FORMATION COSTA US

Blanks force O’neill rethink

NORTHERN IRELAND boss Michael O’neill is facing a strategic rethink ahead of the forthcoming UEFA Nations League and Euro 2020 qualifiers.

O’neill went with a 3-5-2 formation in last week’s tour of Central American where the national team drew 0-0 with

Panama and suffered a 3-0 loss to Costa

Rica.

Did it work? Not really. Results aside, in both friendlies the tourists failed to score, with only two shots on target in 180 minutes of action.

Heat, humidity and the absence of key attack minded players like influential skipper Steven Davis, Kyle Lafferty, Jamie Ward and Conor Washington played a part. The return of midfielders Oliver Norwood and George Saville will also bolster O’neill’s options moving forward, but the lack of goals in a 3-5-2 template is a nagging concern.

O’neill likes the 3-5-2 formation because it encourages defensive stability and permits the selection of seasoned centre backs Jonny Evans, Craig Cathcart and Gareth Mcauley.

But Northern Ireland’s largely toothless displays in Panama and Costa Rica may persuade him to revert to the 4-3-3 that was used to great effect in recent qualifiers.

Reflecting on his team’s lack of cutting edge on tour, O’neill said: “Yeah, we can’t hide from that fact. It’s one of the questions when we play this system – can we create enough with the 3-5-2?

“We would like to have had a little bit more of an attacking threat. Maybe on reflection, we have to look at whether we are more of a threat when we play in a 4-3-3?”

O’neill’s hand wasn’t helped when Liam Boyce picked up an injury 38 minutes into Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to Costa Rica in the sweltering heat of San Jose.

He was keen to see how the Burton Albion striker, who at times drifted into a No10 position, operated alongside physical targetman Josh Magennis.

O’neill said: “It’s disappointing that Liam came off because we wanted to see Josh and him play together. Overall with the two strikers, we didn’t create as much as I’d like to have seen.

“The level of opposition plays a part obviously, but we would have liked to have been better in possession and had a bit more of an attacking threat.

“We’re trying to play with two strikers and we learned from that, but not in a positive way, I don’t think. It’s something to reflect on.”

Five blanks in the last six games – dating back to a 1-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Norway in October – definitely gives pause for thought.

O’neill said: “We can make ourselves extremely difficult to beat, extremely well organised, but you have to try and win the game from that platform.”