The warm-ups are over, the dress rehearsals complete, all that remains now is the main event. You know, the ninety minutes that’ll decide the final qualifier for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The All Whites took on Peru in an excellent preparatory contest on the weekend in Spain and then flew to Qatar where they’ve since played Oman in another friendly. Costa Rica have logged a couple matches and have also touched down in Qatar with a full squad in place. The hour is almost upon us.

This article is sort of a mix and match of a bunch of remaining ideas ahead of that game. One last entry (unless inspiration sparks over the weekend) in an ongoing extended preview. Check out the recent archives for all the good stuff...

• All Whites WCQ Quest: A 5-0 Win vs Solomon Islands, Now Just One Step Away...

• All Whites vs Costa Rica: The Scouting Report

• All Whites vs Costa Rica: Squad Yarns

• All Whites vs Peru: The Preparation Continues

That game against Oman ended in a 0-0 draw. A strange encounter which was played behind closed doors with no broadcast whatsoever and yet was still considered a full international fixture with caps on the line. By the sounds of it, the closed door thing wasn’t some weird tactical flex but a matter of (in)convenience. They played it at Education City Stadium which is one of the flashy World Cup venues but they’re still doing some maintenance on the venue or something silly like that. Maybe the wi-fi was playing up.

Combine that with Danny Hay stating from the outset that he planned to use a rotated team for this game - having gone with something close to the first choicers for the Peru game and thus ensuring that everybody got some kilometres in their legs ahead of Costa Rica - and this will go down as a forgotten international fixture. The one that nobody saw, like a lost silent movie from way back in the ages.

There were nine changes to the starting team from Peru. That’s two less than anticipated: Bill Tuiloma (who was subbed off at half-time of both) and Marko Stamenic (who surprisingly played the entirety of Oman though only played 45 mins vs Peru) were the two who backed up. No idea what formation they played because Stamenic was the only proper midfielder in the team, guessing Eli Just and Callum McCowatt probably operated deeper.

Elsewhere Stefan Marinovic played in goal. There was a back four of Dane Ingham, Bill Tuiloma, Michael Boxall, and Francis De Vries. Then an all-A-League attacking crew of Kosta Barbarouses, Ben Waine, and Marco Rojas... who earned his first cap since November 2019. Also it was a special occasion for Bill Tuiloma who captained the team in the first half. Tommy Smith then took the armband for the second stanza as he replaced Tui.

Based on impressions from those few that were there, it sounds like the All Whites were decent in the first half but lacked a bit of fluency to make it count for goals. Then as they moved through their subs in the second spell Oman came back into it, forcing a few saves from Marinovic, hence the nil-all draw. The first draw that the NZ national men’s team have had since the first leg of the Peru intercontinentals four and a half years ago. Snapped a 17-game streak of either winning or losing, randomly enough.

This was a nothing game and obviously the All Whites weren’t gonna be at their sharpest when they were without guys like Chris Wood (who played the last 12 mins tbf), Joe Bell, Libby Cacace, and Winston Reid. Winnie was rested with some tightness in his groin, apparently. Comes with the territory for that bloke but nobody seems too worried about it – he’s been targetting this playoff game for months so he’ll be starting it no matter what (finishing it is another matter of course). He had no reason to play this one, niggle or no niggle.

Costa Rica will surely be having a peek at these two games and noticing that New Zealand failed to win either of them. Fair enough. It’s true, they didn’t. But Peru are a step above Costa Rica whilst still offering a lot of similarities in their style of play. Sure the kiwis lost that game, but they pumped some very handy preparation into the tank that’ll suit them very nicely in a few days. And the Oman game was merely to keep busy. A rotated team. No goals scored in 180 mins but also only one conceded and it was a fluke goalkeeper error. The All Whites are as ready as they’re gonna get.

Meanwhile Costa Rica haven’t been able to finesse their lead-in games. They’d have probably dug an opportunity to sneak in a friendly against someone a little more in keeping with what they’re expecting from the All Whites. Not sure who that would have been. Australia had their UAE game to get through. Maybe a Scandinavian team or one of the UK teams given that’s where a lot of New Zealanders play at club level. The sort of game that would help cover the tactical gap.

