The All Whites were very good last night.
Apart from the opening 15 minutes, when they looked all at sea and conceded that goal that is. After that though, though they didn't dominate possession, I thought they dominated large portions of the match - save for a few Chinese raids. They also managed to shrug off the immense pressure when we had the ball that the opposition exerted in the opening stages. And that allowed our best player on the night to start to shine - Michael McGlinchey.
I thought McGlinchey was class last night, and well deserved the equalizer. He managed to get good time on the ball and played the right kind of passes almost every time. He is a quality player and will be a huge asset to the national team for years to come. Man of the match in my opinion.
As for the players, well starting from the back Glen Moss did a good job in goal for us. Everyone knows he is a class shot stopper and he showed that last night. He doesn't hold many shots on the first occasion, and sometimes his clearances are a bit dodgy, but he certainly did a more than decent job between the sticks.
The defence was solid last night. Tommy Smith and Ivan Vicelich were fair enough - the Chinese attacks did seem to come down our left hand side and Vicelich was a little slow at times (understandable given his age), but they were solid enough. Andy Boyens, who only played the first half, probably wasn't as solid as the other two, and did score that own goal, but he did ok. The real surprise was when Michael Boxall came on for the second half - he looked mighty impressive in his first appearance for the national team. Cool, calm and very assured on the ball, he looked comfortable at the international level. A great find. Considering the options we have at the back, we are starting to get real depth at centre back. Smith, Reid and Boxall are all very young and there is still life in Nelsen and Sigmund yet.
The two wide midfield players/wing backs were fair - after the initial onslaught Jeremy Brockie and Tony Lochhead got forward on numerous occasions and offered width to our attack. Their crossing wasn't great, and Brockie himself should have scored with the final touch of the first half, but they offered enough. Marco Rojas made his much awaited debut, but wasn't really on the pitch long enough to show us what he is capable of. Another debutant, Michael Fitzgerald, looked very lively down the right hand side. More cameos like that and he could be yet another very good addition to the squad.
I've already said Michael McGlinchey was my man of the match. He is becoming a very good player very quickly. What was suprising was how useful his partner in midfield - David Mulligan was. I shouldn't say suprising. We all know he's a much better player than what we saw (or didn't see) when he was at Wellington Phoenix. While he was overrun a little in the first half, he had plenty of time on the ball in the second, and passed the ball well enough. He was our defensive midfield presence and he wasn't particularly convincing doing that, but on the ball looked good enough to be a decent option for Ricki going forward.
Going forward has quickly become our strong point and this showed again last night. Chris Killen and Shane Smeltz worked tirelessly - Killen especially without much reward. In the second half, a previously invisible Smeltz moved out onto the left hand side and steadily became an influence on the match. Chris Wood played the first half and had a go of it - two half chances and plenty of running around. But his replacement helped change the game - Kosta Barbarouses showed how he has improved immensely during his first year in Brisbane. There are still signs he has a wee while to go yet, but in general he was very good last night.
If I had to give the players a rating out of 10 for the game last night against China:
Starting XI:
Glen Moss - 7
Andy Boyens - 5
Ivan Vicelich - 6
Tommy Smith - 6
Jeremy Brockie - 6
Tony Lochhead - 6 1/2
Michael McGlinchey 8 1/2
David Mulligan - 6 1/2
Shane Smeltz - 6 1/2
Chris Wood - 6
Chris Killen - 6
Substitutes:
Michael Boxall - 7 1/2
Kosta Barbarouses - 7
Marco Rojas - 5 1/2
Michael Fitzgerald - 6
Aaron Clapham - N/A
All in all, a very positive experience for New Zealand football. A good result, three debutants (including an excellent one by Boxall), a first goal for New Zealand for Michael McGlinchey, and what's more, a good, attacking performance (save the first 15 minutes) where we soaked up the pressure, defended when we needed to, and attacked relatively often and with good penetration.
It would have been nice to have another match in this tour, but obviously the circumstances in Japan have meant that isn't possible. However, the next time the All Whites do play, Ricki Herbert will have a great range of players to choose from, of all ages and stages of their careers, as he looks to build a squad to take us to Brazil 2014.
Showing posts with label All Whites. Show all posts
Showing posts with label All Whites. Show all posts
Friday, March 25, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
The All Whites squad - my thoughts
First off all, I would like to say that calling the game off in Japan was unquestionably the right decision. Two awful natural disasters have hit over there, and there is a further disaster unfolding with the nuclear plant problems. To send our boys over there, for what is an irrelevant match (especially under the circumstances), while so many people are still suffering, and the disaster is still unfolding, would be unnecessary, insensitive and really shit timing. Sport is just not important during something like this.
