Great to see, but a couple interesting chats at footy on Saturday around how the team (All Whites) play better without him. With him on the field the team looks too him too much, as if he is the only option.
I don't see us playing the way we did against Chile with Wood in the team - Interesting conundrum, does our best player suit our best system?
MetalLegNZ wrote: Great to see, but a couple interesting chats at footy on Saturday around how the team (All Whites) play better without him. With him on the field the team looks too him too much, as if he is the only option.
I don't see us playing the way we did against Chile with Wood in the team - Interesting conundrum, does our best player suit our best system?
I though he linked up well today when Forest switched to two strikers (alongside Igor Jesus).
I agree when he's the only option upfront for the AW's he doesn't get the same space and opposition defense swarm him. I think it's worth trying to play him alongside someone like Jesse Randall.
Chris Wood made his first English Premier League start since the first week of October as Nottingham Forest beat Burnley and built a five-point buffer over Tottenham Hotspur in the battle to avoid relegation.
Forest are next in action away against Sunderland on Friday night (7am Saturday NZ time).
They then have the first leg of their Europa League semifinal against fellow Premier League side Aston Villa at their City Ground home on May 1 (7am May 2 NZ time).
The two team drew 1-1 at the same venue in the league last weekend.
Forest got close last season, might just do it this saeson, despite their relegation struggles. Niche Cache
All the action happened while Wood was out there. No more goals were scored afterwards. Porto made a bunch of subs at half-time and had Forest on the ropes in a few instances but ultimately they’d missed their chance in the home leg. Forest steadied the ship and got out of there with a 1-0 victory for the aggregate triumph. Bottom line is that they’ve qualified for the Europa League semi-finals... the first European semis since the Brian Clough era in 1984. They’ll face a team from pretty close by in the two-legged semis: Aston Villa. Meanwhile, Braga (Portugal) vs Freiburg (Germany) will determine the other finalist.
Gotta take a step back here and appreciate that Nottingham Forest are three games away from potentially lifting a major trophy, how about that? All the buzz while he was injured was about whether Wood could get back in time to help Forest avoid relegation, some folks even overreacting about World Cup availability. Now suddenly he’s also got a chance now to match Wynton Rufer (Cup Winners’ Cup in 1992 with Werder Bremen) by becoming just the second kiwi footballer to win a continental trophy in Europe.
Chris Wood is three games away from potentially doing something very special... and there’s another element at work here because the Europa League winners get Champions League entry for next season. Hard to imagine any other context in which The Woodsman could ever play Champions League at this stage of his career.
Huge result for both Wood and the team. Man, what an achievement if they win it, and what a dream result if he gets to play Champions League football in the closing stages of his career.
Europa League final is in Istanbul. Beşiktaş Park on 20th May.
Forest have one EPL game after that hosting Bournemouth 25th May. Hopefully if Forest are safe from the drop by then, Wood can skip the Cherries game to link up with the AWs, as the Iran game 15th June starts to quickly loom ahead.
At least he's going to be relatively fresh by the WC, having missed months of football this season.
Forest's 2 previous European title wins
1979: Olympiastadion, Munich, West Germany (Defeated Malmö FF 1–0).
1980: Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, Spain (Defeated Hamburg 1–0).
Is it because he only at the last minute opens his hips to indicate which side he is hitting to? Some biomechanics post grad football nut student needs to do a study.
coochiee wrote: Wood post match. Europa League final is in Istanbul. Beşiktaş Park on 20th May. Forest have one EPL game after that hosting Bournemouth 25th May. Hopefully if Forest are safe from the drop by then, Wood can skip the Cherries game to link up with the AWs, as the Iran game 15th June starts to quickly loom ahead. At least he's going to be relatively fresh by the WC, having missed months of football this season. Forest's 2 previous European title wins
1979: Olympiastadion, Munich, West Germany (Defeated Malmö FF 1–0).
1980: Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, Spain (Defeated Hamburg 1–0).
Absolutely zero chance if Wood and co escape relegation or win the Europa League that he skips the final home game of the season. If they’re still in the relegation fight then it’s the most important game of the year, if not it’s a well deserved lap of honour (even without the Europa result). Best we can hope for is a gentle game between two safe mid table teams with no interest in putting in hard tackles.
Fair enough. We wait to see how the month of May pans out.
Note AWs play England June 6th in Florida, and likely someone else (rumoured to be Haiti), June 2nd or 3rd also in Florida (only a week after the Bournemouth EPL game). The AWs will likely already be in camp by that Cherries game. I think only the EPL, Polish (Paulsen), and Norwegian (Bell) club seasons will still be going.
National team skipper Wood needs to play some part in both those Florida warm up matches. This might be his last World Cup (and he was a minor figure in Sth Africa), so he will want to go into it well prepared to make a real impact. He's missed the last 4 AWs matches. Norway was his last game.
coochiee wrote: Fair enough. We wait to see how the month of May pans out.
Note AWs play England June 6th in Florida, and likely someone else (rumoured to be Haiti), June 2nd or 3rd also in Florida (only a week after the Bournemouth EPL game). The AWs will likely already be in camp by that Cherries game. I think only the EPL, Polish (Paulsen), and Norwegian (Bell) club seasons will still be going.
National team skipper Wood needs to play some part in both those Florida warm up matches. This might be his last World Cup (and he was a minor figure in Sth Africa), so he will want to go into it well prepared to make a real impact. He's missed the last 4 AWs matches. Norway was his last game.
Wood will be released on May 25, the World Cup release date.
The All Whites will not be in camp in any shape or form before then.
At least five World Cup-bound players will be playing May 23/24 – maybe as many as 11 if Auckland FC lift to make the ALM final and depending who makes the cut.
Okay fair enough in Baze we trust. I think I missed the MLS CB duo who yes will be playing up to that May 23rd/24th weekend as well.
Still if Auckland FC lose tomorrow verus Melb City, you'd think there would be some temptation to at least get the ALM based AWs together at Albany for a few days, prior flying to the States? Stamenic, Garbett, Waine & Tommy Smith flying back into NZ soon to see family?
See that Egypt and Iran (already effectively in camp) will be gathering together well before the AWs. But unlike Bazeley, their coaches do yes have the luxury of having mostly domestically based national teams.
Its impossible to overstate how important it is to have Wood in our WC team. There is daylight between him and the next AW no9. I am sure Baz has been studying how Chris scores his Prem goals. Because we need to ensure the team tactics revolve around getting the ball to him in positions that he likes. I thought he was misused in the New Caledonia playoff. He was too isolated with nobody close to pickup his knock downs. Just lumping it long to him wont work.
austin111 wrote: Its impossible to overstate how important it is to have Wood in our WC team. There is daylight between him and the next AW no9. I am sure Baz has been studying how Chris scores his Prem goals. Because we need to ensure the team tactics revolve around getting the ball to him in positions that he likes. I thought he was misused in the New Caledonia playoff. He was too isolated with nobody close to pickup his knock downs. Just lumping it long to him wont work.
Baze doesn't have the luxury of Morgan Gibbs-White in his team unfortunately.
Upbeat Forest get a 3-1 win at Chelsea, and go 6 pts clear of West Ham in the drop zone with 3 EPL games left.
Wood on at 66 mins (3-0) for an injured Gibbs-White.
MG-W had himself been subbed on at HT (2-0) as Forest rotate with an eye to the huge Europa League semi 2nd leg at Villa. They will be hoping like hell Gibbs-White is fit for Villa.
Awoniyi a double, plus earnt the pen Jesus converted. Sels with a penalty save, when Forest up 2-0.
+1
