Ireland players say they are fed up losing, but it's on them to find a way to win
Ireland face Finland in Helsinki on Thursday night with FIFA's 64th ranked team hosting the 62nd at the Olympic Stadium
Denmark's Thomas Delaney once claimed that trying to break down Ireland's defence was akin to “opening a can of baked beans with your bare hands".
That was during the Martin O’Neill era when Ireland were the epitome of horrible to play against - and fiercely proud of it too.
Midfielder Delaney made the memorable observation after Ireland frustrated the Danes in a 0-0 draw in the first-leg of their World Cup 2018 playoff in Copenhagen.
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At the time, Delaney had no idea it was actually pretty easy to carve open that rearguard, as Denmark proved when romping to a 5–1 second-leg win in Dubin.
Of late, Ireland’s defensive woes have been laid bare with the frequency of goals scored against them from distance an unwanted hallmark of the Stephen Kenny era.
And Heimir Hallgrimsson bore witness to that himself last month, with Greece’s second goal in their Dublin win coming from outside the box.
Ex-Ireland players Declan Rice and Jack Grealish were closer to goal when they plunged the knife as England strolled to victory, exposing Ireland’s soft underbelly.
The new manager wants to make this team harder to beat and in Helsinki yesterday, he stressed how he believes the squad is in a better place than it was last month.
In the build up to today’s Olympic Stadium clash - where Eamonn Coghlan won 5000m gold at the 1983 world championships - Finland have leaned into Delaney’s way of thinking.
Their goalkeeper - and Bayer Leverkusen captain - Lukas Hradecky has painted Ireland as a ‘straightforward team’ but who are also ‘positively chaotic’.
Last night, Hallgrimsson was asked if he regarded that as a compliment as he tries to put his stamp on this side going into his third game in charge.
“I don’t want to comment on that comment,” he said, after pausing to digest Hradecky’s observation.
“But if that’s his analysis, then we must respect his opinion on it. But we just want to be effective in what we are doing. If he thinks that is chaotic, then okay.”
Finland are 64th in FIFA’s rankings, and Ireland are two places better off in 62nd, so on paper this represents Ireland’s best chance to date of getting a win in this group.
But that’s complicated by the fact Ireland - who have never won away in the Nations League since its inception in 2018 - are in a bind after three defeats on the spin.
“My wish is that our performance will improve from the last game to this game, and then from this game to the next game (in Greece on Sunday),” said Hallgrimsson.
“There's not a big difference between us, Finland and Greece. If we improve our performance I think then it's closer to the win.
“I just want a better performance. You always like to win but a (points target this week), I'm not setting it.
“But I'm feeling positive, much more positive from what I see in training and meetings than I did in the last camp.”
Finland’s full-backs will look to get forward at every opportunity so Hallgrimsson wants to give them something to think about by playing quick wingers.
Sammie Szmodics and Chiedozie Ogbene are tipped for wide roles, with Jason Knight possibly playing off Evan Ferguson, so he can act as an extra midfield link.
Troy Parrott didn’t kick a ball in last month’s window, but has responded with six goals in six games for AZ Alkmaar and enters the attacking equation, too, as the form horse.
Szmodics, though, is a nailed on starter with Hallgrimsson a huge fan of the Ipswich Town recruit’s attacking intent and versatility.
“He has many qualities,” said the Ireland boss. “One of them is his eagerness to run in behind defence, finding spaces.
“For example, the Greece game, he went multiple times in behind the defence without getting the pass but he kept on going and going.
“There are not many players who have that in modern football. Normally they would stop running when the pass doesn’t come.
“But no, he can play a lot of positions. His energy and enthusiasm, you want that in your team and he has that.”
And hinting at a new role, wide on the left, Hallgrimsson added of Tractor Boy Szmodics: “I think we haven’t found his best position, but we are looking.
“So who knows if he plays tonight, and what position he pops up in.”
And Hallgrimsson, who lost 1-0 to Finland in Helsinki when he was Iceland boss in 2017, continued: “They will play a style that we think we know.
“They’re a really tactical, hard-working team with honest players - a quick transition team, and how they score goals is maybe easy to analyse but difficult to play against.
“That’s the sign of a good team and that’s why they qualified for major finals, because they are effective in the way they are playing.”
Hallgrimsson wants Ireland to function in a similar way and, really, his blueprint for the team is pretty simple. But executing it is the problem.
The players say they are fed up with losing, but tonight it’s on them to find a way of stopping the rot - and by any means necessary.
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