I think a few players could do with whatever Rufer is eating these days. Go back a year or two and we were harsh on his ability and chances. Now you can see on his face how important every achievement big or small means to him.
Yeh, Nelsen was the main beacon, but there was a lot of leadership in the playing group I reckon. Maybe Auckland FC arriving will give us a fillip like 2007/8/9 did!
In answer to your main question. I'd say the main goal was for our players to spend time together playing against decent opposition, to coordinate our connections in defence, midfield, attack and across the whole team. I'd say yes we achieved doing that. We defended well. We held our own in the midfield, we created chances through a variety of different link ups to our attackers. No we didn't win, but yes I think most of the players will be confident that we were very competitive. We are a country of 5 million people. We did well against 109 million and 12 million, where football is their main sport.
As you can see I’m less positive. But it depends what the management team takes from this and their next step I guess.
For example the strong midfield Rufer and Stamenic was an accident provided by injury. Will Lewis be preferred going forward? What’s being thought about there?
At right back we had Payne out, but if that scenario happens again are Ingham and Bindon the next cabs off the rank? Looking at Smith and others I can’t decide if we’re in the business of giving minutes to players who aren’t getting them or not. Certainly Roux and Wilkins can feel hard done by and Elliot is a more naturally attacking player than Bindon if we’re going to find our RB near the opposition penalty area often. Look at Bindon at RB in cut throat English football. He was moved to CB where he’s excelled.
And also if we’re talking about performances and goals, we have to find a way to use Libby more effectively. What does his captaincy mean for how we want to play? At his club he’s often got midfielders ahead of him playmaking. He gets in such good areas, but only him and Mata came close to a goal collaboration. And why was he getting into the push and shove with the muppet who eventually caused him to get sent?
This season watching Chief you feel his mind is always spinning on who and how we can make it work, before the fact.
I love the idea of countering late on- but especially against Tunisia there weren’t that many tired legs because they’d cleared the bench of 5 subs earlier and were controlling the game. We know that Old is a good player- why wasn’t he as effective here? Did the opposition mark him out from the beginning (ie they had a plan for him.) How can we improve this plan? Leaving out that we probably needed reinforcements before we got them.
I’m hopeful we’ll see a refinement and an improvement, but also concerned we may see more time invested in unprofitable directions or a lot of fiddle faddle.
We will get a good look at Marco this weekend, see what you think. I just think that things haven't been working in the final third and you know the old chestnut about the definition of insanity. Who wouldn't want to see an in-form front 3 of Marco, Kosta and Wood, to see what they can do? Marco looked incredibly sharp against Qatar last year and I'm sure he can get back to his best the same as Kosta has. I've had enough of the likes of Waine, Mata & Just delivering nothing of substance, and McCowatt hasn't been much better than them. The national team isn't a development school, you should be performing or you should quickly find yourself dropped.
And I wasn't meaning that all the midfielders are equally good and effective and it's a total lolly scramble, probably went a bit far when I said it doesn't really matter. I was just meaning we have depth and options. Unlike in other areas of the park where our second string is miles behind our first choice. I personally agree that Rufer & Stamenic should be in the starting xi given their recent form but the likes of Bell and Lewis aren't a country mile behind. martinb
imanixsupporter
Thoughts after the two games.
I think Payne or Kirwan or Roux at RB would add a lot to this window's team.
Hopefully Bazeley has realised by now that Pijnaker can no longer start. If he does, our defense is fine. Comfortable with Crocombe being number 1 for now.
Our midfield is also fine. Doesn't really matter who starts, Stamenic, Bell, Lewis, Rufer can all do a decent job. Garbett is interesting. To me he doesn't really seem like the greatest midfielder but he's so much more of a goal threat than anyone else we have in midfield. I honestly still think he should be tried out as a number 9.
I think McCowatt was fairly underwhelming in this window. Seems like he is a nailed on starter which is odd given how our front 3 hasn't been delivering. Looking forward to seeing more of Old, Kosta & Rojas in the front 3 with Wood in upcoming games and less of McCowatt, Just, Waine, Mata & Grieve.
That’s an odd opinion on the attack imo. McCowatt, Waine and Mata definitely have immediate futures. Grieve and Just have to get back up a level imo.
Rojas may or may not want to be back and may or may not be an improvement, depending on his motivation.
Kosta is currently fire, but is unlikely to be around for 2026 at the same level of performance.
With Old there’s a case for him not being a forward, but being a little further back where he can beat players and start counters or create opportunities- the Singh/Garbett/McCowatt positions.
I do agree that we hamstrung ourselves by not selecting a RB who could add to the attack.
I think it does matter who is selected in midfield. We saw a much less aggressive and defensively effective midfield against Egypt imo. We seemed to have a bigger gap between the midfield and the defense. Lewis can tackle, but has usually needed a Devlin type partner to make his game work when he’s played deeper. I really liked Rufer and Stamenic as a pair, and in my mind that leaves Bell/Lewis competing with Garbett and McCowatt for a spot, who would make a 4-3-3.
