All Whites secure fixture against world’s top-ranked team
When the All Whites met Ireland in Dublin last November, the Kiwi side showed how they intend to play under new coach Danny Hay.
While they went into the game after limited time together and ultimately lost 3-1, their willingness to hold possession and work a short passing game caught the eye of many.
Hay believes Belgium coach Roberto Martinez was among them.
New Zealand Football yesterday confirmed one of the biggest friendlies in All Whites history, with the side set to face world No 1 Belgium in Brussels in early October.
Speaking to the Weekend Herald, Hay said he had “absolutely no doubt” the fixture came as a direct result of how his side approached the game against Ireland.
“I know Roberto Martinez in particular wouldn’t have left a stone unturned in terms of looking to find an opposition who play a style of football that will align with what they want to get out of the game,” Hay said.
“So I think the fact we try to do things differently to any other New Zealand team at international level, it’s allowed us to stand in good stead in Belgium’s eyes.”
The fixture has been in the works for at least the past two months, with Hay finding out about it six weeks ago. New Zealand Football held their cards close to their chest while working on making it happen, not telling the players until the time was right so they wouldn’t get their hopes up.
Hay said while the fixture has been announced, given how the Covid-19 pandemic has rocked the world this year, anything can happen between now and October.
He acknowledges it makes planning ahead a difficult task, particularly with trying to figure out how to get a competitive team into Belgium.
“That’s the million-dollar question. The reality is we may not be in a position where I can pick every player I would like but we’ll just have to see how things progress in the next month or two in terms of borders opening or closing.
“Ultimately, we’d love to bring those players from the States in particular into Europe, but we know what’s happening there with Covid and it seems to be ramping up, so that may not be a possibility.
“Then we have to take into account that if we call players up, it’s being able to get them back into their home nations where they’re plying their trade without having a two-week quarantine period, especially if they’re in the midst of their season. So there’s going to be a lot of juggling. There’s a huge number of unknowns but we’re just going to have to work through those one by one.”
With a number of Kiwi footballers in Europe, there will be plenty of talent available for selection. Hay said for some, it could provide the opportunity to put themselves firmly in the All Whites frame, should others be unavailable for selection.
“We’ve got a number of players now plying their trade in Europe, and even some who haven’t yet represented their country at full international level but are operating at lower levels in Europe, we may have to call those players up.
“What a great opportunity for those players to be exposed to this level of football, and this is where we start to find out whether they’re capable of playing at that level. This is something we regularly want to be doing — we want to be testing ourselves against the best.”
When Hay took over as All Whites coach, they hadn’t played since the Intercontinental Cup in June 2018. That dry spell ended against Ireland and Lithuania late last year.
Now booking a clash against the world’s top-ranked side, Hay said it’s a telling sign of the new regime at New Zealand Football.
“It’s massive for me because it’s showing football fans real intent from New Zealand Football that they want to get the All Whites playing, and not just against anybody — if there’s an opportunity to play the best team in the world, then we’re going to jump at it.”