Hallgrímsson needs calculated approach to banish bad Irish memories of Athens – The Irish Times

League of Nations: Greece v Republic of Ireland, Karaiskakis Stadium, Athens, Sunday, 7.45pm – live on RTÉ Two

Warning: Recent history requires a cautious, calculated approach from the Republic of Ireland.

Beating Finland on Thursday could prove a false dawn as Greece in Athens brings back bad memories for a slightly rejuvenated Irish team, now led by Icelandic coach Heimir Hallgrímsson.

It’s still early days, but Hallgrímsson appears both pragmatic and happy as his flexible approach earned a 2-1 victory in Helsinki.

The defeat to Greece in June 2023 proved that Stephen Kenny’s days as national manager were numbered. Tactically exposed and outclassed in individual duels, the Greeks romped past Ireland before repeating the punishment with successive 2-0 wins in Dublin.

Sixteen months later, there is the small mercy of a venue change as the Karaiskakis Stadium, where Olympiacos play, replaces the Opap Arena, where hundreds of Irish fans complained about dangerous security measures when entering the home of AEK Athens.

Greece bounced back from missing Euro 2024 after losing its play-off to Georgia on penalties by beating England at Wembley this week as a second goal from Vangelis Pavlidis set up Jude Bellingham’s equalizer in the 87th minute erases.

In Helsinki, Robbie Brady’s perennial, irreplaceable left foot covered up familiar Irish shortcomings, with Hallgrímsson confirming this in the early hours of Friday morning.

“At times we seemed open and indecisive,” he said. “We just have to keep the faith.”

Easier said than done, especially against opponents who are understandably convinced of their superiority as a footballing nation.

Brady’s importance to the cause cannot be overstated. His flying shot for Liam Scales’ equalizer, after Joel Pohjanpalo scored from a Nathan Collins error, cannot be repeated by any of his teammates.

If not for multiple injuries that halted his career, the 32-year-old would have over 100 caps instead of 67, which is still 30 more than the next most experienced Irish player, Josh Cullen.

“You always need experience and every team needs characters and leaders,” said Hallgrímsson. “Robbie has so many qualities and he is still a very good player.”

Collins apologized to teammates in the locker room for giving Finland the lead. The 23-year-old, Ireland’s only guaranteed starter in the Premier League this season after joining Brentford, is prone to the odd lapse in concentration but stripping him of the captaincy seems counterproductive.

A positive addition to the team was Festy Ebosele, who replaced the injured Chiedozie Ogbene in Helsinki and provided an accurate cross for Brady’s winner.

If Ebosele is rewarded with a starting spot, he will likely avoid having to shadow Kostas Tsimikas, as the Liverpool left-back missed Greece’s first-ever win over England due to illness.

Concerns remain surrounding Finn Azaz. An attacking midfielder for Middlesbrough in the second tier of English football, his tough play against Finland suggests the manager could turn to Aberdeen’s Jamie McGrath or Troy Parrott.

“Finn has played really well at Middlesbrough, in a role that we probably needed,” Hallgrímsson countered. “He’s the guy who can get the last pass when he sees the runs.

“We had some really good runs in behind against Greece at home, but we didn’t see and use those runs. He’s a smart man on the ball, that was the idea to have a player a little bit deeper than Evan (Ferguson), to find these runs.”

Azaz may or may not be of international standard, but Sammie Szmodics is no longer worried as the dense Irish midfield squeezed the Ipswich Town striker into tight corridors where he still looked in a class of his own.

Finding a system that allows Szmodics and Ferguson to work together in attack, while relieving them of defensive duties, will be crucial for Ireland to score a point on Sunday evening.

“Evan is a different kind of attacker. We have a lot of runners and he is so good with the ball. On his feet he doesn’t need much time to finish and if he is 100 percent fit he will be deadly for us.”

After only playing few minutes for club or country since April due to injury, could Ferguson leave? “At least that’s what he says.”

Apart from Gibraltar, the victory against Finland was Ireland’s first competitive away win since Luxembourg in November 2021, but Hallgrímsson was unmoved by the suggestion of an upturn in fortunes. Greece is exactly what he wants to transform Ireland into; a steady, experienced side with individuals who play above and beyond themselves, inspired rather than burdened by the green jersey.

“Confidence grows when you know the player next to you. He knows exactly how you will react and he will handle whatever decision you make, we just have to execute it a little faster than we do.

“Indecision,” Hallgrímsson continued, “they didn’t push when they should, they didn’t make the decision and go for it.”

“That is something we have to improve, just like when we attack. We got into good positions but didn’t finish, so it looked like we didn’t believe in what we were doing.

“The second half was completely different, we were much more direct and that resulted in more goals and shots on target.”

Ireland (possibly): Kelleher (Liverpool); O’Shea (Ipswich Town), Collins (Brentford), Scales (Celtic), Brady (Preston); Cullen (Burnley), Knight (Bristol City); Ebosele (Watford), McGrath (Aberdeen), Szmodics (Ipswich Town); Ferguson (Brighton and Hove Albion).