Ireland suffered a crushing 5-0 defeat at the hands of Lee Carsley's England in the Nations League on Sunday Afternoon.
While heading in the tunnel at the half-time break, Ireland looked like a newfound team who had risen to the biggest occasion of them all, when the clock struck ninety any optimism they'd earned was well and truly lost.
For the first forty-five minutes, Ireland delivered the most complete and confident performance of an Irish team in recent memory. Glimpses of that confidence were evident before a ball was even kicked when Heimir Hallgrímsson charged Nathan Collins with shutting down the space England usually flourish in, naming him in an unorthodox defensive midfield role.
While Collins' positive impact in the first half was more than eradicated by Ireland's reduction to ten men and the five-goal capitulation that occurred in the second half, for many people the experiment was one of the few bright caveats on an otherwise tough night for Irish football.
17 November 2024; Republic of Ireland players, from left, Dara O'Shea, Nathan Collins and Josh Cullen react after their side concede their second goal during the UEFA Nations League B Group 2 match between England and Republic of Ireland at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
Eamon Dunphy miffed by Nathan Collins Experiment
However, what was positive for many was quite the opposite for Eamon Dunphy, who thought the Collins incident called Heimir Hallgrímsson's management credentials into question.
Writing in his column in the Irish Star, Dunphy pinpointed the Collins experiment as one of the most important factors in Ireland's downfall.
For some weird reason, he decided that Nathan Collins is John Stones. The latter often plays a hybrid role at Manchester City, moving from central defence to central midfield.
For some weird reason, Hallgrimsson tried to get Collins to do the same. Against England. At Wembley. Oh, Lord.
Collins isn't Stones. Ireland aren't City. Hallgrimsson isn't Pep Guardiola.
Dunphy went on to say the result makes him wonder if the Icelandic manager has the "right stuff" for the job.
While Dunphy didn't mince his words on the Collins experiment, speaking after the loss, the man himself, Brentford's Nathan Collins was more impressed with his role as a defensive midfielder, claiming like many others that it did as intended when Ireland had eleven men.
I think the first-half gameplan worked really well. We really frustrated them and created some chances in behind and from counter-attacks, I think it worked well for the majority. First half, we were very comfortable and frustrated them a lot and put them in positions they didn’t want to be in.
We went a bit more direct and fought a bit more. Then in the second half, the circumstances changed that.
🏴 5-0 🇮🇪
'First off, an apology from all the lads. That second half is nowhere near the standard we should be'
Captain Nathan Collins reacts to a horrific second 45 minutes
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Nathan Collins also apologised to the travelling Irish support, who made their voices heard right until the final whistle despite not getting the result they wanted.
First of all, it’s probably an apology from all the lads for that second half, that’s nowhere near the standard we should be. Obviously, circumstances change things but we know as a group we’re a lot better than that and that’s not on.
Considering Ireland delivered probably their most impressive half of football under Heimir Hallgrímsson in the opening half of football when Collins was in the hybrid role, we just might see the Kildare native back there again, whether Dunphy likes it or not.
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