Republic of Ireland vs England: UEFA Nations League – BBC Sport

The new Irish national coach Heimir Hallgrimsson told ITV:

“The preparation went really well, everything was professional and the players reacted very well to us.

“It was a nice week with the players and the preparation for the game was great for me.

“There is a unity within the team, I think we can build a really strong unit out of these players. They would all do anything for the country and the shirt they wear. For a nation like Ireland, collective work is always key if we want to be successful and do good.”

When asked whether an Irish victory against England would be a bigger surprise than Iceland's surprise victory, for which Hallgrimsson defeated the Three Lions at Euro 2016: “Absolutely not. Why should that be the case?

“This is a different quality than when we [Iceland] played against England at the European Championships. This team certainly has more individual quality and more match winners – but you can only stop individual quality if you work together. We will try to take away their space and time when they have the ball.”