All Whites at the ONC: Actually Kinda Good vs Solomon Islands
Three wins from three, the All Whites are through to the semi-finals of the Nations Cup and also the next round of Oceania qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. Can’t really argue with that, right? Long after these games are forgotten by all that weren’t there (and that might not be too distantly in the future), only the results will be remembered by history and NZ got three of them so no worries, bro.
So while some of the tactics here (specifically the formation) are due for questioning by myself and others, Anthony Hudson can happily point to the ends > means and there’s nothing we can say about that. Given a few shockers in the past at this tourney, nor should we. The game against Fiji was pretty rigid and direct. The game against Vanuatu was, despite a 5-0 scoreline, sorta terrible in a lot of places. Here against the Solomon Islands, Hudson wisely decided to make a number of changes and with that… you know what? It was actually kinda good. We only won 1-0 but the performance was significantly better than the past two and probably against the best opponents they’ve met yet. They played football. They worked it around and tried to create space, create holes in the defence. At times they even deigned to keep possession for a while.
Not having Chris Wood cost them a bigger margin of victory. Leaving Rory Fallon on the bench cost them their long ball approach. Instead Kosta Barbarouses and Jeremy Brockie led the line, with only Luke Adams, Sam Brotherton, Stefan Marinovic and Michael McGlinchey held their places from the last game. And Brotherton only played 56 minutes in the second game. Let’s come back to the minutes played later but Hudson didn’t really have a choice in these conditions but to shuffle a bit. That was always the plan and this was a pretty solid team all the same. Just a bit raw with Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi playing right-centre back and Moses Dyer in the midfield. Still, there were starts for Marco Rojas and the two SuperSport kiwis and there’s never much wrong with that strategy.
Matt Ridenton at left back was an oddity though. He’s played fullback for the Nix as a fill-in and done a good job of it too, although he’s definitely better further forward. He’d clearly be more comfortable on the right but then Boxall’s got that spot down and he needed a game. So with Tommy Doyle sitting on the bench, Ridenton took over Kip Colvey’s shoes of playing left back with a right foot. A number of times during the game he cut back onto that right where a natural leftie might’ve tried to beat his man and take it to the line. Still, that had nothing to do with his one genuinely stupid act of the night, where he picked up a yellow card after roughly 30 seconds for a ruthless challenge on Jerry Donga. The Solomons player would be subbed off six minutes later.
They made two early subs, even. Bata Furai made a desperate run across the park to clear a loose ball, limping the entire way with a shattered hamstring and once he hit the deck he wasn’t getting back up without assistance. Eleven minutes in and already two subs down.
All the same, there were better signs early from New Zealand. Probably because the team had a couple younger players looking to make a mark, as well as a little more pace on the flanks, thought the main reason for the more flowing game the All Whites looked to play was a practical one. Kosta and Brox aren’t going to win the same headers that Wood and Fallon do. That didn’t mean an end to the long ball campaign but it did mean a thorough adjustment. Instead of pumping the little round bugger, they’d look for cross-field passes or chips in behind. Something for players to run onto. Wee Mac in particular whipped a couple gorgeous passes out to Ridenton on the left, bloody Paul Scholes stuff that was.
Eh, but nothing much was coming of it despite the intent. Kosta wasn’t beating the offside trap and that linesman’s flag was popping like a toaster out there. If you needed a reason for the lumping approach of the first two games, here it was. The All Whites put together 20 minutes of their best footy all tournament and it was still 0-0.
It’s hard to recall too many clear chances but sometimes that’s the way it goes – you can’t be 5-0 up at half time every game. The Solomons weren’t making the errors that the Vanuatuans made at the back, instead they saved that stuff for their midfield, where the All Whites did a fine job of competing in challenges and getting to the second phase footy – i.e. the loose ball after the initial challenge. It’s fair to say that a few of those early goals against Vanuatu were gifts and the third was a wondrous McGlinchey free kick. He had a chance at another of those here but sent it low and wide.
Quick note on set pieces: Hudson must spend hours dreaming up creative new ways to pounce from them. I’m imagining a notebook filled to the covers with doodles and diagrams, or a blackboard like the one in Good Will Hunting. Ayahuasca trips dedicated to discovering that revolutionary new corner formation. The one he ended up with sees basically every player standing in the six yard box, crowding it out as the ball’s curled in. I mean, it makes it tough on the keeper… but it also makes it tough on the players trying to win that header cleanly. Some of his free kicks are pretty shifty too, there was that one with the basketball-esque screens last game and here Wee Mac’s shot came through a parting door of teammates standing in front of him.
If there were no goals, at least there was a good pace to the game. It was entertaining football. The Solomons found their footing eventually and managed to get the ball to where they could threaten our inexperienced defence. Gibson Daudau was the best of them, he got through down Ridenton’s side but shot from a tight angle and Marinovic saved well. NZ then went straight down the other end and Brockie found himself with a chance. The All Whites’ best chance in the first half came from a tricky move where McGlinchey hit Rojas who flicked the ball back behind him to Kosta. His shot was part-blocked, part-deflected and tipped wide by the keeper, 0-0 at half time.
