Burning All Whites questions
OPINION: The first leg of the All Whites’ World Cup qualifier against Peru is a day away.
With the All Whites training behind closed doors all week, there are plenty of questions to ponder. Here’s what Stuff’s football writers make of them.
Right wingback is the most debatable position on the pitch. Who would you pick?
Liam Hyslop: Storm Roux. He’s had a knock, but he’s experienced and has been playing the most out of any of the three options. He would start if I were picking the team, but Anthony Hudson seems to have really taken to Dane Ingham.
Phillip Rollo: It has got to be
Storm Roux, right? He is the only wingback in the squad who even starts for his club.
Tony Smith: Storm Roux, if fully fit. He’s got more experience than the alternatives, is sound defensively and better going forward. Plus, he’s a good communicator. If Roux can’t play,
Jeremy Brockie would be a leftfield option, if not required up front. Brockie is strong, can defend, crosses a ball better than the fullback options. The natural right-footer had one of his best games for the All Whites at left back against the Socceroos in Adelaide in 2011.
Ben Strang: Storm Roux if fit, but it sounds like he’s still a little sore after taking a knock to his ankle. If not, I see Ingham (*gulp*) getting the start.
Andrew Voerman: Storm Roux, assuming the ankle knock that kept him out of Central Coast’s match on the weekend was nothing major. He’s a regular starter in a proper competition, something the other options - Kip Colvey and Dane Ingham - aren’t.
We’ll find out who Hudson has gone for shortly after 3pm on Saturday. What do you think the starting XI will be?
LH: Marinovic, Boxall, Reid, Smith, Ingham, Rojas, Mcglinchey, Thomas, Wynne, Barbarouses, Wood.
PR: Marinovic, Boxall, Reid, Smith, Roux, Lewis, Mcglinchey, Thomas, Wynne, Rojas, Wood.
TS: Marinovic, Boxall, Reid, Smith, Roux, Barbarouses, Mcglinchey, Thomas, Wynne, Brockie, Wood.
BS: Marinovic, Boxall, Reid, Smith, Ingham, Lewis, Mcglinchey, Thomas, Wynne, Rojas, Wood.
AV: Marinovic, Boxall, Reid, Smith, Ingham, Lewis, Mcglinchey, Thomas, Wynne, Rojas, Wood.
Which All White has the most important role to play on Saturday?
Lh:chris Wood. While the All Whites technically don’t need a goal to win the playoff, getting one at home sure would help. He’s likely to have one or two chances and has to be clinical when they come. PR: Chris Wood and Winston Reid may be New Zealand’s best players, but the most important player in these two fixtures is goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic. He’s in for a busy night.
Ts:stefan Marinovic is going to be busier than a bricklayer in the earthquake-hit Christchurch CBD. He’s been Hudson’s best find, but Peru will really test his mettle.
Bs:ryan Thomas. He’s the heartbeat of the All Whites. If Renato Tapia or Yoshimar Yotun shut him down, New Zealand won’t score any goals and won’t have a chance. His performance in midfield is the key to everything.
Av:stefan Marinovic. Based on what we’ve seen so far this year, the All Whites are going to concede plenty of shots, and their keeper will have to stop most, if not all, of them if they are to get the result they need.
Looking at the All Whites, what are you most concerned about?
Lh:wingbacks. I’m guessing Hudson picks Ingham over Roux due to the latter’s injury concerns of late. Ingham is undoubtedly a top prospect, but I fear for him in this high-pressure game, if he plays. On the other side, I have more confidence in Deklan Wynne, but he’s likely to be marking Watford winger Andre Carrillo, who has made some top English Premier League fullbacks look pretty ordinary of late.
Pr:whoever starts in the wingback roles - and I wouldn’t be surprised if Dane Ingham appears on the right - matching up against Peru’s attacking quartet. Yikes.
Ts:plenty of imponderables. The health and match fitness of Winston Reid and Tommy Smith, for one. Will they be sharp enough against the quicksilver Peruvians? Will the All Whites’ central midfielders be too lightweight?
BS:THE formation. I have no doubt the All Whites can keep things very tight and close against Peru with five at the back, but I don’t see how they can actually win unless they switch things up. I’d like to see a 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation instead.
AV: Their wingbacks. In Edison Flores and Andre Carrillo, Peru have a pair of dangerous wide men, and they will be eager to isolate the All Whites’ wide defenders. Hudson has been working hard on getting his midfielders to help out in wide areas on defence, and that could ease this fear, but only a little.
What are you expecting to see on Saturday?
LH:A tense game. A goal in it maybe, but I’ll plump for a 1-1 that leaves it all to play for in the second leg.
PR:I think the All Whites will lose 2-0, conceding both goals in the second half. Even without Paolo Guerrero leading the line,
Peru have far too much quality.
TS:THE All Whites have to win at home to have any show of an aggregate victory. But a 0-0 draw (a la the first leg v Bahrain in 2009) wouldn’t be a total disaster. Purists turn your heads: The All Whites will take a physical approach. Defend from the front via Wood and, hopefully, Brockie, and use Reid (1.91m), Smith (1.88m) and Boxall (1.88m) to out-muscle the Peruvian forwards.
BS: It’s cagey. Peru go very hard for an early goal, before sitting back and looking to control things. Their pressing causes issues, and there are plenty of heart-in-mouth moments for NZ fans. Peru win it ... 2-0.
AV: A tight game early, where both teams will be restricted by nerves, and by fear of the unknown. The All Whites may well score, buoyed by their home crowd, but once Peru realise their tactical and technical superiority, they will impose themselves and take a 2-1 or 3-1 lead back to Lima.