Northern Ireland players and pundits criticise Julian Nagelsmann's post-match comments after Germany win

Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann's description of Northern Ireland's style of play as "not brilliant to watch" drew sharp criticism from former Northern Ireland internationals and local pundits after his side's 3-1 World Cup qualifying win in Cologne on Thursday.

The comments, made during a post-match interview with BBC Sport NI, prompted former defender Stephen Craigan to say they were "a bit disrespectful." Craigan, who was on co-commentary for the match and won 54 caps for Northern Ireland, pointed out that Germany themselves had repeatedly used long balls during the game, a tactic he said suited Northern Ireland's back three.

Germany took an early lead through Serge Gnabry, but Northern Ireland were level for 68 minutes when Isaac Price converted from a corner. Substitute Nadiem Amiri restored the hosts' advantage and Florian Wirtz sealed the victory with a superb free-kick as Germany claimed a 3-1 result.

Nagelsmann said he was "happy with the result" and criticised Northern Ireland's direct approach, saying: "It's not easy to defend a lot of long balls and not easy to defend a lot of second balls, so I'm happy with the result. It's not that easy when every set piece and ball that's free on the pitch they play a long ball and attack with 10 players with the second ball. There are always a lot of players in our own red zone. It's not brilliant to watch, this way of soccer, but it's effective and it's not that easy to defend it. I think we had 10 or 12 set-pieces to defend, and we only conceded one goal. It's really a strength of the Northern Ireland team. It's not that easy - we have better players but it's not that easy to defend this way of playing soccer."

Germany captain Joshua Kimmich also described Northern Ireland's tactics as "a special style of playing." That characterisation, and Nagelsmann's broader comments, drew rebuke from former internationals. Craigan said he had repeatedly drawn attention to the number of long balls Germany had played during the match and felt it was unfair to single out Northern Ireland. "To say it was Northern Ireland who just played like that, I feel that's a bit disrespectful," he said.

Chris Brunt, another former Northern Ireland player, echoed that view and joked that Nagelsmann would likely receive a warm welcome when Germany visit Windsor Park in Belfast on 13 October. "I didn't realise you had to play nice football and do what the other team wanted you to do," Brunt said. "I thought we were here to make a game of it. That's part and parcel of who we are and who we've been. It shouldn't be anything new to him and for him to come out and say that, it's strange for me."

Former Northern Ireland international Stuart Dallas suggested Nagelsmann's remarks may have been a sign of a coach attempting to deflect attention from a below-par performance. Germany arrived in Cologne on the back of three consecutive defeats and were jeered by some of the 50,000-strong crowd as the teams went in level at half-time. "It seemed to me he was deflecting from his own team's performance," Dallas said. "That's as poor a Germany team as I have seen for a long time. I think he's a little bit under pressure and when he reflects on his comments and watches the game back, he might have a different opinion on it."

Nagelsmann acknowledged the upcoming fixture in Belfast would present a different challenge. "It will be tougher than today because it's not our home game," he said. "I think their fans will be brilliant. Today we heard the Northern Ireland fans as well. It was loud enough and in Belfast it will be louder. We will have to bring our best to win."

The result ends Germany's run of three straight defeats in qualifiers but did little to silence debate about their form or the tone of Nagelsmann's remarks. Northern Ireland's performance, and the reaction from former players and pundits, underlined the passion surrounding the reverse fixture, where Windsor Park's atmosphere has historically amplified tensions when a major nation visits Belfast.