Republic of Ireland's Troy Parrott Remains Hopeful for World Cup Qualification
Republic of Ireland striker Troy Parrott is optimistic about the team's chances of qualifying for next year's World Cup finals, despite a challenging start to their qualifying campaign.
The AZ Alkmaar forward missed the recent 2-2 draw against Hungary and the surprising 2-1 loss to Armenia in Yerevan due to a knee injury. He has now been recalled to manager Heimir Hallgrimsson's squad for the upcoming Group F match against Portugal on Saturday, as well as the return fixture against Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday.
With each team in the group playing only six matches, the Republic of Ireland's aspirations of reaching North America for the World Cup already seem precarious.
"We lost the game in Armenia, so now we have to focus on these two matches and see what we can do to still qualify," Parrott stated. "It's not over until it's over. We have two more opportunities ahead, and all our attention is on the game on Saturday."
Parrott emphasized the importance of moving forward: "It’s a new camp. We can either dwell on the past or focus on what we can achieve with the resources we have now."
Having started the club season strongly in the Netherlands, scoring 10 goals in his first seven matches, Parrott expressed disappointment at missing the first two qualifiers. "It was tough, especially given my form and how well I was playing. I was excited for the camp and felt confident that I could contribute, so having that taken away was difficult," he reflected.
"We all know our performance in Armenia wasn't good enough. Although I wasn't on the pitch, I felt the same disappointment as every other fan watching on TV. We could have played much better and ultimately secured the win. It was disheartening."
Parrott acknowledged that the players share responsibility for the lackluster display in Yerevan. "People might point fingers at the manager, but he isn't the one playing on the pitch. He sets the team and provides tactics, but it's up to us to execute them. We must collectively take responsibility for our performance."
‘I feel confident and fit’
Parrott is aware of the formidable challenge posed by a Portugal team still led by the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo, who is now 40 years old. "The goals he scores and his longevity in the game are remarkable. We know it's going to be a tough match. We've faced them before, and their quality always makes it difficult," he noted.
"We will have a game plan going into this match, and we need to stick to it to secure a positive result."
After six weeks on the sidelines, the 23-year-old made his return to club action last weekend, featuring for 20 minutes in a 2-1 victory over Telstar. "I feel good and I'm progressing well. I just have to take it one day at a time and see where I stand by Saturday," he added.
"Of course, I’d love to play. I'll do everything I can to be available for the match, but for now, we’ll just have to wait and see. This is probably the best I've played in my career at the start of this season, so to have that taken away was hard to cope with. I feel confident and fit, and I hope to continue where I left off."