Ireland’s bid for a spot in the upcoming World Cup continues on Tuesday, as the ‘Boys in Green’ play host to Armenia. Saturday’s heartbreaking defeat in Lisbon has left Ireland’s qualifying campaign on shaky ground with just one point from the first three matches.
Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men come into the fixture with an aim to avenge their earlier defeat to Armenia in September. After a dramatic draw with Hungary in the Aviva to commence their campaign, Ireland travelled to Yerevan as heavy favourites with their opponents ranked 105th in the FIFA rankings.
Instead, Ireland were stunned as the hosts came out 2-1 winners, with a performance that was heavily criticised by experts, including ex-Ireland international Richard Dunne, who stated that the team was “too narrow, too slow, too predictable”. Hallgrímsson himself has already said that his team “want to correct what went wrong in Armenia”, while midfielder Finn Azaz stated that the team has “an anger to put things right”.
Despite another loss, Saturday’s fixture with Portugal showed improvements from Ireland. Defending resiliently against a formidable opposition that included Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes. Goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher once again delivered a standout performance, making a string of saves, including a jaw-dropping stop to deny Ronaldo from the penalty spot.
Injuries rule out Sammie Szmodics and Callum O’Dowda from the current round of fixtures, while a booking on Saturday for midfielder Josh Cullen sees him suspended ahead of Tuesday due to accumulated yellow cards.
Leaning on experience, Hallgrímsson has recalled veteran defenders Seamus Coleman and John Egan to the national panel. Will Ferry is also a late addition to the squad, replacing O’Dowda. The 24-year-old, who plays for Dundee United, will be hoping to earn his first international cap on Tuesday.
Hallgrímsson’s switch to a 5-4-1 in Lisbon delivered defensive stability, but the team will continue to struggle going forward. They will be looking to Evan Ferguson and Troy Parrott for their attacking threat. Parrott scored 14 goals last season for Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar, but is coming back from a knee ligament injury. He made a cameo as a late sub against Portugal.
Assistant Manager John O’Shea had previously been tentative about his readiness on Wednesday, saying, “There’s every chance … but you also have to respect the kind of injury he had. We look after the player first and foremost.” If it happens, Parrott’s return could provide a much-needed spark alongside Evan Ferguson, who, despite a slow start at AS Roma, scored in both of Ireland’s opening qualifiers.
In addition to the pressure of failing to qualify for a fifth consecutive World Cup, Ireland continue to play with their manager under heavy scrutiny. With many analysts questioning whether the Icelandic coach is the right man for the job, Roy Keane was particularly critical of the situation.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, the former Ireland captain labelled Hallgrímsson’s appointment process as a “farce.” Ex-international Kevin Kilbane wrote in The Irish Times that “the manager should go” if Ireland loses on Tuesday.
The Armenians have otherwise struggled during their own qualifying campaign. The visitors came to Dublin after a 2-0 loss to Hungary in Budapest on Saturday and opened their campaign with a 5-0 loss at home to Portugal. They will nonetheless be buoyed by fond memories of September, along with a similar win over Ireland in the UEFA Nations League just 3 years ago.
With Ireland’s World Cup dream already on life support, anything short of an emphatic victory on Tuesday would deepen the sense of drift. It may force the FAI to reconsider Halgrímsson’s position as manager.