Instead they had to play two CONCACAF Nations League games because, like, that was the only time to play them. Not the most helpful scheduling from their confederation, there. Costa Rica have played some really tidy footy in recent times, including that seven-game unbeaten streak which launched them into this playoff spot, but they have not played a non-Noth/Central American team since a 0-0 draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina in March 2021. They’ve played 25 matches since then. Keep in mind that most of their players are based in the Costa Rican league as well. Not a lot of stylistic variance there.

Admittedly that’s a lot more football than the All Whites have played in that time. However in their 11 post-pando games the Aotearoa side has done battle with two South American nations, three Asian nations, one African nation, five Oceania nations... plus their two other games under Danny Hay were against European nations and their next game is obviously against a Central American team. Meaning that in the past three years they’ll have played a team from every FIFA confederation (within the space of 13 matches).

And if they beat Costa Rica then Europe will be the only region they haven’t gotten a win against in that stretch and - if they beat Costa Rica - they’re guaranteed another shot at that completing that illustrious cycle before the year is out when they’d face Spain and Germany at the World Cup itself... lol. Maybe sneak in a friendly against San Marino or the Faroe Islands instead if we’re going for that record.

Costa Rica’s two Nations League games – the start of a new NL campaign – were away to Panama and home to Martinique. Panama are decent, they were the next team in the WCQ standings after Los Ticos so there’s not a heap between them. Martinique on the other hand are harder to judge. Haven’t won a game since beating Cuba at the 2019 Gold Cup. Looking at some close defeats and draws since then they’d probably take care of most Oceania teams but the fact that there’s doubt tells you a lot. Big diffo between a game like that and a game against fellow World Cup hopefuls Peru.

Then, to make matters worse, Costa Rica lost to Panama. Admittedly it was a rotated team with several key players left on the bench (and Keylor Navas not joining the squad until they got to Qatar) but a rotated Costa Rica team beat the USA at home in their final WCQ match not so long ago.

Regardless, a team this well drilled was not going to stray from the gameplan simply because a few of their best players had their feet up on the bench so it was a very useful opportunity to confirm a few things from the initial scouting report (link up the top). Highlights tend to show you a team in their worst defensive moments and their best attacking moments which is not always the best reflection. A full ninety minute geeze is much more illuminating.

Such as that thing about their defensive shape. Often listed as a back three yet regularly looking like a back four. The answer to that particular conundrum seems to be that they defend with a back four but attack with a three.

It’s a defensive four that often looks like a five because they really do expect their wide midfielders to drop in and cover when the ball is on their side, ensuring that their CBs rarely have to stray from the middle of the area where they can dominate with their headers and clearances.

Here’s a set defensive shape for Los Ticos, with two up top, a flat four in the middle, and behind them you can guess another flat four at the back...

Now look at them with the ball in control, seeking to build up from deep...

The fullbacks have gotten nice and high whilst their defensive midfielder (in this case Daniel Chacón) has slid between the CBs to initiate things and also to allow those CBs to move wider and cover the spaces behind the attacking fullbacks.

Definitely a team that wants to use the wide areas. Definitely a team that understands the old ‘spread out in possession, compact out of possession’ mantra. Also a team that is aggressive in the challenge, quick to close down ball-carriers, and doesn’t shirk on the physical stuff. They’ve got pace out wide and set pieces are a prime focus.

Although... the two goals that Costa Rica conceded here will be super encouraging to the Aotearoa side. The first was on 52’ and it came about during an extended spell of pressure from Panama where they’d been able to sustain a decent number of dudes in and around the penalty area. Hence when Alberto Quintero picked up the ball on the left he was able to gas it to the byline and slip a ball back in to Ismael Diaz who took a touch and slammed it home. Not sure who’ll do the Diaz role for the All Whites. Chris Wood, presumably. But that Quintero run was prime Libby Cacace areas.

Then the second goal came from a set piece on 75’. A corner kick was swung into a crowded six yard box where Roderick Miller, Panama centre-back, got up highest and although he didn’t win the ball he did enough to prevent multiple Costa Rican defenders from being able to win it either and the loose ball fell back to Cecilio Waterman who buried it. Gotta remember we’re talking about an under strength Costa Rican team but that does still bode well for the likes of Chris Wood, Bill Tuiloma, and Winston Reid being able to find some joy on the end of set piece crosses.

