Football Ferns at the 2023 FIFA World Cup: Valiant Elimination vs Switzerland
And so here we are again. For the sixth time in six attempts, the Football Ferns have been knocked out in the group stage of a FIFA World Cup... but this one wasn’t like the others. The journey may not have lasted as long as we’d have liked however that win against Norway will resonate for a long time to come. The Philippines defeat that followed was a bummer but the way they responded against Switzerland showed plenty of heart and with a little more luck they might even have snuck a winner. There’s certainly nothing to be ashamed about from a battling 0-0 draw against a higher-ranked opponent.
The thing that ultimately doomed them was the same thing that was probably always going to: their lack of attacking creativity and goal-scoring. It’s been an issue for years, long before Jitka Klimková arrived, especially at major tournaments. Last World Cup their only goal was an own goal with ten minutes to go in their third game. For all the preparation that this team put in, nothing was going to make up for the lack of a talisman striker or a winger who can blow past defenders. They simply had to knuckle down defensively, scrap away in the midfield, and hope that it’d be enough if they could sneak a goal or two along the way.
It was enough against Norway. It was not enough against Philippines or Switzerland. And yet in both those games the Ferns (or Jacqui Hand specifically) hit the post with a shot. In both those games there were set pieces with dangerous deliveries – particularly Liv Chance’s inswingers from the right side (although on the whole the corner kick deliveries weren’t good enough for a team that has no choice but to prioritise their dead ball situations). Yes they made one fatal slip against the Philippines that never should’ve happened. But they also otherwise dominated that game and, in hindsight, we now know that a draw there would’ve been enough to advance. Meaning this was the margin by which the Ferns were eliminated...
The Philippines game was frustrating because it didn’t feel like we saw the best of the Football Ferns, certainly not in that first half anyway. It was also frustrating because regardless of that they still did more than enough to win except their luck simply wasn’t with them. The offside. The shot off the post. That save from Grace Jale’s late volley. There were four major attacking moments in that game. Three of them fell to the Ferns. None of them were bad finishes. Yet they lost 1-0 and now there’s always going to be a nagging what-if about that day in Wellington.
If we’re being honest though, that game was an accurate reflection of where the Ferns are at: good enough to unexpectedly beat a team like Norway but not good enough to guarantee a win against a team like Philippines. So it goes. They still had a chance to progress if they could beat Switzerland in Dunedin in front of a third sell-out crowd in a row. Technically there were also pathways onwards in the case of a draw but those required Norway to either also draw against the Philippines or to win by a margin that didn’t overtake our goal difference. Which, as a team that doesn’t score goals, was never realistic. As it turns out Norway won 6-0 so forget about it. The Ferns had to beat Switzerland or they were out.
To do so, Jitka Klimková picked the same side that started the second half against the Philippines. That meant Liv Chance on the left wing in place of Indi Riley and Annalie Longo into the midfield at Betsy Hassett’s expense. Still a 4-3-3 formation despite anticipation that this game would more closely mirror the style of the Norway one than the Philippines one (they’d played 4-4-2 against Norway), although the Swiss rocked up with a 4-3-3 themselves which may have swung things – allowing the Ferns to go one-outs across the park. (although Switzerland did switch to a box midfield in the second half, which gave them a central overload).
Once again the FIFA broadcast graphics got the formation wrong lol
Thing is, Switzerland didn’t need to win. Assuming the inevitable Norway victory in the other game, all the Swiss needed to do was draw and they’d finish top of the group. This after already keeping two clean sheets in their previous games. It’s not like they sat deep and ceded possession like the Filipinas did in the second half the other night... but they also weren’t about to take any silly risks along the way. No excess space behind the defensive line. No opportunity for reckless counter attacks. There was a wee hint of being vulnerable to the high press... but the Ferns didn’t really take advantage of that.
