Last Minute Thoughts on All Whites vs Peru: Tactics, Teams & Travel
We’re closing in on kickoff now, the countdown has begun. The biggest game of football to be held in Aotearoa in at least the last four years (if not eight, really) is close enough that it’s almost time to pick up that old stained white jersey from the drycleaners (don’t forget your receipt). Peruvian fans have collapsed upon New Zealand in an explosion of South American joy while the All Whites go about their business trying to sneak under the radar, confident in a full strength squad for literally the first time ever in Anthony Hudson’s time here.
This’ll mostly be a tactical preview because that’s the stuff that matters, but first some quickfire chatter about the week of build-up and the stuff to follow:
- As incredible as the Peru support has been so far, it’s worth remembering that this is a team that hasn’t made the World Cup since 1982. They’re desperate, far more desperate than we are, and what we’re seeing now is the absolute peak of their fandom. They’re not normally this intense.
- Who cares about the missing assistants? It never looked like they did anything special anyway and Peter Taylor was barely even there. He definitely wasn’t there in Japan and not sure he was there for the Solomons either while Alex Armstrong’s greatest achievement with the NZers was getting called a motherfucker by the Mexican manager that time. Which to be fair is an incredible achievement. Huddo runs this show, he’ll be fine.
- Of course, it would have been nice if NZ Football had announced something – not because we need it but because that organisation desperately needs to start looking more transparent. It’s been hard enough this past year trying to figure out which assistants are still with the team. If nobody made it easy then, why would they now?
- I’ll admit I had a giggle at some of the frustration from the kiwi media about how sheltered the All Whites have been this week. Blocking out training sessions? Oh no! Whatever will you do without more bland stock footage of Chris Wood tying up his shoelaces!? I mean, fair play, everyone’s just trying to do their jobs, but it’s not like Anthony Hudson was gonna run through his starting line-up for us or anything.
- Granted, there’s always a chance you catch Winston pulling up injured in warm-ups.
- Regardless of the situation, if there’s news about the All Whites then some joker in the media is always going to interview Kevin Fallon and Wynton Rufer. Without fail. Sorry about that.
- Winston Reid has to fly a total of roughly 40,000 kilometres across this international window. He’s only one game back from a muscle injury and he’s gotta put up air miles that’d make Amelia Earhart blush. Keep that in mind next time someone criticises his commitment to the national cause. (Chris Wood, Tommy Smith, Andre Carillo, Rory Fallon, Clayton Lewis and one or two others are also doing the same, obvs).
Okay so let’s get down like James Brown on this game. Through years of careful evolution and very close attention, this is the team that we can expect from the All Whites on the weekend. There’s always the very real chance of a surprise but if things follow the same patterns then this is your team:
The Peruvians are a little harder to speculate about because of Paulo Guerrero’s suspension but based on recent business, and with a little guesswork up front, this might be something close:
There’s still a chance that Guerrero plays in the second leg because of an appeal but that seems minimal. Which you have to say is a major boost to New Zealand. Guerrero has played over 80 times for Peru and is their all-time leading goal scorer, making his name in Germany with Bayern Munich and Hamburger SV before having even more success in Brazil at Corinthians and now Flamengo. Guys doing their thing in South America don’t get the biggest recognition in this part of the world so juts trust that this dude is seriously good and he plays at an extremely high level.
It’s not quite as damning as if the All Whites lost Chris Wood but that’s more because of the depth that Peru has to choose from. Although, having said that, they don’t really have a clear replacement for Guerrero. This dude is a physical player, like Wood, who excels at holding the ball up front and bringing his teammates into the attack. Except that while Wood does that through his strength in the air, Guerrero gets it done with his feet too. Neither is especially fast but both have that eye for goal, Woody arguably the better poacher while Guerrero is more creative.
Without Guerrero a guy like Jefferson Farfan shapes to come in for him which changes things significantly. Farfan’s a winger by trade, though he’s been playing up top for his club in Russia and Andre Carillo has edged him out on the right lately anyway (Farfan missed ages through injury, he’s only recently come back into the team after 17 months between caps). So you’re adding pace but losing physicality.
Of course, physical battles are more to Winston Reid’s liking than foot races. Tommy Smith isn’t a fan of a sprint either, he’s an organiser and a structure-first kinda defender. Michael Boxall has some legs on him, which is essential because Andy Durante isn’t quick, but can lose a little positional discipline sometimes. Pace is one thing that can bust a defence like nothing else, even one like the All Whites’ which you can reasonably expect will sit very deep, with a couple holding midfielders shielding. You could even argue that this actually makes it harder for the All Whites, at least in theory.
