Ireland's Midfield Dilemma: Life Without Josh Cullen

Heimir Hallgrimsson walks into his 16th competitive game in charge of Ireland on Thursday with a clear pattern already etched into his reign – and a glaring hole in the middle of the pitch.

Across his first 15 meaningful fixtures, there have been seven wins, six defeats and the lingering sting of that World Cup exit to Czechia on penalties after a draw. There was the hard-fought stalemate with Hungary in Dublin, the statement victory over Portugal, and the famous night in Budapest when Troy Parrott lit up the Puskas Arena. Those games helped shape the identity of this Ireland side.

So did one constant: Josh Cullen.

Life without Cullen… again

When Hallgrimsson has picked a competitive team, Cullen has almost always been in it. The Burnley captain has started 11 of those 15 games. The other four? He wasn’t dropped – he was unavailable. Three times through injury, once through suspension.

The same ACL injury he suffered against Everton at the end of last year, the one that kept him out of the Czechia play-off, will also rule him out of the trip to the Stadiumi Fadil Vokrri. For a manager who has built his midfield around Cullen’s reliability, it’s a major disruption.

It does, though, crack the door open for others. With home Euros the long-term carrot, this is the kind of window players dream about. A chance to step in, stick, and stay.

But Hallgrimsson’s options have thinned.

Since the original squad was named, Harvey Vale and Jamie McGrath have both withdrawn through injury. Two creative, flexible options gone in a heartbeat. The pool shrinks, the decisions get sharper.

Knight and Molumby: from options to near-certainties

Strip it back and two names jump off the page for central roles: Jason Knight and Jayson Molumby.

Knight is as close as it gets to Cullen’s understudy in terms of selection trust. In competitive games under Hallgrimsson, he has started eight of the 15. He arrives in camp with rhythm and confidence, having started all eight of Bristol City’s Championship matches this season, plus a League Cup tie against Walsall. The Robins sit eighth, and Knight has been right in the middle of that push.

Molumby, meanwhile, has barely missed a beat at West Brom. Ten games played, seven starts, and the same number of competitive starts for Ireland during Hallgrimsson’s tenure. He brings energy, bite and a willingness to cover ground that managers lean on when plans get disrupted.

Those two feel almost locked in. The curiosity lies in how they’re used. Since Hallgrimsson took over, Knight and Molumby have started together just once – at home to Greece. That’s a surprisingly low number for a pair who now look central to Thursday’s thinking.

Given the injuries and the lack of Cullen, it would be a major surprise to see an Irish XI without both of them on the teamsheet.

Shape questions and Parrott’s partner

Everything else hinges on the shape.

Who plays alongside Knight and Molumby? Who supports or sits behind Troy Parrott? Does Hallgrimsson trust a back four, or does he dust off the old three-centre-backs-and-wing-backs template that so often divides opinion?

Conor Coventry has quietly moved into a strong position. If Knight shifts to the right of midfield, Coventry is well-placed to anchor the centre. He started the recent friendlies against Grenada and Canada, and he has been a regular for Charlton, starting seven of their eight league games plus a League Cup tie at Cheltenham. He offers a steady presence, the kind of metronome role Cullen usually fills.

Then there’s Finn Azaz, who has steadily become one of Hallgrimsson’s go-to picks over the last 18 months. His influence grew around the Nations League play-off games against Bulgaria, and he has carried that form into his club football with Southampton. The question is where to use him. In the pocket behind Parrott as a classic No.10? Or slightly wider, with someone like Chiedozie Ogbene or Adam Idah pushed closer to goal?

Those choices will say a lot about Hallgrimsson’s intent. Control or chaos. Extra body in midfield or another runner off Parrott’s shoulder.

The Moylan temptation

Jack Moylan is the wildcard that refuses to stay in the deck.

His move to Cardiff has looked seamless. Four goals already this season, including a sharp brace against Charlton last weekend, have thrown his name into every selection debate.

On the RTÉ Soccer Podcast, Keith Treacy didn’t hesitate.

“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, pairing Parrott’s movement and finishing with Moylan’s drifting, creative menace would give Ireland a very different attacking look. Riskier, maybe. But harder to second-guess.

Thin margins, tight bodies

Beyond that, Hallgrimsson’s midfield board is dotted with caveats.

Bosun Lawal is listed as a midfielder by the FAI, and he can operate there or in defence. At 23, he’s still bedding into life at Stoke City. The problem is his fitness. He hasn’t featured in their last three games after coming off holding his hamstring in a 4-0 win over Charlton earlier this month. Throwing him into a competitive international on Thursday feels a stretch.

The same caution surrounds 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 problem. To go from that straight into a high-stakes Ireland start would be a huge leap.

So the picture sharpens. Hallgrimsson has decisions to make in the middle third, but not as many as he might like. The absences have done some of the trimming for him.

The real intrigue now is not who he trusts, but how bold he dares to be with them – and whether this enforced reshuffle in midfield becomes a problem to survive, or the moment someone new grabs the stage and refuses to give it back.