We do have a lot less part time amateurs, compared to when we last played them.
All Whites vs Ingerland | Sun 7th June | 08:00am (NZT) | Tampa
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We have prematch confirmed at Winghouse just over the road. Let us know best place to update on fan activations etc, if it's this match thread or should be seperate.
Supporting the supporters and love an away day anywhere in the world. Kiwis Can Fly!
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Am excited for this but missed out on the kiwi tickets due to work fannying about with leave so am sat with the Poms instead. Should be a fun weekend.
Supporter of the world's best football teams: Waikato..., Kingz FC, NZ Knights, The Nix, The Argyle & of course the All Whites
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A mate of mine from London said there are rumours that they will be moving the score board from the Oval to the match as they will need a cricket scoreboard to keep up with the score.......very bloody funny!
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austin111 wrote:
A mate of mine from London said there are rumours that they will be moving the score board from the Oval to the match as they will need a cricket scoreboard to keep up with the score.......very bloody funny!
Well the current England cricket team haven't really been using it.
Bazball vs Bazeball.
Bazball vs Bazeball.
Valley FC til I die?
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We will have to park the bus in this game really. They just have so much more quality across the pitch.
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it's a pity Maguire wasnt selected, coul;d have relied on a brain explosion from him
Queenslander 3x a year.
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Weird squad if the rumours are correct. Ivan Toney's apparent call up a slap to the face of the quality of the premier league?!
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Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), James Trafford (Man City).
Defenders: Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), John Stones (Man City), Marc Guehi (Man City), Dan Burn (Newcastle), Nico O'Reilly (Man City), Djed Spence (Tottenham), Tino Livramento (Newcastle).
Midfielders: Declan Rice (Arsenal), Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Kobbie Mainoo (Man Utd), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal).
Forwards: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Noni Madueke (Arsenal).
Elliot Anderson gets congratulated at Forest
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Maguire missing out is bizarre when you consider the quality of the players selected instead and the form he's been in under Carrick & for England generally - better right now than Stones and Burn for sure, especially when you factor in his threat from set pieces. Tuchel making some big early calls, will be interesting to see how they play.
Valley FC til I die?
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Just make the ticket prices cheaper. Failing that give local (latino background) kids the day off school
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360984873/englands-opening-match-us-risks-50000-empty-seats-over-ticket-fears
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360984873/englands-opening-match-us-risks-50000-empty-seats-over-ticket-fears
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Nelfoos wrote:austin111 wrote:Well the current England cricket team haven't really been using it.
A mate of mine from London said there are rumours that they will be moving the score board from the Oval to the match as they will need a cricket scoreboard to keep up with the score.......very bloody funny!
Bazball vs Bazeball.
I think you'll find its had a lot of use recording Pommy wickets lost. ;-)
Supporter of the world's best football teams: Waikato..., Kingz FC, NZ Knights, The Nix, The Argyle & of course the All Whites
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Nelfoos wrote:
Maguire missing out is bizarre when you consider the quality of the players selected instead and the form he's been in under Carrick & for England generally - better right now than Stones and Burn for sure, especially when you factor in his threat from set pieces. Tuchel making some big early calls, will be interesting to see how they play.
Imagine the pressure he will face when we beat them :P
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Wood vs. Anderson will be a big thing for both Forest team mates.
A real shame that Gibbs-White missed selection.
Well, the results were close when England last played NZ way back in 1991 with a squad mostly from NZ's national league.
Flashback to England's two match series in NZ in 1991 for the NZFA's centenary:
2021 article which includes the original series program to read:
https://www.friendsoffootballnz.com/2024/12/22/when-all-whites-faced-england/#:~:text=On%20June%203%2C%201991%2C%20England,of%20rugby%20in%20the%20capital.
"The tourists, managed by Graham Taylor and assisted by Lawrie McMenemy, included big names such as Gary Lineker, Nigel Clough, Stuart Pearce, Dennis Wise, David Platt and Ian Wright.
The All Whites, managed by Ian Marshall with assistants Steve Sumner and Keith Pritchett, included Malcom Dunford, Ceri Evans, Michael McGarry, Noel Barkley, Clint Gosling, Fred de Jong, Vaughan Coveny, Declan Edge and Thomas Edge."
