Michael O’Neill’s stock has risen dramatically in the last fortnight. While plenty of other national coaches have been fiercely criticized for their over or under use of the 23 players available, O’Neill has made some bold calls, including dropping their leading scorer in qualifying, Kyle Lafferty after the first group game.
However, if the Welsh can get the game played at the same frenetic pace as their clash against England, it could help Gareth Bale run riot. Arguably the second best player left in the competition, Bale at worst, if given close attention by the Northern Irish defense, can enable his attack minded team mates to find open spaces and at best could simply be too quick for a resolute but limited back four. If the Welsh can score early, as they did in their Russia romp, this could be one of the last 16’s most comprehensive victories.
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