Switzerland did have a couple of spells of attack along the way although that only delivered them three shots in total and none of them made Vic Esson crack a single bead of sweat. Lia Wälti was magnificent as the Swiss holding midfielder but once the ball left her feet they struggled to move it upwards. It always felt like the could score, particularly on the break as the Ferns were forced to stretch things out, but they never actually came close to doing so.
Hence this game was all about whether the Ferns could bust down the walls and score a rare goal. You already know that it wasn’t to be... yet just like the other night it could have been a different story with a wee bit more luck. Jacqui Hand’s narrow angle shot off the post in the first half is the one that sticks in the noggin, particularly after she smacked a post in the Philippines game too (as well as having a goal disallowed). At least she got the assist for Wilkie’s Norway goal. Otherwise we’d be trying to figure out who cursed her... and frankly we still can’t rule that prospect out because late in the first half Hand rolled her ankle landing hard after a header. She got it strapped up and ended up playing ninety minutes yet she didn’t seem to have the same zip in the second half with that ankle no doubt throbbing away. Really gutsy effort from a player who only debuted less than two years ago and was quite comfortably the team’s best attacking player at this World Cup.
It was slightly surprising to see Hand return for the second half after that injury... except the Ferns couldn’t afford to replace her. They don’t have much attacking depth to go around. If they did then scoring goals wouldn’t be such a drama. Plus they already had another injured forward that needed replacing at half-time against Switzerland. It sucks for Liv Chance but she just never really had it at this tournament. The knee injury lingered on and on and you could tell she was lacking her usual burst despite her best efforts.
It’s more than that though. The emergence of Hand and Indi Riley (who replaced Chance at HT) has given this team a different look up front. Chance is a midfielder at club level, always has been, but she began playing left wing for NZ out of necessity because of the dearth of options. With her clever passing, magical left-foot, and strength on the ball she was soon one of the first names on the teamsheet... but she’s not quick and she’s not direct and those other two wingers are. It slowed things down having Chance at left wing and that’s perhaps no longer a sacrifice we need to make. Particularly not in a 4-3-3 where she could instead be the left-sided eight and not only would you still have her passing and technique (from even better areas) but you’d also give her room to unleash her genuinely threatening long shot. There’s arguably only CJ Bott who shares that ability with Liv Chance... maybe Michaela Foster too if she’s out there. Long story short: it is time for Olivia Chance to return to the midfield.
Hannah Wilkinson was another for whom it just wasn’t working against Switzerland. They marked her too closely and her touch wasn’t good enough to make up for that. She’s good but she’s not that good. There probably needed to be a change up front a lot sooner than the 82nd minute... although you can understand why a coach would be reluctant to replace their one proven international goal scorer in that situation. However it does baffle the mind how Gabi Rennie was the one picked to replace her.
It’s easy to criticise coaching decisions when we don’t know hardly anything of what goes into them, from tactical instructions to injuries to personal reasons, etc., but this one made zero sense. Rennie’s a solid player who’ll always give a hundy percent. She had a perfect role in the Norway game coming on late to provide energy off the ball as they clung to a lead. She did that brilliantly. But they needed something more tangible against Switzerland and Rennie’s not that kinda player (at least not yet). Milly Clegg is a superior finisher. Paige Satchell is the better dribbler. Mickey Foster crosses the ball more accurately. Not really sure what Rennie was there to provide.
Also not really sure it would’ve made a difference, to be fair. In all honesty the Football Ferns didn’t look like they were going to score a goal, not even if they played on until midnight. Switzerland were too alert, too compact, too well organised for a team without game-breakers to break open this game. Maybe if that handball in the first half had been given... one more random happenstance that went the wrong way.
It’s an ironic thing that the nation’s best ever defender, Abby Erceg, ended up being missed more for her heading ability on attacking corners than the defensive mahi. Sweden gave the world a clinic in scoring goals from corner kicks the other day as central defender Amanda Ilestedt banged in a couple headers in their 5-0 win over Italy. Both in-swingers to the near post with a crowded six-yard box. Meanwhile the Ferns have mostly been aiming back stick all tourney.
