Lebih lanjut, O'Neill menyoroti pentingnya aspek mentalitas anak asuhnya ketika menghadapi atmosfer pertandingan besar melawan pemain-pemain kelas dunia.

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Panggung internasional ini dinilai menjadi tempat pembuktian kelayakan, terutama bagi para pemain yang berkarier di luar kompetisi Premier League.

"The most important thing is to see if your team are overawed by the situation.

I think the hardest thing for any player as you step through the levels of the game is having the self-belief in yourself that you can deal with the game at this level, against players of this level, and that's what these games give us," kata Michael O'Neill.

Kesempatan bertanding di level tertinggi internasional dipandang sebagai momentum langka yang tidak didapatkan dalam kompetisi domestik.

Melalui paparan atmosfer kompetisi tertinggi tersebut, para pemain mendapatkan kesempatan untuk menunjukkan kapasitas terbaik mereka.

"It doesn't come through the domestic game, but they get the opportunity to show that they can do that (on the international stage).

They get the chance to be able to demonstrate that they can play the game at the top level, they can handle the game at the top level.

I think the only way to do that is to be exposed to it," ucap Michael O'Neill.

Selain menguji mental, sang manajer juga menginginkan negaranya tetap mempertahankan reputasi sebagai tim yang solid dan tidak mudah ditaklukkan oleh lawan.

Identitas sebagai tim yang tangguh menjadi kebanggaan tersendiri bagi skuad Irlandia Utara.

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"We pride ourselves very much on that," tambah Michael O'Neill.