Ireland team to play England poses Evan Ferguson conundrum for new manager
New manager Heimir Hallgrimsson is preparing to name his first team for the Nations League game against England
Giovanni Trapattoni used to name his team at least a day before every Ireland international - and sometimes earlier.
And that wasn’t just telling the players, he would inform the media who would then spread the good news far and wide.
There was nothing to hide with Trap’s Ireland.
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Other Ireland managers have been far less revealing and Martin O’Neill would famously only tell his players the starting XI an hour or two before kickoff.
So how will new boss Heimir Hallgrimsson play it? Well, if yesterday’s pre-match press conference is a guide, he’s no Trapattoni.
“It’s basically none of your business when I talk to the players and show them the line-up,” he said in his first answer to the very first question.
“But usually I’ve done it on matchday minus one in the afternoon so the players can sleep on the starting XI. That’s the normal way.”
With a fully fit squad to pick from, trying to second guess his team tonight is entirely dependent on what formation he plays. But again, there were no clues.
“You will see when we kick off,” he said. “We’re not going to talk about how we play or our tactics. You know that, but it’s a fair question.”
What about something radical, like playing centre-back Nathan Collins in midfield - it has been mooted in the past but never came to fruition.
And especially so with only five midfielders named in the squad and one of those listed, newcomer Kasey McAteer, is a wide player.
“Yes, a lot of them can play midfield, yes.”
But is a potential new role for Collins something Hallgrimsson is actually considering?
“We’ll see. If we were considering it, I would probably not tell you.”
So it’s like that then!
When he named the 23-man squad, Hallgrimsson made no secret of the fact that assistant John O’Shea more or less picked it - with the help of coach Paddy McCarthy.
So don’t be surprised if the starting team at Aviva Stadium tonight smacks of an O’Shea side similar to those used in the March and June friendlies.
Evan Fegruson is back in the mix, but hasn’t played a minute for Brighton this season as he steps up his return from an ankle injury in April.
Hallgrimsson must decide whether to risk him from the start.
At Euro 2016 and World Cup 2018 with Iceland, the now 57-year-old favoured a 4-4-2 formation while occasionally deploying 4-4-1-1 and 4-2-3-1.
With Jamaica, he varied it between 3-4-2-1, 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2
The formation tonight will determine the personnel but Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher is nailed on to start in goal with Gavin Bazunu still injured.
The fact the squad is heavy on attackers suggests a 4-2-3-1 could be on the cards.
If so, Seamus Coleman, Collins, Dara O’Shea and Liam Scales - possibly at left-back - look like a solid back line.
Midfielders are thin on the ground in this squad and Josh Cullen is unavailable.
But Jayson Molumby can be the hard man Hallgrimsson wants in his side, with new Sunderland recruit Alan Browne a likely partner in the engine room.
If so, Will Smallbone could be flanked either side by Sammie Szmodics and Callum Robinson with Adam Idah edging Ferguson up front.
IRELAND (possible) 4-2-3-1: Kelleher; Coleman, Collins, O’Shea, Scales; Molumby, Browne; Robinson, Smallbone, Szmodics; Idah
IRELAND SQUAD v England & Greece
Goalkeepers: Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool), Mark Travers (AFC Bournemouth), Max O'Leary (Bristol City).
Defenders: Seamus Coleman (Everton), Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Dara O'Shea (Ipswich Town), Nathan Collins (Brentford), Jake O'Brien (Everton), Andrew Omobamidele (Nottingham Forest), Liam Scales (Celtic), Callum O'Dowda (Cardiff City), Robbie Brady (Preston North End).
Midfielders: Will Smallbone (Southampton), Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion), Alan Browne (Sunderland), Jason Knight (Bristol City), Kasey McAteer (Leicester City).
Attackers: Adam Idah (Celtic), Evan Ferguson (Brighton and Hove Albion), Sammie Szmodics (Ipswich Town), Chiedozie Ogbene (Ipswich Town), Callum Robinson (Cardiff City), Troy Parrott (AZ Alkmaar).
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