Ireland must be more flexible in and out of possession says John O'Shea

“The back four is definitely a stronger position for us at the minute,” asserted O’Shea.

MORE FLEXIBLE: Assistant head coach John O'Shea and Sammie Szmodics speak to the media. Pic: Ben McShane/Sportsfile

Relegation by Sunday is the permutation Ireland don’t want to contemplate but retention of a settled team and style is an objective they must balance results against.

Last month’s late 2-1 win over Finland in Helsinki gives Ireland the upperhand in avoiding the drop to League B, automatically at least.

Draw or win the rematch in Dublin on Thursday and the likelihood is they’ll have a playoff in March to preserve their status among the second tier of European nations for the next cycle.

Heimir Hallgrimsson’s watchword since arriving in the summer has been consistency. His attempts to settle on a starting XI, notwithstanding unavoidable injuries, were evident by him restricting his changes to just one between the Finland and Greece games last time out.

There’s also been intrigue around what principles the Icelander would apply. Whereas his predecessor Stephen Kenny and caretaker stand-in John O’Shea favoured three centre-backs, Hallgrimsson reverted to a flat back four after his reign began in September with a midfield masterclass by England.

Even if, much to the chagrin of Matt Doherty, the management have opted for a centre-back like Andrew Omobamidele or Dara O’Shea to occupy the right-back berth, that format appears to be here to stay.

“The back four is definitely a stronger position for us at the minute,” asserted assistant boss John O’Shea, himself a defensive centurion during his time as an Ireland player.

“We must have flexibility too because there’s formations in and out of possession. In general, we have changed to the back four. That depends on different stages, the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses as well as team selections.

“You need to get consistency going at some stage and the sooner it happens the better. Ultimately having the flexibility and understanding of what best strengths suit the squad is a massive factor."