Ireland will travel to Greece to play their fourth Nations League match in Group B on Thursday 10th October, and you can follow the action with us at Tonybet. Heimir Hallgrímsson’s squad will be hoping that they can not only get on the scoreboard but also collect some much-needed points along the way.
We didn’t win in September, but there’s hope within the camp
After losing 2-0 against England, Ireland suffered the same result against the Greeks in Dublin. With a win yet to be secured under the new head coach, a trip to Piraeus may be a daunting prospect for the Irish.
In fairness, there was very little that Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher could have done about Greece’s opener at the Aviva Stadium. Panathinaikos striker Fotis Ioannidis created space on the edge of the box before swivelling and dispatching his effort into the top left-hand corner.
However, a lapse in concentration saw Club Brugge’s Christos Tzolis score late on to wrap up the points, as the visitors turned it up a notch in the second half, and Irish fans left the stadium disappointed – once again.
Although the opening 45 minutes won’t make a pretty highlights package, Ireland did manage to stifle Greece’s creativity to almost nothing. Both sides could only conjure up a single shot on target each, with a total of three corners between the two nations. It wasn’t a spectacle to shout about, but at least Ireland kept Greece at arm’s length.
However, the problem is making sure that the team in green can concentrate for the entire 90 minutes. If they can manage that, then it might not be as routine for Greece as everyone expects.
Ireland will have to do much better when out of possession though. Conceding 17 free kicks only frustrated the crowd and slowed the game down, especially when Greece were 1-0 up. It played directly into their opponent’s hands.
Yet there’s potential hope if Hallgrímsson is bold with his team selection on the road. Former Spurs academy prospect Troy Parrott didn’t make it onto the pitch against Greece, but he has now scored six goals in his last four appearances for AZ Alkmaar, including four against Heerenveen when they won 9-1.
Goals are a real problem for Ireland at present, but Parrott has shown that he can be relied on and may just be the solution in the final third. There will undoubtedly be pressure from the fans on Hallgrímsson to get him on the pitch sooner rather than later.
What will Hallgrímsson have learnt?
It’s safe to say that it hasn’t been the best of starts for new head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson. Although his interviews have won over some of the fans, the new manager hasn’t attended many, if any, games in person, which has aggravated certain fans and pundits alike.
Ex-Irish international Kevin Doyle, who made 62 appearances for his beloved nation, expressed how he feels towards the new manager, and what he wants to see from him going forward.
Regarding not going to see players playing in the first few weeks – and I don’t know what he’s doing at the moment – I remember Brian Kerr when he first took over when I first got in the team in England (Reading) and him coming to watch me, the boost that gave me as a young player to know the Ireland manager was watching me.
Every manager is different though. Obviously, Hallgrímsson was in the dugout for both defeats at the Aviva Stadium. He has also been the first to admit that his team need to show more confidence on and off the ball if they are to start winning football matches.
Ireland have lacked a real cutting edge in front of goal, having just two shots on target from their last two matches. If you don’t shoot, you don’t score, and Hallgrímsson might have to rethink his preferred 4-4-1-1 formation if he is to get bodies into the final third.
Celtic’s Adam Idah led the line against England but was feeding off scraps throughout the match. For his club, he has scored four goals in his last three matches. Idah operates best in a 4-3-3 system, where he has wingers tracking his movement in the box. If Hallgrímsson wants to reinstate the 23-year-old forward, then there needs to be support around him to make it work.
Doyle believes that the next run of games could be make or break for Hallgrímsson, even if he has only been in the role for a short period of time.
Important games are coming up. You can give the manager a pass, he’s new, only three training sessions, all that stuff, but he’s had a chance now to really see what he has, see what the group is like, see their attitude, get to know players a bit better.
It’s time to start turning things around, for the country, for everyone, for him as a manager; take charge of this thing and do what you’ve been hired for.
It has been a difficult initial period for Hallgrímsson, and he’ll need to implement new tactics for future matches if Ireland are to start improving.
However, it looks as though he has listened to those cries, as he has started a mini new revolution already. Wolves’ Matt Doherty has been one of the more senior players within the squad for the last decade, but he wasn’t included for the upcoming fixtures against Finland and Greece.
My job is to get this team to the World Cup in the US ’26. Given that next year, if we end up in a [qualifying] group with five nations, all our FIFA windows next year will be official World Cup matches. So this is the only chance to kind of experiment, to give players a chance to show what they can do. That is the reason why we opted to go for other players at this stage.
Doherty wasn’t happy about the decision, and neither were some fans, but Hallgrímsson clearly isn’t afraid to take risks – and this could be something that is rewarded later down the line.
Will we have our revenge in Piraeus?
So, can Ireland salvage anything in Greece? It’s easy to say no based on what we’ve seen so far. England took control early on, while Ireland held Greece before a fantastic goal ended all hope in the second half.
However, neither game got out of hand. Sure, there are defensive concerns and concentration appears to be lacking, but it will be up to the Icelandic coach to address those issues.
Building from the back will be key, and hopefully now Hallgrímsson has spent more time with his players, he’ll know what they can and can’t do – which will shape how he approaches each game.
Starting with Greece, we may see a few fresh faces in order to achieve that result. As we’ve stated, Troy Parrott must be close to featuring in the starting XI, and if Ireland have a threatening striker, it may just see Greece sit deeper than they would like.
If Ireland can stifle Greece as they did in the opening 45 minutes in Dublin for the entire match, then there’s no reason why they can’t leave Piraeus with a valuable point.
A squad that needs time
Don’t worry, we are still realists here at Tonybet, and we know that it’s unlikely that Ireland will be qualifying out of Group B anytime soon. The trip to Wembley at the end of November can be put to the back of our minds for now.
However, these are the sort of games that Hallgrímsson needs to win over the fans. Take risks. Try new formations. Put faith in new players. This is the only way to find a style that will suit Ireland and see long-term positive results on the pitch.
Every nation goes through a transition period, and this is no different for Ireland. However, if Hallgrímsson doesn’t experiment, then he won’t be around for long.
For the remaining Nations League games and all future internationals involving Greece and, of course, Ireland, you can find all your favourite markers and more on Tonybet.
