When the doyens of UEFA came together to formulate this fixture, both international sides were in very different circumstances.
Ireland were just after coming out of the rather unhappy relationship with Stephen Kenny and were threading water under the interim stewardship of John O’Shea. England, and their long-term association with manager Gareth Southgate, were on the high of looking forward to another tilt at the European Championships.
Today, the sides face off in the first match in Group 2 of the UEFA Nations League and the circumstances surrounding the teams could hardly be more different. Interim boss O’Shea has moved into the assistant role to new full-time manager and former Iceland and Jamaica head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson. His appointment welcomed by most Irish football followers, desperate to find a path to getting back to anything like winning ways.
England, on the other hand, have just come out of another run to the final of a major championships, only to come up short against a magnificent Spain side. While most countries would consider making the finals of two successive European Championships a great achievement, the conservative and frankly timid approach by Southgate in making the finals was seen by the English football support as a missed opportunity rather than a success. So he too has moved on.
Up steps Lee Carsley as the English side’s interim manager for this encounter, mirroring the cycle of their Irish counterparts ascent to the top job.
Any encounter with the English, no matter the sport, comes with its own spice. This is even more heightened in the rival of Association Football, and the legacy of the 1995 Lansdowne Road riots. Now even more intriguing with the knowledge that the England boss, whose granny hails from Dunmanway in West Cork, has 40 caps as a player for Ireland, but then publicly rejected the Irish management job on the promise that if he can make a go of the interim role with the Three Lions, he would most likely get the more high-profile English job, full-time.
So, no pressure for tonight then.
The backbone of the squad that got all the way to the Euro 24 final return to the squad for tonight’s game in Dublin bar a few, Foden et al, joined by call-ups for newcomers: Newcastle United defender Tino Livramento, Lille midfielder Angel Gomes, Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White, as well as Chelsea forward Noni Madueke.
It’s a step into the unknown for Hallgrimsson and the Irish fans and it may not be ideal to start his stewardship in a competitive international, rather than getting to know his team with a friendly match or two. It’s in at the deep end, against maybe one of the most difficult and controversial opponents he could face.
Hallgrimsson does have the benefit of a settled squad who did show, in patches, quality under Kenny and O’Shea, abilities better than their results indicated.
Our eyes will be on the five Cork players named in the Irish squad of course. Especially now as they enter critical stages in their careers. We will hope that the moves of Adam Idah to Celtic and Chiedozie Ogbene to Ipswich will spark a performance in the attack. While back in goal, Caoimhin Kelleher will be eager again to showcase his talents as doubts about his Liverpool future continue to be speculated on with the signing of Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia by the Merseysiders, who will commence his Reds’ career next season. A big match against the English could put Kelleher firmly in the transfer shop window again.
We will also be hoping to see veteran Cork player Alan Browne, and up-and-coming star Jake O’Brien play a role tonight too.
There is rarely a better time to take on one of the bigger footballing nations in Europe than when they are coming out of a major championship. Players, if not the management, will have a lot of their focus redirected to club commitments and their own game naturally enough. Pushing on with the national team, while always an honour may not be at the top of their concerns at the start of a season that is without a major qualification at the end of it.
Militating against catching the English on the hop is that likelihood that many players in their camp will be eager to make an impression with the new presumptive full-time boss. And Carsley will hardly be holding back for any nostalgic reasons, as a former Irish midfield enforcer, as he bids to make his new role permanent.
Standing in Hallgrimsson’s favour is that he knows how to beat an English side. He was, we must remember, the assistant manager when Iceland humbled England back in Euro 2016. We would all be happy if that scenario could be repeated for Ireland.