'Don't settle for the Euros' - NI boss Ian Baraclough challenges players before World Cup qualifiers
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Baraclough stepped up from the Under-21s to take over the NI senior team in 2020
Northern Ireland boss Ian Baraclough has challenged his players not to settle for having reached the Euro 2016 finals.
Almost half of Baraclough's 26-man squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers were part of the party in France five years ago.
NI have suffered play-off defeats in the two campaigns since but the manager believes they can reach another finals.
"I think it goes in cycles for countries like ours," he said.
"Although 2016 was the last time we qualified for a major finals, I don't think we are too far away with the group of players that we have got. Hopefully this time we can do something special.
"When I speak to them on regular occasions there is still that burning desire to go and achieve what would be something great for the country.
"We haven't qualified for a World Cup finals since 1986 and I will be putting that challenge to them, to go and create more history and not to settle for what we have done in 2016.
"We have just missed out last time in the World Cup play-off defeat against Switzerland and have just missed out in the Euros again. They are massive achievements in themselves, just getting that close where you are one game away, but we want to go that one step further."
Triple headers 'stretch us to the max'
Northern Ireland captain Steven Davis and his team-mates suffered Euro play-off final defeat by Slovakia in November
Northern Ireland begin their qualifying campaign against Italy in Parma on 25 March, then have a friendly at Windsor Park against the USA three days later before welcoming Bulgaria to Belfast for their second qualifier on 31 March.
Baraclough believes the triple headers are a tough ask of smaller nations, but is looking forward to the challenge.
"I think a lot of it is weighted towards the bigger countries," he said.
"Triple headers will stretch us to the max, but one good thing is that we are in a group of five and we will therefore have a friendly in the middle of the two qualifiers.
"Everyone comes in knowing they have a part to play, hopefully we will give everyone game time and everyone comes in with massive enthusiasm.
"There will be a freshness about these fixtures, it is not as if we are coming up against teams that we have met over previous campaigns recently, so it should be three good games."
While realising the size of the task facing his players in starting away to the four-time world champions, the former Motherwell manager believes history suggests NI have a chance of causing an upset.
"It doesn't come any bigger really than Italy away, does it? We are on their patch but you're hoping that after five months off there will be a bit of unfamiliarity for them and a bit of rustiness," he added.
"We hope that we can hit top form and give them a surprise. I've looked at previous campaigns they have played in and in at least one of the games they have dropped a few points to one of the so-called lower sides. We are hoping we can take advantage of that, and that it is us this time around."