The good news for the All Whites is they still have a fixture to play, in China on the 26th. The squad was finalised today. There are three new faces (in bold):
Goalkeepers: Glen Moss, Jake Gleeson
Defenders: Tony Lochhead, Ivan Vicelich, Ryan Nelsen, Andy Boyens, Tommy Smith, Michael Fitzgerald
Midfielders: Michael McGlinchy, Jeremy Brockie, David Mulligan, Aaron Clapham, Marco Rojas
Forwards: Shane Smeltz, Rory Fallon, Chris Killen, Chris Wood, Kosta Barbarouses
I am pretty happy with the squad overall. We are definitely light at the back with Winston Reid and Ben Sigmund not there, and in midfield (although we are always a tad light there) with Simon Elliot, Tim Brown and Leo Bertos all missing. Of the new faces, Rojas was a shoe-in after his performances this year. Once Mark Paston was ruled out, another goalkeeper was required, and by all account Jake Gleeson has been very impressive for his U.S club team. So that makes sense as well. This Fitzgerald kid, well I don't know a thing about him. It's a bit of a worry that he's only playing third division in Japan, but hell. there's no reason not to give him a crack. The fact he's a fullback, and we don't have any of those bar Lochhead, makes it even more worthwhile.
The real question comes with what the formation should play, and who should play where. Looking at the balance of the squad, I would suggest we will go with the same 3-4-3 that has done us so many good things over the past year. This being despite the fact we are missing two central defenders, and have fullbacks in the squad. I would then suggest they will go to 4 at the back in the second half as the substitutes come on.
Goalkeeper: Glen Moss. Mossy will be our first choice keeper going forward, as Mark Paston heads towards the twilight of his career. The march towards Brazil 2014 begins here, and Moss should start. Gleeson will get his chances later, and hopefully develop into a top quality goalkeeper.
Central Defenders: Ryan Nelsen, Andy Boyens, Tommy Smith. Nelsen and Smith are obvious starters. For me Boyens gets another chance to prove himself, especially when a guy like Sigmund, a guy he would be in direct competition with, is not there. He has the talent to continue plying his trade in the MLS. The other reason he starts is because I want the only other central defender in the squad, Ivan Vicelich, playing further upfield. So in the end they kind of pick themselves.
Wing Backs: Jeremy Brockie, Tony Lochhead. Lochhead is another obvious choice, playing on the left hand side in the same role he fulfilled at the World Cup. Brockie was possibly our best player in the October friendlies, playing in the right wing back role. I wouldn't have picked him for it prior to that, but that, plus the fact Leo Bertos isn't there, means he starts there.
Central Midfield: Ivan Vicelich, Michael McGlinchy. Without Vicelich holding the midfield, I have a fear a skillfull Chinese team might have some fun through the middle of the park. He needs to be there to make tackles, and free up responsibility for McGlinchy. The fact he has recently been playing in China is a bonus. McGlinchy is the future creative spark for the All Whites; a team without Simon Elliot will depend on him. His form for the Central Coast this A-Leauge was sparkling, and the time is now for him to become a first choice member of the national team.
Strikers: Shane Smeltz, Chris Killen, Kosta Barbarouses. Where we do have a glut of talent is up front (the reasons we play three up front is for that very reason). So who do we play as we start our quest for the 2014 World Cup? Well for me Smeltz has to be there, as our number one striker. Barbarouses is the only player in my starting team who wasn't in South Africa. He has come on massively at the Brisbane Roar, and has something a bit different to the rest of our strikers, especially pace. He is a real prospect, and could become a key member of the All Whites. As for Killen, well it's basically a coin toss between him, Fallon and Wood; I went for Killen simply because he has scored a lot of international goals before, and like Vicelich, is currently playing in China.
Substitutes: As the game progresses, I'll look for Ricki to bring Fitzgerald and Rojas on for their debuts, Fitzgerald for a central defender as we move to a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3. Rojas will come on to run at a tiring defence. Wood will get game time up front, and Clapham may as well in the middle of the park.
Verdict: An exciting team at the start of an exciting adventure. All the best boys!
