TWO WORDS HAVE become ingrained in the Republic of Ireland players’ heads during shape work under Heimir Hallgrímsson.
“Action, reaction.”
It rings in their ears during every session.
“Action, reaction.”
“Action, reaction.”
Hallgrímsson will roar it on the training pitch when needs be and quietly remind those who need it in one on one settings.
But what is the purpose behind it? Well, as detailed after the 1-1 draw with Senegal on Friday night, there were two core tenets of the gameplan.
The first was to stop a blisteringly quick team from cause damage of the counterattack and the second was to be quick, sharp and decisive with their defensive actions and also once in possession.
It’s why, as was pointed out on Friday, we saw O’Shea sprint from his slot on the left side of defence and follow Abdallah Sima into Senegal’s half when the forward was hesitant with the ball at his feet and back to play. Rather than just take the more passive option, to pass his man on and allow a midfielder to pick up the slack, the defender was proactive in his approach and sought to get after his man in a manner that would
“Action, reaction.”
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“Action, reaction.”
The Hallgrímsson doctrine is taking shape.
“The manager is big on someone making a decision and then everyone else going with that,” O’Shea explained.
“That’s the way he wants us to be. He’s drilled that into us in the sessions and I think everyone buys into that. As soon as someone sets the press off you need to go with them or else it’s not going to work.
“So, yeah, I think for us as a whole that’s how we are and that’s how we want to be going forward.”
O’Shea turned 26 in March and will likely earn his 35th cap away to Luxembourg tomorrow. Since making his senior debut in 2020 he has become a father – his son is now three – and played in the Premier League with West Bromwich Albion, Burnley and Ipswich Town.
Senegal’s Abdallah Sima is put under pressure by Dara O’Shea. Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
He has also suffered three relegations during that time, but he still feels a stronger sense of confidence to be a player for Hallgrímsson who can take the lead and be the one to show the kind of initative that rubs off on teammates.
“For sure, definitely. I feel like I’m probably one of the more experienced players here now which is a bit weird as I still feel like I’m young but it’s a good thing. We’ve got a young, hard-working group and the gaffer instils the confidence in us to make our own decisions and everyone else has to react to the person’s decision or whatever that is. That’s the way we’re going to be going forward.
“Every successful team is that fundamental, that hard work. You watch PSG for example the other week [in the Champions League final], they’ve got all the talent in the world but they worked hard as well and that’s what got them to there.
“I think for us we have this embedded in us as Irish people, we’re hard working people and we’re so proud to be Irish so we’ve got to show that on the pitch and not take the moments for granted.
“We understand the way the manager wants us to play and how he wants us to be as a nation. That’s the identity of us as Irish people too, kind of showing that,” O’Shea said. “I thought our reaction [on Friday] in the middle of the park, we lost the ball, we got around it.
“There was some big tackles, some big blocks, something that we’ve kind of came away from as a nation which we should never. That’s our identity. Obviously working hard, we’re hard working people and there’s great lads here too. If we can build on all them fundamentals and I suppose basics, everyone’s playing at a high level of football and they’re playing good football at their clubs. So take that into it as well and we’ve got the right recipe, I think.”
O’Shea read and heard Hallgrímsson’s comments about aiming for qualification for USA/Canada/Mexico next summer, adding “we’ve got to back that up too, you know it’s that mentality that’s instilled in the group now so we’ve got to go with it.”
When the Ireland boss spoke so bullishly about those prospects last month he also made it clear that he felt O’Shea once again proved that he was a Premier League-calibre player in a side that suffered relegation.
The Dubliner has already had discussions with Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna, during which the manager impressed upon him the importance of not becoming disheartened. “For sure, I feel like I’m well capable of playing in the Premier League and competing, obviously it’s hard when you get relegated, you know, and I’ve got to get myself back there now.
“It’s going to be a tough season next season for ourselves but I think we’ve got more than enough to get back there and I think it doesn’t matter where I am next season I think I’ve got to still play like a Premier League player.
Dara O’Shea challenges Iliman Ndiaye of Senegal. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
“I think that’s the main aim for me, I’ve spoke to the gaffer at Ipswich you know and that’s the kind of task he’s set me, is to still carry on them standards of a Premier League player and still owe it to myself to be like that and improve. That’s what I’ve got to be going forward.”
The chance to move again may come but, with another four years on his Ipswich contract, O’Shea knows the club have a strong bargaining position to get the best deal possible.
“No, look, for me right now I’m still in season you know and I’m not going to think about it until the season ends and I’ve got one more game to focus on and then I can sit down and relax, but I’m fully committed to Ipswich at the moment.
“I want to get the club back into the Premier League and I’m ambitious as a player, obviously I want to be playing in the Premier League but I know it’s not as easy as that. Whatever happens in football it happens for a reason. You have a journey and you’ve got to stick to that sometimes.”
The importance of playing regular football at club level during a World Cup qualifying campaign that will be squeezed into a three-month window from September to November is also now lost on O’Shea.
“This is it, 100%, and I think a lot of the lads are [playing] which is great. “We haven’t had that for a while playing at a really high level and I think that’s what we have to set ourselves the task of, just playing football and coming in in fine form. It’s a World Cup campaign and we’ve got to be firing if we want to have a real chance of qualifying.”