But just in case it isn’t, 39 year old legend Claudio Pizarro has been placed on standby for the second leg in Lima. He’s older than Anthony Hudson (and better than Rory Fallon).
The last time Guerrero was out, when he picked up a yellow card too many in qualifying, Ricardo Gareca replaced him with Raul Ruidiaz (who once scored the goal that eliminated Brazil at the Copa America Centenary) and then squeezed all the attacking midfielders that he could in there to hunt in packs against Bolivia. To be fair, Bolivia are a bit crap and also far more familiar to Peru than New Zealand.
One thing we can trust is that for every secret Uncle Tony has up his sleeves, El Tigre Gareca has three. He’s pretty famous for being flexible with his tactics, changing things to suit the opposition. Whether he plays two deep midfielders or only one is the main tip of the hand there. You’d assume that with their away leg first, he’ll play it more conservative, although he’ll probably find soon that you can afford to throw the extra man forward against the All Whites. Mexico sure figured that out at half-time of the Confederations Cup.
You can also trust that Peru’s backline, just like Aotearoa’s, picks itself. Pedro Gallese is their number one keeper, in front of him will be a back for of Cristian Ramos and Alberto Rodriguez in the middle, Aldo Corzo on the right and Miguel Trauco on the left. It’s their preferred unit by a distance and unlike New Zealand’s those lads have played heeeaps of footy together.
It’s Gareca’s team-first attitude that has really galvanised things, binding together a team which has regularly been plagued by individual scandals in the past. And, hey, with Guerrero they’re still having to deal with off-field dramas… but they’re also immensely well-drilled to be able to play the next-man-up game. La Blanquirroja are a disciplined side and one that trusts implicitly in their manager’s vision.
Can we say something similar about the All Whites? Eh, not really. But the All Whites are the underdogs here so they’re gonna get away with keeping things tight and, in flashes, we’ve seen a team that is very capable of playing hero-ball defence. Ideally we see Peru taking heaps of shots from distance and putting in early crosses – the kind of stuff that Winnie soaks up like a sponge (hint: we probably won’t).
The All Whites have a midfield that offers heaps of skill and creativity (at least for what New Zealand has to choose from) however getting numbers forward is gonna be an issue. Peru’s midfield > New Zealand’s midfield, basically. Ryan Thomas is fantastic… but so is Renato Tapia, who does the same stuff with more strength to him. Yoshimar Yotun is a more typical central midfielder than Mike McGlinchey is, while Cristian Cueva is just a brilliant player.
Cueva’s position will be similar to what Marco Rojas has been doing for NZ except that with wingers outside him he gets to stay centrally and link the midfield to the rest of the attack, acting as a gate-keeping playmaker for others whereas Rojas is forced to drift and seek any kind of elusive space. Against Japan he was often pushed way back like an extra wide defender on the right, with Thommo dragged out towards the left – creating a sort of 5-3-0-2 formation. (Outside of the box idea: Bill Tuiloma starts ahead of Wee Mac to man mark Cueva?)
Edison Flores is the other bloke without a mention so far, he’s 23 years old and plays on the left wing with a rocket of a left boot that we’ve gotta watch out for. Then there’s Kosta Barbarouses, who isn’t in the same conversation as Flores at all. Kosta’s job is to press high and work hard – two things he does fantastically. But once he gets the ball at his feet he’s as likely to trip over it as he is to put it in the top corner.
Yet Barba’s the only one that really fits that role and you cannot underestimate how important that can be. You think the All Whites are gonna string a 20-pass move together and score a fluid, gorgeous winner that way? Nah mate, they need to bring the chaos. Chris Wood’s physicality does that and Kosta’s hassling does that. Win the ball in dangerous areas and you get that polished defence in a shambles. It’s the best way… but the All Whites also can’t afford to send too many guys up there to do that or they risk the wrath of the Peruvian counter attack. Tricky stuff.
Peru have been playing against Brazil and Argentina to get here. They know how to hit you hard and take rare chances. Sitting deep against New Zealand will make for a very boring game… but that might not be the worst thing for them knowing they’ve got a 50,000 seat stadium to return home to next week. The magnitude of the occasion usually takes a bit of steam out of the game and Peru are under some pressure here to make this happen. Might only be a goal in it in the end, which suits the All Whites fine as a team that struggles to score many goals at all outside of Oceania. A 0-0 draw would keep things even going to Lima, a scoring draw and it’s advantage Peru.
So… yeah. That oughta about do it. Can’t wait. Bring it on. Here we go. Spark it up.
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