Michael O’Neill to make changes for Northern Ireland’s game with Kazakhstan

Northern Ireland played their most positive football in some time in Ljubljana, creating more chances than the hosts, but were too easily picked off at the other end in a defeat that effectively ended any remaining hope of qualifying for Euro 2024.

A long flight to Astana has given O’Neill plenty of time to reflect on what went wrong for his side after injuries forced him into a change of shape, switching to a back four.

“I think it was to do with how we were without the ball,” O’Neill said.

“It was more of a structural thing than a risk versus reward situation. We went through some stuff with the players. The shape of our team out of possession could have been better.

“There’s a balance. We’ve changed the system. We played with one system for the first four games and then changed the system for game five with not a lot of time to do that if I’m honest.

“Maybe there’s things in that we didn’t get embedded in the players enough to let them see that.”

The injury curse which has dogged Northern Ireland from before this qualifying campaign even started has bitten again, with Ciaron Brown and Craig Cathcart ruled out of Sunday’s match after hobbling off on Thursday, although O’Neill is “optimistic” Dan Ballard could return.

But even as the long list of absentees forces O’Neill to name even younger starting XIs, the manager said he could not afford to simply write off one qualifying campaign and focus solely for the next one.

Qualification for the 2026 World Cup does not start until March 2025, by which time players like Steven Davis, 38, Jonny Evans, 35, and Cathcart, 34, could have big decisions to make on their future.

“There’s a lot of natural evolution in this squad between now and then,” O’Neill said.

“It’s 16 months away, and we have to look at the picture as it evolves over a period of time, where older players are at a point in their career and with their club careers.

“It’s not like we have a full pipeline of players available to come in and replace the older players. If anything, they are more valuable to us now than at any point. Their experience is invaluable, but also their leadership and influence on the younger players.

“The World Cup seems a lifetime away from where we are at the minute. The biggest thing for me is getting the injured players back – Steven Davis, Corry Evans and Stuart Dallas – but we’ve also missed out on the likes of Conor Bradley, Jamal Lewis, Shane Ferguson.

“Over the next number of months we need to give the squad a bit of strength. I don’t think we’re in a position to just draw a line and say we’re going to go this way. I think we would be far too young and far too inexperienced.”

Evans, who earned his 103rd cap on Thursday, certainly wants to be involved in that.

“I do feel we’ve got a big part to play,” the Manchester United defender said.

“I think the three oldest in the squad at the moment are myself, Josh (Magennis) and George Saville, so there’s plenty of international experience there.

“You’re always trying to pass on that wisdom to the younger lads and just trying to give them the support they need and the support we got in the past.”