Nov 17,2024
Competitive games between Ireland and England were always close encounters throughout the Jack Charlton era; an Ireland victory in Stuttgart '88, a World Cup 1990 draw in Cagliari, followed by two 1-1 games in the Euro 92 qualifying campaign.
In 1995, the two sides met once more in a far-from friendly affair, as the match was abandoned after 27 minutes, as a result of trouble in the England away section – Ireland were winning 1-0 at the time thanks to David Kelly's opening goal.
It took 18 long years for that frosty affair to finally thaw, as the two teams met in Wembley in 2013 – Shane Long opened the scoring before Frank Lampard levelled for the hosts. Again, two years later, the sides could not be separated, as the return friendly in Dublin ended scoreless.
England, however, have entered a new era in terms of international football and have found the cohesion and confidence to reach the latter stages of major tournaments, making consecutive Euros finals in 2020 and 2024, and they steamrolled Ireland during a Covid-era encounter at Wembley four years ago.
They backed it up at Lansdowne Road in September, highlighting the true gulf in class and quality between the sides, romping to a 2-0 victory in what was Heimir Hallgrimsson’s first game in charge.
Two months on, and the manager has a chance to see whether his side have improved, as they go head-to-head at the iconic stadium this evening, and while no one is expecting miracles, there is a sense that Hallgrimsson feels that his side will be a lot more organised and, as a result, competitive.
With all the focus on next year’s World Cup qualifiers, the away day at England could provide a blueprint on how to approach the games on the road against the top seeded sides in the group.
Hallgrimsson is preparing for such encounters by attempting to get the players to be comfortable out of possession, knowing when to press and when to sit, and look to move the opposition into areas of the pitch which will allow Ireland to thrive.
The manager believes that his side can actually control games out of possession, while admitting that in games against such superior opposition the players will have to suffer for their results.
A far cry from the previous regime where the players were cajoled into believing that they could compete in such scenarios by playing a possession-based game; there were glimpses, of course, that it could work, but the results under Stephen Kenny unfortunately proved to the contrary.
"When we played England at home we played three centre-backs, and I thought it didn't work well enough," said Hallgrimsson, speaking to the media on the eve of the game. "Since then, we have played a back four and I think we have done better.
"They have three [up front] and three at the back, but the other four are just all over the pitch. If we want to play man v man against them, it will be really tricky, with big spaces for talented players on the ball.
"We would like to limit some spaces, guide them to other spaces, and the formation will show what we want to happen during the game."
And a big part of the manager’s work over the past few months has been showing the players how to play out of possession, while trying to identify those who are most suited to implement the tactics from training ground to the pitch.
The manager also stressed that he was more than happy to compete in games where his side has less possession, as he does not believe that it equates to which team comes out with the victory.
"There is no correlation between ball possession and winning football matches, so I am okay with that," he said.
"Let's try to do it collectively, let's try to guide them, and even, I would say, when we will play our best, we will control the game without the ball. We will guide them – 'you can go here, but you cannot go here’. Then once we guide them to a certain place and win it, that's the place that we want to hurt them.
"That, for me, is controlling the game without possession.
"I know it's early days for me, but I think that is something that ultimately in my opinion is the most important thing to qualify for the World Cup - to be in charge of the game without possession."
Both sides go into the game without a host of players, but Hallgrimsson said that he is happy to focus on those that are present as he looks to instil his philosophy and prove more consistent.
Deeply disappointed with the performance on Thursday, yet the manager did not show his hand during the game, as the first substitute did not arrive until the 76th minute, which suggests that the team as a collective did not completely follow instructions or were unable to implement the manager’s message.
There will be changes, however, and not just the enforced one with Jason Knight ruled out through suspension.
Hallgrimsson stressed that his side would not have got away with their mistakes against a stronger side, so it should become apparent in his selection as to where changes are needed.
Finland did enjoy a lot of success marauding in from the right on Thursday, aided on occasion by sloppy play attempting to work the ball out from deep areas, so there will probably be a change there with Mikey Johnston or Callum O’Dowda, or both, dropping out of the eleven.
Dara O’Shea and Festy Ebosele’s fitness will have to be assessed, even though the manager said that everyone was available, while Matt Doherty’s place will be determined by Hallgrimsson’s assessment of the recalled defender.
Doherty and Ebosele, at least, showed some cohesion going forward, while the latter’s pace should prove vital in covering back against the dynamic England attack.
Knight’s absence leaves a gaping hole in midfield, and while Jayson Molumby is expected to start, it leaves a space for someone else to slot in to make up a central trio. It would be a big ask to blood Conor Coventry having just been called into the squad, however, he does fit the bill with the manager describing him as like-for-like with Knight.
Sammie Szmodics and Evan Ferguson should again start in attack, however, Szmodics may be required to do a bit of the heavy lifting out of possession, with the complete starting XI having a real energetic element to the side.
Hallgrimsson said that he has identified weaknesses in the England side, while he feels that they are under pressure to perform, which suggests that he believes that Ireland can take something from the game.
But the reality of the situation is that England’s under-strength eleven swatted Greece away on Thursday night and if they can carry that form into the Wembley game, it really will be hard for Ireland to live with the dynamic style that they can produce at their best.
Caoimhin Kelleher’s heroics helped Ireland to a victory against Finland, and if Hallgrimsson’s side are to get anything from this evening’s game, there is every chance that the goalkeeper will be picking up the player of the match award once again.
