Ireland take on England at Wembley tomorrow in their final Nations League Group Game
Heimir Hallgrimsson's side has avoided relegation to League C by finishing third and now awaits a March play-off next year.
England, on the other hand, has effectively been promoted to League A after topping their Nations League group.
Whatever the occasion, matches between Ireland and England are always intense affairs, regardless of the sport. Today’s game will be no different.
Speaking on Saturday night at a pre-match press conference, Hallgrimsson and Josh Cullen discussed various topics ahead of the game.
Here’s everything they had to say:
England , United Kingdom, 16 November 2024; Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson (Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)Hallgrimsson on the threat of England:
"Of course, we know what kind of threat England gives us, and if we are not ready from the first minute, they will punish us," said Hallgrimsson when asked how vital it was that his team are immediately comfortable, both tactically and in formation.
"It kind of happened in Dublin; they made a pass through the centre of our team, easy goal. It’s a team that, if we give them a chance, they will probably take it. They have such an attacking quality in that team, but there are weaknesses as well, so we are going to try to exploit them.
Hallgrimsson discusses Conor Coventry's inclusion:
"Everyone trained today in Dublin, and Conor is a like-for-like player to Jason. We talked about him in earlier press conferences that he was close, and he is playing well," said Hallgrimsson, speaking at the pre-match press conference at Wembley.
"We know it is League One, but he is playing really well, and I think he’s ready to play at a higher stage. He’s a really consistent performer, really good on the ball. A little more of a defensive midfielder compared to Jason."
Hallgrimsson on Harry Kane
"We kind of expected him to play this game because he played less in the previous one," said Hallgrimsson.
"He plays in a certain way, likes to link up, come deep, a little bit of a different striker than some of the others."
Hallgrimsson on Irish improvement since England defeat in Dublin:
"I’m quite happy. The second camp was really good, even though we didn’t win the game against Greece. We played well, especially in the second half. And even though they had dominance in the first half, we didn’t concede, and that is something we need to build on.
"So, good progress, I would say. Of course, I’m biassed. Hopefully, we can show that tomorrow we will play better, more organised, and more compact than we were in Dublin.
"If we want to qualify, we know we will have two nations above us in the FIFA rankings, two seeded teams above us, and if we want to qualify, we need points against the big nations at home or away," he added.
"So, this is a good dress rehearsal for that campaign that starts in September."
Hallgrimsson on World Cup qualification ambitions
“We really, really want to qualify for the World Cup finals,” he said. “They are hiring a new manager and want to win the World Cup; that is the difference in where we are at the moment.”
🗣️ 'All the pressure is on England!'
🗣️ 'Conor is kind of a like for like player to Jason...'
Heimir Hallgrimsson explains what he's seen in Conor Coventry to call him into the squad, and what to expect from England in Wembley. | 🇮🇪🏴
Off The Ball Football w/ @WilliamHillIre. pic.twitter.com/cDdfow0WYO
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) November 16, 2024
Hallgrimsson on England’s pressure:
“We go into this game like all games to try and win it, whatever way we use,” the Icelander added. “But it is, of course, a little bit of a relief to know we are not playing for positions.
“The pressure is on England; they need to win to finish top of the group. They don’t belong in Group B, so of course, they would like to play in Group A as one of the top international teams in the world and Europe.
“They should be playing in Group A.
“We know what kind of threat England gives us, and if we are not ready for the first minute, they will punish us.
“It happened in Dublin. It is a team that, if we give them a chance, they will probably take it, such an attacking quality in that team.
“But they have their weaknesses as well, so we will try and exploit that.”
Josh Cullen reflects on playing at Wembley:
“It would mean a lot, that goes without saying, but I don’t think it would mean any more than the Finland game the other night,” he said.
“Every time we play for our country, we want to win.
“It would be great to win tomorrow night, but we will approach it the same as the other games.”
Hallgrimsson on Ireland's chances of a win
Reporter: "Is it realistic for Ireland to think they can get a result?"
Hallgrimsson: "Yes."
Reporter: "Well, could you elaborate on how we can do it?"
Hallgrimsson: "Well, in general terms, maybe."
Reporter: "Well, like I said, we need to come back."
Hallgrimsson: "With fewer goals, we don't see them. The more chances we have to win the game, that is what I can say now."
Ireland game against England kicks off at 5pm tomorrow
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