All Whites v Mexico | Pasadena |Sun 8th Sept | 1:00pm | FIFA+

Friar Tuck

A tough game but good to see the score was rightfully adjusted overnight

IMG_7307.jpeg 87.5 KB

Rightfully indeed, we were robbed, the match was rigged!!

Clearly, it was, after all the weakest Mexican team in a long time.

The one hole in everyone’s theory (including my own) about us having good players but a useless manager holding us back is the 2010 World Cup. Clearly we had a worse squad then, but the coach was also tactically suspect, yet we did alright. I’m trying to square this one.

loyalgunner

The one hole in everyone’s theory (including my own) about us having good players but a useless manager holding us back is the 2010 World Cup. Clearly we had a worse squad then, but the coach was also tactically suspect, yet we did alright. I’m trying to square this one.

The whole best ever players thing tends to be a massive myth. Yes we have a lot more players playing pro and playing overseas, but so do a lot of other countries; international movement in football in general has just exploded.

What's a better indicator is how good at the pro level our players actually at? Only Wood, Cacace and maybe Stamenic/Old are on a top five leagues level.

In my mind there's not much difference between the old times "Unattached FC" and guys playing in the Danish 2nd tier, Austrian 2nd tier, League of Ireland, etc.

Also bear in mind that despite becoming a more popular league to sign youngsters from, the A-League has also gone backwards comparatively for quality so players like Rufer, Payne and Kosta aren't playing at the same level Rojas, Kosta and McGlinchey were back in the day.

theprof

Clearly, it was, after all the weakest Mexican team in a long time.

Really none of us know how strong they are. No one here is an expert on Mexican football. FIFA still has them 17th.

For all we know this could be a the start of a turnaround for Mexico. We were poor, but they looked sharp. In 65 yr old Aguirre they have a hugely experienced coach, good enough to be at various La Liga clubs (Mallorca, Athletico Madrid, Espanyol, Real Zaragoza, Osasuna). Time with Egypt & Japan.

So not only better players but definitely a higher quality gaffer than us. He's seen it all before, including trying to revive poor performing sides. They had also been in camp a few days longer than the AWs. Be interesting to see how they go against Canada.

Hire Leon MacDonald I reckon. 

Ricki was a great coach, for a time. He got amazing results in the last days of the Knights, did decently at the Nix, and for a few years for the All Whites he also did quite well (good results/performances against Bahrain, Serbia & Italy before the World Cup, and then of course at the World Cup as well). A combination of his style perhaps becoming a bit dated, in conjunction with losing key players like Nelsen, Vicelich, Elliott & Brown, was what finished him as a top level coach. He wasn't able to evolve when needed. 

But Ricki got the maximum out of the players at his disposal for a time, and I don't think many would disagree with that. Is there anyone today who would say Bazeley is getting the best out of this group of players? 

I feel like the leadership in the AWs has drifted a bit since the Qatar game, wrongly or rightly. I don’t think Libby has quite the right attributes to be captain now. Bell was doing well but has been in a funk since then, but I thought he briefly looked very good post Danny. And he’s getting his form back.

Rufer should bring a bit more leadership if he starts. 

The other point is that we’ve never particularly done well against Mexico. We must have done okay this game, because we weren’t over run until they put the subs, but the disparity between countries continues to exist. 

And 2010 we had the leadership of Ryan Nelsen and senior players in Paston, Elliot, Killen, Smeltz and Vicelich and up and comers or new to NZers in Reid, Smith, Wood, Leo, McGlinchey and Rory. Plus we had the cohesion of a lot of the squad at the Nix with the coach and a feeling of achievement across the sport. We didn’t apologise for being NZers not playing rugby. 

This game feels a bit like a wasted opportunity. As do the Olympics. 

On to the next one, I guess. 

We beat them 4-0... 44 years ago. 

Couple of close (scoreline anyway) 2-1 losses under Hudson in 2016 & 2017. 
2017 was the Confederations Cup so presuming a fairly close to full strength Mexico team.

Not withstanding the heat, it was a poor performance on Sunday. Definitely a regression on solid efforts against Egypt & Tunisia in March. Need to see a response tomorrow, otherwise like many I will be questioning Bazeley's capacity to be in charge for the big dance in 2026.