I think that Fred de Jong, then at Fortuna Sittard in the Dutch top flight, and Ceri Evans, then at Oxford Utd in the Englush second ier, were the only two fulltime pros in the All Whites squad. Ridenton I think had recently returned to NZ from playing for Rotherham in England. A couple of players were then in the Aussie NSL.
Game 1
Game played on Monday June 3, 1991
Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
Attendance: 17,520
A real shame that Gibbs-White missed selection.
Well, the results were close when England last played NZ way back in 1991 with a squad mostly from NZ's national league.
Flashback to England's two match series in NZ in 1991 for the NZFA's centenary:
2021 article which includes the original series program to read:
https://www.friendsoffootballnz.com/2024/12/22/when-all-whites-faced-england/#:~:text=On%20June%203%2C%201991%2C%20England,of%20rugby%20in%20the%20capital.
"The tourists, managed by Graham Taylor and assisted by Lawrie McMenemy, included big names such as Gary Lineker, Nigel Clough, Stuart Pearce, Dennis Wise, David Platt and Ian Wright.
The All Whites, managed by Ian Marshall with assistants Steve Sumner and Keith Pritchett, included Malcom Dunford, Ceri Evans, Michael McGarry, Noel Barkley, Clint Gosling, Fred de Jong, Vaughan Coveny, Declan Edge and Thomas Edge."
I think that Fred de Jong, then at Fortuna Sittard in the Dutch top flight, and Ceri Evans, then at Oxford Utd in the Englush second ier, were the only two fulltime pros in the All Whites squad. Ridenton I think had recently returned to NZ from playing for Rotherham in England. A couple of players were then in the Aussie NSL.
Game 1
Game played on Monday June 3, 1991
Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
Attendance: 17,520
New Zealand 0
England 1 (Gary Lineker 90+3′)
England 1 (Gary Lineker 90+3′)
New Zealand
Clint Gosling, Michael Ridenton, Rodger Gray, Malcolm Dunford (captain), Ceri Evans, Robert Ironside, Michael McGarry, Daniel Halligan, Declan Edge, Antony Ferris, Fred de Jong.
Subs not used: Grant Schofield, Noel Barkley, Vaughan Coveny, Carl Jorgensen, Thomas Edge.
England
Chris Woods, Paul Parker, Stuart Pearce, David Batty (Brian Deane 46′), Des Walker, Earl Barrett, David Platt, Geoff Thomas, Dennis Wise, Gary Lineker, Mark Walters (John Saloko 70′).
Subs not used: Gary Charles, Tony Coton, Ian Wright.
Game 2
Game played on Saturday June 8, 1991
Athletic Park, Wellington
Attendance: 12,000
Game 2
Game played on Saturday June 8, 1991
Athletic Park, Wellington
Attendance: 12,000
New Zealand 0
England 2 (Stuart Pierce 12′, David Hirst 50′)
England 2 (Stuart Pierce 12′, David Hirst 50′)
New Zealand
Grant Schofield, Michael Ridenton, Rodger Gray, Malcolm Dunford (captain), Ceri Evans, Robert Ironside, Michael McGarry, Daniel Halligan, Declan Edge (Thomas Edge 62′), Antony Ferris, Fred de Jong.
Grant Schofield, Michael Ridenton, Rodger Gray, Malcolm Dunford (captain), Ceri Evans, Robert Ironside, Michael McGarry, Daniel Halligan, Declan Edge (Thomas Edge 62′), Antony Ferris, Fred de Jong.
Subs not used: Clint Gosling, Noel Barkley, Vaughan Coveny, Carl Jorgensen.
England
Chris Woods, Gary Charles, Stuart Pearce, Dennis Wise, Des Walker, Mark Wright, David Platt, Geoff Thomas, Brian Deane (David Hirst 46′), Ian Wright, John Saloko.
Subs not used: Gary Lineker, Earl Barrett, Nigel Martyn, Nigel Clough, David Batty.
All the All Whites and opposition stats for all matches in that 91-92 period:
https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/nz-intres-det90.html#91
The next year (1992) NZ toured the UK with most of the same players as the above England series but some more overseas pros added, with very mixed results.
They beat a strong Celtic side in Glasgow and beat Brighton but lost 7-0 to second tier Tranmere Rovers with Ireland and former Liverpool legend John Aldridge scoring four.
