Multiple Football Ferns coaches over the past decade have talked about trying to modernise the way the team plays. More passing, more movement off the ball, more creativity. That kinda thing. As much as that’s all necessary if they want to keep pace in the rapidly evolving women’s football scene... they also have to be careful not to lose their previous identity of being tough, rugged, defensive battlers. That’s what other nations have come to expect from us. It’s what those nations fear about us (they certainly don’t fear our fluid creative passing stuff... we’ve given them no reason to... yet).

We’re talking about adding new elements on top of that identity, not replacing it. And, to be fair, throughout Jitka Klimková’s time in charge there have been plenty of examples of exactly that. The win away in South Korea in November 2021. The two times they’ve played Iceland. Most of that game where they nearly beat Aussie until they conceded twice in stoppage time. The first half of the first USA game when a severely understrength side held the then-world-champs scoreless (before ultimately losing 4-0). Most notably the win against Norway and draw against Switzerland at the World Cup. All games in which the Ferns built their performances upon stoic, courageous, out-of-possession mahi.

But it hasn’t happened often enough. Too many soft goals have been conceded and for a team that has an inherent struggle with scoring those errors are even more brutal. Total capitulations have been rare... but they have still been there. We anticipate as much when the Ferns face USA but the Portugal defeat and the first game against Chile last window were just awful.

All of which is to say that it was a beautiful – if nerve-wracking – thing to see the Football Ferns batten down the hatches for a clean sheet against Colombia in Bogotá on Sunday morning NZT. Particularly since the squad that was picked didn’t exactly seem to lend itself towards immediate results. Klimková only handed out one debut, picking about as strong a team as she could under the circumstances, so that’s a factor. But yeah mate, they really had to dig in against a team that made the quarter-finals of the World Cup a few months ago and, tell you what, they actually finished as the stronger team. Had they been a sharper bunch of finishers then they might have won it (though we can also say the same about Colombia, particularly in the first half).

Nothing wrong with that. That Colombian side had nine starters in common from the team that lost 2-1 to England in the World Cup quarters. One of the absentees was Linda Caicedo, their best player, who damaged some ankle ligaments for Real Madrid recently... but she’s still only one woman. Colombia weren’t messing about in front of a vibrant home crowd. This was their first home game since that World Cup run and you can imagine what those performances must have done for the fans back in the motherland. Having recently seen the Ferns struggle away in Chile against a team that didn’t even qualify for the World Cup, to walk away with a clean sheet and a draw from that environment is a positive development.

The squad was already understrength when it was named without 10/23 of the World Cup squad for various reasons. And since this team always has injuries on tour, they’ve subsequently had captain Ali Riley ruled out with an injury sustained in training while Grace Neville had a “medical reason” that kept her from joining up with the squad at all. Keep in mind that they didn’t select CJ Bott and suddenly there was a paucity of right backs. That led to Mackenzie Barry getting the start in that position, her first start in international football. Barry’s arguably been the Wellington Phoenix’s most consistent player from day one until the present moment and her tackling ability rivals anyone in the A-League. Fitting that she’d be filling in for Bott, who is one of the best tacklers in the English WSL.

Barry probably isn’t auditioning for a permanent starting role considering the competition. She was simply filling in where needed. But Anna Leat might be auditioning for starting goalie duties. It’d be ruthless on Vic Esson who had been spectacular in the two years leading up to the World Cup... but there’s a reason why Anna Leat has been playing internationally since she was 16 (easy to forget she’s still only 22). Esson has lost momentum lately, struggling for minutes at club level, and was uncharacteristically off her game against Chile last tour. But she doesn’t have to have been bad for the coach to be wondering whether it is time for Anna Leat to begin nudging ahead. Leat is a former prodigy now beginning to realise her potential. The time might just be now, let’s see what she can do with a sustained run of games. This was just the second ever instance of Anna Leat getting the start in the first game of a tour.

It’s also time to see as much Jacqui Hand as possible on attack, as well as seeing what Grace Jale can do as a centre-forward. It’s time to accept Malia Steinmetz as a key player for this team. It’s time to anoint Rebekah Stott and especially Katie Bowen as the first choice central defenders. Not that any of those are new developments... other than Jale, those ideas all came to fruition at the World Cup. What’s happening now is a process of figuring out what elements from the 2023 cycle are going to carry on into the 2027 cycle and what things perhaps might have to be consigned to the rearview.

