Michael O’Neill believes his young Northern Ireland team becoming mentally tougher and moving to a more pragmatic system has helped results improve over the last 12 months.
It’s approaching a year since O’Neill’s side defeated Denmark 2-0 at Windsor Park in the final game of a disappointing Euro qualifying campaign. They have flourished from there and will enter the Nations League double header at home to Belarus on Friday and away in Luxembourg on Monday on a run of five wins, two draws and two defeats in their last nine outings.
Given that one of the losses was to a Spanish side who would go on and dominate Euro 2024, that’s a fantastic record, with the highlights a much celebrated 1-0 friendly victory in Scotland and last month’s thumping 5-0 Nations League triumph in Belfast against a bewildered Bulgarian outfit.
Even the best Northern Ireland teams in history were not renowned for score-lines like that. It was richly deserved, with magnificent individual displays from hat-trick hero Isaac Price, Shea Charles, Conor Bradley and Brodie Spencer blending in with a stunning team performance.
Quizzed on what he had learnt over the last 12 months, O’Neill said: “We had to look at different situations prior to that. When we were in games and went behind, we struggled to get back into the game, though we weren’t outplayed very often.
“So probably we have become a bit tougher mentally and been a little bit more conservative and pragmatic with our system. The system we played has suited the players. With young players, you give them structure and guidance and let them play.
“We don’t have to worry about the running power of the team. We know it’s there.
“I’ve really enjoyed it, it’s been refreshing. We have a good staff and it’s a brilliant group of lads who enjoy being together and want to do well and progress. I think they will be around the international squad for a long time.”
Missing from the memorable win against Bulgaria this time around are injured defenders Paddy McNair and Eoin Toal. On the upside, Daniel Ballard is back and he is likely to play alongside Trai Hume and Ciaron Brown in a back three with Conor Bradley and Brodie Spencer out wide.
Captain Shea Charles will be in midfield, joined by Ali McCann or George Saville, with Callum Marshall, Dion Charles and Price out to cause havoc in attack.
The goalkeeping choice is a tricky one. Will O’Neill keep teenager Pierce Charles between the sticks or revert to the more experienced Bailey Peacock-Farrell?
Ross McCausland and Jamal Lewis have had to withdraw from the squad due to injury with new boy Justin Devenny hoping to make his international bow after his Premier League debut for Crystal Palace at the weekend.
Northern Ireland may not need two wins in their remaining games to top their Nations League group but that’s what the players will be striving for.
O’Neill said: “I think they’d get a huge amount of confidence from (topping the group). I think when we go and play at the next level of European football that confidence would stand them in good stead.
“This competition has been good to us on this occasion and if we can finish top of the group and take confidence from that, we’ll take that into the World Cup qualifying and whatever the draw brings.”
Everything worked for Northern Ireland in their last match at Windsor Park. O’Neill is guarding against any panic setting in if the encounter with Belarus is tougher to deal with.
He said: “If you win the game in the 89th minute it still counts the same as a 5-0 victory, so we have to manage the patience, manage the frustration if it’s not going our way.
“We also have to realise this will be a tough game. They will come into this thinking we can win the group as well. There’s a lot at stake for Belarus as well.
“We are far, far from where we need to be as a team, where we believe we would be a team that could qualify for a World Cup or European Championship. We still have a lot of games to get over and put a few more miles on the clock.”