Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson said that while he saw some green shoots in his second successive defeat, it will be a challenge to improve the team's fragile confidence.
For the second year in a row, Greece leave Dublin with a 2-0 victory at Aviva Stadium, the visitors striking at either end of the second half to make it maximum points in their Nations League campaign.
For the Boys in Green it is the other end of the scale, Hallgrimsson’s second game in charge coming days after a comprehensive 2-0 loss at the hands of England.
"Winning is a habit, but unfortunately losing is too," he told RTÉ Sport. "You can kind of sense it that there is a lack of confidence in this team.
"We only needed to give them a sniff of a chance and they were 1-0 up. I think it was their first chance at goal, and that is what happens to a team without confidence, they concede a goal in this manner."
Hallgrimsson was particularly disappointed with the manner of the Greek opener. After a solid opening 45 minutes where the hosts looked comfortable and the most likely team to score, Fotis Ioannidis profited from a rather passive and retreating Irish defence to score from outside the area.
"Nobody said it was going to be easy, I knew it was going to be tough, but I definitely saw improvement." Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson admits that he has a big job to do, but saw some positive signs in the first half against Greece. pic.twitter.com/eF5bjXQhCc
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) September 10, 2024
"They are like a snake, they will bite once you give them a chance," he said of the Greek approach.
Christos Tzolis put the game to bed as Ireland sought out an equaliser – "we could have probably stopped it three or four times before they scored" - but the Icelander is confident that with more time to get his views across to the squad, they will be better placed for next month’s fixtures in Helsinki and Athens.
He hasn’t reassessed his view on the challenge he faces in light of the two early defeats in his tenure.
"Nobody said it was going to be easy," he said. "I know it’s tough, but I definitely saw improvement, especially in structure. When we were in good shape and structure we looked really good, both on and off the ball.
"When you haven’t played the system, or maybe a lot with the players around you, this uncertainty comes in your head.
"Should I pass? Should I step? Will my team-mate cover me? We need to find the players as quickly as we can and play them consistently."
