For fans of the womens game in Northern Ireland, the summer of 2022 will never be forgotten, with it being the year in which their national side finally ended its wait for an appearance at a major tournament finals after successfully qualifying for Euro 2022. They may have lost all three of their group matches in England, but they demonstrated simply by getting there that they are not a team that opponents can or should take for granted.
That point was drummed home even further by them only just missing out on a place in the top two of their qualification group for this summers World Cup, with them winning six of their 10 matches and finishing just three points shy of runners-up Austria, and their aim is clearly to return to a major tournament at the earliest available opportunity.
Getting them there is a task that has been entrusted to Australian Tanya Oxtoby, with the former Bristol City Women head coach, who spent the last couple of seasons on Emma Hayes coaching staff at Chelsea Women, being appointed as Kenny Shiels successor in mid-August. Results may not show too much improvement, with them winning one, drawing one and losing two of her opening four games, but there have been noticeable changes to their play under her that will have given them fresh hope of meeting that target.
This tactical analysis will take a closer look at her opening three matches to see just what has changed, breaking down critical aspects of their attacking and defensive play as well as highlighting where there is still room for improvement. The scout report will also look at those players who have become critical components of Oxtobys tactics and will show why keeping them in top form will be vital if Northern Ireland are to keep progressing in the right direction.
Attack
Addressing the attacking side of things first, it is clear when Northern Ireland have the ball that they know what they want to happen and that there is a great deal of belief in the game plan that they are being asked to execute, and it is apparent in almost every situation that they are working as one to achieve the same objectives.
One of the things that indicates that unity is their desire to play on the front foot and to be positive when they have possession, with a desire to be progressive with the ball and to always look to gain territory whenever there is an opportunity to do so.
To make this work to its maximum effect, though, it needs to be a policy that the whole team buys into, and it is clear when watching Northern Irelands recent performances that, on the whole, this is the case for them. Here, the ball is in the grasp of the back line, and their first thought is to send the ball forward rather than simply play across the field.
However, what makes this such an
