He’s a large lad, old Chris Wood. Still only 25 years old but 191cm tall and built like a Minotaur in ballet shoes, a striker who can bulrush a defender and yet is somehow still capable of some sublime bits of finishing.

Which is why you can understand the temptation to smack that footy high into the box where Woody can feast with his superior height and strength. It’s a tactic we’ve seen plenty of with the All Whites and something Woody’s dealt with his entire career. Thing is, that career’s just taken a huge shot of credibility after winning the English Championship’s Golden Boot with Leeds last season and that hefty breakout season didn’t come about through lumpy football.

He’s always had that natural physicality, it’s what’s gotten him so many chances bouncing around all these different clubs. You see a bloke that size capable of doing some of the things that Chris Wood can, sure he might be a little raw, but you wanna work with a guy like that. Every coach that’s had a go with him has probably believed he had the potential to become a 20-goal striker. Turns out they were all right because last season he finally did exactly that… actually not exactly because he ended up scoring 30 of them.

After an unspectacular 13 goal haul in his first season with Leeds, Wood thrived under the tutelage of new gaffer Garry Monk (as well as forward’s coach James Beattie – the former Southampton striker). Monk brought a consistent attacking approach to the team, playing Wood up front on his own but ensuring there were always creative teammates around him. Pablo Hernandez came to the club to play in the number ten role, while Kemar Roofe, Hadi Sacko, Stuart Dallas and Souleymane Doukara rotated in the wing positions. They were a team that barely averaged over 50% of possession in games but they weren’t a team who wasted it.

Only three teams averaged fewer headers won in the Championship last term. What’s more is that they actually averaged the fewest shots on target of any team in the division, and the third fewest shots in total. They spent the third shortest amount of time in the opposition’s third of the field. And yet, despite the jarring stats, they had the top scorer in the Champo and were a late-season collapse away from competing in the playoffs.

That’s because what they did do, they did superbly. They maximised the talents of their centre forward not by diminishing him to the obvious strength but by allowing him to thrive beyond that. Of his 30 goals, 26 were scored with his right leg, one with his left and three with his head. 12 were scored from six yards or closer. These aren’t the stats of a target man, they’re the stats of a poacher.

Woody’s job was to work hard on that last man. Don’t stray too much from the middle of the field and look to make yourself available. If you get that ball to him in the air then Wood’s gotta bring that thing down on his chest and find a runner or feed a winger. Get it to him at his feet and that’s even simpler, he can hold off the defender and still feed the width, or maybe play back to a midfielder in support. If it doesn’t lead to a shot then it at least drags the play forward into the other team’s half.

Leeds’ forwards coach James Beattie: “As a lone striker it’s important that he stays high up the pitch and forces the opposition back. It might mean that he doesn’t see the ball for 15 minutes but the key for him is not to get frustrated or be tempted to come deep. All that does is clutter up the space in midfield.”

Wood scored a ridiculous percentage of his team’s goals (their next top scorer had six) but that was the idea. Monk’s team stretched the field by using the sidelines and they weren’t afraid to whip in a good cross from the flanks either. Not a deep hopeful one either but proper in-behind-the-defence service.

For example:

That was against Rotherham (the worst team in the division, granted). Great work from the dude on the left there (think that’s the left back Berardi?) who has already dragged a defender too wide so he cuts inside, takes it towards the goal-line, giving Kemar Roofe the time to make that near post run - in turn dragging the defence away from Wood. Our lad thus sits in that pocket of space and buries the perfect little square ball that he receives.

Here’s different kinda one from a match against Wigan:

Hadi Sacko crosses from deep this time but having already beaten his man for pace, he sends it looping to the far post where Wood, the only attacking player in the box, is able to take it down on his chest and thump it into the goal. A special finish but the key here is that by taking the ball down the line Leeds were able to disrupt the defence. He kicks that in earlier and they’re all set to repel it. He takes it beyond their defensive line and readjustments have gotta be made. Up against a dominant striker like Woody, all he wants is for an off balance defender to stumble after him. Add in a half-decent cross and this is what can happen.

It’s not complicated stuff and with the likes of Marco Rojas, Kosta Barbarouses, Ryan Thomas, Monty Patterson, etc. there’s easily the talent in the All Whites to be able to repeat this. Remember it’s Leeds we’re talking about here, they’re not exactly Barcelona.

Early on in the season James Beattie told the Yorkshire Evening Post that “at this level [Wood] should be destroying teams”. This was after a tough start where several missed chances in games had left the fans offside with him. Dealing with a few jeers from the stands, Wood was obviously annoyed but he responded in the perfect fashion: an injury time bicycle kick equaliser against Fulham. No kidding, he then shushed the crowd and went on a scoring streak that lasted all season. Safe to say he’s a fan favourite now.

