LIAM SCALES’ EQUALISING goal against Finland last night is an example of how simple instructions that are being drilled into the Republic of Ireland players with clarity and purpose are already beginning to pay off.
Being emphatic in your belief and decisive in action are core tenets of Heimir Hallgrímsson’s methods.
With Robbie Brady on the pitch, set-pieces were an important tool in the gameplan.
Of the five goals Finland had conceded in their previous two Nations League games, only one was as a result of dead ball situations. That was a corner against Greece on the opening night of Group 2 in League B.
This was a free kick from the same right side but was a whipped inswinger from Brady. Scales knew what he had to do because he had been told time and again in some of those five team meetings that Hallgrímsson and his staff held with the squad in the build up.
It was the same story on the training pitches. Line up and pick your moment to attack the spaces between the Finnish defenders. Find the gaps to breakthrough and then it’s up to Brady to deliver with precision.
When Scales connects, directing a header back in the corner where the ball came, he is slap bang between two Finland defenders – behind Arttu Hoskonen and in front of Rasmus Schüller. It is exactly where he should be. Timing the run into the spaces between markers.
“It’s all about the things we are doing. We need to keep on doing what we are doing. We need to improve. It’s not about the result, it’s not about ‘we are flying’, it’s about what we are doing, the principles we are trying to implement, that we are always consistent in improving those. Then success will follow,” Hallgrímsson said.
It was not far off 1am when he finished media duties in the Olympic Stadium and focus was already turning to Sunday’s meeting with Greece in Athens.
They are now the group leaders after a fine 2-1 win over England at Wembley continued their emergence as a force.
That was also an emotional occasion following the tragic death of 31-year-old Greek international George Baldock.
The former Sheffield United defender, who would have numerous connections with Ireland players like Enda Stevens, John Egan and Callum Robinson from his time at the club, drowned in a swimming pool in Athens, where he had signed for Panathinaikos.
“Of course, we send his family all of our respects and good wishes.,” Hallgrímsson said.
The Ireland players stayed in the Finnish capital until 4pm on Friday so they could undergo their usual post-match recovery.
“I guess everybody wants to play now, will push themselves to play but I’m consistent in what I say,” the Ireland manager said.
“The confidence grows when you know the player next to you. He knows exactly how you will react, and he will cover whatever decision you make, we just have to make the decisions quicker and execute what we are doing a little bit quicker than we are doing.
“A win doesn’t put as much pressure on the next game. They’re feeling good and probably a bit relieved that we won the game. Again, it’s down to margins.
“We need to improve on what we are doing. We are still giving away chances. At times we looked open and indecisive in actions. We just need to continue being confident.”
Thursday’s win – the first time an Ireland team has come from behind to win a competitive game since October 2013 – provided a rare feeling of exhilaration, but Hallgrímsson was not being blinded by the euphoria, admitting it was a “Jekyll and Hyde” performance in his live post-match conference and expanding further on this thought process away from cameras.
“Just more or less indecisiveness, they were not pressing when they should be pressing, they were not taking the decision and going for it.
“That is something we need to improve, the same when we are attacking for example. We had really good kind of play, we got into good positions, but we didn’t finish so it looked like we didn’t believe in what we were doing.
“Second half was totally different, we were much more direct and it resulted in more goal scoring chances and shots on goal.”
Finn Azaz was not part of Hallgrímsson’s first Nations League squad but came straight into the starting XI playing behind Evan Ferguson.
Both are in contention to start on Sunday, while Mark McGuinness will have more chance to be involved after twisting an ankle on Wednesday.
Hallgrímsson says Azaz is ideal “in a role probably that we needed, he is the guy that can have the final pass, seeing the runs”, while Ferguson just needs more minutes to regain the kind of form that marked him out as one of Europe’s most promising forwards before a couple of injuries over the last 12 months halted his progress.
“He’s a different kind, we have a lot of runners and he is so good on the ball. At his feet, he doesn’t need much time in the box to finish and when he is 100% fit he will be lethal for us,” Hallgrímsson said.
“He says so [that he can start on Sunday], at least. He is good. Let’s see how he is [on Friday], that’s the most important part, how players are when they wake up.
