Heimir Hallgrímsson Faces Midfield Dilemma Ahead of Ireland's Next Game
Heimir Hallgrímsson is heading into his 16th competitive game in charge of Ireland on Thursday with a familiar problem and an unfamiliar midfield.
Across his first 15, the record is mixed: seven wins, six defeats, and that agonising World Cup exit to Czechia on penalties after a draw. There was the hard-earned stalemate with Hungary in Dublin, the statement victory over Portugal, and the famous night in Budapest when Troy Parrott lit up the Puskas Arena. A team still taking shape, but with clear pillars.
One of those pillars has been Josh Cullen.
Life without Cullen
When you talk about a Hallgrímsson Ireland side, you talk about Cullen somewhere in the middle of the pitch. Of those 15 competitive games, the Burnley captain has started 11. The four he missed were not tactical calls: three through injury, one through suspension.
Now the same ACL injury that ruled him out of the Czechia play-off, suffered against Everton at the end of last year, will keep him off the plane to the Stadiumi Fadil Vokrri. For Hallgrímsson, it rips out his midfield metronome. For the rest, it opens a door.
With home Euros the dream on the horizon, someone has a chance to plant a flag in that central area.
The options have already thinned. Since the original squad was named, Harvey Vale and Jamie McGrath have both withdrawn with injuries. The safety net has frayed. The choices in that middle third now look very stark.
Knight and Molumby: the near-certainties
Jason Knight and Jayson Molumby are the obvious starting points. They are in the squad, and they are in rhythm.
Knight is the most frequent starter in competitive games after Cullen, named in eight of Hallgrímsson’s 15 XIs. His club form backs that up. At Bristol City, he has started all eight Championship fixtures this season plus a League Cup tie against Walsall, with the Robins sitting eighth. He’s sharp, he’s trusted, and he covers ground like few others.
Molumby has been just as involved. He has featured in all 10 of West Brom’s matches this season, starting seven. Under Hallgrímsson, he has also started seven competitive internationals. He brings intensity, bite, and a willingness to drag the game into his kind of battle.
The twist? Since Hallgrímsson took over, Knight and Molumby have started together only once, at home to Greece. Despite that, the manager’s hand now looks forced. Given the injuries and the lack of alternatives, it would be a major surprise to see an Irish starting XI without both of them on the teamsheet.
Who joins them, and how, is where the real intrigue lies.
Shape, strikers and the spare man
Everything hinges on the system. Who partners or plays off Troy Parrott up front? Does Hallgrímsson stick with a back four, or does he flirt again with a back five and two roaming wing-backs, the setup many supporters hoped was in the rear-view mirror?
If Knight is pushed to the right, Conor Coventry suddenly looks well placed to anchor the centre. He started the recent friendlies against Grenada and Canada and has been a regular for Charlton, starting seven of their eight league games plus a League Cup tie at Cheltenham. He knows the role, he’s match-fit, and he offers a more orthodox midfield balance.
Then there is Finn Azaz, who has quietly become a regular in Hallgrímsson’s plans over the last 18 months, especially since the Nations League play-off ties with Bulgaria. The Southampton man is in form and comfortable operating between the lines. He could slot in behind Parrott as a No 10, or slide wider with Chiedozie Ogbene or Adam Idah pushed closer to goal.
The combinations are there. The certainty is not.
Moylan’s case gathers pace
Jack Moylan forces his way into the conversation on sheer form. His start at Cardiff has been electric: four goals already this season, including a brace against Charlton last weekend. He looks like he has been wearing that blue shirt for years, not months.
On the RTÉ Soccer Podcast, Keith Treacy did not hide his enthusiasm.
“I’d love to see Moylan up with Parrott,” he said. “The way he played for Cardiff on the weekend was outstanding. He scored two goals, had an assist, he could have had another two assists.
“He was unbelievable, the way he came off the front line and kept picking up those pockets – dictating play. We want to see an awful lot more of that from Jack Moylan.
“When there’s no Evan Ferguson, Parrott and Moylan look really good.”
That is the crux of it. With Ferguson absent, Moylan offers something different: movement off the front, creativity between the lines, a player happy to receive under pressure and turn. For a manager suddenly stripped of his most reliable central midfielder, that kind of link player becomes even more tempting.
Wildcards and long shots
Bosun Lawal is officially listed as a midfielder in the FAI squad, and he has played there for his club, but his versatility also stretches into defence. The problem is his body. He has not featured in Stoke City’s last three games since coming off holding his hamstring in a 4-0 win over Charlton earlier this month. Throwing him into a competitive international on Thursday would be a gamble. It looks too soon.
Killian Phillips is in a similar position. The St Mirren man only returned at the weekend, coming off the bench in a 3-0 defeat to Dundee United after a month out with a shin problem. Asking him to step straight into the intensity of an Ireland midfield this week would be a huge leap.
So Hallgrímsson’s board is not as crowded as it might appear on paper. The magnets on his tactics board in that central strip are fewer than he would have liked.
Yet the stakes remain the same. With Cullen watching from afar and a crucial qualifier ahead, someone in green has to seize the space he leaves behind.
