AW v Slovenia Match Thread Sat 06:30 SS3

- hopefully that's part of the learning experience; at this level  of play giving away free kicks just outside the box (no matter if the ref calls it wrong) is almost as good as giving away a penalty. The free kick against Reid just seemed to be punishment for petulance - why risk it?

 

- Reid was shaky in the first half, the cheap free kicks and distribution was poor

- agree that Lochhead was generally good, got forward, passing was good, some good/some bad crosses. Not much sign of Bertos as an attacking threat

- strange that Ricki didn't give McGlinchey or Sigmund or Killen some time in the second half, especially as the team was tiring inthe last 15

- Elliot's distribution mostly good. Christie works hard but passing let's him down

- Paston seems intimidated by the new ball, doesn't want to catch it, not a good look

- Generally a decent performance against a more than decent team.

 

 

No, it's a closed training session with three 30 min thirds.  Not a game as such.

 

The positives.

We have been very combatitive in every game. No one is now saying we don't deserve to be at the WC. We Have put top ranking sides under sustained pressure and have fashioned many goal scoring chances. The side is well organised and is hard to break down in open play. We have quality and depth in our strikers and central defenders. Reid and Smith have been great "finds". Fallon has been a handfull in every game against top defenses. The team is a tight unit...well led and well coached.

 

The negatives.

General lack of pace across the park. The midfield is a real problem. Slovenia had us for toast in midfield. We lack a composed playmaker who can thread passes. Too much attack goes sideways or backwards which is more a reflection on the players we have. Christie is not the answer as a holding midfielder. Brown is no passing midfielder but he does have physical presence and is a threat on goal(not like Elliot)...give Brownie some horse tranquilisers and get him to SA. Bertos is wasted in his current role....he seems to be in two minds about bombing forward or staying back.

 

Overall as an AW's supporter you would have to be reasonably happy going into the WC. Slovakia won't be much different from Slovenia and they won't have the home advantage that Slovenia had. The game against Slovenia was a perfect game to expose what we need to work on. If we can get more out of our midfield and improve our finishing then a point at least is possible against Slovakia.

 

 In reality Italy and Paraguay will be too good and too fast in midfield and outwide for us to have much of a show.

 

Probably also helps that they are regularly pitting themselves against quality opposition in Europe.

 

Just watched highlights on stuff. My original thought was that the second goal was scored on the wall side, but clearly it was on Paston's side of the goal. The first was also on his side.

 

I generally tend to blame the keeper if they're beaten on their own side, although both kicks were very well placed, and the first one was particularly well done.

 

On another issue, I haven't seen any comments yet from Ricki on

a) why he didn't make any subs apart from "Clapham"

b) what happened with that particular substitution 

 

We had more than enough chances to draw or better in this game. Paston`s error makes things look worse than they were, and the reffing was frustrating. We could have got back in it as late as the incorrect call on Fallon being offside. Between the reffing, Paston`s fumbles, the number of clear cut chances we had I`m very bullish after this game.

 

This was a team in good form and we competed strongly and on another day would have put them away. I only wonder why Chris Wood was taken off for Brockie. Surely only showed that Wood needed more game time and is a much much better player than Brockie. Unlucky not to score, at least he got over the ball and got the shot on target (I`ve yet to see Brockie work the keeper- the Olypmics aside), and got the assist for Fallon`s goal. We were a much weaker attacking unit with him off.

 

Reid tugged his shirt, which was what the yellow card was for. The Slovenian went to ground when he felt the shirt tug.

 

One thing that was clear to me though was just how bad Dewhurst is at commentating.

 

Effectively we are still playing 5 at the back. You are saying that Smith would be incapable of playing a deep wide midfiled role, with Ivan, Nelly and Reid to his right and slightly behind?He shows a good ability to live on the ball, and while he might not make attacking runs, he could distribute well from this position. Lochead is too slow, and vulnerable to being run at. It is too easy for attacking teams to get behind our defensive line (from the right) and cross the ball low and hard into the six yard box. If Lochead plays at the WC I am certain we will leak 3-5 goals from a sceanrio such as this.

Yes we can but NZ Football kinda forgot to do it before the deadline (famously).

 

We've seen 3 games in quick succession and I don't think you could say there is any glaring deficiency down that side - in fact I would argue that the right side is more vulnerable, with Leo clearly uncomfortable in his role. Also Lochhead is actually quite quick, as several good attacking and defensive runs showed today. He is the least of my worries at the moment.

 

Re Leo, unfortunately we are stuck with him playing that neither-here-nor-there role. It's far from ideal but I think Ricki has no choice but to go with it. It may be that when the chips are down and we are chasing the game Leo will be given a freer reign to run at defences, which is where he excels on his day.

Won a competition on his total football show but never got the prizes. Lost all respect for him then and there.

 

We need him making runs down to the byline and hen crossing back in to our tall timber.

 

Wood should of stayed on ahead of brockie who offered nothing and we should of tried someone ahead of Christie or at half time.

 

That was a big game for Slovenia. At home for their only pre-World Cup game. They aren't a big footballing nation, so a win against another World Cup team was important thing for them. So the positive here is that they were clearly 'trying', as you could see by their going down easy at times. Slovenia are probably a bit better than Slovakia... And they didn't score from open play apart from Paston handing it to them. And we still created chances (and scored). That's the big difference between this All White team and others I've seen - we're getting into good positions to score. Even if not always by the prettiest method...

lockhead  has to go, paston kick him 2 the kirb he is useless. And i would prefer mulligan over christie any day of the week, much better ball player.