Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
GO OUT AND GRAB IT
O’Neill tells his players to go over finish line in style
NORTHERN Ireland boss Michael O’Neill is backing his players to get the result they need against Norway tonight to secure a World Cup playoff.
Following Bosnia’s 4-3 defeat to Belgium yesterday, the Green and White Army know a draw at the Ullevaal Stadion will guarantee a spot in next month’s shootout for Russia.
Even if they lose, other results may help Northern Ireland get across the line, but ending the campaign with a defeat is not an option for O’Neill.
He wants all three points to bolster the province’s hopes of being one of the four seeded nations when the playoff draw is made in Zurich on October 17.
He said: “We want to get the result we need, but winning would also strengthen our hand in terms of whether we’ll be seeded or not, so that’s a big incentive. We can’t
approach it with any other mentality other than winning the game. Everything else is outside our control. We just want to take care of this game.
“To have amassed 19 points so far and miss out would be harsh, but we have to make sure we turn those 19 points into 20 or 22 points in the final game.”
O’Neill is relaxed that Northern Ireland have a target to aim for as they bid to reach the playoffs.
He said: “This group of players qualified with a game to spare for the Euro finals, but they still wanted to top the group in the final game against Finland.
“They achieved that, so they’ve already been through that experience.
It’s a nice position for us to be in, that game 10 still means something to the players.
“These are the positions we want to be in and the games we want to be involved in. The edge is there and the players know they have a job to do.”
Captain Steven Davis believes Northern Ireland, battle hardened by the experience of reaching the Euro 2016 finals, have the mental strength to end the campaign on a high.
He said: “We know if we get a positive result we’ll be in the mix. We’ve put ourselves in a good position in the group and we want to get the job done. That’s our sole focus.”
Northern Ireland secured a comfortable 2-0 win over Norway in Belfast in Lars Lagerback’s first game in charge in March, but Davis expects to face a different animal this evening.
He said: “They have shown signs of improvement, so we’ll not underestimate them.
“Through the analysis we’ve done on them, they go very direct at times, put the ball into areas that’s going to try and hurt you.”