"That was not really sensible" - Hallgrímsson eschews risky passing at the back

OVERZEALOUS: Heimir Hallgrímsson has revealed Ireland abandoned their approach at half-time in Bulgaria after they almost came unstuck by overzealousness. Pic: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Heimir Hallgrímsson has revealed Ireland abandoned their approach at half-time in Bulgaria after they almost came unstuck by overzealousness.

Although Ireland take a 2-1 first-leg advantage into Sunday’s leg, stray passes out of defence, particularly from captain Nathan Collins, threatened to gift the inferior Bulgars sights at goal.

“I thought at half-time we just addressed that,” explained the Ireland boss at his pre-match press conference, reporting a fully available squad, free of injuries or suspensions.

“That was at the end of the first half - two or three occasions we were overplaying in our own box.

“And just as the pitch was, we thought that was not really sensible so we just talked about that. It didn’t happen in the second half.” 

Hallgrímsson's initial primary takeaway from the trip to Plovdiv was the team’s passiveness in the second half. Clearly the better side against League C Bulgaria, they failed to expand their advantage in the second half after mounting a quick turnaround to lead at half-time.

In the cold light of day, the Icelander projected a more rounded viewpoint.

“As a coach, I’ve always been a little bit too emotional - it’s why I don’t like to talk to players after games,” he outlined.

“I like to analyse the game before I speak. There was probably a little bit of emotion there. When I watched the game on TV, even though we gave them a little bit more of possession, there was never any danger at all that they would create something.

“We absolutely controlled the game even though they had possession. And that is something, once we go to a major tournament whenever that will be, hopefully next summer’s World Cup, we need to be perfect in these areas.

“That’s because sometimes against good opponents you don’t have the ball and you can do nothing about it. You need to be compact and solid.

“We gave Bulgaria a bit of the initiative by dropping deeper on the pitch but still we did that part really well.

“After looking after the game, it was not like it affected our chances of winning it.

“We had some really good opportunities in counter attacks and we should have done better in those.” Avoiding defeat to Lansdowne Road (7.45pm) will ensure Ireland retain their place in the second tier of countries for the next Uefa Nations League series in late 2026.