‘Great opportunity’ for unproven All Whites
opportunity’’ for his players to make a statement.
‘‘Under-strength? Let’s see how we perform, then we will see if we are understrength.
‘‘Let’s give them the option to show if they can perform.
‘‘I had a similar question before the Canada game, and people told me to get some warm socks and a warm shirt because it might be rough but we came out of that game [a 1-0 loss] being angry that we let a better result slip away.
‘‘I’m very confident that these players are prepared to show that maybe it’s not understrength.
‘‘They might be the right players for this tournament.’’
Those selected have just 97 caps between them, 74 of which have been earned by seven of them – Tim Payne (15), Clayton Lewis (14), Moses Dyer (10), Cam Howieson (10), Sam Brotherton (10), Tom Doyle (9), and Dane Ingham (6).
They have scored just three international goals – one by Myer Bevan against the Solomon Islands last September and two by Payne against the same opposition five years ago.
Just three players selected for last November’s World Cup qualifying playoff are included – Lewis, Dane Ingham and Max Crocombe – with four since retired and 16 others absent for a variety of reasons.
Those include the impending arrival of a child, in the case of Michael McGlinchey; offseason surgery, in the case of Storm Roux; continuing club commitments, in the case of players based in the United States; and injuries and/or the desire to have an end-of-season break – after two straight years with All Whites commitments – for a bunch of established pros.
Striker Noah Billingsley and defender Liberato Cacace, both age-group internationals, have been called up for the first time, though goalkeepers Nik Tzanev and Michael Woud and defenders Nikko Boxall and Justin Gulley are still waiting to earn their first caps.
Mohamed Salah is having a season for the ages and will be the key to Liverpool stunning European heavyweights Real Madrid in the Champions League final. With 44 goals to his name in all competitions, Salah has had an incredible debut campaign in Liverpool. He moved back to England with it all to prove after a torrid time at Chelsea two years previous but has proved one of the best players in world football over the past nine months.
Given how the teams play, and the importance the players have to their side, Salah is poised to have the biggest impact in the final.
He and Ronaldo are tied in goals scored during this campaign, with 44 each in all competitions. Ronaldo’s have come in fewer games and almost all during the second half of the season when he hit a run of form that was hard to match.
But that form has faded somewhat. He’s coming off an ankle injury and his support cast in the front line aren’t the equal of what Salah has.
Ronaldo has eight assists this campaign, where Salah has 14. The Egyptian is part of a forward line with 29 goals in the Champions League heading into the final, making them the most potent trio in a single season in history.
Salah will be running down the right flank at the suspect defense of Marcelo. Marcelo is a guy who loves to rampage forward, testing the opposing fullback and freeing up space for the attacker ahead.
If he doesn’t create a couple of goals, his positional problems could lead to Salah running riot in the space he has left over.
You’re basically allowing Salah to run at a centreback one-on-one, with two of the most potent attacking threats in the game along side him.
Salah will be the most influential player in this match. History backs Ronaldo but the style, tactics and stunning form Salah has showed make him the key in Kiev.