IF IRELAND WERE playing a crucial World Cup qualifier tomorrow, and everyone was available, you could probably guess more than half the likely starters.
Caoimhin Kelleher, Nathan Collins, Dara O’Shea, Liam Scales, Robbie Brady, Chiedozie Ogbene, Evan Ferguson and Sammie Szmodics would likely feature.
The midfield trio would be less predictable.
As the two central players, Heimir Hallgrimsson has started Jayson Molumby, Will Smallbone, Alan Browne, Josh Cullen, Jason Knight and even Nathan Collins in the England game.
In the attacking midfield role, Smallbone, Finn Azaz, Troy Parrott and Sammie Szmodics have all been tried.
From the bench, Callum Robinson, Jamie McGrath, Andrew Moran and Jack Taylor have also been given a chance.
Undoubtedly, it is the area with the least depth.
You could easily pick a goalkeeper and backline of Premier League players only, and the same can be said for the attack and wing-backs, even if many of the individuals in question are not automatic starters for their clubs.
Of the natural midfielders who could be picked, only Smallbone and Taylor are playing top-flight football, and partially due to injuries, they have made just three Premier League starts between them this season.
Many of the aforementioned players were missing for the most recent game with England, and the Irish boss ended up playing Collins in an unfamiliar defensive midfield role. How successful this experiment turned out is open to debate.
The Brentford star did okay in the first half when England were kept at bay, but played centre-back for nearly all of the catastrophic second period after Liam Scales was dismissed.
Does Hallgrimsson persist with the Collins experiment going forward?
There are players with more technical ability to choose from but arguably less defensive nous. Perhaps the selection will be repeated only against big teams like England where Ireland will inevitably have far less of the ball. Alternatively, you could make the case that Ireland did a better job containing top sides like France, Netherlands and Portugal with a Collins-less midfield.
If the Boys in Green retain natural midfielders, the pecking order is unclear. Jayson Molumby appeared to be high on the list, starting the first two Nations League games, but was only recalled for the England clash with several others unavailable.
The manager has gone with the Josh Cullen-Jason Knight pairing in three of the last four matches, and probably would have done so against England away were it not for the latter’s suspension.
Smallbone, meanwhile, has started every game in which he has been available so could come back into the reckoning next year.
Browne has gone from starting the home game with Greece to being completely out of the picture (uncapped Conor Coventry, who plays with Charlton in League One, was preferred to him as a late call-up for the recent England match).
It is hard to envisage players on the periphery like Moran and Taylor starting the crucial fixtures in 2025, given that they weren’t afforded much game time during this more experimental phase.
Midfield has been Ireland’s biggest issue for a long time. At Wembley, they invariably attempted to bypass it with long balls or reliance on their wingers to carry the ball forward.
Whether the players are there to solve this conundrum is debatable. But it is the most important area of the pitch and Hallgrimsson will need to find a solution if he is to enjoy success with Ireland.
2. Boosting morale/alleviating fragile confidence
Ireland’s Liam Scales leaves the pitch after being sent off against England. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
If you were to assess Hallgrimsson’s time in charge so far, you would probably give him a passing grade but not by much.
Ireland have twice beaten the team three places below them in the Fifa rankings (Finland) and lost games against the sides 21 (Greece) and 59 (England) spots above them.
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Against the two superior teams, they have scored zero and conceded 11.
You might say it is harsh to judge Hallgrimsson on these difficult four matches, but the ex-Jamaica manager must find a way to win against better teams.
Ireland are set to be the third seed in next year’s World Cup qualifiers in a four-team group.
So if they cannot pull off the odd upset, it will end their qualification hopes and probably Hallgrimsson’s tenure — his contract only runs up to the end of the campaign.
The qualifying draw on 13 December will almost certainly influence his fate.
Under Kenny in the last qualifiers, they were exceptionally unlucky as third seeds to draw sides of the calibre of France, Netherlands and Greece. By contrast, another pot three side, Albania — who topped their group — were paired with the Czech Republic, Poland, Moldova and the Faroe Islands.
Consequently, 2024 will inevitably be remembered as a footnote to the main event.
If Ireland can qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 24 years, the Icelandic boss will become an instant hero. He famously helped Iceland reach their first-ever World Cup in 2018.
Even if the manager can do enough to guide Ireland to the playoffs (which take place in March 2026), it might be seen as enough to earn a new deal.
It is easier said than done, however.
Even though Fifa have expanded the number of Uefa teams qualifying from 13 to 16, it is still a tough ask.
You can probably predict more than half the likely qualifiers. It would be a surprise if one of France, England, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Croatia and Switzerland failed to advance. All of these are top-20-ranked teams.
That leaves six more spots open, including sides of the calibre of Greece, Denmark, Austria, Ukraine, Turkey, Sweden and Poland.
Ireland must top one of the 12 groups to qualify automatically or finish second to gain entry to the playoffs.
The four best-ranked group winners from the Nations League will also feature among the 16 teams in the second qualifying round. Still, Ireland won’t be eligible in that category because of their sub-par performance during the latest competition.
Hallgrimsson’s men would then need to win a one-off semi-final and final to secure their ticket to the tournament proper.
The odds are stacked against the Boys in Green. The 57-year-old coach has lamented the squad’s lack of confidence on several occasions.
In the last decade, the Irish team have five wins in qualifiers or major tournaments against teams conceivably above or at a similar level to them — Wales, Austria, Italy, Bosnia and Germany.
It is telling that all five of those victories were in the Martin O’Neill era, which ended in 2018, and that the main highlights since have been Nations League games (Finland x 2 and Scotland).
3. Consolidating identity/playing style
The Ireland team in their pre-match huddle. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Hallgrimsson’s Ireland could be best described as a work in progress.
It was hard to read too much into his opening game against England.
The Icelandic coach was still getting to know the team and the selection had assistant coach John O’Shea’s fingerprints on it — it was the only game of the Hallgrimsson era so far when Ireland started with three at the back.
Regardless, it is debatable whether Ireland have forged an identity under Hallgrimsson. There is a flexibility to tactics and team selection that some critics accused them of lacking under Kenny.
The four at the back is probably the biggest change instigated. Ireland began that way under Kenny but invariably played with a three in the latter half of the former manager’s stint.
One of the more encouraging aspects of the Kenny era was that Ireland were usually difficult to beat. Only one of the Dubliner’s 40 games ended in defeat by more than two goals — the 3-0 friendly defeat by England.
In the 10 fixtures since then, Ireland have lost by the same scoreline or worse twice — 3-0 versus Portugal under O’Shea and the 5-0 drubbing by England.
You could partly downplay the significance of the match at Wembley and write it off as a freak result, given the misfortune of being denied an obvious penalty at a crucial point and the red card to Liam Scales early in the second half.
But the stats show how dominant the English were overall. Ireland had 26.4% possession. They had one shot compared to 22 for their opponents. The visitors had seven touches in the opposition’s penalty while England had 44 in Ireland’s box. The Three Lions also won 12-0 on corners.
Compare that to November 2020 under Kenny when England claimed their first win over Ireland since March 1985 after seven games without a victory.
It wasn’t quite as one-sided. Ireland had 44.5% possession, registered two shots on goal compared to England’s five, and earned two corners versus 12 for their opponents.
It is a flawed comparison. The game was a friendly, England had a more conservative coach in Gareth Southgate, and the contest was effectively over when the hosts scored their second in the 31st minute — they didn’t concede until the 53rd under Hallgrimsson.
But they were still beaten by two more goals in the most recent match.
It highlights that while the new manager has been portrayed as a more pragmatic coach than Kenny, offence can sometimes be the best form of defence.
During the week, Ireland effectively started with four centre-backs on the pitch, playing with only three out-and-out attackers at a stretch (Evan Ferguson, Sammie Szmodics and arguably Festy Ebosele, despite the Wexford native being most renowned as a right-back/right-wing-back).
