Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson admits that it is crucial for him and his team to "stop the bleeding" when it comes to the Ireland squad's recent form.
Ireland will face Greece and Finland this month, and defeats in both games would mean four consecutive losses under the Icelander. This is compounded by the fact that, in their last six games, Ireland has only managed one win, which came in a meaningless friendly against Hungary.
Losing has become a habit for Ireland, and the relatively new Ireland boss admits he is keen to break the bad habits the current squad seems to develop during every international window.
“Losing becomes a habit, just like winning does, and we need to break that cycle. It’s more likely we’ll get a good result with a good performance,” Hallgrimsson told RTÉ Sport on Thursday.
The Icelander also admits that that Greece and Finland are in a different position to his Ireland team. It's now about getting to their level
“Hopefully, we can show on the pitch that we can get results. They’re different teams to us. Finland and Greece have been playing together for a long time; their average age is around 30 or above, so their individual understanding is much higher than ours. Their passing and decision-making is quicker. This is what we need to improve quickly."
🗣️ "The most important thing is to get to the World Cup"
🗣️ "We need to find our starting eleven, quick!"
Ireland football manager Heimir Hallgrímsson on the importance of the upcoming #NationsLeague fixtures. #Football w/ @Williamhillire#IrelandFootball pic.twitter.com/F6Pqr6ll4P— Off The Ball (@offtheball) October 3, 2024
Ireland heads to the Helsinki Olympic Stadium to face Finland on Thursday, 10 October, and will then travel to the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Greece the following Sunday.
Hallgrimsson was asked what he hopes to see in the upcoming games and said that building on the basics, combined with good performances, is key, but no points targets were mentioned.
“I am looking for a good performance, and normally from a good performance, you will get points,” Hallgrimsson added.
“I’m not going to mention a target, but I’d really like to build on the Greece game, where I felt we were at least doing the basics and principles better than we did against England. I hope we continue to build on that, and if we do, we’ll definitely get results.
Republic of Ireland Squad: Finland & Greece
Goalkeepers: Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool), Mark Travers (AFC Bournemouth), Max O'Leary (Bristol City)
Defenders: Festy Ebosele (Watford, on loan from Udinese), Andrew Omobamidele (Nottingham Forest), Nathan Collins (Brentford), Mark McGuinness (Luton Town), Dara O'Shea (Ipswich Town), Liam Scales (Celtic), Callum O'Dowda (Cardiff City), Robbie Brady (Preston North End).
Midfielders: Josh Cullen (Burnley), Jason Knight (Bristol City), Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion), Finn Azaz (Middlesbrough), Jack Taylor (Ipswich Town), Jamie McGrath (Aberdeen).
Forwards: Adam Idah (Celtic), Evan Ferguson (Brighton and Hove Albion), Chiedozie Ogbene (Ipswich Town), Kasey McAteer (Leicester City), Sammie Szmodics (Ipswich Town), Mikey Johnston (West Bromwich Albion), Troy Parrott (AZ Alkmaar).
UEFA Nations League: Fixtures
10/10 - Finland vs. Ireland, Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, 7.45pm (9.45pm local time)
13/10 - Greece vs. Ireland, Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, Athens, 7.45pm (9.45pm local time)
