logo
‘Look at new faces' – Heimir Hallgrimsson confirms changes will be made to the Ireland team to face Luxembourg

‘Look at new faces' – Heimir Hallgrimsson confirms changes will be made to the Ireland team to face Luxembourg

The Irish Sun14 hours ago

HEIMIR Hallgrímsson believes that going back to basics has Ireland ready for the World Cup campaign.
The Boys in Green face Luxembourg tomorrow in the final warm-up game ahead of the start of the World Cup qualification campaign in September.
Advertisement
And Hallgrímsson wants to see Ireland build on a decent 2025 to date that has seen them
He said: 'Basics first before details. I think we are getting the basics pretty good at this stage and the excitement comes with that.
'We feel that we are growing, we can play good teams like Senegal and look comfortable.
'That's now one step taken and hopefully we can have the same performance against Luxembourg so it shouldn't be up and down performances.
Advertisement
Read more on Irish football
'We should be consistent in what we are doing, that's the main thing if you want to qualify.
"You need to get performances every game and play a similar way in every game and develop a style of play.
'This World Cup campaign comes and goes really quickly so we have to have everything spot on once it comes to September. I think it's good preparation for us.
'It's always important to win. For every team, it's always important to win.
Advertisement
Most read in Football
Live Blog
Exclusive
"Just to get that winning feeling and make it a habit to do everything correct - to win the matches.
'It is important to win the game even though we would say in a friendly, I would pick performance above winning.
ITV commentator stunned by Cristiano Ronaldo banner at Nations League final
'If we have a good performance, continue to improve in what we are doing, even though we are unlucky and lose the game, I would probably take that more than a win…
'It was the wrong way of saying that, don't make that a headline!'
Advertisement
While Hallgrímsson looks for consistency, he confirmed that he will make changes to his starting XI.
Stoke City's
1
A number of players in the squad are still awaiting debuts
But both took part in training this morning in the Stade de Luxembourg.
Advertisement
Hallgrímsson continued: 'The purpose of this camp was to look at new faces and we will make some changes even though we were really happy with the performance.
'Hopefully everyone will have their time to shine, but we'd like to keep some consistency too and build on what we've been doing well.
'I think we probably played one of our best games as a team and we don't want to miss that in the game against Luxembourg.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Mark English breaks Irish record with 800m win in Netherlands
Mark English breaks Irish record with 800m win in Netherlands

The 42

time2 hours ago

  • The 42

Mark English breaks Irish record with 800m win in Netherlands

MARK ENGLISH BROKE his own Irish 800m record tonight as he triumphed at the FBK Games in Hengelo in the Netherlands. The Donegal native set a new national record with his time of 1:43.92. Advertisement In the process English became the first Irishman to run under 1:44, as he ran clear of Yanis Meziane of France and Peyton Craig of Australia to win. The 32-year-old will race again on Thursday night in Oslo in the Diamond League. Tonight's result continues English's excellent form this year after claiming a bronze medal in March in the European Indoor Athletics Championships at 800m level. That achievement was also earned in the Netherlands in Apeldoorn and was the fifth European medal of his career.

Nathan Collins Collins encouraged by 'solidness' in Republic of Ireland team
Nathan Collins Collins encouraged by 'solidness' in Republic of Ireland team

RTÉ News​

time3 hours ago

  • RTÉ News​

Nathan Collins Collins encouraged by 'solidness' in Republic of Ireland team

Nathan Collins is sensing growth within the Republic of Ireland squad as he hopes to sign off on the international window on a high, having experienced some lows around this period in the past. Friday's 1-1 draw with Senegal was encouraging, based on the performance and providing more minutes for newer faces in the green shirt. Kasey McAteer made his first start in the game and marked it with a goal, while Killian Phillips came off the bench for his debut. Bosun Lawal has been added to the squad for the game, and with no injury concerns after Josh Honohan overcame a knock, it gives Ireland the chance to experiment further this evening in Luxembourg. Collins is a young captain at 24 and has certainly had more bad times than good. He is happy to see some green shoots and knows there is the opportunity to build impetus going into the World Cup qualifiers in September. The Brentford defender wasn't involved in corresponding games last summer when there was an interim manager, but his overall feeling is a new platform is developing under Heimir Hallgrimsson. Collins said: "I just think there's a bit more of a base in the team now I think, just a bit of solidness in it. "I think last summer it was a bit up in the air regarding Ireland at the time. "Now the way the squad is, the way we have our manager here where everything is solidified, we're building our base, we're growing with that, and again we're just trying to keep creating momentum for us to get better. "Tuesday is going to be another tough challenge but it's another game for us to get better as a team and try to get another result to keep us going." The Dubliner is all too aware it is just small strides and winning matches against high-ranked opponents is what is required to deliver any chance of World Cup qualification. He has set sights on more improvements in Luxembourg, knowing the opposition may be at a slightly weaker level. "There were chances we conceded against Senegal where we could have defended better," Collins conceded. "We could have attacked the ball more. We could have been a bit more proactive and seen that game out. "I think if we want to get to that next stage, we have to see a game like that out. "I think we're definitely good enough. I think we're definitely good enough to go score another goal [in a game like that], but we're also good enough to not concede and not give them chances that we did concede, unfortunately. "They are little things we can grow on, and then there's loads of individual things as players, as defensive units, as attacking units, and we can grow a lot together. "But I think the take away from the last game is that if we can go and take our chances and go kill a game off, or if we can see a game out and just be solid, winning games like that will be massive come the World Cup." Such thought is a far cry to how 2024 finished for Ireland after a 5-0 humbling by England at Wembley. The game, against one of the best teams in the world, may have been a blessing in disguise according to Collins. This year has seen Ireland avoid defeat, albeit in easier fixtures. The pain of Wembley was something Collins has taken with him. "For me personally, it probably created a bit more of a hunger in me, especially a little hunger and desire to do better for Ireland," he admitted. "I think that one hurt a lot of people, I think it affected a lot of people, and it was probably nearly nice to have a little break away from everyone just to reset and get ready to go again. "Considering what happened, the hurt we felt, the dressing room after was not a nice place. "But for me it did definitely reset me to go and want to do better and improve for the next camp. It might have worked in a good way for us."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store