Michael O’Neill shall be again within the Windsor Park limelight on Sunday evening, however the Northern Ireland supervisor insisted feelings wouldn’t cloud his considering going into their Euro 2024 qualifier towards Finland.
O’Neill’s first residence sport of his second stint in cost shall be an enormous event in south Belfast, however the supervisor is simply focused on three factors to construct on Thursday’s 2-0 win in San Marino.
The 53-year-old insisted he was not an emotional man and joked reporters have been “desperate to see me in tears” because the questions saved coming, saying his solely focus is on getting ready his group.
“At the end of the day it’s a game of football,” O’Neill mentioned. “We have to keep everything in perspective. I don’t know how it will affect me tomorrow, I know we have to be focused. My primary objective is to make sure my head is in the game and that’s where it’s been all week.
“I’m just looking forward to the game. When Northern Ireland are at their best the stadium has a great atmosphere, there’s a real strong bond between the players and the fans. That’s something we carried for a number of years, something we developed and something we have to reconnect.
“We have to make sure that’s how fans feel about the players going forward. That’s where I’ll get the most satisfaction and, who knows, maybe a bit of emotion will come out then.”
Dion Charles’s brace in San Marino has fuelled the optimism that O’Neill’s return has generated inside the Green and White Army.
A Finland facet led by Norwich striker Teemu Pukki, who has 37 objectives in 109 internationals, will symbolize a really completely different problem, however O’Neill is hoping his group can reap the benefits of the better area they’re more likely to discover in comparison with going through a San Marino facet who saved 10 males behind the ball.
If Northern Ireland can beat a facet who got here into Group H as second seeds, it will present they’ll problem for a spot at Euro 2024.
“There is no better thing than winning,” O’Neill mentioned. “It breeds confidence, it breeds togetherness in a group of players. We always talk about culture in sporting teams. It is difficult to create a culture in a losing team, so of course winning helps.”
Transforming Northern Ireland’s tradition was key to the success O’Neill loved in his first spell between 2012 and 2020.
The togetherness he helped foster was seen on Saturday as captain Steven Davis and Stuart Dallas, each out with long-term accidents, watched coaching from the Windsor Park sidelines after becoming a member of the squad on Friday evening.
“It’s brilliant for Steven and Stuart to be here,” O’Neill mentioned. “I feel it’s good for the medical group to see the place they’re, get their fingers on them as effectively.
“It’s a little bit of a change for the gamers as effectively. When you’ve bought long-term accidents, their golf equipment are sensible, however typically you want a change of surroundings they usually’ve had that the final couple of days.
“They add a lot. We’ve got a lot of younger players in the squad and for them to see Steven Davis and Stuart Dallas about the place, it can only be a positive.”
Craig Cathcart is captain for these video games within the absence of Davis and Jonny Evans, and corrected Davis when he referred to as him “skipper”.
“I told him not to call me that around you,” the Watford defender mentioned. “It’s not a term I’m comfortable with, but he tried to wind me up a little bit.
“It was great to lead them out at San Marino on Thursday. It’ll be even more special at Windsor Park, especially in Michael’s first game back. The atmosphere will be brilliant.
“Maybe he will give us a tear or two if we qualify. I have only ever seen him come close to crying after a few late nights.”