By contrast, under Kenny, Ireland didn’t deviate drastically from their usual style. Only two centre-backs were selected (Shane Duffy and John Egan). The midfield had Alan Browne, Jeff Hendrick and Conor Hourihane. Matt Doherty and Cyrus Christie were the full-backs. The attack comprised Callum O’Dowda, Adam Idah and Daryl Horgan.
O’Dowda was the sole surviving starter four years later, but he played as a left full-back rather than on the left of the attack.
It is too early to tell if these changes in approach will make Ireland any better or worse than they were for the previous regime.
What’s certain is that in 12 months, the public will have a far better idea if Hallgrimsson can be successful for Ireland in the long term.
The time for experimentation is over as the Boys in Green enter must-win territory.
Player starts under Hallgrimsson’s six-game tenure so far:
Caoimhin Kelleher (6), Nathan Collins (6), Sammie Szmodics (6), Dara O’Shea (5), Chiedozie Ogbene (4), Josh Cullen (4) Evan Ferguson (4), Liam Scales (4), Robbie Brady (4), Jason Knight (4), Jayson Molumby (3), Festy Ebosele (2), Matt Doherty (2), Callum O’Dowda (2), Will Smallbone (2), Troy Parrott (1), Seamus Coleman (1), Andrew Omobamidele (1), Mark McGuinness (1), Adam Idah (1), Mikey Johnston (1), Alan Browne (1), Finn Azaz (1).
Starting players used: 23
Substitutes:
Kasey McAteer (4) Evan Ferguson (2), Troy Parrott (2), Jayson Molumby (2), Adam Idah (2), Festy Ebosele (2), Ryan Manning (2), Finn Azaz (2), Jake O’Brien (1), Alan Browne (1), Jason Knight (1), Matt Doherty (1), Callum Robinson (1), Jamie McGrath (1), Mikey Johnston (1), Jack Taylor (1), Dara O’Shea (1), Tom Cannon (1), Andrew Moran (1).
Players used including subs: 31
Formations used in chronological order: 3-4-2-1, 4-4-1-1, 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2, 4-4-2 and 4-1-4-1.
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3 key problems for Ireland boss Hallgrimsson to solve in 2025
1. Midfield dilemma
IF IRELAND WERE playing a crucial World Cup qualifier tomorrow, and everyone was available, you could probably guess more than half the likely starters.
Caoimhin Kelleher, Nathan Collins, Dara O’Shea, Liam Scales, Robbie Brady, Chiedozie Ogbene, Evan Ferguson and Sammie Szmodics would likely feature.
The midfield trio would be less predictable.
As the two central players, Heimir Hallgrimsson has started Jayson Molumby, Will Smallbone, Alan Browne, Josh Cullen, Jason Knight and even Nathan Collins in the England game.
In the attacking midfield role, Smallbone, Finn Azaz, Troy Parrott and Sammie Szmodics have all been tried.
From the bench, Callum Robinson, Jamie McGrath, Andrew Moran and Jack Taylor have also been given a chance.
Undoubtedly, it is the area with the least depth.
You could easily pick a goalkeeper and backline of Premier League players only, and the same can be said for the attack and wing-backs, even if many of the individuals in question are not automatic starters for their clubs.
Of the natural midfielders who could be picked, only Smallbone and Taylor are playing top-flight football, and partially due to injuries, they have made just three Premier League starts between them this season.
Many of the aforementioned players were missing for the most recent game with England, and the Irish boss ended up playing Collins in an unfamiliar defensive midfield role. How successful this experiment turned out is open to debate.
The Brentford star did okay in the first half when England were kept at bay, but played centre-back for nearly all of the catastrophic second period after Liam Scales was dismissed.
Does Hallgrimsson persist with the Collins experiment going forward?
There are players with more technical ability to choose from but arguably less defensive nous. Perhaps the selection will be repeated only against big teams like England where Ireland will inevitably have far less of the ball. Alternatively, you could make the case that Ireland did a better job containing top sides like France, Netherlands and Portugal with a Collins-less midfield.
If the Boys in Green retain natural midfielders, the pecking order is unclear. Jayson Molumby appeared to be high on the list, starting the first two Nations League games, but was only recalled for the England clash with several others unavailable.
