Mexico 5 New Zealand 5 more years

This mornings 5-1 mauling at the hands of Mexico in reality means New Zealand aren’t going to be going to Brazil. Sure there is a home leg to come but the All Whites are not going to win it 4-0. Leading up to the game optimism could be seen everywhere however they were always going to struggle, especially as injuries piled up against them.

But it wasn’t just the result that was disappointing, the performance lacked any desire to play any part of the game for the first 60 minutes, by which time the match had already been lost. New Zealand showed absolutely nothing going forward, playing what at best could be described as ‘hack and chase’, but the hacks were aimless and the chasing half hearted. Sure, the conditions might have been difficult, but the All Whites were most energetic at the end of the game. They were just hoping to keep the scoreline down, but that didn’t work out either and deservedly so, the defending at times was dreadful.

 

Usually it’s been that desire and spirit that has got NZ through these huge games like Bahrain and in South Africa, but it was nowhere to be seen today. To say Winston Reid was missed is true and will be pointed out often, but the All Whites missed Ryan Nelson more, and the squad are yet to move on from his retirement. But now they have a five year period to do so, until Russia comes along in 2018.

And that period of change might need to be one without Ricki Herbert. He’s done an outstanding job with New Zealand and the Phoenix but time seems to be catching up on him. A new coach, which would need to be foreign due to a lack of alternatives, could help cultivate the new generation of Kiwi’s into a modern, competitive international side.

 

Otherwise we might still get to Russia with half a side from our extremely  average ASB Premiership hoofing it up the park in a 3-4-3 formation, and trip up at the final hurdle again when we weren’t playing New Caledonia. Players like Leo Bertos, Tony Lochhead and Ivan Vicelich have been supreme servants to the game here but for a change to occur they’ll be the ones to go. Chris Killen, Rory Fallon, Ben Sigmund might still have games in them but they won’t in four years, so why mess around with them now?

 

Find a system, get Chris Wood starting up top, get him developing a relationship with Rojas, Barbarouses, Brockie and whoever else get a back four in and start consolidating it. For a long time NZ has had no full-backs and now Storm Roux has made a great start to the season at Central Coast and left-back Bill Tuiloma’s being educated by Marseille in France.

 

The game in Wellington next Wednesday could maybe be the start. Scrap Bertos and Lochhead, bring in Roux and Tuiloma. Can’t be much worse than Lochhead especially today who was terrible, epitomised by his handball in the second half that never got picked up.

 

But once that’s finished, change the mentality. Amateurs shouldn’t be in the side. This isn’t a team where you can play the biggest match in four years when you don’t even have a club. We’re going to compete and this is how we’re going to do it. Parking a bus and hacking it up the field from minute 1 on isn’t competing. I don’t think that’s a message Ricki Herbert can give to this side, unfortunately I’m not sure he has anything left to give to this side.

 

There’s plenty to expand on but that might have to be for after the second leg. Let’s just hope they put in a better performance in Wellington so the game can at least keep moving forward in this country.

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