Story on NZ's win vs. Celtic:
https://www.friendsoffootballnz.com/2025/02/04/february-flashback-how-celtic-tried-to-keep-out-the-fans-when-they-played-all-whites/
https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/nz-intres-det90.html#91
The next year (1992) NZ toured the UK with most of the same players as the above England series but some more overseas pros added, with very mixed results.
They beat a strong Celtic side in Glasgow and beat Brighton but lost 7-0 to second tier Tranmere Rovers with Ireland and former Liverpool legend John Aldridge scoring four.
Story on NZ's win vs. Celtic:
https://www.friendsoffootballnz.com/2025/02/04/february-flashback-how-celtic-tried-to-keep-out-the-fans-when-they-played-all-whites/
Some players based in the United Kingdom and Europe were also considered on a match-by-match basis, subject to availability. The following players made appearances during the tour: Ceri Evans (Oxford United, ENG), Heremaia Ngata (Hull City, ENG), Fred de Jong (Fortuna Sittard, NLD), Wynton Rufer (Werder Bremen, GER), Shane Rufer (Gillingham, ENG) and Chris Zoricich (Leyton Orient, ENG).
Big Pete 65, Christchurch
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Chris Wood(s) going to become the most capped player in the England vs NZ fixture. Will be his third appearance! ;-)
Supporter of the world's best football teams: Waikato..., Kingz FC, NZ Knights, The Nix, The Argyle & of course the All Whites
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I thought about making a special trip from Calgary for this, but it turns out there's only direct Calgary -> Tampa flights on certain days of the week, so it would have taken almost as long to get there as from NZ!
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peteremcc wrote:
I thought about making a special trip from Calgary for this, but it turns out there's only direct Calgary -> Tampa flights on certain days of the week, so it would have taken almost as long to get there as from NZ!
Might be a blessing in disguise!
Supporter of the world's best football teams: Waikato..., Kingz FC, NZ Knights, The Nix, The Argyle & of course the All Whites
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Was going to guess at a starting XI for England but Bazeley often indicates what the team is going to be to Stuff in the lead-up so I might as well wait for the article first.
Am hoping Old and Bell are fit to start, and want to see a Bindon/Boxall CB partnership tried after that nightmare that Surman had.
Despite Payne's blunder I want to see him start again, at his best he is a rock and a game against England is a chance to prove he can show his best vs Iran. It's a gamble though.
Am hoping Old and Bell are fit to start, and want to see a Bindon/Boxall CB partnership tried after that nightmare that Surman had.
Despite Payne's blunder I want to see him start again, at his best he is a rock and a game against England is a chance to prove he can show his best vs Iran. It's a gamble though.
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It would be a gamble if there was a viable RB starter alternative. But Elliot rivals Smith for being the poorest player in this AWs squad.
At least FDV has his high class crossing.
I wouldn't be shocked if a fatigued Payne gets replaced by Bindon at RB.
But it's more likely Tyler B comes on as a 3rd CB in the 2nd half as Baze trials a back 3/5 to try shut out WC games in need. Or re the English to try prevent a potential late avalanche of goals.
It was an uncharacteristically bad game from Surman against Haiti. Maybe he needs longer sprigs/cleats or something. Seemed to be slipping over a few times.
I think him and Boxall deserve the chance together to show they can be the starting duo.
Finn S should be highly motivated if he wants that EPL or Championship club offer.
At least FDV has his high class crossing.
I wouldn't be shocked if a fatigued Payne gets replaced by Bindon at RB.
But it's more likely Tyler B comes on as a 3rd CB in the 2nd half as Baze trials a back 3/5 to try shut out WC games in need. Or re the English to try prevent a potential late avalanche of goals.
It was an uncharacteristically bad game from Surman against Haiti. Maybe he needs longer sprigs/cleats or something. Seemed to be slipping over a few times.
I think him and Boxall deserve the chance together to show they can be the starting duo.
Finn S should be highly motivated if he wants that EPL or Championship club offer.
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coochiee wrote:
It was an uncharacteristically bad game from Surman against Haiti. Maybe he needs longer sprigs/cleats or something. Seemed to be slipping over a few times.
I think him and Boxall deserve the chance together to show they can be the starting duo.
Finn S should be highly motivated if he wants that EPL or Championship club offer.