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The two words that have come to define Heimir Hallgrímsson's Ireland plan
TWO WORDS HAVE become ingrained in the Republic of Ireland players’ heads during shape work under Heimir Hallgrímsson.
“Action, reaction.”
It rings in their ears during every session.
“Action, reaction.”
“Action, reaction.”
Hallgrímsson will roar it on the training pitch when needs be and quietly remind those who need it in one on one settings.
But what is the purpose behind it? Well, as detailed after the 1-1 draw with Senegal on Friday night, there were two core tenets of the gameplan.
The first was to stop a blisteringly quick team from cause damage of the counterattack and the second was to be quick, sharp and decisive with their defensive actions and also once in possession.
It’s why, as was pointed out on Friday, we saw O’Shea sprint from his slot on the left side of defence and follow Abdallah Sima into Senegal’s half when the forward was hesitant with the ball at his feet and back to play. Rather than just take the more passive option, to pass his man on and allow a midfielder to pick up the slack, the defender was proactive in his approach and sought to get after his man in a manner that would
“Action, reaction.”
“Action, reaction.”
The Hallgrímsson doctrine is taking shape.
“The manager is big on someone making a decision and then everyone else going with that,” O’Shea explained.
“That’s the way he wants us to be. He’s drilled that into us in the sessions and I think everyone buys into that. As soon as someone sets the press off you need to go with them or else it’s not going to work.
“So, yeah, I think for us as a whole that’s how we are and that’s how we want to be going forward.”
O’Shea turned 26 in March and will likely earn his 35th cap away to Luxembourg tomorrow. Since making his senior debut in 2020 he has become a father – his son is now three – and played in the Premier League with West Bromwich Albion, Burnley and Ipswich Town.
He has also suffered three relegations during that time, but he still feels a stronger sense of confidence to be a player for Hallgrímsson who can take the lead and be the one to show the kind of initative that rubs off on teammates.
“For sure, definitely. I feel like I’m probably one of the more experienced players here now which is a bit weird as I still feel like I’m young but it’s a good thing. We’ve got a young, hard-working group and the gaffer instils the confidence in us to make our own decisions and everyone else has to react to the person’s decision or whatever that is. That’s the way we’re going to be going forward.
“Every successful team is that fundamental, that hard work. You watch PSG for example the other week [in the Champions League final], they’ve got all the talent in the world but they worked hard as well and that’s what got them to there.
“I think for us we have this embedded in us as Irish people, we’re hard working people and we’re so proud to be Irish so we’ve got to show that on the pitch and not take the moments for granted.
“We understand the way the manager wants us to play and how he wants us to be as a nation. That’s the identity of us as Irish people too, kind of showing that,” O’Shea said. “I thought our reaction [on Friday] in the middle of the park, we lost the ball, we got around it.
“There was some big tackles, some big blocks, something that we’ve kind of came away from as a nation which we should never. That’s our identity. Obviously working hard, we’re hard working people and there’s great lads here too. If we can build on all them fundamentals and I suppose basics, everyone’s playing at a high level of football and they’re playing good football at their clubs. So take that into it as well and we’ve got the right recipe, I think.”
O’Shea read and heard Hallgrímsson’s comments about aiming for qualification for USA/Canada/Mexico next summer, adding “we’ve got to back that up too, you know it’s that mentality that’s instilled in the group now so we’ve got to go with it.”
When the Ireland boss spoke so bullishly about those prospects last month he also made it clear that he felt O’Shea once again proved that he was a Premier League-calibre player in a side that suffered relegation.
The Dubliner has already had discussions with Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna, during which the manager impressed upon him the importance of not becoming disheartened. “For sure, I feel like I’m well capable of playing in the Premier League and competing, obviously it’s hard when you get relegated, you know, and I’ve got to get myself back there now.
“It’s going to be a tough season next season for ourselves but I think we’ve got more than enough to get back there and I think it doesn’t matter where I am next season I think I’ve got to still play like a Premier League player.
“I think that’s the main aim for me, I’ve spoke to the gaffer at Ipswich you know and that’s the kind of task he’s set me, is to still carry on them standards of a Premier League player and still owe it to myself to be like that and improve. That’s what I’ve got to be going forward.”
The chance to move again may come but, with another four years on his Ipswich contract, O’Shea knows the club have a strong bargaining position to get the best deal possible.
“No, look, for me right now I’m still in season you know and I’m not going to think about it until the season ends and I’ve got one more game to focus on and then I can sit down and relax, but I’m fully committed to Ipswich at the moment.
“I want to get the club back into the Premier League and I’m ambitious as a player, obviously I want to be playing in the Premier League but I know it’s not as easy as that. Whatever happens in football it happens for a reason. You have a journey and you’ve got to stick to that sometimes.”
The importance of playing regular football at club level during a World Cup qualifying campaign that will be squeezed into a three-month window from September to November is also now lost on O’Shea.
“This is it, 100%, and I think a lot of the lads are [playing] which is great. “We haven’t had that for a while playing at a really high level and I think that’s what we have to set ourselves the task of, just playing football and coming in in fine form. It’s a World Cup campaign and we’ve got to be firing if we want to have a real chance of qualifying.”
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