The manager has gone with the Josh Cullen-Jason Knight pairing in three of the last four matches, and probably would have done so against England away were it not for the latter’s suspension.
Smallbone, meanwhile, has started every game in which he has been available so could come back into the reckoning next year.
Browne has gone from starting the home game with Greece to being completely out of the picture (uncapped Conor Coventry, who plays with Charlton in League One, was preferred to him as a late call-up for the recent England match).
It is hard to envisage players on the periphery like Moran and Taylor starting the crucial fixtures in 2025, given that they weren’t afforded much game time during this more experimental phase.
Midfield has been Ireland’s biggest issue for a long time. At Wembley, they invariably attempted to bypass it with long balls or reliance on their wingers to carry the ball forward.
Whether the players are there to solve this conundrum is debatable. But it is the most important area of the pitch and Hallgrimsson will need to find a solution if he is to enjoy success with Ireland.
2. Boosting morale/alleviating fragile confidence
If you were to assess Hallgrimsson’s time in charge so far, you would probably give him a passing grade but not by much.
Ireland have twice beaten the team three places below them in the Fifa rankings (Finland) and lost games against the sides 21 (Greece) and 59 (England) spots above them.
Against the two superior teams, they have scored zero and conceded 11.
You might say it is harsh to judge Hallgrimsson on these difficult four matches, but the ex-Jamaica manager must find a way to win against better teams.
Ireland are set to be the third seed in next year’s World Cup qualifiers in a four-team group.
So if they cannot pull off the odd upset, it will end their qualification hopes and probably Hallgrimsson’s tenure — his contract only runs up to the end of the campaign.
The qualifying draw on 13 December will almost certainly influence his fate.
Under Kenny in the last qualifiers, they were exceptionally unlucky as third seeds to draw sides of the calibre of France, Netherlands and Greece. By contrast, another pot three side, Albania — who topped their group — were paired with the Czech Republic, Poland, Moldova and the Faroe Islands.
Consequently, 2024 will inevitably be remembered as a footnote to the main event.
If Ireland can qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 24 years, the Icelandic boss will become an instant hero. He famously helped Iceland reach their first-ever World Cup in 2018.
Even if the manager can do enough to guide Ireland to the playoffs (which take place in March 2026), it might be seen as enough to earn a new deal.
It is easier said than done, however.
Even though Fifa have expanded the number of Uefa teams qualifying from 13 to 16, it is still a tough ask.
You can probably predict more than half the likely qualifiers. It would be a surprise if one of France, England, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Croatia and Switzerland failed to advance. All of these are top-20-ranked teams.
That leaves six more spots open, including sides of the calibre of Greece, Denmark, Austria, Ukraine, Turkey, Sweden and Poland.
Ireland must top one of the 12 groups to qualify automatically or finish second to gain entry to the playoffs.
The four best-ranked group winners from the Nations League will also feature among the 16 teams in the second qualifying round. Still, Ireland won’t be eligible in that category because of their sub-par performance during the latest competition.
Hallgrimsson’s men would then need to win a one-off semi-final and final to secure their ticket to the tournament proper.
The odds are stacked against the Boys in Green. The 57-year-old coach has lamented the squad’s lack of confidence on several occasions.
In the last decade, the Irish team have five wins in qualifiers or major tournaments against teams conceivably above or at a similar level to them — Wales, Austria, Italy, Bosnia and Germany.
It is telling that all five of those victories were in the Martin O’Neill era, which ended in 2018, and that the main highlights since have been Nations League games (Finland x 2 and Scotland).
3. Consolidating identity/playing style
Hallgrimsson’s Ireland could be best described as a work in progress.
It was hard to read too much into his opening game against England.
The Icelandic coach was still getting to know the team and the selection had assistant coach John O’Shea’s fingerprints on it — it was the only game of the Hallgrimsson era so far when Ireland started with three at the back.
Regardless, it is debatable whether Ireland have forged an identity under Hallgrimsson. There is a flexibility to tactics and team selection that some critics accused them of lacking under Kenny.