Ironically the only player who has played on that pitch, fairly recently too, against Messi! Fairly confident he'll bounce back twice as strong after that stinker.
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I would expect Baze to start the match with his first 11, the players whom he plans to start against Iran. He really has to to get cohesion. He will probably bring some of his bench players on second half. This is our last dress rehersal.
I doubt many A League AWs will see much game time from now on.
If hes thinking of bringing on FDV at any stage then hes crazy. The guys not match fit. Old has to be Libbys backup. Hes the form LB. He has the pace to handly this level. FDV is currently slower than my grandma
I doubt many A League AWs will see much game time from now on.
If hes thinking of bringing on FDV at any stage then hes crazy. The guys not match fit. Old has to be Libbys backup. Hes the form LB. He has the pace to handly this level. FDV is currently slower than my grandma
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Do both Bell and Thomas play in this one? Who is the goal keeper? I still think Paulsen has the better X factor between him and Crocombe. Also has more recent match fitness although he did miss the last match in Poland
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Walsall Boy wrote:
Do both Bell and Thomas play in this one? Who is the goal keeper? I still think Paulsen has the better X factor between him and Crocombe. Also has more recent match fitness although he did miss the last match in Poland
Bell yes, Thomas no - that's what was reported earlier this week. Thomas is being rested for both warm up games but Bell would be used in the England game.
Edit: source here - https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/596935/football-all-whites-midfielders-ryan-and-bell-to-miss-world-cup-warm-ups-with-injuries
Edit: source here - https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/596935/football-all-whites-midfielders-ryan-and-bell-to-miss-world-cup-warm-ups-with-injuries
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That is bad news. Hopefully Baze trials a Rufer-Bell-Stamenic combo against England
That trio went well together against the USA 2 years ago coming off a poor 3-0 loss v Mexico
That trio went well together against the USA 2 years ago coming off a poor 3-0 loss v Mexico
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While I know options are limited, honestly Rufer is not up to this level. He is fine for the A league but is too slow across the grass at this level.
While Marko didn’t have his best game the other day, I watched them both closely at all times and it was chalk and cheese the speed of their movement around the park.
Would prefer a more defensive 10 like McCowatt playing then Rufer, with Bell and Marko deeper and Old and Just on the flanks.
While Marko didn’t have his best game the other day, I watched them both closely at all times and it was chalk and cheese the speed of their movement around the park.
Would prefer a more defensive 10 like McCowatt playing then Rufer, with Bell and Marko deeper and Old and Just on the flanks.
Auckland will rise once more
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Speed isnt everything when you're playing as a #6 though. Marko had a horrible game against Haiti, McCowatt is never going to play as deep as Rufer, beside he's not nearly as defensively minded as Rufer or Bell.
Rufer and Bell are even different in their approach, playing beside each other in the middle you'd have Rufer as te anchor and Bell raming a bit more with Singh ahead of them Old and Just out wide.
Gotta have someone who is prepared to do the dirt work in the nmiddle of the park, Rufer and Bell are both suited to that play.
Rufer and Bell are even different in their approach, playing beside each other in the middle you'd have Rufer as te anchor and Bell raming a bit more with Singh ahead of them Old and Just out wide.
Gotta have someone who is prepared to do the dirt work in the nmiddle of the park, Rufer and Bell are both suited to that play.
Queenslander 3x a year.
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https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360988149/joe-bells-return-set-boost-all-whites-against-england-ryan-thomas-track-world-cup-opener
World No 4 England will be the highest-ranked – and highest-profile – opponent the world No 85 All Whites have faced since encountering World No 1 Spain at the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2009, a match they lost 5-0.
World No 4 England will be the highest-ranked – and highest-profile – opponent the world No 85 All Whites have faced since encountering World No 1 Spain at the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2009, a match they lost 5-0.
Bell said potentially facing the likes of Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane and Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham would be just what they needed, coming nine days out from their tournament opener against Iran in Los Angeles.
“First and foremost, it's a great experience. They're going to be unbelievable players, and they're going to make us perform at our highest level in order to compete with them, which is the exact challenge we want, going into the World Cup.
“They're phenomenal players that are going to try expose our weaknesses, but that's exactly what you want going into it.
“It's going to be the mindset of recognising that it's going to be really tough, but taking positives from it.”
