Interesting time to reflect on how a potential World Cup squad is shaping up, now that Auckland FC are properly up and running. I am assuming it will be a 23 man squad and that the 26 man squads for Qatar were a COVID anomaly.
Goalkeepers are effectively sorted, we know who the best two are and the third doesn't really matter.
DeVries has made the backup LB spot his for now I think. Sutton would need to have a remarkable next 18 months to take it back, and Wilkins or McGarry would need to be getting consistent starts over in Europe. Payne and Roux have RB locked up unless anything big changes, like Sakai doing an ACL and Elliot bossing the A-League in his absence, or Wilkins becoming a regular starting RB in Europe, or Ingham single-handedly taking the Jets to the Grand Final.
Centre backs seem pretty locked in, Hughes would need to make a big step up or Stanger would probably need a move to a higher level and make consistent starts there. Though Boxall and Smith may rapidly decline over the next 18 months due to age so you need to keep an eye on that. It also is to be noted that Bazeley regularly picks 5 centre backs, meaning that in a 23 man squad with 3 keepers you lose a like-for-like backup elsewhere in the squad.
In defensive midfield, Bell, Stamenic, Rufer & Howieson have this locked down, no other options unless Lewis somehow gets a not-guilty verdict and is immediately back to his best upon return. Thomas is not coming back, as much as we might want that.
Up front, Max Mata may be moving in to take Waine's spot as Wood's understudy. Waine needs to make a move and have it be the right one to get that spot.
For the rest of the attacking midfield/forward positions, I think we can just about rule out Rojas, Gillion and Randall. Singh, Garbett, Kosta, Just, Old are probably locks when fit. Rogerson the next cab off the rank. Due to the extra CB mentioned earlier I'll leave it as 5 players for 3 spots here, Cacace could also do a job in the final third if need be and nobody else really deserves it (Rojas would but he just isn't going to stay fit enough).
All of the above applies to the upcoming March squad except with Old coming back from injury and Bazeley intimating he might leave him in France to focus on his club career at a critical juncture (despite Old himself being on record saying he is very keen to make the trip), I'd have both of Waine and Mata in the squad. But I expect Rogerson will get a spot instead of one of those two.
Goalkeepers are effectively sorted, we know who the best two are and the third doesn't really matter.
DeVries has made the backup LB spot his for now I think. Sutton would need to have a remarkable next 18 months to take it back, and Wilkins or McGarry would need to be getting consistent starts over in Europe. Payne and Roux have RB locked up unless anything big changes, like Sakai doing an ACL and Elliot bossing the A-League in his absence, or Wilkins becoming a regular starting RB in Europe, or Ingham single-handedly taking the Jets to the Grand Final.
Centre backs seem pretty locked in, Hughes would need to make a big step up or Stanger would probably need a move to a higher level and make consistent starts there. Though Boxall and Smith may rapidly decline over the next 18 months due to age so you need to keep an eye on that. It also is to be noted that Bazeley regularly picks 5 centre backs, meaning that in a 23 man squad with 3 keepers you lose a like-for-like backup elsewhere in the squad.
In defensive midfield, Bell, Stamenic, Rufer & Howieson have this locked down, no other options unless Lewis somehow gets a not-guilty verdict and is immediately back to his best upon return. Thomas is not coming back, as much as we might want that.
Up front, Max Mata may be moving in to take Waine's spot as Wood's understudy. Waine needs to make a move and have it be the right one to get that spot.
For the rest of the attacking midfield/forward positions, I think we can just about rule out Rojas, Gillion and Randall. Singh, Garbett, Kosta, Just, Old are probably locks when fit. Rogerson the next cab off the rank. Due to the extra CB mentioned earlier I'll leave it as 5 players for 3 spots here, Cacace could also do a job in the final third if need be and nobody else really deserves it (Rojas would but he just isn't going to stay fit enough).
All of the above applies to the upcoming March squad except with Old coming back from injury and Bazeley intimating he might leave him in France to focus on his club career at a critical juncture (despite Old himself being on record saying he is very keen to make the trip), I'd have both of Waine and Mata in the squad. But I expect Rogerson will get a spot instead of one of those two.