Fun fact: Tommy Smith now has the same number of caps as Jeremy Brockie... with twice as many goals (51 caps each, 2 to 1 on the goal count).
More thoughts from this international window...
They may have made a big deal about bringing in Tony Readings as a full-time assistant coach but it’s pretty clear that Simon Elliott is the true consiglieri in this team. Whenever the camera cuts to Darren Bazeley on the bench, it’s Elliott that he’s whispering to. Elliott did the press conference before the game too. Bazeley probably does have limitations as a tactical coach, as we’ve seen with his youth World Cup teams, but he’s got a great staff around him here and it really does feel like a collaborative effort. Including a large amount of say being withheld for the players themselves. The lack of ego involved is so refreshing.
Max Crocombe is our best goalie, there’s no doubt about it. Dunno how long that’ll stay true given how many keepers there are in contention but right here right now it’s Max Crocombe. He looks so assured. So composed. He’s a fundamentally sound GK with experience in tough games (FA Cup quarter-final, National League promotion final) who perhaps isn’t as good with his feet as guys like Nik Tzanev or Michael Woud but he fills you with a sense of security that those two don’t. Alex Paulsen and Kees Sims are the two most exciting younger prospects but at the international level you usually want an experienced head like Crocs. Only problem is that he plays in a league that doesn’t break for international windows which has prevented him from being available for three of the last four fixtures. That’s just something we’ll have to deal with until Paulsen signs with Midtjylland or Copenhagen or wherever.
Early on, Mikey Johnston (24yo winger for Celtic) was looking absolutely unstoppable jinking inwards from the left wing. The AWs didn’t seem to know how to handle him and it was hard not to regret the lack of a searing dribbler like that in the New Zealand ranks. But he actually didn’t create that much from those situations and was basically a passenger in the second half. Never mind then.
Tim Payne is in the same bag as Matt Garbett in having had fantastic second halves after less impactful beginnings. Payne always showed good intent but there for a while there, marking Mikey Johnston, he looked like he was on the brink of mistake just like Pijnaker eventually made.
Then T. Payne gained belief along with the rest of them and ended up delivering great performance, carrying on his superb form for the Wellington Phoenix. There aren’t many A-League players in this squad so you’ve gotta be doing huge things to make the All Whites from that level. Not only has Payne been doing huge things... he’s now staked a strong claim for the starting right back role.
It’s been frustrating watching Libby Cacace hang back and fire underpar crosses into the mixer these past few games. Despite his magnificence at the Phoenix, he actually scored more goals (4) than he had assists (3) in the A-League. He’s at his best when he’s: a) dribbling, and b) overlapping and cutting back. We’re still not getting enough overlaps out of him (as much to do with the team as it is with the player) but mate when he started angling those runs infield? Molto bene. Mi piace. Voglio vedere di più di questo.
Mentioned earlier that Pijnaker was the only player based in Ireland in either starting line-up. Ireland had nine players in England and two in Scotland. New Zealand had ten different nations represented: England, New Zealand, USA, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Serbia, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and England again. The two English players being from League One and the Premier League so not exactly comparable there either. All six Irish subs play for English clubs. The NZers used subs based in England, Denmark, Australia, and England again.
Is Sarpreet Singh now the most important All Whites player? Kinda think he might be. Chris Wood needs service and Singh is a serviceman. Stamenic and Bell help balance each other out so that if one is missing at least the other is there. Nobody else can do what Singh does for this team. Cacace is up there too but no team’s most important player is their left back... well, apart from Canada. But that’s why Alphonso Davies plays on the wing (or at least wing-back) for his national team.
BazeBall update after 7 games: 1 W | 3 D | 3 L | 5 GF | 11 GA (plus half a game against Qatar in which they were 1-0 up when it got abandoned)
