Northern Ireland v Cyprus (12/06/2020)

It would be fair to say our campaign in League C Group 2 in the third edition of the UEFA Nations League has not gone according to plan.

For starters, we expected to have secured more points by this stage, and to have scored more goals. However, there are lots of positives to take from our opening three games, especially the match in Pristina last Thursday. I thought we started well against Kosovo and took the game to them. Being two goals down after 20 minutes was not part of the game plan, but we played our way back into it and arguably could have come away with a point . We were resolute, we created chances and we were positive in possession. Brodie Spencer supplied a fine cross for our first goal against Kosovo, while Shayne Lavery produced a great run into the six-yard area to finish it , as good strikers do. We have worked on set pieces and the players have also provided ideas for set pieces. The way we worked our second goal against Kosovo, with Dan Ballard heading home Jordan Thompson’s delivery, will give us a fillip going forward for future games. If you take Steven Davis, Kyle Lafferty and Jonny Evans out of the group of players who faced Kosovo then you would not find too many caps among the rest of them. Some have just turned 18, while others are not experienced at this level . They have had to learn quickly, and they are doing that . And they must continue to do that . I said in the matchday programme for the game v Greece earlier this month that the four Nations League games in June and the two in September are so important as we look forward to next year’s Euro 2024 qualifiers.

Being at Germany 2024 is our long-term goal so these games have played and are playing a part in that . As I said before, it’s about looking at the squad, swelling the squad and giving people chances when other more experienced players are not available. We knew it was going to be a difficult game against Kosovo. They have had a settled side for the past three or four years, with good players who operate at a high level . However, we managed to create lots of chances in Pristina. In fact we had more attempts than the Kosovans. They had 10 and we had 11. And that bodes well for the future. Something else that bodes well for the future is how the debutants over the past week performed. Shea Charles has shown us he is a real talent , while Brodie Spencer has also been excellent . And Conor McMenamin has proved once again that players in the NIFL Premiership can make an impact at international level . We know this is a transitional period for the squad but we are blooding new players and giving players important experience on the international stage. In the final quarter of the game in Kosovo we played really well and I have no doubt that if we can reproduce that kind of form against Cyprus today then we can get a positive result . Thanks as always for your fantastic support . Here’s hoping that we can give you something to shout about – and I am confident that we will . IAN BARACLOUGH NORTHERN IRELAND MANAGER

IRISHFA.COM

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