Northern Ireland v Bulgaria

MANAGER’S VIEW

I really do not like losing football matches. I want to win games and tonight is a must-win for us against our FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 European Qualifying Group C rivals Bulgaria.

Although we lost to top seeds Italy in our opening Group C qualifier last Thursday, I have seen enough in that 2-0 defeat and the 2-1 loss to United States of America on Sunday to convince me that we have got what it takes to do well in this qualification campaign. That may sound a bit strange seeing as we have just lost two games on the trot, one a qualifier and the other a friendly, but I am focusing on the positives here. Naturally, I was disappointed with our first half performance against the Italians in Parma when we lacked intensity and were punished for it. The second half, however, showed me that if we believe in ourselves and produce the intensity then we will get our rewards. We definitely rattled the Italians, forcing them into mistakes and upsetting their rhythm. We also created some decent chances against a team renowned for its expertise in the art of defending. I did, of course, subsequently make wholesale changes to the starting line-up for the international challenge match against USA. But again I was pleased with many aspects of the performance. The penalty which ultimately secured victory for the Americans was dubious to say the least and I reckon a draw would have been a fair result given the number of chances we created against an agile and athletic American team. I felt our pressing and intensity during the first half in particular was spot on, and I was pleased with the way we kept at it after going two goals behind. I said before the game against the US that it would provide me with an opportunity to rest some players

and to provide other players with an opportunity to show what they could do on the international stage. There were some good individual performances against the Americans and some players certainly showed me they are good enough to be involved in what is a crunch game for us against the Bulgarians. Bulgaria have suffered two defeats over the past week in their opening Group C fixtures - against Switzerland and Italy - and I have no doubt they will be itching to get points on the board this evening. However, we are determined to get our campaign up and running by securing all three points. We have to win our home games if we are to stand any chance of making headway in the group. And I am confident that we can get the desired result tonight. Due to ongoing Covid restrictions the game is, of course, being played behind closed doors once again. It’s not ideal, but we have to live with it and continue to do all in our power to prevent the spread of coronavirus. I can’t wait for the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park to be packed again. In the meantime, however, I am confident we can give you, the fans, something to cheer about tonight as you watch the action from the comfort of your homes. Ian Baraclough Northern Ireland Manager

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