Heimir Halgrimsson wants to start slow, he wants to keep things simple, and is happy to follow John O’Shea and Paddy McCarthy’s lead heading into his first competitive game against England next week.
However, after speaking with the press at Thursday’s first squad announcement, it became abundantly clear that the new national team head coach has come with a plan to get Ireland back to winning ways.
It all starts with the Nations League clash against old foes, England, on Saturday week and in essence, it’s a free shot for the new man in charge, who is actually looking beyond that particular encounter as he readies the side to go head-to-head with Finland and Greece in a mini-group within their League B campaign.
Halgrimsson said it will take time, however, he is also happy to embrace this immediate run of games throughout September, October and November to get to know his team and to personally assess the current state of the nation’s game at the top level.
The manager’s minimum requirement from this six-match shoot-out is to retain League B status, which is not necessarily a foregone conclusion, considering Ireland lost home and away to Greece in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, and similarly were beaten at home and in Finland during the Covid days of the Nations League in 2020.
But Halgrimsson puts all three teams on a par, while placing England out on their own as clear group favourites, and he appeared quietly confident that Ireland will improve their Nations League record and make their mark in the four-team competition.
“We have to see how both Greece and Finland will come to this campaign,” said Halgrimsson.
“To stay in this group is the minimum for me. First of all, for the next Euros it’s important to have at least – if we don’t qualify directly – the play-off chance.
“Staying in Group B should be enough to get a play-off chance. Second, the FIFA points because of the draw for the World Cup. To get as many points before the draw is important as well.
“I would say Greece, Ireland and Finland are at a similar level. For me, that’s the competition. Let’s see how England do but everybody is tipping them to win the group.”
Halgrimsson has yet to even host a training session with his new side, however, he feels it has been a positive first month in the job as he has had a chance to start to learn about the culture of Irish football, while receiving a warm welcome into the top job in the land.
“In regards to the environment, the staff and so on, I’m really happy,” he said. “They’ve been so supportive towards me.
“Coming in on such short notice to a big football culture like Ireland is pretty tough and a little bit daunting.
“I’ve tried to learn as much as I can in this time but it has been a short transition time. So again, John and Paddy have helped me a lot and the staff as well.
“I’m happy with what I’ve seen. Today, I’m a little bit more positive. Tomorrow, a little bit more negative. It’s just how it is when you don’t know it all.
“Normally I’m kind of a realist in every way,” he added when asked was he more optimistic now than he was when he first took the job.
“Obviously, it needs time and hopefully we get it. Hopefully we get some good results now. We’re talking about the Nations League and getting some wins in this campaign.”
Halgrimsson looks set to continue the work that John O’Shea started by making Ireland a difficult team to play against, while putting real focus on defensive stability.
Being organised and compact are two of the new manager’s main objectives, and when the age-old question of formation came up, and whether it involved a three, four or five-man defence, Halgrimsson said that he had no particular preference, emphasising the situation, the players and the opponents in order to determine how the side sets up.
“If we were decided [on the formation] we probably wouldn’t say it,” said the former Iceland manager, who employed a four-man defence during their famous run to the quarter-finals at Euro 2016.
“That’s the first thing. I’ve never had a favourite system. It’s more about the principles in play, whether we play three at the back or four at the back. Principles in defence.
“When we develop our squad and our players it will be easier for us to change formations during the game without any problems.
“I don’t favour any formation, it’s about what fits the players, first and foremost, and what fits playing this opponent.
“So maybe an in-game change of formation in the future we could see that, that is when the team is really a strong unit and knows the individual tactical [instructions] and team tactical [instructions]. That would be something I’d love to see, that we can tweak and change in game against different opponents.”
And while the new man in charge is not ruling out playing in the style advocated by previous manager, Stephen Kenny, who looked to implement a philosophy of playing out from the back, he added that it would “probably be the last thing to happen”.
“In my opinion, from having this short time with the team, I think that is something that we will develop slowly,” he said, when asked about that particular style of play.
“It’s not something you can force, but this will develop slowly and probably be the last thing that will happen, on the ball having the relaxed player playing the risky passes without losing it.
“At the moment, other things are more important than spending all of our time in build-up. For me, it’s about scoring a goal. If the build-up helps with that then we will focus on that.”
The manager also spoke about looking for a gamechanger in the squad, and while he said that a lot of the players in the squad are very similar, he certainly appears to have taken a shine to Sammie Szmodics, who opened his Premier League account for his new side, Ipswich, against champions Manchester City at the weekend.
“On the pitch, maybe his directness is what really pleases me,” said Halgrimsson. “He’s really direct, he’s unafraid going forward, taking players on, quick-thinking, speed in him and a lot of confidence.
“If we are organised, if we are compact, and then we have players that can do the damage. That’s the perfect recipe.”
So what about that first game and a chance to instantly become part of the nation’s footballing folklore as he takes on England at Lansdowne Road?
“I’m really looking forward to that. Everybody has said that we’re only playing one game, we’re only playing England.
“I always say that there’s two games. Greece is three days later and that is a game we should not forget, and we need to focus on that.
“So once we’ve beat England, we cannot celebrate for three days and lose against Greece.”