Time to give Michael a call, Gareth!
WHILE England were making qualification for Russia a near certainty, Northern Ireland were securing second place in their group.
In the process, they were guaranteeing themselves a shot at the World Cup finals via the play-offs.
Michael O’Neill’s side that beat the Czech Republic last Monday contained a goalkeeper who can’t get into the Norwich team, a striker who used to be a postman and another who was once a goalie.
Unlike the bulk of Gareth Southgate’s players, none of O’Neill’s squad will be standing to attention while the Champions League music plays this week.
The England boss, quite understandably, believes that having access to players who regularly play against Europe’s elite is a huge asset when it comes to facing the best the world has to offer.
All recent England managers have thought this way, yet none ever reaped the benefit at a tournament.
The so-called Golden Generation was peppered with Champions League winners – Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ashley Cole – but they never came close to replicating that success in the international arena.
So, while it’s fine for Southgate to be looking at involvement in Europe’s prestige competition as a plus, it’s not the be-and-end-all.
In fact, it could be argued, that what O’Neill has is the real Holy Grail for any England manager.
O’Neill has a unit that is far greater than the sum of its parts. England haven’t had that since 1966.
His group are a team in the truest sense of the word. They all fight for each other, they are organised and they are hard to beat, having conceded only two goals – both against World Champions Germany.
They won’t win the World Cup – they may not even reach the Finals – but O’Neill has a far better blueprint for possible success than Southgate, or any of his predecessors, have had.
When you don’t have the best players – and England currently don’t – you need the best plan, the best spirit and the best professional discipline.
No manager since Sir Alf Ramsey has been able to provide that framework. Southgate will have his work cut out to put it in place between now and next June.
But his starting point shouldn’t be his players’ performances in the Champions League. It should be a call to Michael O’Neill.