Northern Ireland past pride key for boss Michael O’Neill against Holland

Northern Ireland were beaten 2-0 by the Germans to bring an end to their 100 per cent start to the Group C campaign and they sit joint top on 12 points after five games.

Holland are three points behind with a game in hand and the head-to-head matches will prove crucial to who moves on from the group.

The manager told a press conference yesterday: “We’re in a play-off situation and that’s how we have to approach the game.

“We take a lot from the game against Germany in Belfast.

“We were disappointed we didn’t take anything from that game and we’ll have to play at a similar level tomorrow night.”

O’Neill feels the experience of the players that qualified for Euro 2016 will go a long way to helping the current crop in Rotterdam.

O’Neill said: “We’ve had a lot of positivity in the last four years, a lot of positive results, obviously qualification for Euro 2016 and the World Cup play-offs for 2018.

“And there’s a lot of those players still part of the squad so those are all things that you draw on in this situation and we know the size of the task and the quality of the opposition.

“The belief has been there for some time.

“When you’re a small nation like us you have everything to gain in this situation.”

Northern Ireland captain Steven Davis knows Dutch star centre-back Virgil Van Dijk well from their time together at Southampton, but knowing the 28-year-old’s game inside-out and knowing how to beat him are two different things.

“I am not sure I have seen too many weaknesses having trained with him,” the Rangers midfielder said. “You obviously see the way he defends, he has the physical attributes to out-run most people and he is very strong as well.

“He tends to put the onus back on the attacking player and makes them make decisions and you don’t see him going to ground.

“He always stands up, that is why he is a clever defender.

“Usually it is the attacking player who makes the wrong decision and he reads the game well.

“He is a top player and I can only see him getting better.”

O’Neill has no doubts about the class of Van Dijk and his team-mates, but saw little point in dwelling on it.

“We can’t get too focused on the names of the Dutch players, they’re just players at the end of the day,” he said.

Instead, the focus is on trying to finish a job that Northern Ireland started so impressively with victories home and away over Estonia and Belarus, giving themselves a chance in a group where few looked beyond Germany and Holland.

“When you’re a small nation like us, you have everything to gain in this situation and that’s the way we will approach the game tomorrow night,” O’Neill said. “We’ve found a way to get results away from home and that’s what will be required again.

“Whether that’s from a counter-attack, a set-piece or from possession, we’re not bothered.

“We’ll take it any way it comes.”