DARA O’Shea believes Ireland’s World Cup hopes can be more than just paper talk — if they follow the manager’s laws of momentum.
Ireland face Luxembourg tomorrow in their final friendly before the qualification campaign begins in September.
Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson has been bullish in his comments to the media about the chances of his Boys in Green.
And his words have not gone unnoticed by Ipswich Town defender O’Shea.
He said: “I think the gaffer’s been very positive about it in the Press and shown that we are going to be there and he’s saying all the right things.
“I think he’s got to be the one who sets the standard and sets where we want to go as a group.
“Obviously he believes in us as a group and he believes in himself and I think that is massive, especially when you can feel the manager believes in you as a group.
“And we’ve got to back that up too, it’s that mentality that’s instilled in the group now so we’ve got to go with it.”
Ireland have a challenging qualification group as they face home and away games with Portugal, Hungary and Armenia between September and November.
But having played their group rivals in the past four years and getting results against all three, O’Shea reckons there is cause for optimism.
He added: “Look, we played Portugal before, we played Hungary before and Armenia, so we know what these countries are like.
“I think we’ve got to back ourselves and obviously that’s a lot of what we’re doing now and the momentum we’re trying to push and keep going.”
The Boys in Green are unbeaten in 2025, having won home and away against Bulgaria and drawn with Senegal on Friday night.
And Dublin native O’Shea believes that Ireland’s longest unbeaten run since 2021 can help build confidence.
The 26-year-old added: “Once you start winning games that belief grows and grows. You know you can have that snowball effect so I think that’s big for us to hopefully carry that into the campaign.
“I think there’s a mentality aspect of the game and winning games and keeping that momentum going is massive.
“And it’s something we haven’t really had as a nation for a while now. It’s something this group hasn’t had at all really.
“So it’s important that we keep building on this and don’t take the games for granted, because before we know it we’ll be in the World Cup campaign and we’ll be right in the thick of it.
“You only get one chance there to qualify. So it’s important that we make every moment we can.”
That makes the Luxembourg match a big game for O’Shea, who reckons the results and performances bear the hallmarks of a Hallgrimsson team.
The Icelandic gaffer is now nine games into his reign and his own laws of the game are being implemented, with his law of motion crucial.
BELIEF IN BOSS
O’Shea revealed: “He always says, ‘Action, reaction, action, reaction’ and that’s the way he wants us to be.
“The manager is big on someone making a decision and then everyone else going with that. 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.
“We were all pulling in the same direction, working hard, pressing.
“Our press was good. Somebody jumped out, we were all with them.
“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.
“I think for us as a whole, that’s how we are and that’s how we want to be going forward.
“Every successful team is that fundamental, that hard work. You watch PSG for example the other week, they’ve got all the talent in the world, but they worked hard as well and that’s what got them to there as European champions.
“I think for us obviously 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.”
FRIDAY’S SHOWCASE
He cites Friday’s Senegal game as an example of Ireland’s work ethic.
He said: “We lost the ball, we got around it.
“There were some big tackles, some big blocks, something that we’ve kind of come away from as a nation, which we should never have.
“That’s our identity — obviously working hard, we’re hard-working people and there’s great lads here too.
“So I think if we can build on all those fundamentals and, I suppose, basics . . .
“Obviously 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.”
