Organisation the key for O’Neill

Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill admits that his side may not be the most talented squad at this summer’s European Championships, but he believes they can make up for that with their strong organisational skills.

The Green and White Army will be playing in their first major international tournament since the 1986 World Cup following a successful qualification campaign, and they are currently on a record 10-game unbeaten run that stretches back to March 2015.

O’Neill’s men were 1-0 victors in their last international match against Slovenia in March, and they will face further friendly games against Belarus and Slovakia before the start of their European Championship campaign next month.

Northern Ireland will take on world champions Germany, Ukraine and Poland in Group C of the tournament, where they will come up against a number of world class players, but O’Neill believes they can still prosper at the finals due to their strong organisational skills.

He said: “When we go to France we won’t be the most talented team in the finals but our job is to have them the best organised.”

The 46-year-old believes his side’s current unbeaten run shows that they are an improving footballing force and he is convinced no side at the finals will be able to match their spirit and determination.

He added: “I think you’ll go a long way to find a team with as big a heart. We have to continue to develop that. There’s two games before the finals and we want to make sure we don’t lose those games.”

Northern Ireland are available at 29.00 to finish top of Group C, while they are on offer at 3.50 to qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament.