All Whites v India | Fri 7th June | 2:30am | SS1

Next game against India and really need to win to play the final, otherwise we would be relying on not losing by a lot and Chinese Taipei beating Kenya.

Pretty sure if we both finish on 6 points (assuming we beat India) then if not GD, the head-to-head result will determine who goes through in which case we'd be out.

I can see Kenya putting 3-4 past CT easily, so that would mean we'd have to win by 3 goals against India. Pretty unlikely.

Yeah going by our last two results, I can't see us getting up over India.

Head to head can only worif both next games are draws.

If we beat India then We'd be 6, they'd be 6.

If Kenya lose there is only 2 on 6

If Kenya win there are 3 of us but we all won one lost one against each other so GD

If we lose and Kenya lose it is same 3 way tie, so GD

If we lose and Kenya win there are again only 2 teams on 6

I guess glimmer of hope is India may rest a few players, being virtually gteed of making final (+8 GD) - and tournament having such a short turnaround between games. They are all looking to experiment a bit no doubt for AFC Asian Cup in a few months.

Schmid hasn'tt yet played his strongest side together (it's a tourney to experiment in after all), though on paper AWs team that played Kenya looked stronger than side that played Taiwan. 

Add Lewis & Bevan to the Kenyan starting team (maybe Cacace), and if can convert an early chance of two against hopefully a weakened India - you never know.

Would rather they give De Jong a chance than Billingsley, One has creativity and scoring pedigree the other is an imitation of a target man

Of course we could just make it certain by beating India by 5 goals!

At this stage I can confirm H2H is the first tiebreaker and goal difference the second. What's unclear is whether in a three-way tie, overall goal difference or goal difference between the three teams, is the one. If the former, a small All Whites loss/small Chinese Taipei win would see the All Whites through, if the latter, a All Whites loss will mean they're out.

The game is sold out, so India will be looking to destroy our kids. Just hope the best XI we have actually start as that's not happened yet.  Also curious as to why no drinks breaks as the humidity is terrible.

Can't see us beating India who looked a decent side vs. Kenya.

The crowd will still be fired up after their favourite Sunil Chhetri scored twice in his 100th game for India vs. Kenya, following his hat-trick vs. Taiwan.

Chhetri now has 61 goals in 100 internationals and once was on the books of Sporting Lisbon, although he only spent one season in the reserves.

His chipping of the Kenya keeper was a nice goal.

Fellow striker Je je's goal was even better.

A link between our national league and India with Canterbury United striker striker Futa Nakamura revealing this week he has signed for a club in Kolkata, India.

Not the top league there, just the regional league in Kolkata/West Bengal.

Still, he'll play againt two of India's biggest clubs, Mohan Bagan and East Bengal who sometimes attract the biggest crowds in world football (up to 120,000 at the local kolkata derby beween them).

West Bengal (of which Kolkata is the major city) is one of the hotbeds of football in India - it's much more popular there than Mumbai where the All Whites are playing.

This tournament is being played in Mumbai because football needs promoting there and someone put the money up.

Crowds at he u-17 World Cup last year were 46,000 to 66,000 in Kolkata (66,700 at the final there).

In contrast no games were played in Mumbai itself, only in nearby Navi Mumbai ("New Mumbai", a seperate city) which is where the NZ u-17 team played.

Crowds there were only 9000 to 25,000

I chatted to Futa after the Cashmere Tech Chatham Cup win vs. Ferrymead on Monday.

He's returning to Japan in July and then heading to India.

The starting XI will be interesting. Surely Ridenton and Rufer start.

Starting 11, jeez... Maybe:

Tzanev

Gulley Brotherton Doyle D Ingham

Payne 

J Ingham     Cacace

Singh

Bevan

Subs Dyer, TAHW, Mitchell, Woud, de Jong

Bevan missed a lot of chances vs CT, but who else?