One element that should be remain is the 4-4-2 formation that we saw here for the first time since the win over Norway. The Ferns have alternated between 4-3-3 and 4-4-2 under Jitka Klimková and despite the 4-4-2 having a reputation for being outdated and overly defensive... the fact is that the Ferns have been much more successful in that shape. Seven of their last ten positive results (aka wins and draws) have come with that 4-4-2 shape. The other three were that 2-0 win vs Vietnam pre-WC and nil-all draws against Czechia and Switzerland. The two blocks of four mean they’re able to double up in the wide areas and stay compact through the middle. It’s asking a lot of the attackers to do much with hardly any help but then we don’t score goals either way so what difference does that make? As with any formation you can commit players forward if you can hold the ball long enough to allow them to let them get there.

This is that whole thing about having that foundation of gritty defence again. It’d be cool to play hyper-possession-based stuff like Spain but unless you have players of the calibre of Spain then that’s pointless. It’s about balancing ambition and existing strengths. Plus when the Ferns get that defensive foundation right it’s often the case that it stems directly into their attack anyway.

Particularly when Malia Steinmetz is up to her usual antics. The Ferns didn’t create much in the first half of this game but what they did muster tended to involve Steinmetz winning possession and then driving forward without hesitation, usually with Jacqui Hand in the passenger seat. Later in the game they were able to hustle their way into a few corner kicks which turned out to be very useful. This is the formula. Even in the win against Norway, their goal came from their own goal kick and a slick transitional move from one penalty area to the other. It’s like taking a step back in order to take a couple more forward. It feels counterproductive... until it isn’t.

The Football Ferns needed that defensive rigidity in this game because they could barely keep the ball. They’re not a crazy technical side on the best of days but this was something else entirely. Passes were flying wide of their targets. First touches were bobbling all over the place. Players also seemed to be misjudging the bounce/roll of the ball. They were stepping into tackles nicely but then giving possession straight back with really simple errors – which were afflicting even the senior players in the team. Honestly, it must have been the altitude. That thinner air causing the ball to act like it was overinflated... in that case we’ll cut the girls some slack for their sloppiness.

But yeah that did mean several moments of desperate scrambling at the back. After ten solid minutes of competitive midfield battles they almost conceded at the first opportunity with only a brave block by Stott saving the day. Colombia would later hit the crossbar and miss a sitter, as well as showing a tendency to pass rather than shoot from good positions. New Zealand were usually able to muster enough defenders to slow them down and thus nil-all it remained at half-time... in fact the Ferns were unlucky not to get a penalty when Hand had her legs taken out from underneath her going for an aerial challenge.

It carried on that way for a good chunk of the second half... until Paige Satchell joined the game. One player who’s probably represented the Ferns situation better than most – all this raw potential but so little end product. Satch got half an hour off the bench against Colombia and was as good as been for the national team in ages. Of course, no goals or assists to show for it... but she was making things happen with her speed up the right wing.

With the game all set up for a smash-and-grab win the kiwis, to the surprise of nobody, were once again unable to find the necessary goal. But there were some chances. They had a one when an Ally Green corner beat the keeper in the air then dropped for Katie Bowen and Ava Collins who got in each other’s way and Bowen’s shot missed the target. Then another corner saw Hand and Jale similarly going for the same ball with Jale putting it wide off her shoulder. Great deliveries by Green. And funky to see the Ferns, who always have a few tricks up their sleeves with set pieces, trying something different by having all the runners start deep so they can attack the ball in motion. Granted, it didn’t work if players were ending up in the same spot. There was also a flick from Jale to sent Satchell into space but Satch never crossed, instead cutting back and shooting to no avail.

That All Whites game against Ireland contained a very specific moment when they broke away on the counter and that very specific moment instantly provided the self-belief that carried them the rest of the way. It was proof that they could compete at that level and the confidence flowed from there. The Footy Ferns never had a single moment yet there was a clear feeling during those last twenty or so minutes that they were rediscovering a little faith in themselves. Long way to go to get to where they want to be but this was a start, at least.