The game ended 2-0 to Paname. There was some bad luck involved for Costa Rica who hit the crossbar after only three minutes from a deflected Juan Pablo Vargas attempt and had a few other chances in the first half that could have altered the course of things. They weren’t very good in the second half which was when Panama stepped it up but you can kinda forgive them for feeling like this wasn’t the game they were focusing on. After all the same distraction was at play for the All Whites against Oman. Also the pitch in Panama looked like a proper shambles with puddles all over the place.

Los Ticos then responded with a stronger team for the Martinique game with Joel Campbell, Francisco Calvo, Óscar Duarte, and Celso Borges all back in the XI. Still not their most fluid performance by any means. It took a 28th min Campbell goal and an 87th min Calvo goal to earn a 2-0 win in which they had 64% of the ball (not their favourite way to go about proceedings) but allowed just as many shots on target as they themselves were able to manufacture. A routine win against a weaker team but not without its scares and they’ll need to be better against the All Whites if they’re gonna be back in Qatar later in the year.

A couple other Costa Rica notes: it’s well established that they’ve got an older core to their team. Many of their best players are the same dudes who led the way when they made the quarters of the 2014 World Cup. It sounds like Bryan Ruiz will definitely retire after this cycle so there’s a possibility of this being his final international match. There have been rumours that Keylor Navas has been leaning that way too although that’s more speculation than expectation. Celso Borges meanwhile reckons he hasn’t even thought about retirement.

Interesting to see that Francisco Calvo, Óscar Duarte, and Juan Pablo Vargas all left their various clubs early by request in order to join the national team camp as soon as possible. No doubting the commitment there. There are some frisky club scenarios at play elsewhere though. Joel Campbell has been released by his Mexican club and is a free agent on the lookout. Bryan Oviedo was at FC København where he just won a Danish league title and would have knocked shoulders with Marko Stamenic in preseason... but he’s been released at the conclusion of his contract too. Unlike a lot of his national teammates it sounds like he wants to stay in Europe rather than return to the motherland.

Also Óscar Duarte plays for Levante in Spain and they just got relegated from La Liga. Easy to look at the youngsters in the Aotearoa group and say they’ll be hoping to put themselves in the shop window in this game and hopefully at the World Cup... but the same applies to the old blokes for Costa Rica too.

One thing that’s clear from perusing Costa Rican interviews over the last few weeks is that they’ve got Chris Wood firmly in their minds. Lots of study going into how to deal with his presence, which could also play a role in which central defenders get picked to start (ie, the tallest and strongest ones). Ideally that’ll mean that others can thrive with less attention on them... but let’s be honest the All Whites have been reliant upon Woodsman goals for a long time so he’s still going to need to overcome all that attention somehow.

In a funky way, this NZ team is a tough one to scout. Lots of young players whose reputations don’t yet match their potential. Plus any footage of Oceania qualifying is kinda irrelevant given the contrast in levels. That could be a hurdle for La Sele.

Even the Peru footage could be misleading. The All Whites dominate possession against OFC teams but only had about 37% against Peru. Costa Rica are without a doubt much closer to Peru in style and quality but they’re a team that operates best when they don’t have a lot of ball. That’s a huge bonus for a kiwi team that struggled to create much against Peru. More time in possession means more chances to build things up.

Predictions are a reckless pursuit... but it would be a brave fellow who bet on the overs for total goals scored in this game. Both teams come in with confident defensive records but unconvincing attacking form. If Danny Hay picks the formation that played against Peru then that leaves the All Whites with only one genuine wide player on each side, thus cramming the middle of the pitch. That’s not necessarily an issue on attack but defensively it could leave them vulnerable. Nevertheless it feels like Libby Cacace could be a decisive player in this match.

A lot will come down to that set piece battle where both teams probably feel they can find success. Free kicks and corners are also a reliable source of creativity that can be endlessly drilled in trainings, therefore a helpful outlet if you’re not sure where else the goals may come from. It was a header from a corner that decided the playoff tie the last time the All Whites qualified for a World Cup, you may recall.

Other than that there’s nothing left to say. This is the biggest spectacle the All Whites have found themselves involved in for at least four years, possibly more like twelve years given there’s a genuine chance of a winning. Savour it. Enjoy the moment in the spotlight that football in Aotearoa is about to get. See you on the other side.

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