Healy strikes fear in Swedes

Northern Ireland v Sweden:Down the years there have been more lyrical individuals in Belfast than Lawrie Sanchez but the Northern Ireland manager has engaged his players in an exercise he said is designed "to stimulate the imagination".

It involved Sanchez displaying a mock-up table of Group F that showed the Irish on top. Not so long ago those players might have responded, "aye, right". But no more: if the Irish beat Sweden at Windsor Park this evening, then Northern Ireland topping the group will come to pass.

It is a big if, and they have not headed a group since 1988, in the early days of the 1990 World Cup campaign. But these are remarkable days and David Healy is fit.

Put that together with some persuasive common sense from Sanchez yesterday and what you get is an outbreak of optimism. Even allowing for the allegedly changing Northern Ireland psyche that will provoke concern, Sanchez cannot be held responsible for innate pessimism. Chiming with the times, he is trying to change thinking.

"Some of the players may have turned up without seeing a group table and knowing exactly where we were," Sanchez explained yesterday. "I mocked up a current table after six games. You try and stimulate the players in any way you can, on the training ground, in the hotels. I just try and stimulate their imagination to show what could be achieved."

But it is Healy who dominates the positive thoughts. With 27 goals in 55 caps, 19 in 26 under Sanchez and seven already in these qualifiers, which make him joint top scorer in the European Championship with Germany's Lukas Podolski, Healy's importance cannot be overstated.

Apparently the status of hero does not sit comfortably with a player who remains polite and shy despite deeds against England and Spain recently that could jeopardise natural modesty. "Healy is our star player and the others know that," Sanchez said. "But he doesn't have that star mantra about him, he appreciates the others around him, is down to earth and that is why he is so popular with his team-mates. If we were a one-man team it wouldn't work."

Northern Ireland's "work" was mentioned by Sweden's captain Freddie Ljungberg. The Swedes have won all four games so far and a fifth would see them take a strong grip on one of the two qualifying places. "When it comes to hassling and running, we know the Irish do it very well. They'll not give you space and, if the game turns out to be about just struggling, tackling and fighting, then it will not be to our benefit."

Sweden have taken some confidence from Keith Gillespie's suspension - Grant McCann may step in - and were stressing the need to stop the ball getting to Healy. Do that and Sweden may prosper. Irish anxiety, moreover, stipulates that when optimism broke out previously under Sanchez - before games against Poland and Iceland - each was lost 3-0 at home. But those were Saturday afternoon matches; on Wednesday nights Windsor Park has a different character. "Magical," Sanchez called it.