Michael O'Neill, the Northern Ireland manager, emphasizes the importance of upcoming friendlies against Denmark and Iceland as preparation for World Cup qualifying. Following a challenging March where key players were absent, leading to a youthful squad in a loss against Sweden, O'Neill aims for a more robust lineup. The June friendlies will provide vital experience against competitive teams, indicating a strategic approach to the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, where Northern Ireland will face Germany, Slovakia, and Luxembourg. O'Neill aims for a playoff spot despite the tough competition ahead.
We were down maybe five or six other players in March and the team got very young.
It was important to play a higher calibre of teams than we played in the Nations League.
Collection
[
|
...
]