O’Neill needs cutting edge to stave off relegation
NORTHERN Ireland need to find a cutting edge away from home when they take on Bosnia and Herzegovina tonight facing the threat of relegation in the Nations League.
Friday’s 1-0 loss to Austria made it five away games in a row in which Northern Ireland have failed to score and anything but a win will take the relegation battle out of their hands, and that means finding a way to overcome a Bosnia side who have lost just one of their last 11 competitive matches at home – a 4-3 defeat to Belgium in World Cup qualifying.
“There’s no magic formula,” manager Michael O’Neill said. “We need someone to stick the ball in the net, it’s as simple as that. We’re challenged a little bit at the moment with the striker situation.”
After Kyle Lafferty withdrew from the squad at the last minute, Liam Boyce missed the Austria game with a knee problem while Will Grigg suffered a hamstring injury after coming on as a substitute.
But Boyce returned to training yesterday and could be involved to ease O’Neill’s concerns, with Josh Magennis and Kyle Vassell the only other fit strikers.
There has been no shortage of chances for Northern Ireland in their games against Bosnia and Austria but they ended up with only one goal. And skipper Steven Davis said that has created a frustration in the squad he wants to take out on Bosnia tonight.
“Being clinical at this level is the difference,” the Southampton midfielder, who used to captain Rangers, said. “Even [against Austria], although we didn’t have as much control in the game, ultimately the best chance fell to me. If I’d have got that it would have put us in front and in a strong position.
“Of course we’re pleased that we’re creating chances, but it’s important that we’re clinical.”
Northern Ireland may be running out of chances to save themselves from the drop, but O’Neill reiterated that is a secondary concern as he instead wants to use these matches to develop his team ahead of next year’s Euro 2020 qualifiers.
“I don’t think we have enormous pressure in this competition,” he said. “I don’t think any country fully understands the implications of promotion or relegation.
“If two years from now we’re in League C it wouldn’t be a disaster for us. The main objective for us is to try to qualify for Euro 2020.
“I think we’ll have to be very strong defensively and the opportunities we get on the counter attack or through our possession, we have to make sure we do better than we have done in the games so far with opportunities and goals.”
‘‘ If two years from now we’re in League C it wouldn’t be a disaster