HEIMIR HALLGRÍMSSON GATHERED the Republic of Ireland players before training yesterday morning to show a video of the good, bad and ugly from their first two Nations League games last month.
Given the manager has spoken about the need to “stop the bleeding” we don’t know just how gory it was.
There were seven new faces from that initial get together and some messages needed to be put across quickly about what is expected and how he wants players to perform.
It also served as a timely reminder for some of those linking back up about the demands that will be placed on them going into this away double header with Finland and Greece this week.
One of Hallgrímsson’s mantras, about being prepared to play every minute or no minutes at all for your country, was reinforced.
Matt Doherty’s absence, as well as that of other senior players like Callum Robinson and Alan Browne, was also addressed. Jake O’Brien at Everton was another who came in last month but did not earn a recall. He managed just 26 minutes of Premier League action since that last international window.
O’Brien’s replacement in the squad is Mark McGuinness, now of Luton Town, who was described yesterday by assistant head coach John O’Shea as the “total package” for a centre back. He was coy on whether the former Arsenal youth team player would be thrown in from the start in Helsinki but did make the point that change was required.
“There is still an emphasis on winning games, too, but also trying a bit of new combinations, new understandings, and getting that in as quickly as possible,” O’Shea added.
That could perhaps be why no replacement has been called up for the injured Callum O’Dowda and Ireland will instead travel with 23 players. While he initially emerged as a winger in the international set up, the Bristol City man has been used as either a wing back or full back in recent times.
Doherty would have been an obvious call-up as he has also featured on that side, while it would indicate someone like Ryan Manning at Southampton is not in their plans.
Hallgrímsson stressed last week that he did not want to take players from the Under-21s given they have two vital European Championship qualifiers with Norway and Italy coming up, so if he is looking to find those new combinations and new understandings, as O’Shea put it, from within than perhaps Liam Scales is set to be utilised on the left given he did not feature at all last month.
As well as that video that was shown to the Ireland players yesterday, the first-half performance against Greece is what the management team are holding up as the main positives from back-to-back 2-0 defeats at home to England and Greece in September.
On another night, Chiedozie Ogbene times his run from out to in on the right flank just a second or two better to receive Jayson Molumby’s sharp diagonal pass.
The control and finish from outside of the box that followed from Ogbene was sublime, but his reading of the pass and overeagerness meant what would have been a fine opening goal was ruled out for offside.
Ireland, of course, then conceded early into the second half when Fotis Ioannidis drifted into space behind Molumby and in front of the centre backs. The defence sat off rather than applying pressure and another long rage effort beat Caoimhín Kelleher.
O’Shea bristled somewhat when asked about the dearth of midfield options compared to centre backs, and responded by saying “we are too derogatory towards these players.” Ipswich Town’s Jack Taylor is the only one playing in the Premier League and while the 26-year-old’s five appearances in England’s top flight have come off the bench he may be required to provide a new spark from the start for Ireland.
“It’s nearly 28-odd years that I’ve been involved in Irish teams, camps, playing, training, coaching; no one comes in wanting to be negative, everyone comes in wanting to do well for their country,” O’Shea said.
“Everyone wants to have positive performances, everyone wants to win games. At different spells you will have a rough patch, and the only way you will get through it is by sticking together, working hard and making sure that everyone in the room, everyone in that squad that’s named, is together and fully focused on getting results for Ireland.
“That comes with hard work, doing the basics right and then eventually you can implement different bits stage by stage. If you can do that as quickly as possible, hopefully then slowly the momentum shifts and you get the wins that you need and the positive results that you need. But ultimately, getting the performance levels right behind it is the key bit.”
Ireland are only off the bottom of Group 2 in League B because Finland conceded five goals in defeats to the Greeks and English last month.
A clash in Helsinki on Thursday evening is followed by a trip to Athens on Sunday for Hallgrímsson and his men. Ireland have lost eight and won two of their last 10 competitive games – a pair of victories against Gibraltar peppering a tasteless run.
Going back further, since the Nations League began in 2018, Ireland have played away from home on eight occasions and are yet to win. They’ve scored four times and conceded 11. There was just one clean sheet, and it came in what turned out to be Martin O’Neill’s last game in charge against Denmark on 19 November, 2018. Robbie Brady is the only survivor of that starting XI in this current squad.
Finland are ranked two places lower than Ireland in the rankings (62nd to 64th) but beat Stephen Kenny’s side 1-0 home and away in the 2020 edition of this competition, and also lost out 4-1 to Wales in a Euro 20204 play-off semi-final in March.
If their defeats since are classed as a hangover, then Ireland are stuck in a stupor.
It’s why this will be a successful week if Hallgrímsson’s side are still third in the group by the time they leave Athens on Sunday night.