Perhaps the definition of insanity is to have everlasting hope that Barba & Rojas will provide the goals at international level.
Barba - 54 caps, 4 goals (1 against non OFC teams) Rogas - 43 caps, 5 goals (1 against non OFC teams) Rojas may have shone in half a game against Qatar, but the Qataris are the weakest team the AWs have played in the 12 months since China last March. So it's no big deal to look good in 45 mins against them.
McCowatt - 19 caps, 2 goals (both against non OFC teams)
If we look at Rojas's 2 seasons in the Danish Superliga (SønderjyskE) 30 games & 3 goals. McCowatt also in the Superliga (Silkeborg) 22 games & 3 goals. Plus an important goal in Silkeborg's upset win over FCK in the Danish Cup quarters.
Look I don't think there is much between the likes of Just, McCowatt, Barba & Rojas. They should now all likely if fit, be in an AWs squad ahead of others like Champness, Greive etc
But Kosta will be 36 by the time the 2026 WC rolls around. He's having a great season this campaign, but last season he looked very average. Where will he be in 2 years? Marco seems as much focused on off field football issues these days, as on the pitch. All power to him.
I don't think either of the veterans really stand out hugely above the younger brigade. Being in the ALM we see their exploits far more regularly than the guys in Europe, but history has shown that that success locally, hasn't translated much to the international stage.
For one thing, Bazeley should have made the same (keeper) substitution.
Starting with his time in the English National League back in 2014-15 all the way through to the game against Egypt the other day, Max Crocombe has only saved 3/25 penalties in his career (as recorded by Transfermarkt). He’s 0/4 this season with Burton Albion.
Oli Sail doesn’t have a good record against spot kicks either, as Phoenix fans will recall, but Wellington Phoenix fans also know that Alex Paulsen is outstanding in those situations. It would have been a wild way for the fella to make his debut but he’d have given the AWs a better hope in the shootout.
Meanwhile, Tunisia scored all four and Crocombe didn’t get a hand on any of them. They had the same first three takers who’d all scored against Croatia and they each repeated the dose. The guy who missed their fourth against the Croats had already been subbed while one of the other missers didn’t play and the third did but was overtaken in the pecking order by one of their subs who hadn’t played the previous match. They knew what they were doing.
His job here is to boost the team, not give an analysis. We weren’t on top for 70 minutes- more like 40-50. And besides he’s a player who can be proud of his performance! Pen won, shootout pen scored. Looked like he was in his early 20s.
I wish him or Roofs took the penalty that mattered.
It's annoying that all of us here can see the strengths and weaknesses NZ eligible players have, and yet someone who's full time job is to watch them, check stats etc, cannot.
I want to see the strongest fit squad picked every window if the game isn't against OFC opposition and I want the strongest AW side to start.
Really pisses me off when Hay picks Pijnaker over Boxall in Qatar for the final WC playoff spot, or Baz playing Bindon at RB when Roux is in form, not giving Rufer the penalty taker role even though he's on fire there, or not giving our penalty saving specialist a run when we go to penalties. 🤦♂️
my team but Im located in Buenos Aires, not a kiwi, but I understand this sport, I tell you what this may be now that the players thing has improved consistenly since wc 2010 and you are collecting the fruits of football exposure
with the players at disposal this is how I would go, 5-3-2 GK whoever is in form , my take is MARINOVIC but he doesnt play so anyone is leveled with the next guy. IF NOT ALEX PAVLSEN IS FINE HE IS THE IN FORM PLAYER I THINK RGB GARBETT/ELLIOT RCB ROUX/HUGUES U20 SWEEPER BOXALL /SURMAN U 20 LCB TUILOMA /PIJNAKER/SMITH LWB CACACE/MCGARRY/WILKINS RM SINGH/HERDMAN U20 CM BELL/ RUFFER CM STAMENIC/LEWIS LM MCCOWATT /OLD/ GREIVE FW WOOD/ BARBAROUSES/WAINE
IF CHAMPNESS WAS AVAILABLE I would push him in the 11 is a different player
His job here is to boost the team, not give an analysis. We weren’t on top for 70 minutes- more like 40-50. And besides he’s a player who can be proud of his performance! Pen won, shootout pen scored. Looked like he was in his early 20s.
I wish him or Roofs took the penalty that mattered.
His job here is to boost the team, not give an analysis. We weren’t on top for 70 minutes- more like 40-50. And besides he’s a player who can be proud of his performance! Pen won, shootout pen scored. Looked like he was in his early 20s.
I wish him or Roofs took the penalty that mattered.
This didn't age well.....
Him and Roofs were coolness personified that night tbf. That’s why some teams don’t have a designated taker.
His job here is to boost the team, not give an analysis. We weren’t on top for 70 minutes- more like 40-50. And besides he’s a player who can be proud of his performance! Pen won, shootout pen scored. Looked like he was in his early 20s.
I wish him or Roofs took the penalty that mattered.
This didn't age well.....
True Rufer's pen was poor but so were loads of shots by our boys in yesterdays game.
