Northern Ireland v Luxembuourg (05/09/2024)

WORDS: IAN PARKER

THE COACH: LUXEMBOURG

It is 14 years since the Luxembourg Football Federation asked Luc Holtz to step up from his role as under 21s boss and serve as a caretaker boss following the resignation of Guy Hellers. At the time Luxembourg remained among the whipping boys of European football and were ranked a lowly 134th by FIFA. But Holtz soon shrugged off the interim tag as he ushered in a new era which has seen Luxembourg rise through the ranks. The team from the Grand Duchy still hold the record for playing in the most World Cup and European qualifying campaigns without ever reaching a major tournament, however they have at least now come close - reaching the Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs under a man who now ranks as the most successful manager in Luxembourg’s history. As a midfield playmaker Holtz had been one of the star players in Luxembourg - capped 55 times by his country, winning two titles with Avenir Beggen and being named Footballer of the Year in 1993. He began his managerial career while still a player, spending a decade as player-manager of Etzella-Ettelbruck. They lifted the Luxembourg Cup in 2001 but then suffered relegation a year later, with Holtz leading them straight back up before they finished as top flight runners-up in 2004-05 and 2006-07. And they earned a place in the qualifying round of the UEFA Cup in five straight seasons.

PHOTO: SPORTSPRESS.LU

After retiring as a player and leaving the club in 2008, Holtz spent two years in charge of his country’s under-21s side before Hellers’ exit prompted a step up. His first match in charge of the national team came just a week into the job and was a painful one - a 5-1 loss to Wales in Llanelli where Craig Bellamy and Ashley Williams were among the goalscorers. But 133 matches later Holtz boasts a record of 32 wins and 25 draws alongside 77 defeats, with Luxembourg’s world ranking having risen some 50 places during his reign - all the way up to 84th. Last September Holtz created a stir when he stormed off down the tunnel with 10 minutes still left in the game after Portugal had scored the eighth of their goals in a 9-0 Euro 2024 qualifying rout. But such results are an exception these days and Holtz’s work in developing a Luxembourg team that have made themselves a much tougher nut to crack was recognised with a two-year contract extension back in December. Their performances in the Nations League earned them a ticket to the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs. Although their campaign ended in a 2-0 defeat to Georgia, it was a measure of the progress Luxembourg have made under their long-serving boss.

IRISHFA.COM

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