The new four-match international window posed a fresh challenge for coaches across Europe, prompting teams to adopt a wide range of strategies.
Germany manager Jurgen Klopp effectively selected two different groups for the two sets of fixtures, while Ukraine changed 10 players after their opening match and made another nine alterations for the loss to Northern Ireland.
Before the campaign began, O’Neill warned that the tightly packed schedule would place greater pressure on smaller countries, so he chose to limit his changes.
Only 15 players started across the four matches. Two adjustments were unavoidable because of Ballard’s injury and Ethan Galbraith missing the Ukraine game to be present for the birth of his child.
Although O’Neill relied on a relatively small group of starters, Northern Ireland’s squad depth was still put under pressure and responded extremely well.
The team entered the window without key figure Bradley and the dependable Ali McCann, before Ballard suffered a hamstring problem following the opening match in Tbilisi.
Young central defenders McConville, 21, and Tom Atcheson, 20, showed they were capable of competing at international level. Ciaron Brown, meanwhile, earned praise after starting every game, having previously spent long periods waiting for opportunities in the squad.
Kieran Morrison, Terry Devlin and Brodie Spencer also delivered strong performances when handed opportunities against Ukraine.
O’Neill expressed admiration for the contributions made throughout his squad.
O’Neill said the experience had been among his most rewarding international windows, crediting the players for making it so enjoyable.
He highlighted their commitment, attitude and strong determination to succeed as major reasons for optimism.
He also described the squad as an outstanding group and predicted that many of its members would remain involved in international football for years to come.
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