Since the FIFA rankings began in 1992, the All Whites have faced teams ranked inside the top 10 on 11 occasions, drawing twice – including against Italy at the 2010 World Cup – and losing nine times.
Right back Callan Elliot did running away from the team on Thursday in a precautionary move, after taking a ball to the head while playing the second half against Haiti. He has not had concussion symptoms, reported none after his latest individual work, and is set to train with the team on Friday and be available to face England.
Midfielder Ryan Thomas is set to train with the team for the first time in Florida on Friday – a key milestone as he looks to return from a hamstring injury in the All Whites’ World Cup opener against Iran on June 15 (June 16 NZ time).
Speaking on Thursday afternoon local time, Thomas said he had made progress “ahead of schedule” and would “definitely” be in a position to play some part against Iran, though a start looks unlikely at this stage.
He said it been “annoying” watching his team-mates from the sidelines after completing an individual programme to date in the US.
“I knew the situation going into the camp, so it's not like it's anything different to what I expected, but it's tough to come here and just sit on the sidelines and watch the boys train.
“Tomorrow I should be raring to go with the boys ... so that’s good.”
Thomas and Bell watched the loss against Haiti – the All Whites’ heaviest in nine years – from the stands and Thomas offered his analysis of what went wrong.
“It was tough. We were a bit tentative at the start. After the first goal, we came into the game quite well. We controlled the tempo, that was quite good. We had a lot of the ball, created a lot of chances, put them under a lot of pressure – a little bit of [better] decision-making in the final third could have helped us out.
“Second half – I don’t know if it’s got something to do with the changes, or if it's got something to do with the climate –we just weren't quite where we should have been.
“They were very unorthodox, but had some good players, and it was maybe a good little slap in the face of the quality that we need, of the quality that we're going to be playing against.
”We've had a good chat about the game afterwards, so hopefully we can put that to work against England.“
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Haiti was better than us on a man-to-man individual basis, plus they had a point to prove I am sure.
England team will have better players on an individual basis too, but will have less to prove. In other words, we may be able to have more of the ball than we did against Haiti, and hopefully that will allow for better testing of the cohesion and transition, which we seem to be lacking still.
Not sure how to address our futile performance once we are in front of the opposition box. Lack of shots on goal against Haiti really had me worried. None of our strikers got much in a way of clear opportunity from the Haiti defenders.
England team will have better players on an individual basis too, but will have less to prove. In other words, we may be able to have more of the ball than we did against Haiti, and hopefully that will allow for better testing of the cohesion and transition, which we seem to be lacking still.
Not sure how to address our futile performance once we are in front of the opposition box. Lack of shots on goal against Haiti really had me worried. None of our strikers got much in a way of clear opportunity from the Haiti defenders.
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theprof wrote:
Speed isnt everything when you're playing as a #6 though. Marko had a horrible game against Haiti, McCowatt is never going to play as deep as Rufer, beside he's not nearly as defensively minded as Rufer or Bell.
Rufer and Bell are even different in their approach, playing beside each other in the middle you'd have Rufer as te anchor and Bell raming a bit more with Singh ahead of them Old and Just out wide.
Gotta have someone who is prepared to do the dirt work in the nmiddle of the park, Rufer and Bell are both suited to that play.
Speed of movement is not as important in the A league at number 6 but unfortunately for Rufs, it’s crucial at this level in all out field positions and that’s where he comes unstuck.
And it was that speed of movement (or lack of it) for a number of players that led us to shipping four goals the other day.
And it was that speed of movement (or lack of it) for a number of players that led us to shipping four goals the other day.
Auckland will rise once more
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The English media are predicting a somewhat experimental England side vs. NZ:
https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/england-xi-vs-new-zealand-confirmed-team-news-predicted-lineup-injury-latest-international-friendly-2026-b1284682.html#:~:text=England's%20World%20Cup%20adventure%20begins,their%20two%20pre%2Dtournament%20warm%2Dup%20friendlies.
"There will be no involvement for Arsenal players Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze or Noni Madueke, with the members of the Gunners’ squad only due to join up with England next week after being given an extra few days off following their involvement in last weekend’s Champions League final.
Champions League final.
https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/england-xi-vs-new-zealand-confirmed-team-news-predicted-lineup-injury-latest-international-friendly-2026-b1284682.html#:~:text=England's%20World%20Cup%20adventure%20begins,their%20two%20pre%2Dtournament%20warm%2Dup%20friendlies.
