Soccer

Michael O'Neill hoping to finish qualifying campaign with a flourish by ending Germany hoodoo

Michael O'Neill has managed Northern Ireland against Germany four times during his eight-year tenure, losing on each occasion. He will be hoping it is fifth time lucky in Frankfurt tonight.
Michael O'Neill has managed Northern Ireland against Germany four times during his eight-year tenure, losing on each occasion. He will be hoping it is fifth time lucky in Frankfurt tonight. Michael O'Neill has managed Northern Ireland against Germany four times during his eight-year tenure, losing on each occasion. He will be hoping it is fifth time lucky in Frankfurt tonight.

Euro 2020 qualification Group C: Northern Ireland v Germany (tonight, Commerzbank Arena, 7.45pm, live on Sky Sports Premier League)

THERE are plenty of things Michael O’Neill will miss about the Northern Ireland job when he eventually leaves it behind – but playing Germany is not one of them.

Four times he has pitted his wits against Joachim Low, four times they have lost; twice in World Cup qualifiers, in a Euro qualifier at Windsor Park in September and at the 2016 European Championships.

Tonight he will come up against them for the fifth and final time in a game that carries none of the significance of those previous encounters, with Group C being played out against a backdrop of Germany’s automatic qualification and Northern Ireland’s play-off place secured.

Joachim Low has already promised to ring the changes for the Frankfurt clash, and O’Neill was happy to suggest a few more if he was in the mood.

“Hopefully Toni Kroos gets a rest and one or two others. [Serge] Gnabry, I think, needs a rest,” smiled the Ballymena man.

“We’ll face a very strong team. One of the difficulties we always have playing Germany is when Jogi makes substitutions and the players coming on are equally as strong. That’s a big challenge for us.

“But when you have the squad with the number of options Germany have, for the players coming in, it’s a massive incentive because they want to go to the finals.

“If you think about it from an international point of view, they’d have very few opportunities to do that and they have the opportunity to play games in March.

“So this is the first game for those players who will possibility be given the opportunity to say they deserve to play and be part of the squad for the final. It’s a big thing for any player to be part of a squad that goes to a major tournament.”

As it stands, O’Neill will definitely be without one of his starters from Saturday night’s defeat to the Netherlands at Windsor Park, with Norwich City left-back Jamal Lewis not travelling due to an ongoing knee injury.

Neither Leicester City centre-back Jonny Evans or versatile Leeds ace Stuart Dallas took part in last night’s training session at the Commerzbank Arena, and could face a race against time to play.

Even against an experimental German side, the size of the task ahead of his side needs no explaining, but O’Neill would also love add a finishing flourish to his own impressive qualifier record.

From the 27 European and World qualifiers played since the start of the Euro 2016 campaign, Northern Ireland have won 16, drawn five and lost six, keeping 13 clean sheets in the process. It’s something he is understandably proud of.

“I think a lot of people thought after Euro 2016, with the loss of some players we wouldn’t be able to replicate that.

“We did that and were very unlucky to miss out on Russia 2018. There has been an influx of new players, relatively inexperienced players who have been asked to play international football at a very early stage of their club careers as well.

“How those players have adapted to that is testament to the likes of Craig [Cathcart], Jonny [Evans] and Davo [Steven Davis]; they have been the backbone of the consistency of the team and have made it easier for those younger players who have come in.

“I think we’re in a good place.”

O’Neill admits, though, that there is still lingering frustration at not having qualified for next summer’s tournament already, reflecting on some key moments in the crucial closing stages of the campaign.

“We look back to the game [against Germany] in Belfast, we had chances at 0-0 and didn’t take them. That was an opportunity we felt we missed.

“We led in Rotterdam and only lost because of the two goals right in injury-time. Of course, we were in a position to take more points, but people have to be realistic with the level of the opposition that we’re playing against. For most of our players it is a huge step up.

“For us to get to the finals ahead of Germany and Holland, I’m not sure how many other teams in Europe would be capable of doing that. We have a route through the play off and the good thing for us there won’t be anyone at the play-off at the level of Germany and Holland.”

For Craig Cathcart - who, along with Josh Magennis, will make his 50th appearance for Northern Ireland - much has changed since his debut against Slovenia in 2010.

He played left back that night in Maribor under Nigel Worthington, but is now part of an established centre-back pairing alongside Jonny Evans.

And the Watford stopper admits he couldn’t have foreseen becoming part of such a successful era under O’Neill.

“It’s obviously a long time since then, change of manager and the squad’s changed so much since then,” said the 30-year-old.

“Back then I would never have thought it would’ve gone so well, especially over these last five or six years, the success we’ve had, the games we’ve won and the experience of going to a major competition and playing against top teams.

“It’s been an incredible ride, and it’s something we want to continue. We’ve a young squad now coming through and we want to carry it on.”