Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill insists he’s built his team “from a concept of being difficult to beat” and believes “desire” is a key ingredient in their current defensive success.

Ahead of hosting Ukraine at Windsor Park on Saturday night, Northern Ireland remain the sole country of 54 competing in the Nations League yet to concede a goal, recording four consecutive clean sheets to give themselves a genuine chance of sealing League A promotion.

Already an impressive achievement, Northern Ireland’s superb defensive record takes on further significance when you consider Sunderland’s Dan Ballard – the country’s top centre-back – only featured in one of those four matches.

Tom Atcheson and Ruairi McConville, both in the early stages of their international careers aged 20 and 21 respectively, stood up to the task in fine style across the last window.

placeholder image — Northern Ireland’s Pierce Charles celebrates after saving a penalty from Georgia's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. (Photo by William Cherry/Presseye)

Solid foundations have set the platform for Northern Ireland’s success with O’Neill’s men enjoying their best run without conceding a goal since 2017.

While League B opponents Georgia are captained by PSG superstar Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who was officially recognised as the world’s sixth-best player at last month’s Ballon d’Or ceremony, and Hungary have Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai, O’Neill insists Northern Ireland’s success is built on a collective effort.

"I think it's more down to the players' desire not to concede a goal,” said O’Neill. “From the goalkeeper, the back three...we played with two very young centre-halves in Tom Atcheson and Ruairi McConville.

"We lost our main centre-back in Dan Ballard after the first game, yet we were still able to not concede, there's real positives in that.

"I think the players are well used to the system of play. They know how to defend, they know when they're deep how they defend as well.

"We limited crosses into the box, just all the things you're looking for.

"We've always built this team from the concept of being difficult to beat rather than we'll just go out and play loose, free-flowing attacking football because, with all due respect, we don't have Kvaratskhelia in our team, we don’t have Szoboszlai at this moment in time.

"We have to approach the games in a different way, but what we do have is really good work ethic within the team, good structure, and we have shown real quality at times in the games.

"I think it's testament to the work that's been done on the training pitch with the players, but also the players being able to absorb that and take that forward and take it into the games as well.”

Northern Ireland have only lost once at Windsor Park since October 2023 - a narrow 1-0 defeat to Germany – as O’Neill’s men look to make the most of home comforts.

During that run, Northern Ireland have beaten the likes of Denmark and Slovakia in competitive fixtures, and could have opened up a further Nations League gap if they’d taken chances against Hungary and Georgia – both ended in stalemates.

O’Neill’s side have recorded clean sheets in five of their last six matches in Belfast, but have scored one goal or less in five of those.

"We have to look at the reasons why we didn't win the games at home,” added O’Neill. “The Hungary game was very much in the balance, a very strong team, I do feel we had opportunities in that game.

"The Georgia game, I think we had the opportunities clearly to win the game, we didn't take them.

"Those are moments in the game, sometimes they go for you, sometimes they go against you, but the important thing is that we didn't concede either.

"We want to try and win the game here against Ukraine, it's a massive game for us but it'll be an extremely tough game as well.

"I think that performances at home have been extremely, extremely positive over the past period of time. I think our record at home is extremely strong.

"We should focus on that really. I think before we went into the other games, we were talking about the away record, which we rectified.

"I think we should be positive of where this team is at in this moment in time.”

A host of incidents in the Premier League have resulted in many questioning whether players need to produce dramatics to earn penalties.

Liverpool's Alexander Isak was denied a spot-kick against Arsenal before the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents Panel ruled this week the Reds should have been awarded a penalty after he was pulled back by Jurrien Timber.

While O’Neill has been frustrated with a number of officiating decisions throughout Northern Ireland’s Nations League campaign, he won’t be speaking to his players about making the most of contact.

"I don't genuinely believe any manager does that,” said O’Neill. “The reality of the situation is I think our team play in a very honest way.

"I think at times we've been a little bit harshly refereed in this Nations League, but I don't want to see that type of thing in the team at all.

"This team's too young, it doesn't need to be involved in all that kind of stuff, so no, we're not giving them any lectures on that side of things.

"We're just making the team play in the right way, play with the right attitude, and I think that that reflects in terms of how the crowd here view the team as well.”