"There will be no involvement for Arsenal players Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze or Noni Madueke, with the members of the Gunners’ squad only due to join up with England next week after being given an extra few days off following their involvement in last weekend’s Champions League final.
Champions League final.
Tuchel will be keen to experiment in his two friendlies against New Zealand and, next Wednesday, Costa Rica before flying to Kansas City for the beginning of the World Cup.
The England manager will be expected to take a look at understudy goalkeepers Dean Henderson and James Trafford at some point during the two games.
Henderson only joined up with the squad in Florida on Wednesday following an extended rest period of his own after keeping a clean sheet for Crystal Palace in last week’s Conference League final triumph in Leipzig.
Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham will be competing for game time in the No10 position, but Tuchel may have to find a workaround at right wing, where both Saka and his understudy Madueke are unavailable and West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen was left out of the squad.
That could mean using Rogers on the right or asking one of the two left wingers, Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford, to switch wings.
Ethan Nwaneri, Josh King, Rio Ngumoha, Jason Steele and Alex Scott have been training with the squad in Florida and are available to make their international debuts in either the New Zealand or Costa Rica games.
However, none have been named in the World Cup squad itself and so will be flying home after the end of England’s 11-day training camp.
Scott is said to be in with a shout to make his international debut.
England predicted XI vs New Zealand (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Konsa, Stones, Guehi, O’Reilly; Mainoo, Henderson; Rashford, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane
Not available: Rice, Saka, Madueke, Eze
Big Pete 65, Christchurch
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Possession was split pretty much 50:50 in the Haiti game.
Even with Bell, I expect us to have less ball against England, especially anywhere near their penalty box.
It might be more an English 2nd XI that starts against us (they play Costa Rica in a warmup after the AWs), but that will just mean highly motivated guys trying to persuade Tuchel to pick them in the pool games.
A more conservative midfield of Rufer-Bell-Stamenic hopefully gives us more chance to breakup their play and press them harder, for longer.
https://twitter.com/NZ_Football/status/2062647890586001462
Even with Bell, I expect us to have less ball against England, especially anywhere near their penalty box.
It might be more an English 2nd XI that starts against us (they play Costa Rica in a warmup after the AWs), but that will just mean highly motivated guys trying to persuade Tuchel to pick them in the pool games.
A more conservative midfield of Rufer-Bell-Stamenic hopefully gives us more chance to breakup their play and press them harder, for longer.
https://twitter.com/NZ_Football/status/2062647890586001462
https://twitter.com/NZ_Football/status/2062647890586001462
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See that Spain hosted Iraq for a 1-1 draw last night. But Spain's starting lineup was mostly guys not even in their WC squad.
Based off Big Pete's post above Tuchel might even do similar and give the likes of non WC selections Ethan Nwaneri, Josh King, Rio Ngumoha, Jason Steele and Alex Scott a run.
After our whipping by Haiti, England's gaffer may figure the AWs warmup is of very limited value re his proper WC plans. Glorified less than serious training run around for them??
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360988150/finn-surman-all-whites-centre-backs-weird-situation-fifa-world-cup-selection-call-looms
Based off Big Pete's post above Tuchel might even do similar and give the likes of non WC selections Ethan Nwaneri, Josh King, Rio Ngumoha, Jason Steele and Alex Scott a run.
After our whipping by Haiti, England's gaffer may figure the AWs warmup is of very limited value re his proper WC plans. Glorified less than serious training run around for them??
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360988150/finn-surman-all-whites-centre-backs-weird-situation-fifa-world-cup-selection-call-looms
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The way that some of the AWs went into a few challenges (despite it being a pre-WC friendly) I'd be resting ALL my starters if I was Tuchel. Stamenic especially was putting it about, thought he was odds on to end a Haitian players WC dream.
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Silent wrote:
The way that some of the AWs went into a few challenges (despite it being a pre-WC friendly) I'd be resting ALL my starters if I was Tuchel. Stamenic especially was putting it about, thought he was odds on to end a Haitian players WC dream.
I was worried Rufer may end up being red-carded against Haiti. Not sure if that would carry over to the Iran game, but still.
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cards in friendlies dont carry over to tournaments as far as I know.
Queenslander 3x a year.
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