'There is an anger there to put things right': Finn Azaz urges Ireland to respond after Armenia shock

Finn Azaz says Ireland’s players are fuelled by frustration as they look to bounce back from the Armenia defeat against Portugal.

Finn Azaz has yet to find form this season, both for Ireland, and his new club Southampton. Pic: Ben McShane/Sportsfile

Contrition and bullishness, not the most natural of bedfellows, have been the order of the day as the Republic of Ireland go about rescuing a World Cup campaign that slipped into the mire in Yerevan last month.

That 2-1 defeat to Armenia will go down as one of the low points in the modern history of the national football team regardless of what happens next, and the players rolled out to speak to the media this week admit it.

“We all know that we’ve let people down, let ourselves down,” said Southampton midfielder Finn Azaz who started both the opening 2-2 draw against Hungary in the Aviva Stadium and the disaster in Eastern Europe.

“Now it’s just a case of looking towards the next two games to put it right and that’s the feeling right now. There is an anger there to put things right. We know it wasn’t good enough and we’re feeling we can really make a statement and put it right.” 

Making a statement would involve a draw or a win in their next qualifier, against Portugal in Lisbon. Or, at the very least, the sort of heroic effort that saw them thieved of anything concrete four years ago when conceding twice late on in Faro and losing 2-1.

It’s the tallest, most unlikely, of orders. And that’s before Armenia arrive in Dublin for Tuesday’s game to serve reminder as to just how bad Ireland were in that September disaster. What Ireland need to do is start by plucking some low-hanging fruit.

“Stopping lapses of concentration in key moments and managing the games,” said Azaz. “The mistakes at certain times have cost us against Hungary and against Armenia. So definitely eliminating those and making sure the concentration is there [is important].

“Without those mistakes I think we’d give ourselves a really good chance. I think we have a lot of quality in the squad. You can see that at club [level] and when I’m at training I can see it. Getting that right is fundamental.” 

Heimir Hallgrimsson’s tenure as manager hangs by a thread but Azaz, like others in the squad, accepted the lion’s share of the blame in insisting that everything had been done for them by the staff to allow them to perform.

Like his boss and Troy Parrott, Azaz refuses to give up the ghost in terms of next year’s World Cup in North America but he admits too that an Irish ‘result’ in Portugal would be just as shocking in its own way as their embarrassment against Armenia.

“We know what Portugal are so the obvious answer to that question is ‘yes’. But at the same time with that added energy of losing that last game – we all know we shouldn’t be losing that game – there’ll definitely be an added edge to make it right.” 

Eliminating those errors and finding a system that prevents the midfield area from being overrun have to be Hallgrimsson’s top priorities but Ireland could really do with Azaz finding some form in the green jersey as well.

Maybe more so next Tuesday in Dublin.

The 25-year-old made his name with some superb form over an extended period of time with Plymouth Argyle and Middlesbrough in the Championship where he contributed either a goal or a ‘goal contribution’ in half of his 93 appearances.

His form last season with Boro led to a £12m move to Southampton in late August but he hasn’t yet found his feet on the south coast in his half-dozen games to date and he admits to being disappointed with his start so far.

A disrupted pre-season has fed into that – and there was a similarly sluggish beginning to his life at the Riverside to take note of – with his efforts against Hungary and Armenia last month adding to the underwhelming nature of the campaign so far.

Ireland could really do with a fully firing Azaz this next week.

“There is always going to be that expectation and that added pressure of playing for your country. I feel like my role as a creative player, the manager has kind of given me that space and that freedom.

“I’ve just wanted to bring that creative… That’s all my focus has been on. It hasn’t been on, ‘Ah I need to do this, I need to perform’. It is more, ‘how can I help this team create more chances? How can I adapt and have the best impact in this game?’ 

“That’s kind of my sole focus. I haven’t worried too much about the things you’ve been saying, that’s because I’ve had enough experience in football to understand that and live with that expectation and pressure.”