scores for an hour then we should get a completely different match, Trapattoni will go for it because he'll have to. That would certainly make them nervy, and more inclined to try to hold on to what they have, rather than having a go themselves.

True, we're clutching at straws a little bit, but think back to the end of Gerard Houllier's reign when they should have qualified for the '94 World Cup, and blew it at home to Israel and Bulgaria. They can be like that, it can go horribly wrong for them at times, and that's what Ireland have to cling to going in to this game. There is a chance. France can be vulnerable and brittle.

I don't expect a different approach from Trapattoni. That's partly because of the kind of manager he is and partly because he is limited by the players he has. We just haven't got the players to change how we play - the Andy Reid debate is pointless going in to tonight's game, but I'm sure it will be raised again at some point, and legitimately so.

We just can't get involved in a slug-fest with France, we can't just throw caution to the wind and go at them, because if we did they would take us apart. The field starts opening up, space starts to develop, and players like Gourcuff - who is involved in nearly everything that's good about them - revel in it.

They will remain nervous until they get a second goal, at which point it would, more than likely, be game over.

Until then there is hope.

But my hunch is that it will end in a draw. Another "glorious failure", as they're often described. Score first, though . . . and, well, interesting is the only word.

"If nobody scores for an hour then we should get a completely different match