2018 WC Qualification squad the best ever?

Depends how players progress. People underate the 2010 squad. Might be a long time before we get a combo of Elliot, Vicelich, Reid, Smith, Nelsen again (yes some came on board later) down the spine of a team.

not quite as exciting to watch as the potential 2018 team.

The potential 2018 team could be quite exciting as an attacking unit. 

However at the moment I think it'd be a lot weaker defensively, which could see us struggle a lot more than we did in 2010. 

When you look at Reid, Nelsen and Elliot who played EPL, our most capped AW and Smith who is playing Championship, that's a tough act to follow.

look at post 1

fear call! I'd rather watch an exciting attacking unit, then a long ball defensive unit!

So would I. but I'd also rather get results. Questionable if we would without a similar defensive unit to what we had in 2010. 

But there is no way to know until these players push on (if they do) and we see where they are closer to the time. Certainly wont be as easy a qualification as it was on 2010 though.

i agree that there is a lot to get excited about there, but a quick analysis of that group has me worried about the middle of our midfield.

in terms of defenders; Reid is up there with our best, but at the moment he is the only one that i could place alongside dunford, evans, herbert, and gray and we had those guys roughly at the same time

The problem is also the style of play - my thought is at that level its safer to play long ball for a mediocre team. So if our team is setup to play with the ball on the ground then we might not be good enough to make it even though we are better than the kick and hope teams of the past.

I cant agree with this at all!!!

We have the players just need the right coach....... Look at ACFC - yes they have foreigners but also some very good kiwi's. Phoenix don't play a long ball game and look good, at times, when they are playing well. The NZ U20's certainly try to keep the ball. It is the only way forward for NZ just need the commitment and, dare I say it again, the right coach.....

Yes but those teams are playing well in their same level. Its a huge step up from us to say Mexico and we could be exposed as Sydney FC were last night.

Lets see how the nix go today and then use that to fuel an argument :)

Don't get me wrong, I would love us to play attractive and skill-full football; they might well be better than any other all whites team in the past but are they really world class? Without exception I would say probably not - give them four years or so and maybe there is enough quality.

At least with hoofball you can get out of trouble easily and luck into a goal, as funny as it sounds if we focus more on skill and less on luck then we could be in trouble. I hope not.

How the Nix goes today will have no bearing on how good we will be for the 2018 WC.

nope, but it has a beering on the argument above.

It's not like you either play hoof & hope or tika-taka though - there's more than two (extreme) tactical approaches possible. I think sitting deep and counterattacking down the wings through the likes of Rojas and Thomas and then whipping flat crosses for Wood could work for instance.

Does that mean on the grog?

I do now.

The good thing is that a good all whites team is built on a good phoenix squad. This appears to be that.

All arguments above have been lost.

A big difference for me is the potential we have now in the FB roles which we have not had for a long period.

Roux, Tuiloma and Doyle all look like good young prospects that have good engines and can get forward. This will help our attack and allow us to play with more width and also should give us more confidence in the Back.

With Reid, Smith, Durante, Boxall and Fitzgerald if he comes back we have plenty of depth at CB.

Alot though does depend on how our youngsters develop... but I am filled with a lot more confidence and excitement now than I can ever recall previously.

Its alright to mention all these great up and coming players, the hardest part is getting a cohesive unit.

Look at the mighty England team Brasil 2014!!