All Whites vs Peru | Second leg | Thurs 16 Nov | 3:15pm | SS1

Fire up farken

We're all doing half days on Thursday, right?

I wish - but no way I can get out of my meeting... at best I will hide in the corner with the game in the background on mute... if we score my ruse will be over!!!

Fellow Auckland based fans, lets meet somewhere? Where's the best place to get something organised?

Imagine Fox's will have it on. Might head down there. Was a brilliant atmosphere there for the final round of SA qualifiers last month.

I'm in if I can get off work (fat chance(

Probably Fox's for me (not that I know any of you guys irl)... not sure where else will likely have it on around downtown Auckland?.. Maybe The Right Track.. although that place is a bit scary...

Quit.

My Christmas Wish List:

• A new phone
• Undies
• Chris Wood to start against Peru in the 2nd leg

Any idea how many away fans will be there?

rumours out of peru is that the coach could make two key changes 

Raul Ruidiaz would start and join Farfan up front meaning he would play with two strikers. Unsure who would drop out of the midfield attacking trio

Luis Advincula would start ahead of Corzo at right back. He provides greater offensive power. 

Any news on tommy smith?

after thomas, wood and reid, i feel his our best and most important player, crucial that he plays

I hope we draw

1-1

Sources say it's a case of "wait and see".  Concerned to hear he was wobbling in the mixed zone after the game...he said he "felt" his calf - but it sounds worse than that. Really home Smith can be fully fit, thought Durante did well but he was also exposed on a couple of occasions. I'd rather start with Tommy and bring Dura on if need be later on.

Told my boss this morning I will disappear at 1400 hours on Thursday!

anyone going to a pub in christchurch for this one? Be good to get a crew together

Ha ha, I'm self-employed, I quit and the baby doesn't eat :D

Just sent the email to the boss, leaving at 2pm on Thurs, cannot freaking wait. 

We're in this thing balls deep.

Russia 2018 here we come baby. 

Hope he can be fit as well, we need our strongest team to have any chance, and smith is deffo part of that. would rather have themi than durante tbh

I can, if I get some of the stupidly short deadlines out of the way first.

Potential injuries aside (Smith), what should the starting team look like. Wood in if he's fit, any other changes? 
I thought Tuiloma was good when he came on. 

I felt like we got muscled out of the midfield a lot, that was my key concern from the game. 

I'd be tempted to go for something like the following to try and combat that;

                      Marinovic

           Boxall      Reid    Durante

Colvey Lewis Tuiloma Thomas Wynne

                         Rojas 

                         Wood

Im on the Shore in Auckland, will check with the Dark Horse on Consteallation drive if they will have it on, they have shark loads of screesn so sure they will!

The Right Track is fab. 4 Fort St. Love it. 

Confirmed that The Dark Horse will be showing it for anyone on the Shore.

Pretty sure that if you don't read/post on here until Thursday you'll have a few extra hours to spare!

A few guys from my work might be heading to the Cuban in Christchurch CBD

New Plymouth business trip this week, any recommendations on where to watch?

Durante is far too slow.

What has Themi done to hardly ever play... whenever he has, he's been solid. I would rather he start ahead of Durante if Smith is out, but can't see it happening.

Tuiloma as a darkhorse for CB.

Not hard to expect Peru to be far more attacking and dangerous

3xCB, 2xWB,  1xDM, 2xCM, 1xAM and 1xF if the cattle's available

And goal/s??? from counter and Ricki ball with our 30% possession

Wellington lads, four kings?

Not sure if this has been posted already - But the video in the article is an interesting watch (History of Peru football and WC)

CNN article

...And given Saturdays result, the pressure will no doubt be a very telling factor for Peru!

Think we will start with

             Marinovic

       Boxall Reid Smith

Colvey                    Wynne

            McGlinchey

       Lewis         Thomas

                 Rojas

                 Wood

Think Smith will barely be fully fit but will play. We'll set up similar to the 1st leg with a flat 5 for large chunks and the midfield getting through a lot of work. I think what will be different is we will press them in periods but when we do it will be quite high and aggressive - trying to force a mistake out of a defence that will be terrified of conceding an away goal. Also it was noticeable in the 1st leg that both Kosta and Rojas would drop quite deep at times and try disrupt their deep midfielders, but leave us with little outlet high up the pitch. I think Wood will stay high on the last defender and there will be more balls over the top to relieve pressure when defending.

Think they will score first but we nab a late equaliser to send Lima into meltdown

Totally agree, we really needed to bulge the net in Wellington as will be backs to the wall there.

Listening to a Peruvian tv program (one of the better ones) that were breaking down the game 

1 - They heaped praise on Hudson for understanding the limitations of his team and setting up accordingly. They rate him very highly

2 - They say that Peru's dominant start probably ended up being a negative. Since it felt that a goal would come, and as the minutes rolled by it never came.

3 - The attackers were too static, the times they moved they caused certain problems but never connected the final key passes

4 - Gareca took to long to make changes

5 - The substitution of Yotun for defensive midfielder Aquino was Gareca saying, if we are not going to win then we are not going to lose.They feel it implied that Gareca is going for the jugular in Lima and decided to settle for a draw in Wellington. They feel only one change will be made, Advincula would start at right back over Corzo to provide more attack on flank.

6 - Overall Peru defended well and did not have many problems. Gallese had one intervention in Wood's FK. Obviously he was not going to be able to do much with Thomas shot which came not from good build up play but from a poor shot by Wood which was followed up by a cross.

7 - Peru's first half was better than second half. At the 20 minute mark the possession was Peru 71% to NZ 29%.

8 - The width of the pitch was discussed, apparently a few extra meters could make a difference

9 - They said that having the deciding match in Lima vs NZ was the ideal scenario, it could not have been against a more accessible rival (compared to Australia and Honduras) and Peru needed to get over the anxiety of being the favorites (which they hardly ever are)

10 - they summarized NZ in the Peru game in Wellington (talking specifically about the game). Hardly any offense, minimum offensive play elaboration, defended very well, a team conscious about their limitations, technically poor, tactically good (better than Peru in this game - a bit of a debate in this point) 

11 - they closed the program with the typical Peruvian football saying..."If we dont suffer, its not worth it"

Thanks, an interesting read.

New Zealand defeat Perú to qualifier 2018 FIFA World Cup

This is exactly what the 2 Argies said to me in Cuba St after the game; and they were repeating what the Peruvian fans around them in the stand had been saying. That they were saving themselves for Lima.

Would be interesting to see Peruvian players on the pitch that did not make the trip to Wellington.