The four at the back is probably the biggest change instigated. Ireland began that way under Kenny but invariably played with a three in the latter half of the former manager’s stint.
One of the more encouraging aspects of the Kenny era was that Ireland were usually difficult to beat. Only one of the Dubliner’s 40 games ended in defeat by more than two goals — the 3-0 friendly defeat by England.
In the 10 fixtures since then, Ireland have lost by the same scoreline or worse twice — 3-0 versus Portugal under O’Shea and the 5-0 drubbing by England.
You could partly downplay the significance of the match at Wembley and write it off as a freak result, given the misfortune of being denied an obvious penalty at a crucial point and the red card to Liam Scales early in the second half.
But the stats show how dominant the English were overall. Ireland had 26.4% possession. They had one shot compared to 22 for their opponents. The visitors had seven touches in the opposition’s penalty while England had 44 in Ireland’s box. The Three Lions also won 12-0 on corners.
Compare that to November 2020 under Kenny when England claimed their first win over Ireland since March 1985 after seven games without a victory.
It wasn’t quite as one-sided. Ireland had 44.5% possession, registered two shots on goal compared to England’s five, and earned two corners versus 12 for their opponents.
It is a flawed comparison. The game was a friendly, England had a more conservative coach in Gareth Southgate, and the contest was effectively over when the hosts scored their second in the 31st minute — they didn’t concede until the 53rd under Hallgrimsson.
But they were still beaten by two more goals in the most recent match.
It highlights that while the new manager has been portrayed as a more pragmatic coach than Kenny, offence can sometimes be the best form of defence.
During the week, Ireland effectively started with four centre-backs on the pitch, playing with only three out-and-out attackers at a stretch (Evan Ferguson, Sammie Szmodics and arguably Festy Ebosele, despite the Wexford native being most renowned as a right-back/right-wing-back).
By contrast, under Kenny, Ireland didn’t deviate drastically from their usual style. Only two centre-backs were selected (Shane Duffy and John Egan). The midfield had Alan Browne, Jeff Hendrick and Conor Hourihane. Matt Doherty and Cyrus Christie were the full-backs. The attack comprised Callum O’Dowda, Adam Idah and Daryl Horgan.
O’Dowda was the sole surviving starter four years later, but he played as a left full-back rather than on the left of the attack.
It is too early to tell if these changes in approach will make Ireland any better or worse than they were for the previous regime.
What’s certain is that in 12 months, the public will have a far better idea if Hallgrimsson can be successful for Ireland in the long term.
The time for experimentation is over as the Boys in Green enter must-win territory.
Player starts under Hallgrimsson’s six-game tenure so far:
Caoimhin Kelleher (6), Nathan Collins (6), Sammie Szmodics (6), Dara O’Shea (5), Chiedozie Ogbene (4), Josh Cullen (4) Evan Ferguson (4), Liam Scales (4), Robbie Brady (4), Jason Knight (4), Jayson Molumby (3), Festy Ebosele (2), Matt Doherty (2), Callum O’Dowda (2), Will Smallbone (2), Troy Parrott (1), Seamus Coleman (1), Andrew Omobamidele (1), Mark McGuinness (1), Adam Idah (1), Mikey Johnston (1), Alan Browne (1), Finn Azaz (1).
Starting players used: 23
Substitutes:
Kasey McAteer (4) Evan Ferguson (2), Troy Parrott (2), Jayson Molumby (2), Adam Idah (2), Festy Ebosele (2), Ryan Manning (2), Finn Azaz (2), Jake O’Brien (1), Alan Browne (1), Jason Knight (1), Matt Doherty (1), Callum Robinson (1), Jamie McGrath (1), Mikey Johnston (1), Jack Taylor (1), Dara O’Shea (1), Tom Cannon (1), Andrew Moran (1).
Players used including subs: 31
Formations used in chronological order: 3-4-2-1, 4-4-1-1, 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2, 4-4-2 and 4-1-4-1.
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2025 Heimir Hallgrímsson looking ahead Soccer England Ireland Republic