Northern Ireland: The good, the bad and the Steven Davis - what we noticed from March's triple-header
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Northern Ireland could not find a breakthrough at Windsor Park on Wednesday
Three games. One draw. Two defeats. 2021 and the World Cup qualifying campaign haven't got off to the best start for Northern Ireland.
The opener in Italy was a tough game for Ian Baraclough but a goalless draw at home to Bulgaria put a serious dent in Northern Ireland's qualification hopes with just two matches played.
A friendly with the USA in between provided moments of positivity and optimism, but ultimately ended in defeat as Baraclough's wait for a victory in 90 minutes goes on.
Here are five things we noticed from March's triple-header.
The wait goes on
A common sight in Ian Baraclough's reign
"Something will change, something will turn", said Baraclough after the Bulgaria game, who must have cracked a mirror while watching a black cat as he stepped under a ladder on his way to Windsor Park on his first day as Northern Ireland boss.
If you think back to the Euro 2021 play-off final when the ball bounced off Jonny Evans for Slovakia's winner, luck hasn't been on Baraclough's side as manager.
The semi-final shootout victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina remains his only win in charge and he admitted during the window his side were stuck in bit of a rut.
Against Bulgaria, Stuart Dallas' header bounced back off the bar, and Daniel Naumov pulled off a superb stop to keep out Gavin Whyte two minutes into the second half.
Of course, there is the argument that you make your own luck and things haven't fully been clicking for NI, but this team is crying out for a spark to fire some confidence back into the side despite some positive moments.
Purple patches
Northern Ireland impressed in the second half against Italy but it was too late to force a result
If you watched the second half of Northern Ireland's World Cup opener against Italy you wouldn't have guessed Baraclough's side are 35 places lower in the world rankings. However if you watched the opening 45 minutes, Italy's control was clear.
Likewise against the USA, Northern Ireland looked bright against the highly fancied Americans and created chances, but a lapse in concentration led to the opening goal and left the Windsor Park men with a mountain to climb.
The Bulgaria game had a different feel. While the hosts dominated possession it was the clinical edge that was lacking, and they could even have tasted defeat if it wasn't for a superb Bailey Peacock-Farrell save in the embers of the game.
It has been a common theme under Baraclough for Northern Ireland to look bright in patches but they need to string everything together over 90 minutes to get a much-needed result.
You can't help but feel the lack of a crowd is a factor too, with the lift that the Green and White Army's roar would provide absent in the current climate. The safe return of fans can't come soon enough.
Keeper conundrum
Bailey Peacock-Farrell was almost caught out in the first half but rescued Northern Ireland late on
It's a problem almost as old as time itself - why can't Northern Ireland's goalkeepers start matches for their clubs?
Take a look at this season. Peacock-Farrell? Five matches for Burnley in all competitions. Conor Hazard? Seven games for Celtic. Liam Hughes? Only joined Liverpool in February. Trevor Carson and Michael McGovern? Both have long-term injuries.
In fact, 43-year-old Roy Carroll is the goalkeeper with the most regular game-time recently and he hasn't played for Northern Ireland since 2017.
There's no doubt the keepers work hard to be ready for the game but it's only natural there will be rust when it comes to match practice. Would Peacock-Farrell have saved Ciro Immobile's near-post shot in the opening match if he'd been playing regularly? It's hard to say but it certainly wouldn't have done any harm.
Again, against Bulgaria, there was a brief scare when Peacock-Farrell spilled a cross with the ball eventually ending up on the roof on the net. However, a genuinely world-class stop in the dying moments to keep the score level was superb and showcased the abilities the 24-year-old has to offer.
Northern Ireland have a panel of goalkeepers who are all good options between the sticks in their own right. It would just be nice to see them line out for their clubs a bit more and arrive on the international scene primed and ready to go.
Forget dry January, it's dry March
The performances of Daniel Ballard have been a bright light for Baraclough
At the other end of the pitch, Northern Ireland have had an issue with finding the back of the net with seven goals scored in Baraclough's first 11 games in charge.
That issue was particularly prevalent again on Wednesday, with the hosts lacking that cutting edge in the final third as they dominated the ball in the opening 45 minutes but created few clear-cut chances.
Chance creation did begin to flow in the second half but Whyte, Evans or Niall McGinn couldn't make that breakthrough.
Dion Charles made an excellent cameo off the bench against the USA with plenty of direct running, but wasn't called upon by Baraclough against Bulgaria, and McGinn's wonder strike was the only real moment of attacking quality across the three games.
Baraclough insisted his side are a "drop of the ball away" from finding the net, and while it is hard to disagree, that needs to come sooner rather than later.
On the plus side, it was Northern Ireland's first clean sheet under their new manager.
You are my Davis
Steven Davis is the UK's most-capped male player
The final word belongs to captain and all-round hero Steven Davis, who has broken Peter Shilton's British record and proudly stands alone with 126 caps.
In a sense his situation is similar to Johnny Sexton's in the Ireland rugby team. Both in their mid-30s, the inevitable questions come about when it is time to hang up the boots yet they are integral as ever and the orchestrators in their respective teams.
Sexton showed in this year's Six Nations that he is still the top man for his country, by some margin, and Davis is just the same for Baraclough.
He keeps Northern Ireland ticking over in the middle of the park and his importance to Rangers is also clear to see when Steven Gerrard built the midfield around him as they cruised to the Scottish Premiership title.
There's no question he is the greatest Northern Ireland player of his generation, perhaps even of all time. Legend doesn't cover it.