We’ll see how this all looks in the second game but there was a lot to like about this performance. The mahi of Stott and Bowen and Steinmetz set a tone for the rest of the team to follow. That’s where the defensive identity is going to grow from, especially if we can get the likes of Bott and Percival back in there too (like we saw at the World Cup where they only conceded once in 270 minutes).

The touches were sloppy, the passing was messy.... and yet they withstood what Colombia had to offer in tricky conditions and eventually the same application that earned a clean sheet also sparked many of their more dangerous attacking moments. There’s a formula in there for what the peak version of this Fernies team will look like. Hopefully they don’t get rattled on Wednesday and make this article look stupid.

A few more stray thoughts...

Shout out to Katie Kitching for becoming the latest Football Ferns debutant. She was the only one of the five uncapped players on the bench to get amongst the action in game one. Interestingly, the English-born midfielder was actually used as a right winger with Paige Satchell moving into the front two upon KK’s entrance. This was only a 90th minute substitution though so very limited glimpses at what Kitching has to offer.

Bit of a baptism of fire for Mackenzie Barry whose tackling was typically dominant but the other aspects of being an international fullback were harder to grasp and you could see her struggling with them at times. But that’s fine, it comes with the territory. No major mistakes. Ninety minutes in the tank. She deserved this opportunity on the back of some fine Welly Nix form.

Ava Collins had her best international performance to date, providing a tidy and energetic performance on the left. Along with some better Paige Satchell areas this is the kind of competition for places that we’re hoping for. You want players to turn up for each international window having improved. These two have done so... and they needed to because there are plenty of others lining up for their chance. Big pity that injury robbed Hannah Blake of hers though it’s only a matter of time if she carries on the way she’s been going for Adelaide United. Also got Milly Clegg, Hannah Wilkinson, Deven Jackson, Rosetta Taylor, Emma Main, and Kelli Brown all getting ALW minutes this year while Ruby Nathan and Manaia Elliott are in this squad and hoping for debuts in game two.

Anna Leat didn’t have too many saves to make. The best of Colombia’s attempts were taken care of by the courageous shot-blocking of her centre-backs. Nevertheless, Leat was flawless in this game. She’s the best ball-player of the current crop of goalies which helps with the team’s build-up, but also, like Max Crocombe for the All Whites recently, there’s an aura of calmness about her. Whether it’s the shot-stopping, the passing, the aerial claims, the sweeping outside the area... you just trust her to get it done. Vic Esson has that too, to some extent, but with Esson it feels more like she’ll raise her game for the occasion. With Leat it feels natural. Esson is a goalie who makes tough saves. Leat is a goalie who makes tough saves look easy. If that makes sense.

Katie Bowen now has 99 international caps and it would not be a surprise if she wore the armband for her centurion game. Stotty captained this one with both Ali Riley and Ria Percival absent. Bowen is every bit as important a leader as Stott – whenever there was a break in play you could see the Ferns gathering in little huddles to chat tactics, always trying to stay alert to the game situation, and nobody had more to say in those situations than Katie Bowen. She’s played every minute for Inter Milan since joining them and is similarly on lock as an Aotearoa centre-back. Don’t think she’s getting back into the midfield any time soon but, you know, needs must. KB is world class.

After five games without a goal from open play that seems like it’d be an appropriate thing to ask for in game two. As far as that quest goes, we don’t have game-breaking players who can do magical individual things so perhaps we ought to be thinking less about individuals and more about combinations. When Klimková last persisted with a two-striker shape, it was Hannah Wilkinson and Paige Satchell who were the strikers and while each provides their own advantages there was absolutely nothing in the way of link-ups between the pair. Jacqui Hand and Grace Jale are good mates going back several years. Same wave of youth team footy. Both Auckland products. There wasn’t heaps of it on display here from that duo but there was enough to persist with them in game two and possibly beyond.

This wasn’t a game that provided many answers. It wasn’t one that involved the NZers playing anywhere near the level they’re trying to get towards (nor the level they’re capable of – which might not be the same thing). But it was a game full of clues. Clues as to what that might look like and clues of how to get there. The second game, on Wednesday morning, should let us know which bits and pieces the coaching staff reckon are the ones to worth sticking with.

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