How NZ could loo o
CRYSTAL ball time, folks.
The year is 2021, the month November, and the All Whites are once again preparing for a World Cup playoff to try and make the 2022 event in Qatar (or somewhere else if Fifa finally gets serious about corruption).
Who should we expect to be lining up for the All Whites then? Well, given the youthful XI which lost to Peru this week, it should have a similar feel to what was put on in 2017.
That would mean the All Whites should be even better than they were in 2017, with those young players all having another four years of experience under their belts.
Let’s put them into a 4-3-3 formation, which would play more to the strengths of the team than the 5-3-2 employed during the eras of coaches Anthony Hudson and Ricki Herbert.
Goalkeeper: Stefan Marinovic, 30 (age in November 2021)
He has been the find of the Anthony Hudson era and should remain the incumbent goalkeeper for the foreseeable future. Right back: Storm Roux, 28 It’s a bit of a tossup here, but Roux gets the nod given he would have been starting against Peru if uninjured.
But if Kip Colvey or Dane Ingham take their play to another level then they could easily nail down this spot.
Right centre back: Winston Reid (captain), 33
He won’t play a lot in the next four years, but should have a Ryan Nelsen in 2009-like presence in the squad for the playoff.
Left centre back: Tommy Smith, 31
Seems older than 27 this year, so still has plenty of gas in the tank.
Another who won’t play a lot for the All Whites before 2021, but would form a solid centre back pairing with Reid. Left back: Deklan Wynne, 26 Like the right back position, left back is also up for grabs.
Wynne is the incumbent and if he can keep progressing with the Vancouver Whitecaps then should make the position his own.
Holding midfield: Bill Tuiloma, 26 PHOTOSPORT
Career appeared to be at a bit of a crossroads when departing Marseille earlier this year, but he looks to be establishing himself in the US with the Portland Timbers and should provide a solid base for the midfield for a few years yet.
Probably overtakes Michael McGlinchey at some point in the next couple of years.
Left centre mid: Ryan Thomas, 26
Could also play alongside Tuiloma as a holder, if that was the approach they wanted to take.
He will be the lynchpin of the All Whites midfield for the next decade.
Right centre mid: Marco Rojas, 30
The older he gets, the further back in the field he’ll go.
By 2021 I see him as a tricky midfielder, rather than a winger. Left wing: Tyler Boyd, 26 He’s been left out in the cold by Anthony Hudson because of a personal conflict, but would come back in under a new coach and breathe new life into the All Whites attack.
Currently playing in the Portuguese top flight. Right wing: Myer Bevan, 24 Harsh on Kosta Barbarouses, but youth could be given a chance over the next few years and Bevan seems the most likely to take the chance given his form at the under-20 World Cup. Striker: Chris Wood, 29 As it was this year, the All Whites will remain heavily reliant on Wood for goals and thrust in attack. He will still only be 29 by 2021 and hopefully have established himself in the English Premier League.
The squad members: At 34, McGlinchey would be touch and