After the story of Leicester City this season, people are becoming more and more supportive of the underdog.
FA Cup shocks, surprise league winners and last-day relegations are all things we’re more than used to seeing in modern-day football, and with EURO 2016 only a matter of days away, there are certain sides that have been written off straight away.
But should we do this in light of the recent events we’ve seen in the Premier League? Probably not, no, and one of those sides that is being pushed straight to the side is Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland.
His team were massively impressive in qualifying, ending their 30-year wait for qualification for a major European tournament. They finished top of Group F, with the likes of Romania, Hungary, Finland, the Faroe Islands and Greece all failing to climb above them.
This should be recognised as an absolute coup for everyone in Northern Ireland. Whilst their task was made easier due to the clear lack of a footballing giant, to come out on top in a group where everyone is more equally ranked is mightily impressive.
Facing them in France will be a slightly trickier challenge, with Germany, Poland and Ukraine all competing to get out of the group and into the knock-out rounds. But, O’Neill’s side have never been better placed to upset the odds. They were 129th in the world four years ago, and this really shows the startling progress they’ve made in such a short space of time. Fast-forward nearly half a decade and O’Neill’s squad have broken into the top thirty in the world rankings, showing that they’re not going to France to just make up the numbers.
They’ve got a whole host of Premier League stars in their ranks with the likes of Craig Cathcart (Watford), Jonny Evans and Gareth McAuley (both West Brom), Paddy McNair (Manchester United), Steve Davis (Southampton) and Kyle Lafferty (Norwich City) all experienced at the top level. Couple this with some solid players who have impressed in the Championship and below, and Northern Ireland’s chances have never been better.
And there is no better example than Will Grigg, who has been in stunning form for Wigan Athletic this season. As well as becoming a viral hit, he banged in 28 goals last season, which is a record as impressive as the likes of those in La Liga and other strong domestic leagues.
You really feel that this year, someone like Northern Ireland could just upset the odds. They’ve got a tough match against Germany in their group, but Poland and Ukraine (with all due respect) are slightly inferior to the mighty word champions. If Northern Ireland could shade a draw and a win, they’ve got every chance of making into the knock-outs.
The stage is set for the Brits, it’s just a case of getting there and doing the job.
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