Three selection posers for Heimir as Czechs fear Parrott
In a stadium called Eden, Ireland’s quest centres on maintaining their blissful harvest while profiting from Czechia decay.
Not since Portugal romped to a 4-0 win in 2022 have Czechia suffered defeat at home.
That’s 17 games in succession without losing, a record referenced regularly by Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson since the playoff draw in December pitted them together.
Given the fact they sit 16 places above Ireland in Fifa’s rankings, the widespread view exists that there’s enough guile and nous in their ranks to elbow through to Tuesday’s playoff decider against Denmark or North Macedonia.
Parsing the details and distilling the soundbites from their camp should caution against embracing stereotypes.
By any metric, the passing of four months since the last international window in November has been kinder to Ireland.
As much as the loss of Josh Cullen joining the inevitable loss of Evan Ferguson reduces depth, Ireland’s backbone remains solid.
There were, unusually, no late injuries reported nor doubts over their key personnel.
Marinate in that afterglow of beating Portugal and Hungary over an epic 66 hours.
Those titanic couple of results ought to rid players of the syndrome Hallgrímsson branded as the “heavy shirt” upon his appointment.
The Icelander’s desire from the outlet 18 month ago to establish a settled first XI is finally taking shape to the point that all bar three of the starters are predictable.
Selection dilemma areas for the manager are confined to three positions. Ryan Manning’s activity over Robbie Brady should retain him the left wing-back spot, while uncapped Harvey Vale was last night shading Sammie Szmodics and Chiedozie Ogbene for one of the No 10 slots behind the sole striker.
Midfield is the toughest call to detect. Jayson Molumby’s status as a mainstay in the last window would ordinarily guarantee him the berth but the form of returning Alan Browne is worth of consideration.
It would appear a stretch to parachute Bosun Lawal into that position, particularly as Jack Taylor and Jason Knight are viable alternatives ahead of him.
Moreover, the formation Hallgrímsson switched to midway through last year’s regulation qualifiers, cementing three centre-backs within the structure, promotes cohesion.
Parrott’s continual ascent since his heroic five-goal window, too, deserves all the attention it’s gained within the opposition ranks. Ireland have within their armoury a scorer of 31 goals in total this term and clubs across the major leagues will be assessing his impact with a view to summer bids.
“Parrott is outstanding,” stressed Miroslav Koubek, the Czechia manager, about the AZ Alkmaar striker.
“He is doing great and is very fit. We know how he works from the information we have. Now it will all be about eliminating him in a smart way because we will just have to stop him.”
At 74, with a long managerial career behind him, Koubek knows his football. What he hasn’t been exposed to is international football.
Both, according to the purists, are interchangeable, yet the deficit on his CV, the circumstances of his appointment and the cloud hanging over Tomás Soucek all feed into a sense of instability.
If local reports are to be believed, the West Ham United midfielder has gone from captain to player to substitute since the last of 87 caps in November. Attaching a description of ‘full-fat’ to his name at the press conference won’t have done much to defray suspicions of a rift.
The teamsheet unveiled 90 minutes before kick-off promises to quantify the statement made by the new chief on his first outing.
That Koubek wasn’t first choice of the Czechia FA – one similarity he shares with Hallgrímsson – has contributed to the nervousness surrounding his capacity to lift a team rocked by upheaval last year.
Financial restrictions prevented them enticing a manager of calibre from abroad before their next target, Jindřich Trpišovský, was prevented from being released by his club, champions Slavia Prague.
“A soap opera” is how Prague media outlet, Aktualne, branded the circuitous route to slumbering upon filling the vacancy. Irish football has recent history in this regard.
Despite their manager being a novice on the international stage, Czechia do possess a couple of matchwinners.
Newly crowned player of the year Pavel Šulc worked under Koubek at Viktoria Plzen before last summer moving to Lyon, where he’s been nurtured into their creative spark.
Patrik Schick of Bayer Leverkusen is a handful for any defence. His record of 24 goals in 50 internationals, almost one in every other outing, illustrates his firepower.
Both were injury doubts in recent weeks, militating against regular games in the run-up, but even an undercooked version of either counts as a threat.
Hallgrímsson knows all about that parking endurance fears to unleash his most reliable components.
Séamus Coleman hasn’t kicked a competitive ball since November and the only full games another starter from Budapest, Chiedozie Ogbene, has gotten is at reserve level.
Robbie Brady’s return after missing the entire regulation qualifiers is welcome without him bringing a compelling case for inclusion. Sporadic cameos won’t condition players to the intensity of what awaits four kilometres outside Prague city centre.
“I don’t think there’s a number,” the manager said about balancing sharpshooters with those suffering from being idle at club level. “They’re all different individuals and different characters.”
For Hallgrímsson to gain individual cult hero status, he’s to lead Ireland to five competitive wins on the spin. Making it four tonight would be the first time in a decade.
All manner of records and history were obliterated during the November blitz. Another amble through the golden garden of Eden is well within the manager’s capabilities.
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