Northern Ireland v Austria

MANAGER’S VIEW

I would be the first to admit to being very disappointed and not a little frustrated at our UEFA Nations League position going into our last match.

I cannot remember a match which we dominated as much as our home game against Bosnia and Herzegovina in September, and yet we managed to come out of it defeated by two goals to one. Likewise when was the last time a Northern Ireland team hit the post three times in a game, as we did in Sarajevo, and still failed to score? The Nations League may have a complicated structure but the key element is to win your matches, and unfortunately results have gone against us, although I have been content and pleased with the performances. The matches have seen the introduction of young players such as Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Jamal Lewis and Gavin Whyte, while it was good to see Will Grigg back on the pitch with a goal and an ‘almost’ equaliser in Vienna. One of the strengths of this competition is that it has pitched teams against opponents of a similar standard, thus we have had Germany against France and England versus Spain and in League D lower ranked teams such as Gibraltar enjoying victories. This has meant a lot of the games have been very close, results have balanced on individual pieces of skill or mistakes - and all the games in our group have been very tight. Unfortunately Thursday’s scoreless draw between Bosnia & Herzegovina and today’s opponents sealed our relegation from the group. While that is disappointing I can assure you that we will be going all out to end the campaign with the victory that our performances deserve.

I was really pleased with our own performance on Thursday. I thought we were much the better team in our friendly against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin. Although it was again frustrating that we could not turn our dominance into goals, the game at the Aviva nevertheless provided our younger players in particular with another good opportunity to build up their international pedigree. And next, of course, will be the Euro 2020 Qualifiers draw next month with matches due to start in March 2019. The pace of the international football calendar is relentless and as coaches we have little time to blood new players. The Nations League has been invaluable for this. Like everyone else I was delighted Ian Baraclough has renewed his contract with the IFA and congratulate both him and Stephen Frail (who has seen his Under-17s qualify for the elite round in UEFA competition this season) on the great work they continue to do with our younger players. The provision of a pathway through the age groups into the senior squad is vital to enable us to have a strong pool of players to call on. Thanks once again for your relentless support both here at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park and wherever else we play in the world. In Panama, Costa Rica, Vienna, Sarajevo and Dublin the support of the fans has provided the players and backroom staff with a great lift. I am sure it will be no different today and I trust that we can provide the result you deserve. Michael O’Neill Northern Ireland Manager

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