A lot of the squad don't seem to be good enough technically - poor ball control and passing. They try to trap a rolling ball, and it bounces up. Kick with the shin. Air kicks. Slow feet. Hoofs over the crossbar. Passes to the opposition. Passes too weak, too hard, wrong place, wrong timing, etc. Players like that give the ball away. Turn attack into defence.

I'd change

In - Crocombe, Mitchell, Lewis

Out - Tzanev, Brotherton, Jai Ingham

Ridenton goes close but on the bench

I'd replace Payne with Ridenton playing the holding role - did it well at times for the NIX. Howieson has been poor in both games so is not an option for me.

We need some cutting edge up front - Rufer plays more like a target than Bevan, so it depends on what we are after up top as to who starts there... just don't play Billingsley! Do we give De Jong a go - has certainly been scoring of late, albeit more playing as a midfielder.

Our strikers can't seem to score and I have more confidence in our midfield creative players scoring which is weird for an All Whites team. This could be the best chance to slot De Jong up front as a false 9, he might play more in the mid but he has been scoring alot more goals than our strikers have been of late.

That's a starting 10.

I'd say

                  Crocombe

D Ingham  Boxall  Doyle  Cacace

              Payne   Ridenton
    J Ingham   Singh   Lewis?

                      Bevan

I'm not sure about Lewis in that position. Maybe you could drop him or J Ingham for de Jong to see what he can do but again I don't know if he could play there. Also I wouldn't mind if Schmid tried with Woud instead of Crocombe.

I think Mitchell has the goods. I'd play Doyle on the left for 60 mins, then bring on Cacace. 

In the heat Schmid will need to use his subs well.

Not sure if Lewis is fully fit (I guess he hardly played a game in UK last few months). Starter against Peru, overseas pro - yet gaffer seems reluctant to start him, ahead of some the of less experienced guys.

That's a decent team, what I would rate as the best 11 available. I might opt for Cameron in the position you have for Lewis, though it would be better to try to fit him in somewhere if he's fit enough to start.

Don't make me do this, picking ten was hard enough.

Ok, add Moses Dyer alongside Payne.

Haven't seen him actually play lately, but he was having a friendly chat with Singh on the bench after Singh was subbed. That has to count for something.

Got nobody else for the bench sorry - all technically NGE.

Lewis might make a good league player, based on the CT game; used his arms a lot, lots of dirty tackles, and a yellow card.  I'd rather play with ten. And Boxall  gave the ball away about 20 times vs CT with mindless long balls (and one shorter pass straight to their CF). Some good defensive work too, but you can't pick players who do that.

Doyale is injured?

Stream?

http://live.drakulawidget.com/streamvideo10/india-vs-new-zealand-live-stream-4671368.html

Good noise from the crowd. The more I learn about Indian football, the more I like it (besides the appalling quality, of course!)

AW's dominating the first 15 minutes...

Bit of a scramble there! Heart in mouth moment!

Yeah agree with the commentator, have seen penalties given for that!

Jai Ingham seems to be getting booed a lot - has he been involved in some niggle?

Jai Ingham has been our best so far...

Yeah right at the start, an Indian player fell down with the slightest touch and Ingham attempted to pick/drag him up by the shirt.

How have we not scored...

I get the feeling that if just one experienced striker was selected we would have cleaned up this tournament.

I think that Collier would've done well here - debut cap and chances for heaps of goals

Everything going forward from us is coming from long balls from the back, why cant we get a coach who will pass it through the middle of the park. 90% of those long balls result in loss of possession.

So thats nil all at half time, with NZ leading the shot count about 15 - 1. Too bad only 3 or so have been on target. Some gilt-edge chances gone begging too.

I think a stadium this size would be good for the Wellington Phoenix...get some good atmosphere, not too big. 

Don't really agree. The same as previous games, most of the long balls are diagonals out to wide players and from my perspective the play through the middle of the park has been good. We've had the vast majority of possession and if 90% of longs balls result in loss of possession, then there can't have been that many long balls...