The main problem was the lack of a clinical combination up front. Kosta and Brox were maybe a little too similar, not complimenting each other particularly well. Where Kosta looked superb last time playing off of Fallon, here he struggled to find that kind of space as both he and Brockie drifted looking for the ball. Neither was getting in behind the backline like they wanted and the chances that did fall to them, even if they were mostly just half-chances, were being wasted. However elsewhere it was all fine. There wasn’t much to worry about in defence and the midfield was controlling the ball as well as they have all Nations Cup. McGlinchey gets the credit for that, running around and pinging the ball from player to player. He had a brilliant game. Luke Adams seemed to read the play from the back very well too, while Hudson-Wihongi was impressive playing out of his usual position. Dunno about the 90s bleach-blonde hair but we shan’t pass judgement.
In the earlier game, Fiji had come from 2-0 down to tie their game against Vanuatu but conceded a late penalty to condemn them to a 3-2 defeat. What that meant was the Solomon Islands were through to the semis with a draw and could even afford to lose 1-0 and still grab second place in the group. Lose 2-0, though, and it was curtains (they’d still have made the next round of World Cup qualifying, granted). They played with a conservative approach in the first, looking to hit on the break, but in the second with their target in sight they really started to sit deeper.
And it was working too. With a couple of strikers that prefer to play in space (and with the only width coming from their fullbacks), NZ struggled to break through with the siege. The offside flag was again cast in a leading role and a few crunching tackles kept the game slightly out of synch. Just like the All Whites attacking moves, where the odd cross would be a little too deep or a cut-back would catch a trailing defensive leg or whatever. Brockie let his frustrations out with a wrestling move that earned him a yellow. Along with him and Ridenton, Adams and Boxall also earned yellows.
So clearly Hudson had to go to the bench and with 20 minutes left he did exactly that. Off came Kosta and on went Logan Rogerson, while Dyer was replaced by Python Patterson. Dyer did a decent enough job, not getting lost in the action which young midfielders often do, though he didn’t stand out either and Patts gives you more of an attacking option, a little more creativity. As for Rogerson, he’s got a bit more size and can play more directly. Two positive and exciting subs, that’s possibly two more of those than his predecessor Ricki ever made, just quietly.
Rog was immediately involved, throwing himself about. The lads were patient, moving the ball from flank to flank and waiting for the gap to appear. Only it didn’t. On came Fallon for Brockie. And then, finally, it came. A cross to the far pat was too deep but Ridenton recovered it and lobbed it to the far post again. There waiting was Luke Adams and he nodded it home for his first international goal. A well-deserved one too, Adams played a really good game and it’s gotta be beyond argument that he’s been the AW’s best defender through the group stage. Good positioning, doesn’t overcommit, plays the ball out well. Mate… get him back at the Phoenix!
In the same way that I see a little Ryan Nelsen about Sam Brotherton, I reckon there's a hint of Tommy Smith about Adams. Now all we need is a Winston Reid... erm, Themi? No wait, Winston can still be Winston. Bingo.
For about five minutes we still had a competitive game. And then the Solomons decided there was no more toying with fate to be had and they took it to the corner with 85 minutes on the clock, playing for time with a 1-0 deficit. Fair enough, they weren’t out to beat NZ, they just wanted to finish higher than Fiji. Where it got truly weird was when Logan Rogerson took it to the corner at the other end! From that point, there was no more bluffing, cards were on the table. New Zealand passed it around for the rest of injury time – good for the ol’ possie stats (we had 61% of it for the match) – and eventually the ref brought an end to it all about ten minutes after the players had decided the result for themselves. Slightly farcical, but such is football.
We also had 20 shots to their 6, albeit with way too many fouls and offsides to be happy with. Still, this was a genuinely fun game to watch. Nice signs moving forward, even if we’re almost certain to go back to the other way in the semi-final. Whatever gets the results, at least we were treated to something different this one time, just to show they can do it. He probably wouldn’t have played anyway but you get the feeling that if Woody had played then it could have been three or four – as primitive as that approach feels, there isn’t a defender in the tournament that isn’t outmatched by Wood in the air. Here’s hoping he’s able to play some further part in the ONC, although this is why ersatz-Wood (Rory Fallon) was picked in the first place.
Hey, so here are the total minutes played:
Every player but the two keepers has gotten on the park while Marinovic and Adams are the only two to have played every minute so far. What that means for the game-winner here is hard to say, we might not see the lad again based on this. Themi will be back, Hudson loves him, while Boxall could easily play in the middle and Fenton, Colvey or Ridenton at RB. Tuiloma and Fallon got a nice rest in this game so they’ll probably feature in the semi and final, the main wonder is how Rojas fits into things. He doesn’t fit the direct footy very well but also brings a creative spark (aka, a plan B) that no other player can offer. Given that he and Boxall weren’t available in the first game, they may be the only changes to that side – although Brotherton must be close to needing a rest himself, the only break he’s gotten came from a whack to the face.
At a guess, I’d say the semi-final team (we’ll play either Tahiti or New Caledonia, barring something crazy) will look like this:
MARI / TZEMI, BOXALL, BROTHERTON / FENTON, COLVEY / TUI, WEE MAC, ROJAS / KOSTA, FALLON
All Whites 1-0 Solomon Islands
(Luke Adams)
NZ Player of the Game: Michael McGlinchey
SOL Player of the Game: Gibson Daudau
Undercover Brother: Luke Adams
Encouragement Award: Matt Ridenton