(Note how the cross, desperate last minute hoper that it was, still isn’t being sent in straight from almost halfway?)

And it was under Beattie and Monk’s guidance that he finally settled into becoming the centre forward that his previous teams had all hoped he could be. Confidence is worth so much to a striker. Not even worrying about scoring this chance because you know the next one is just around the corner, having the faith of your manager to play every game even after that sitter you missed cost the team two points last week. Plus having that run of consistent goals, proving to people that you belong at this level, all that jazz contributed to the Golden Boot currently sitting on Woody’s mantle.

But so did the fact that Leeds played their football in a way that suited his style. Short of doing a disgusting amount of research on the matter, this is hard to prove, but here’s a sneaky theory: Wood’s not that good with his head anyway. He’s physical and strong on the ball but he doesn’t win an excessive amount of headers. Whoscored.com had him winning 144 of his 383 aerial duels last season, which is fine but nothing special – there are much better ratios than that. Being as isolated as he often is it doesn’t make much sense to hoof it to someplace he can’t bring the ball down and hold it up – the same drama that the All Whites have but keep ignoring.

One problem here for Anthony Hudson is that his preferred formation doesn’t really lend itself to attacking width. Two strikers with a dude in behind them, two central midfielders and then the wingbacks have gotta provide that width. Yeah… unless you can hold possession in the attacking third (against Belarus these guys couldn’t even hold possession in the defensive third) those wingbacks aren’t gonna have the time to keep gassing down the sides in support. Especially if they’re being exhausted at the back, busy tracking opposition wingers doing their own thang.

A switch to a three-man forward line would partially solve that issue but it’s too late now, the Confederations Cup starts in a couple days. Hypothetically that would mean Marco Rojas and Ryan Thomas could start there, stretching the field and linking up with those wingbacks and midfielders in roles more similar to those they play for their respective club sides… it’d mean no Shane Smeltz starting although after Belarus it’s hard to see how he and Wood are supposed to work together regardless.

There has been a slight concern about how much the All Whites seem to have struggled in both pre-CC friendlies against other teams playing three-man defences. Being able to sit in with five defenders and a midfield shield is tough to combat, especially without incisive wide players. But say Kip Colvey or whoever gets in behind the defence, he’s still gonna be crossing to an outnumbered Chris Wood. Woody will back himself to beat any defender one on one… but when you can double-team him like it’s a goddamn basketball game then he’s quickly gonna be frustrated. Three CBs against two strikers, that’s gonna keep happening.

Chris Wood already has 19 goals from 49 caps. It doesn’t even sound crazy to suggest he should score 50 international goals in his career. He’s doing badly at all, in fact he’s almost always one of the three best players on the park in NZ colours. It’s just that if they built their attack around their best and most dependable attacking player then he could probably do that much more. Just because he’s already very good doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep pushing him towards greatness.

Chris Wood’s goals for the All Whites under Uncle Tony:

vs Fiji in WCQs – A penalty into the bottom corner
vs New Caledona at ONC 16 – A long range free kick that went straight at the keeper who batted it into his own net
vs Vanuatu at ONC 16 – An intercepted back pass and first time finish
vs Vanuatu at ONC 16 – A tap in at the far post from a long throw that got flicked on by a defender
vs Fiji at ONC 16 – Another penalty, this one only just squeezing under the goalie
vs Oman in a friendly – Beat the offside trap and flipped it inside the far post on the turn
vs China in a friendly – Cross from out wide, strong header into the bottom corner (with two other attackers in the box, meaning he was 1v1 with his marker)

Another part of his emergence has been an emphasis on fitness that’s goes back to last season under Steve Evans. The idea being that it’d keep him from getting injured so often and so far so good on that front – he only missed two league games all season. That newfound durability will be massive as he captains New Zealand at the Confeds… because complain as we might about how he’s being underutilised there, he’s still far and away the most talented player available (what with Winston Reid out and all).

Long balls serve their purpose but a pass to feet now and then wouldn’t do any harm. The odd overlap and cross from down the wing probably won’t humiliate anyone either (except a defender or two if all goes well). See if you can’t get that ball around that six yard box on the cut back or the square ball or the lob to the far post and then watch this man go to work. Of course it’s easier said than done… but remember how Leeds sacrificed more chances in order to capitalise on better chances. Shot counts are one thing (and the current approach is leading to bugger all of them) but not all shots are equal. Not all players are either.

Nothing like a striker scoring a simple tap-in. Be that striker… and let the goal be the first ad you see on the page – only takes a second and you’ll be supporting TNC in the process.