Michael O’Neill: Nations League not make or break contest for Northern Ireland

10 Oct 2024

Subscribe To Miguel Delaney’s Free Soccer Newsletter

Subscribe To Miguel Delaney's Free Weekly Newsletter

I would love to receive emails about promotions, events, and news from The Independent. Please take a look at our privacy policy.

Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill is not considering the upcoming matches against Belarus and Bulgaria as decisive for his team's goals in the Nations League. Instead, he is focusing on a broader perspective for the future.

When Northern Ireland began their Group C3 journey last month, O’Neill emphasized his aim to move back up to League B. Following a 2-0 victory at home against Luxembourg and a 1-0 loss away to Bulgaria in their first matches, the upcoming days will reveal whether this objective is still achievable.

The first event is a journey to Zalaegerszeg in western Hungary, where the team will face Belarus in a game set to be held without spectators this Saturday. Following that, Bulgaria will come to Windsor Park for a match next Tuesday.

When asked whether these games would shape the current campaign, O'Neill expressed that his main focus was on the ongoing growth of his young team, keeping in mind the qualifying rounds for next year's World Cup.

"We did well in the opening round. Of course, it could have been improved if we'd secured four points, and it would have been even better if we had six," O'Neill stated to the PA news agency. "These next two matches will be challenging, there's no question about it. We need to maximize our points from both games."

To be honest, I don’t view the Nations League as a crucial tournament. It has its own significance and plays a role, providing us with valuable competitive matches to help the team grow and improve.

Northern Ireland faced Belarus for the last time in 2019, during the latter part of O'Neill's initial tenure as manager. In both encounters, Northern Ireland emerged victorious, but with close margins. Josh Magennis netted a late winner in the 87th minute, leading to a 2-1 triumph at Windsor Park, while in Minsk, an 86th-minute goal from Paddy McNair secured a 1-0 victory.

O'Neill is preparing for yet another tight competition.

"I believe every match in this group will be tight," he commented. "The outcomes we've seen so far suggest that. We suffered a slim loss in Bulgaria. It's going to be a challenging game; they're a formidable team, seasoned and tough."

"It’s a tough situation since we’ll be playing in an empty stadium at a neutral location. This might actually work to our advantage a bit more than going to Belarus, where the environment would be more intimidating. They lose some of the benefits of being the home team, but it’s still going to be a challenging match."

The choice of a neutral location and the vacant stands stem from the penalties imposed on Belarus following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Ahead of this match, the UK Government reached out to the Irish FA to express its stance against the game taking place. They reiterated their guidance to UK sports governing bodies, stating that athletes from Russia and Belarus should only participate in international competitions under a neutral flag.

The Government acknowledged that the IFA found itself in a tough situation after the Nations League draw was announced. However, this topic is expected to come up again, especially with Belarus scheduled to play in Belfast next month. For this match, the Belarusian team will require entry visas.

However, O'Neill stated that it wasn't a worry or a distraction for either him or his team.

"Those matters are beyond my expertise and control," he stated. "As players and coaches, our main concern is the team and getting ready."

"When it comes to where the games will take place, we obviously need to figure out our logistics and how to get ready. However, these decisions are currently out of our hands."