Hallgrimsson sowing seeds for World Cup qualification

If Thursday night's impressive victory in Plovdiv whetted the appetite, there is a sense that tonight’s clash with Bulgaria can kick-start Heimir Hallgrimsson’s quest to qualify for the World Cup.

The manager appears intent on producing a statement home victory to see off the challenge of Bulgaria and ensure the play-off win, which will guarantee his side’s second-tier status in the Nations League.

And should that be the case, it will signal Hallgrimsson’s intent for the upcoming quick-fire campaign where maximum points at home will surely be a requisite for the national team to have any chance of qualifying for the North American tournament.

The manager believes that his squad are showing all the signs of moving from a group to a team, emphasised by the first-half performance in Bulgaria on Thursday, and Hallgrimsson expects his side to finish the job in style this evening at Aviva Stadium.

Speaking after the match on Thursday, he indicated that the onus was on Bulgaria to come and win the game, which suggested that his side might be content to sit in and settle for a draw to secure the overall tie.

But speaking at the pre-match press conference, Hallgrimsson said that was not the case and expects his side to go out and win the match to give the home supporters something to shout about.

"We know that a draw will get us through, but we want to win the game and continue to develop," said the Iceland native. "We want to go at them at home and show character and positivity, on the front foot.

"That was the game-plan we had away, it changed a little bit in the second half, but we will continue with being positive and trying to win the game, for sure."

Hallgrimsson’s main aim in the team-building department is to create a consistent core group within the starting XI, while laying a strong foundation throughout the spine of the team from goalkeeper, through defence and midfield to attack.

And while several key players are missing this week, Hallgrimsson always advocates the opportunity for those involved to cement their place and grab the jersey for themselves.

The manager believes that a benchmark has now been set, and players know the level of performance that is required, and it is already leading to a healthy competition for places.

As a result, Hallgrimsson is likely to reward most of the starting side from Plovdiv with another chance to stake their World Cup qualifying claim when he names his team tonight with no injury or suspension issues to contend with.

Troy Parrott put in a fine performance in Plovdiv

Dropping Evan Ferguson for the game in Bulgaria offered ammunition for anyone who wanted to take a pop should a poor performance have occurred, however, Hallgrimsson’s emphasis on the collective and his "team first" mentality was very much in evidence in his selection in Plovdiv.

It was unclear from the six games at the end of last year whether the manager had a huge amount of grá for Troy Parrott in his attacking formation having started Ferguson in the last four games, however, he rewarded the AZ Alkmaar striker’s club form by asking him to lead the line.

It was arguably Parrott’s best overall performance in the green jersey, and there is every reason to ask the young Dubliner to do it all again tonight.

Hallgrimsson has also embraced the importance of experience in his squad and it has been the senior players who have been leading the way in his emerging side with a rejuvenated Matt Doherty and Robbie Brady really pushing the team forward and leading by example.

"A leader making decision on the pitch for the good of the team" was how Hallgrimsson spoke about Doherty’s performance, while adding his admiration for the player’s bravery for the second goal and putting his body on the line for the cause.

Matt Doherty was involved in both goals away in Bulgaria, scoring the winner

Doherty will make his 50th appearance in the green jersey at some stage during tonight’s game – the manager all but confirmed – however, it may be one of the few changes in the side as Hallgrimsson has so many options to fill that right-back berth that he might be tempted to take a look at Jake O’Brien, Jimmy Dunne, or James Abankwah in that role.

Elsewhere, it is hard to see where Hallgrimsson will mix things up, as he will surely ask Finn Azaz to play that link role between midfield and attack, while Josh Cullen and Jason Knight are likely to be retained in the engine room.

Brady, like Doherty, went to war for his country on Thursday and has the battle scars to prove it, so perhaps the manager will offer the 33-year-old a bit of respite and rejig Ryan Manning and/or Mikey Johnston to accommodate a second striker.

Ferguson and Rocco Vata got a run out in Plovdiv with neither really "adding the spice" to use a Hallgrimsson term, which may see Adam Idah getting a chance to dazzle in what should again be a very attacking formation.

As for the game itself, Hallgrimsson expects Bulgaria to push the limits in tonight’s contest following on from their aggressive tactics in the first leg where Irish players were on the end of some heavy challenges.

The manager was pleased that his players did not react unprofessionally on Thursday night, but he expects his side to fight fire with fire to ensure that Bulgaria do not battle their way back into the contest.

"This game in the Aviva will be the kind that yellow cards don’t count because you don’t take yellows into the World Cup. Only red cards carry into the World Cup," he said. "We know that when yellows don’t count, Bulgaria will go in this area to the maximum.

"We just need to be ready both physically in our duels, we know what is coming, and secondly how we react when this happens, we need to control our emotions in games like this."

A rallying cry of sorts from the manager to rev up the crowd for what could be a pulsating atmosphere should a bumper crowd turn up to see this new-look Ireland side offer hope of a brighter future.

Hallgrimsson wants to turn the stadium into a fortress ahead of that World Cup qualifying campaign, and should his side deliver on his promise of front-foot attacking football this evening, it may well sow the seeds for a fruitful harvest.

Watch Republic of Ireland v Bulgaria in the UEFA Nations League on Sunday from 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to live commentary on Radio 1 Extra

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