More depth needed, says Hay

A telling moment in the All Whites’ 1-0 loss to Lithuania came just before the halftime break, when Danny Hay instructed Joe Bell and Sarpreet Singh to start warming up.

The coach had spent large stretches of the first half urging Alex Rufer and Matt Ridenton to be better on the ball in midfield, and when the interval came, he decided he’d seen enough.

Bell and Singh were introduced as the second half began – the former replacing Rufer at the base of the midfield trio, the latter replacing Ridenton further up the field – and there was a notable improvement in how the team got the ball moving forward.

The pair of 20-year-olds had already shown their capabilities three days earlier, as the All Whites lost to Republic of Ireland, but their second-half appearances at LFF Stadium in Vilnius were a reminder that while Hay has plenty of options, it’s more a case of breadth than depth.

‘‘That’s probably fair to say,’’ Hay agreed afterwards.

‘‘That’s one thing we need to do, create more depth, and expose players to a higher level on a more regular basis, and that’s far easier said than done, both from a national team point of view and from an individual point of view – getting these players into good environments where they are really challenged.’’

With Singh and Ryan Thomas also impressing in midfield on this trip, Ridenton and Rufer’s failure to shine in Vilnius could

open the door for players such as Clayton Lewis, James Musa and Gianni Stensness to show what they’ve got when Hay comes to select his next squad, which will hopefully be for another pair of European fixtures in March.

First, however, the coach will be poring over replays of the two matches they have played, looking to see exactly how each of his 24 players performed.

Marco Rojas was the best on the park for the All Whites and looked dangerous whenever he got space to run with the ball, creating their best chance when he teed up Tommy Smith for a header that Lithuanian keeper Ernestas Setkus had to tip over the bar.

Smith and Bill Tuiloma were busy, but solid in central defence, mopping up attacks that often started when the All Whites got caught coughing up possession while sending numbers forward.

On the whole, Hay was pleased to have given all members of his squad a run across the two games on this brief tour.

‘‘The fact that we could use a friendly international to blood some of our younger players, and for them to get exposed to hardened international footballers [was good],’’ he said.

While NZ Football is yet to lock any fixtures in for the next international window in March, it is understood it is ready to move once Euro 2020 qualifying ends this week and it’s known who exactly is available.