Ireland's Midfield Challenges: Filling the Cullen Void

Heimir Hallgrimsson walks into his 16th competitive game as Ireland boss with one familiar pillar missing from the centre of his team.

Josh Cullen has been the heartbeat of this Ireland side. Of Hallgrimsson’s 15 competitive matches so far, the Burnley captain has started 11. The four he missed were down to injury three times and suspension once. Whenever he’s been fit and available, he has played. Simple as that.

Now he’s not.

The ACL injury Cullen suffered for Burnley against Everton at the end of last year ruled him out of the World Cup play-off defeat to Czechia on penalties. It will also keep him out of Thursday’s trip to the Stadiumi Fadil Vokrri. For a manager who has built his structure around a constant in midfield, that’s a major tear in the plan.

Hallgrimsson’s record so far is mixed but not without high points: six defeats in 15, elimination from the World Cup race on spot-kicks, but seven wins that include a statement result against Portugal and that memorable night in Budapest, when Troy Parrott lit up the Puskas Arena. Through it all, Cullen has been the metronome.

Now someone else has to grab the baton.

Midfield stripped back

The options have already thinned. Since the original squad announcement, Harvey Vale and Jamie McGrath have both withdrawn through injury. Two more creative pieces off the board, two fewer ways to plug the Cullen-shaped hole.

That leaves the spotlight squarely on Jason Knight and Jayson Molumby.

Knight is the next most trusted man in that central zone. He has started eight of Hallgrimsson’s 15 competitive games and arrives in camp with rhythm and confidence. At Bristol City, he has started all eight Championship fixtures this season, plus a League Cup tie against Walsall, helping the Robins up to eighth in the table. He’s playing, he’s sharp, he’s used to responsibility.

Molumby is not far behind. The West Brom midfielder has featured in all 10 of their games this season, starting seven. Under Hallgrimsson, he has also started seven competitive matches. His energy, his aggression, his willingness to cover ground – all of it feels tailor-made for a night when Ireland will need bite as much as craft.

On paper, those two pick themselves. In reality, there’s a twist: since Hallgrimsson took over, Knight and Molumby have started together just once, at home to Greece. The manager has rarely leaned on them as a pair.

This time, he may have no choice. With options dwindling, it would be a surprise to see an Irish starting XI without both Knight and Molumby in it.

Who fills the Cullen void?

The real question lies around them. How many sit in midfield? Who links to Parrott? What shape does Hallgrimsson trust when the safety net of Cullen’s positioning and passing has been cut away?

The formation call will decide the rest. Does he go with four at the back and a more adventurous midfield? Or does caution creep in, dragging Ireland back towards a back five and those roaming wing-backs that so many would rather leave in the past?

Conor Coventry is well placed to profit from the uncertainty. If Knight is pushed to the right, Coventry offers a natural anchor in the middle. He started the recent friendlies against Grenada and Canada and has been a regular for Charlton, starting seven of their eight league games and a League Cup tie at Cheltenham. He knows the role, he’s been playing, and he gives Hallgrimsson a semblance of structure.

Then there is Finn Azaz, who has quietly become a regular presence in Hallgrimsson’s plans over the last 18 months. His importance grew around the Nations League play-off meetings with Bulgaria, and his form at Southampton only strengthens his case. Azaz can operate between the lines, drifting into those awkward pockets that defenders hate. He could sit just off Parrott, knitting play, or slide wider with someone like Chiedozie Ogbene or Adam Idah pushed closer to goal.

Each tweak changes the feel of the side. Each choice says something about Hallgrimsson’s intent.

The Moylan temptation

One of the most intriguing decisions lies further forward, where Jack Moylan has barged his way into the conversation with his form at Cardiff.

He has adapted to life in Wales with ease, scoring four times already this season, including a brace against Charlton last weekend. Goals, movement, confidence – he has all of it right now.

Former Ireland winger Keith Treacy made no secret of his preference on the RTÉ Soccer Podcast.

“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.”

It’s a compelling argument. With Ferguson absent, the idea of Parrott dropping in and Moylan buzzing around him has a certain spark. It would ask more questions of the opposition. It would also demand more control from the midfield behind them.

Which drags the conversation straight back to that Cullen gap.

Risk and reality

There are other names on the squad list, but they come with caveats.

Bosun Lawal is officially listed as a midfielder by the FAI and has played there for his club, yet he is equally comfortable in defence. The problem is his fitness. He has not featured in Stoke City’s last three matches after coming off holding his hamstring in a 4-0 win over Charlton earlier this month. Throwing him into a competitive international away from home, so soon after that, looks unlikely.

The situation is similar for Killian Phillips. 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 issue. To go from that straight into the furnace of an Ireland start would be a huge leap.

So Hallgrimsson’s choices in the middle third are not just about tactics. They’re about who is actually ready to go.

He has decisions to make, but fewer than he might have imagined when he first sketched out his plans for this window. The spine of his “Ireland team” has been bent by injury and withdrawals, and the safety blanket of Cullen’s presence is gone.

Someone will have to own that space now. Knight? Molumby? Coventry? Azaz? Or does Moylan’s form force a reshuffle that changes the whole picture?

With home Euros still on the horizon if everything breaks Ireland’s way, these are not just selection tweaks. They’re the kind of calls that can shape a campaign.