All Whites chase rare wins at Intercontinental
In the past decade, the All Whites have won six matches against teams from outside their Oceania confederation. In the past two decades, they have won 13.
Over the next 10 days they have the chance to win as many as four more, as they face Kenya, Chinese Taipei, and hosts India in the Intercontinental Cup, with a rematch against one of them to follow if they make the final.
None of them would be overly impressive scalps, even if they are all ranked higher than New Zealand by Fifa, though there is always something to be said about beating another country on their home soil – something the All Whites managed just once in four attempts against Oceania opposition during the last World Cup cycle, it should be noted.
Fritz Schmid’s (pictured) squad may be inexperienced and short on proven goalscorers, but should still be strong enough to beat all three of those teams. The biggest concern will be finding the back of the net, with their ability to cope with hot conditions in Mumbai a close second – temperatures in excess of 30 degrees Celsius are expected, even with kickoffs set for 8pm local time.
They face Kenya first up tomorrow [2.30am NZ time], who are missing their most recognisable player – Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Victor Wanyama – and a whole host of others to boot, as this tournament clashes with domestic competitions and some clubs have stood firm in not releasing their players.
Kenya are hardly a global powerhouse regardless – the 28th-best nation in Africa, per Fifa’s rankings – with midfielder Clifton Miheso and forward John Mark Makwatta, who both play in Zambia, their key men. then, 36 hours out from the All Whites’ first match. While this is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity for a team who have found wins gainst the wider football world hard to come by, that also means the risk of embarrassment is high.
In embracing the tough conditions in Mumbai, Schmid compared them with the Pacific Island environments the All Whites have to conquer as part of World Cup qualifying, and said that is one reason why this tournament a worthwhile exercise.
‘‘It’s good to be in such a
Where they might have an advantage is recent match practice, as they played a pair of friendlies in the leadup to this tournament, losing to Swaziland 1-0, but beating Equatorial Guinea by the same margin, albeit with a slightly stronger squad.
Information out of the All Whites camp has been hard to come by, but Schmid did front a pre-tournament press conference on Thursday, alongside fullback Tom Doyle, who has not been confirmed as captain, but is considered a likely contender to wear the armband.
There are plenty of unknowns demanding environment,’’ he said.
‘‘Obviously, coming out of the winter [in New Zealand], it’s a bit of a change, in addition to jet lag and long travel, but we’re trying to deal with it.’’
There will be plenty of interest in how the All Whites will line up.
Schmid should stick with the 4-2-3-1 formation he used in his first match in charge, a loss to Canada in March, and the greatest intrigue will surround who is used up front – Myer Bevan or Noah Billingsley – and in attacking midfield, where teenage creator Sarpreet Singh could make his first start.