"Unyielding Nagelsmann steps forward, presenting the North in the conversation"
In a World Cup qualifier match, Julian Nagelsmann's team secured a 3:1 win against Northern Ireland, but the victory was overshadowed by the Bayern Munich coach's comments about the opponent's playing style.
Nagelsmann described Northern Ireland's approach as not easy to defend many long balls and second balls, sparking controversy in Northern Ireland and British media. His words were met with criticism from former Northern Irish national players Stephen Craigan and Chris Brunt, who found the comments disrespectful and skeptical of Nagelsmann's view.
According to the statistics, the proportion of long balls out of all passes was 24.6% for Northern Ireland, significantly higher than the 6% for the German team. Interestingly, both teams hit an equal number of long balls (45) during the match.
Joshua Kimmich, the German captain, acknowledged the unique style of Northern Ireland, while Julian Nagelsmann admitted that the approach was effective. However, Nagelsmann further stated that this kind of football is not particularly pleasant to watch.
Brunt found it strange that Nagelsmann made his comments about the Northern Irish playing style publicly. He sarcastically remarked that teams don't have to play beautiful football or do what the other team expects. Craigan echoed these sentiments, adding that Nagelsmann's analysis was disrespectful.
The two former Northern Ireland national players predicted continued tension and a challenging reception for Nagelsmann in the upcoming return match in Belfast on October 13, 2025, at Windsor Park.
Nadiem Amiri and Florian Wirtz scored the winning goals for Germany, with the opponent holding their own against the four-time world champions for 68 minutes before the win.
The source of the information is ntv.de and dbe.
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