Republic of Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrímsson is hoping lightning strikes twice as he plots England’s downfall once again.
The 57-year-old was Iceland co-manager with Lars Lagerback when they masterminded a famous 2-1 last-16 victory over England at Euro 2016, in the process sending Roy Hodgson’s men to one of the lowest points in the country’s recent history.
A little more than eight years on, Hallgrímsson is looking to do much the same for Ireland in his first game since replacing Stephen Kenny at the helm when England head for the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
“I hope we will have the same result tomorrow, of course,” said Hallgrímsson.
“We were just speaking in the car on the way in – that night was special. Everything we did that night succeeded, whether it was tactical, taking our chances, defending our goal, and nothing England tried that night succeeded, so it was just one of those days.
“Hopefully it will come again tomorrow. But we know, even if we have our best game, it still isn’t sure it will lead into a victory against a good team like England.
“We need to make sure we have the best game we can tomorrow and see what that gives us.”
Recent history suggests Hallgrímsson’s caution is well-founded with England having reached the final of the last two European Championships, and he admits the current crop, under the temporary charge of former Ireland international Lee Carsley, represents a very different challenge to the one faced by his native country in 2016.
“It’s a totally different team. The individual quality, the technical skills, the speed, of this team is much higher than the one we played.
“Also they are coming off from a good tournament and I would say the biggest difference is they have stayed together for two months now, and we have three days to prepare.
“That is going to be challenging as their routine is so drilled, whether it’s on the pitch or off the pitch. Coming from a good Under-21 campaign as well, they come on a high here, players playing Champions League day in, day out. It’s good individuals for sure we are facing.”
A 1-0 Euro ‘88 win over England, courtesy of Ray Houghton’s strike, has gone down in Irish sporting folklore, but a 3-0 friendly defeat at Wembley when the sides last met in 2020 illustrated the gap which has grown between the nations.
For Seamus Coleman and his team-mates, it is a fixture which is always eagerly anticipated, but on this occasion, it is a chance too to impress a new manager.
Coleman has already represented Ireland under Giovanni Trapattoni, Martin O’Neill, Mick McCarthy, Kenny and caretakers Noel King and John O’Shea, and he knows reputations count for little even as he approaches his 36th birthday.
He said: “There’s no God-given right to play for your country, there’s no God-given right to play for your club. You’ve got to turn up every day in training and give your best while you can. Then it’s up to the manager to decide who he plays and who he doesn’t.
“So long as I know I’m giving my all day-in and day-out at training, that’s all I can control.”
