Austria game ‘a pivotal point’ in the group says Northern Ireland head coach Shiels | OneFootball

Northern Ireland head coach Kenny Shiels says that this evening’s FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 qualifier against Austria is a pivotal game for both sides.

Both nations have taken 13 points from their six qualifying matches so far while just one goal separates them in the rankings, Austria are the side who currently hold the play-off spot.

When speaking in his pre-match press conference, Northern Ireland boss Shiels said that this evening’s match against Austria in Wiener Neustadt is a huge game for both nations.

“This game is very much the pivotal point both for us and for Austria,” Shiels said. “Both nations know that defeat would more or less put them out of the running for the runners-up spot and victory would put them on the verge of the play-offs.

“That’s how vital it is, we’ve got two fixtures that are not as tough as these next two games and Austria likewise. We are dead level, there is one goal between us and that tells you that it is very tight, pivotal within the World Cup group. It would mean an awful lot if we were to qualify but the hurdles that we have got to overcome to get to that are very demanding.”

Northern Ireland’s players have been training full-time since January in preparation for this summer’s UEFA Women’s EURO but Shiels is not expecting huge changes from his squad in just a short space of time.

He said “Things don’t change naturally in three months or 12-13 weeks. There is progress being made in terms of ‘what is professionalism?’ and the benefits of self-awareness of where we are, where we are going and how to get there. All of those are contributing factors to what’s inside their heads in how they are improving from what we are doing on the psychological side.

“We will move up, come back down, move up, come back down through three or four months and then gradually, it becomes more natural to them. We are seeing that now – the girls are more understanding of how to behave as professionals, the sleep patterns, when we take on fluid, the strength and conditioning programme, all of that is in place.

“We relish it and the girls are relishing it. They have a clearer picture of how we are getting there.”

Northern Ireland’s FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 qualifier against Austria in Wiener Neustadt kicks-off at 7.30pm this evening.