Fitness to decide All Whites starters
Most All Whites camps Anthony Hudson knows his starting XI before the week even begins.
But this week is different for the New Zealand coach, with fitness set to be a key decision maker in terms of who lines up against Peru for the first leg of the World Cup playoff at Westpac Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
And that’s not the fitness issues which saw Clayton Lewis and Bill Tuiloma dropped for September’s Oceania World Cup qualifying final against the Solomon Islands. Rather, he just wants to see what sort of shape some of his key players arrive in Wellington in over the next few days.
Captain Winston Reid and vicecaptain Chris Wood played for their respective Premier League clubs over the weekend and are certain to start against Peru. But the more contentious selection areas look set to be decided by fitness.
Ordinarily, Tommy Smith would have the advantage over Andrew Durante at left centre back, but the former has only just returned to the Ipswich Town first team after a three-month injury layoff, while Durante missed a couple of weeks with a groin adductor injury before playing 90 minutes for the Wellington Phoenix on Saturday night.
Likewise, one would expect Storm Roux to start over Dane Ingham at right wing back, but Roux missed the Central Coast Mariners’ match against Ingham’s Brisbane Roar on Sunday with a minor ankle injury. Ingham started for the Roar.
All of that led Hudson to say he was in the rare position of not knowing who would be starting come Saturday.
‘‘The next two days for me are critical because I have to settle on an XI very quick,’’ he said after naming his 23-man squad on Sunday.
‘‘Where I would have liked to known my XI now, I probably just need to take a day or so just to see where everyone is at physically after the travel, how they’ve done after these weekend’s games.
‘‘This is quite unusual because I really like to work with my XI from day one, so that’s going to be my biggest challenge.’’
That aforementioned squad contained veteran strikers Rory Fallon and Jeremy Brockie, who
Hudson said were selected for what they brought both on and off the field.
Some were left to question why they were included given they had been out of favour for more than a year, but, really, only an injury crisis or desperation would see them get any meaningful gametime.
Realistically, Hudson will use only 16 or 17 players from his squad across the two legs, with the remainder needed in case of emergencies, or, in the case of Fallon, to boost morale around the camp. The one contentious nonselection was Wellington Phoenix defender Tom Doyle.
Ingham, Roux, Kip Colvey and Deklan Wynne were the fullbacks selected, but Doyle has shown this season he can cover centre back as well. Hudson said it wasn’t just form which saw Doyle left out.
‘‘It was a combination [of things] really. I’m not going to articulate in here the reasons why I dropped him.
‘‘Those conversations are between me and him. I also know he’s right on the doorstep of being back in if they is an injury. The things he needs to do to get back into the team, he is aware of that.’’
Aside from that, it was a full strength squad which Hudson chose, in that all the players he wanted were fit and available for selection.
The midfield looks settled with Michael McGlinchey, Ryan Thomas and Marco Rojas ready to go in there, with Lewis and Tuiloma in the mix as well with their fitness issues now long behind them.
Glen Moss and Max Crocombe got the nod to backup starting goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic.