Heimir Hallgrimsson will send the Republic of Ireland into battle for the second time on Tuesday night hoping things work out better than they did first time around.
Ireland will hope to erase the memories of Saturday’s 2-0 defeat by England with a better performance and result against Greece at the Aviva Stadium.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the talking points surrounding the game.
Home truths for Heimir
Hallgrimsson knew when he took the Ireland job that there were issues to address, with Stephen Kenny’s team having won just six of the 29 competitive fixtures they played under his charge. A first game against Euro 2024 runners-up England was never likely to give him a full picture and the way his players handle Greece’s visit to Dublin should give him a better idea of the work which lies ahead.
Four or five?
Having started against England with three central defenders and wing-backs, Hallgrimsson admitted he toyed with the idea of switching to a back four at half-time but opted against doing so because of the disruption it might cause. Whether or not two days represents enough time to prepare for a change remains to be seen, but the injury skipper Seamus Coleman picked up on Saturday means there will have to be a reshuffle of personnel regardless.
Nations League numbers
The Nations League is a tournament which has not been kind to Ireland over the years. Of the 17 games they have played in the competition – now in its fourth iteration – to date, they have won just two, against Scotland and Armenia in the last campaign, and taken a total of 12 points from a possible 51. That run of form needs to improve significantly if they are to lay a foundation from which they can mount a realistic bid to qualify for the finals of a major tournament once again.
Beware of Greeks…
Ireland and Greece have met on five previous occasions and none of those encounters has resulted in an Irish victory. Their only positive return came in a 0-0 friendly draw in Athens almost 22 years ago and the most recent memories are painful. Giorgos Masouras’ goal after Nathan Collins had cancelled out Anastasios Bakasetas’ early penalty clinched a 2-1 Euro 2024 qualifying victory for the home side in the Greek capital in June last year before Giorgos Giakoumakis and Masouras struck at the Aviva to seal a 2-0 win in October’s return.
Well played, Gus
Gus Poyet found himself installed as one of the favourites to succeed Kenny after indicating during the trip to Dublin in October that he would “love” to be in charge of such a well-supported team. Reports in March suggested he had turned down the job, but the charismatic former Chelsea and Tottenham midfielder later insisted he had not been approached. Poyet has since been replaced by Serbian Ivan Jovanovic after his team lost their Euro 2024 play-off showdown with Georgia.
