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!