The good news for the All Whites is they still have a fixture to play, in China on the 26th. The squad was finalised today. There are three new faces (in bold):
Goalkeepers: Glen Moss, Jake Gleeson
Defenders: Tony Lochhead, Ivan Vicelich, Ryan Nelsen, Andy Boyens, Tommy Smith, Michael Fitzgerald
Midfielders: Michael McGlinchy, Jeremy Brockie, David Mulligan, Aaron Clapham, Marco Rojas
Forwards: Shane Smeltz, Rory Fallon, Chris Killen, Chris Wood, Kosta Barbarouses
I am pretty happy with the squad overall. We are definitely light at the back with Winston Reid and Ben Sigmund not there, and in midfield (although we are always a tad light there) with Simon Elliot, Tim Brown and Leo Bertos all missing. Of the new faces, Rojas was a shoe-in after his performances this year. Once Mark Paston was ruled out, another goalkeeper was required, and by all account Jake Gleeson has been very impressive for his U.S club team. So that makes sense as well. This Fitzgerald kid, well I don't know a thing about him. It's a bit of a worry that he's only playing third division in Japan, but hell. there's no reason not to give him a crack. The fact he's a fullback, and we don't have any of those bar Lochhead, makes it even more worthwhile.
The real question comes with what the formation should play, and who should play where. Looking at the balance of the squad, I would suggest we will go with the same 3-4-3 that has done us so many good things over the past year. This being despite the fact we are missing two central defenders, and have fullbacks in the squad. I would then suggest they will go to 4 at the back in the second half as the substitutes come on.
Goalkeeper: Glen Moss. Mossy will be our first choice keeper going forward, as Mark Paston heads towards the twilight of his career. The march towards Brazil 2014 begins here, and Moss should start. Gleeson will get his chances later, and hopefully develop into a top quality goalkeeper.
Central Defenders: Ryan Nelsen, Andy Boyens, Tommy Smith. Nelsen and Smith are obvious starters. For me Boyens gets another chance to prove himself, especially when a guy like Sigmund, a guy he would be in direct competition with, is not there. He has the talent to continue plying his trade in the MLS. The other reason he starts is because I want the only other central defender in the squad, Ivan Vicelich, playing further upfield. So in the end they kind of pick themselves.
Wing Backs: Jeremy Brockie, Tony Lochhead. Lochhead is another obvious choice, playing on the left hand side in the same role he fulfilled at the World Cup. Brockie was possibly our best player in the October friendlies, playing in the right wing back role. I wouldn't have picked him for it prior to that, but that, plus the fact Leo Bertos isn't there, means he starts there.
Central Midfield: Ivan Vicelich, Michael McGlinchy. Without Vicelich holding the midfield, I have a fear a skillfull Chinese team might have some fun through the middle of the park. He needs to be there to make tackles, and free up responsibility for McGlinchy. The fact he has recently been playing in China is a bonus. McGlinchy is the future creative spark for the All Whites; a team without Simon Elliot will depend on him. His form for the Central Coast this A-Leauge was sparkling, and the time is now for him to become a first choice member of the national team.
Strikers: Shane Smeltz, Chris Killen, Kosta Barbarouses. Where we do have a glut of talent is up front (the reasons we play three up front is for that very reason). So who do we play as we start our quest for the 2014 World Cup? Well for me Smeltz has to be there, as our number one striker. Barbarouses is the only player in my starting team who wasn't in South Africa. He has come on massively at the Brisbane Roar, and has something a bit different to the rest of our strikers, especially pace. He is a real prospect, and could become a key member of the All Whites. As for Killen, well it's basically a coin toss between him, Fallon and Wood; I went for Killen simply because he has scored a lot of international goals before, and like Vicelich, is currently playing in China.
Substitutes: As the game progresses, I'll look for Ricki to bring Fitzgerald and Rojas on for their debuts, Fitzgerald for a central defender as we move to a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3. Rojas will come on to run at a tiring defence. Wood will get game time up front, and Clapham may as well in the middle of the park.
Verdict: An exciting team at the start of an exciting adventure. All the best boys!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
An All White Lining?
Relegation is probably the worst thing that can happen to any European football team. The three teams relegated from the English Premiership each year have to undergo massive change to adapt to the shock. No longer are the trips to the glamour stadiums like Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge, the millions watching on television around the world, and all the associated riches. Star players must be off-loaded to cut costs, and promotion sought after immediately to avoid potential financial peril.
I believe it impacts on individual players differently; as mentioned, star players can find new clubs in the Premiership; older players sink down a division, never to be heard of again, and younger players are suddenly faced with the fact they are going to be playing Millwall and Barnsley instead of Arsenal or Manchester United.