Liv Chance’s first half curlers changed that strategy and a few funky chances emerged off the back of them, highlighting what was probably the only genuinely sustained spell of attack from NZ. It wasn’t so much from the initial cross, what with the lack of obvious targets (until Vic Esson went up in the final moments lol) but more the second phase stuff afterwards. After Chance left the game it was Katie Bowen and Malia Steinmetz whipping those corners over and they weren’t the same - albeit there weren’t too many opportunities with the Ferns struggling to gain enough ground to earn them.
There is a reason why Mickey Foster didn’t play at this World Cup. She’s nursing an injury for one thing but also she’s not that quick and would’ve been vulnerable defensively at this elite level. But you do have to wonder about the possibility of her set piece deliveries soaring through the Dunedin air. In-swinging corners from both sides... ah what could have been.
Nope, it didn’t happen. Yet that shouldn’t spoil what on paper is still a very good result, 0-0 against that Swiss team is no easy feat. The Ferns matched them for possession and had way more shots. Most importantly they kept another clean sheet to ensure that while their World Cup finished there, at least it finished with a positive result. And again it happened with Vic Esson in goal... she’s now kept eight cleanies in 16 international starts (7/15 under Klimková). Meanwhile there’s an ongoing 24-game streak without a clean sheet in matches without her. It’s continually astonishing how big that disparity is. Esson didn’t have many saves to make here but she swept outside her box nicely and was strong against the high ball.
Having said that, the star of this particular clean sheet was Katie Bowen. An absolute force in central defence all game, setting the tone with a couple aggressive headers won and continuing on from there. She read the play expertly. Her long passing is utterly gorgeous. There is a slight issue with Bowen playing left CB as she has to close herself off to the left edge in order to receive the ball on her dominant foot hence she played a lot (A LOT) of square passes to Rebecca Stott who then had to try and find a forward pass instead. It got rather predictable.
But that’s only one complaint. Bowen was also punting free kicks and attacking corners and all sorts. Locking it down at the back whilst still being one of the more pervasive weapons up the other end. KB’s nearing a hundred caps and has played some blinders throughout the years. This is the best she’s ever been as a central defender. Nobody touched the ball more times in the entire game. Nobody completed more passes. Nobody carried the ball further.
We also got another excellent display from Malia Steinmetz winning tackles in the midfield the whole way through – this has been such a breakthrough tournament for her. Already mentioned how Jacqui Hand was once again the most potent forward, another player whose reputation has skyrocketed over the past fortnight. And of course you don’t even have to ask to know that CJ Bott was a commanding presence. Those are four players all between the ages of 24-29, entering (or already in) the peaks of their careers.
Four years ago when the Ferns stumbled out of the tournament with a 2-1 defeat against Cameroon, it felt like a dead end. They’d had a chance to do something and they’d missed it. Multiple players had come out of retirement for that tournament, several more would follow them back into retirement after it. There was uncertainty around coach Tom Sermanni. There was no clear vision for how this team was going to take that next step. It felt like they may have capped out as a team who could get to World Cups but couldn’t do much once they got there.
This exit is nothing like that. The coach is on board for four more years and while they’re still figuring out how to score goals at least there’s a clear vision for how she wants her team to operate – a vision which encompasses a few fresh ideas as well as recapturing some lost Football Ferns traits of old. There might be a couple of retirements that follow but not as many as you might think – and anyway for the first time in a long time it feels like there are younger players pushing through who are ready to snap up any vacated squad places. Some of them are already knocking away on that door. Others aren’t yet ready but will be soon.
More than that, the Football Ferns captured the attention of a nation... if only for one glorious night. They sold out stadiums in Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin. Yes it’s a bummer that they couldn’t see it through into the knockout rounds. But while their World Cup may be over this feels much more like the start of something than the end of something.
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