So maybe it is a strange thing when I think relegation could be a positive thing for Winston Reid, New Zealand’s young defender at West Ham United. West Ham are currently in the bottom three of the Premier League, with thirteen games left to play. To suggest they are going down is premature; there is however a reasonable chance it will happen.
Reid arrived to reasonable fanfare after the World Cup, where he was a star performer for the All Whites playing alongside Ryan Nelsen. After his transfer, he started West Ham’s first game of the season, a 3-0 loss to Aston Villa, and then came on in as a substitute in the following match. Since then however, he has only appeared twice in the Premier League (including an hour this morning at Blackpool), while his other appearances have come in West Ham’s cup ties. Time is on his side; he is young, but it is only natural for him to want to play games. If he approaches it right, a season in the Championship could really benefit him.
West Ham spent reasonable money on him (somewhere around GBP4 million) and he has a three year contract. It’s unlikely they’ll let him leave for nothing. However no other Premier League teams are likely to be interested in him, having barely played consistently at that level. So if the Hammers are relegated chances are he will remain at the club. Many of his fellow defenders, on the other hand, will not be there. Here is the situation with the top defenders at the club:
• Danny Gabbidon was been linked to both Rangers and Celtic in January. He was the man Reid replaced this morning when he went off injured.
• Wayne Bridge is only on loan for the rest of the season, and will definitely leave if they get relegated.
• Matthew Upson’s contract expires at the end of the season, and will have a number of Premier League clubs after him as he will be a free transfer.
• James Tomkins looks slightly more set to stay, though there have been some rumours this season of interest from both Tottenham and Chelsea.
• Manuel Da Costa has recently been charged with assault following an incident in a London nightclub.
It wouldn’t take too many of these guys to leave (or be sent to jail...) before all of a sudden Reid is one of only a few defenders at the club. And in a Championship environment, the West Ham management will be more inclined to give him opportunities, and develop a rapport at the back. Of course, for it to fully benefit him, West Ham then gets promoted, with Reid a mainstay. This way, Reid develops immensely as a footballer, and in the end gets the Holy Grail – a starting spot in an English Premier League team.
I believe it impacts on individual players differently; as mentioned, star players can find new clubs in the Premiership; older players sink down a division, never to be heard of again, and younger players are suddenly faced with the fact they are going to be playing Millwall and Barnsley instead of Arsenal or Manchester United.
So maybe it is a strange thing when I think relegation could be a positive thing for Winston Reid, New Zealand’s young defender at West Ham United. West Ham are currently in the bottom three of the Premier League, with thirteen games left to play. To suggest they are going down is premature; there is however a reasonable chance it will happen.
Reid arrived to reasonable fanfare after the World Cup, where he was a star performer for the All Whites playing alongside Ryan Nelsen. After his transfer, he started West Ham’s first game of the season, a 3-0 loss to Aston Villa, and then came on in as a substitute in the following match. Since then however, he has only appeared twice in the Premier League (including an hour this morning at Blackpool), while his other appearances have come in West Ham’s cup ties. Time is on his side; he is young, but it is only natural for him to want to play games. If he approaches it right, a season in the Championship could really benefit him.
West Ham spent reasonable money on him (somewhere around GBP4 million) and he has a three year contract. It’s unlikely they’ll let him leave for nothing. However no other Premier League teams are likely to be interested in him, having barely played consistently at that level. So if the Hammers are relegated chances are he will remain at the club. Many of his fellow defenders, on the other hand, will not be there. Here is the situation with the top defenders at the club:
• Danny Gabbidon was been linked to both Rangers and Celtic in January. He was the man Reid replaced this morning when he went off injured.
• Wayne Bridge is only on loan for the rest of the season, and will definitely leave if they get relegated.
• Matthew Upson’s contract expires at the end of the season, and will have a number of Premier League clubs after him as he will be a free transfer.
• James Tomkins looks slightly more set to stay, though there have been some rumours this season of interest from both Tottenham and Chelsea.
• Manuel Da Costa has recently been charged with assault following an incident in a London nightclub.
It wouldn’t take too many of these guys to leave (or be sent to jail...) before all of a sudden Reid is one of only a few defenders at the club. And in a Championship environment, the West Ham management will be more inclined to give him opportunities, and develop a rapport at the back. Of course, for it to fully benefit him, West Ham then gets promoted, with Reid a mainstay. This way, Reid develops immensely as a footballer, and in the end gets the Holy Grail – a starting spot in an English Premier League team.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)