World Cup Team Profile: New Zealand

New Zealand is the most remote country taking part in this World Cup. Being stuck in the Oceania Confederation with Australia stalled their World Cup participation until their trans-Tasman neighbours jumped ship to Asia. The result: their first chance to grace the world stage since Spain in 1982 by beating the fifth placed Asian team Bahrain in a two-legged playoff.

They will hope to do better than their previous outing where they lost to the Brazilians, the Soviet Union and Scotland. The last of these was the wrong end of a 5-2 thriller and these remain the only goals New Zealand have scored in a World Cup. They play in Group F with current holders Italy, the third placed South American side Paraguay and Slovakia.

The Coach

Ricki Herbert (NZ)
49 years old

Herbert is surely the face, name, voice and essence of modern New Zealand football. He was part of the Spain ’82 squad and represented the All Whites 61 times in all. As a coach he’s been in charge of the national team since 2005, and also coaches the New Zealand based A-League team Wellington Phoenix, who achieved a very creditable third place in the season just gone, playing some exciting and attractive football. Five of his squad come from this team.

Nothing can really prepare these players, or this coach, for the World Cup. As Herbert himself says: “I’m not one to usually have sleepless nights, but this has been a very difficult job settling on the final pieces of the jigsaw.” His puzzle skills will be vital if New Zealand are to get anything out of the tournament, but the coach will at least head to South Africa knowing that even a point would exceed realistic expectations.

Players to watch

Ryan Nelson
32 years old
Defender
Blackburn Rovers (ENG)

Ryan Nelson, the national captain, is the only member of the squad with real proven quality. He’ll be expected to put his body on the line, lead by example and gets heads back up if they begin to drop. He may have played a long hard season in England, but it’s impossible to imagine fatigue could play a role in such an important tournament. The truth is that should Nelson fall injured it would be a disaster.

Shane Smeltz
28 years old
Striker
Gold Coast Utd (AUS)

In the 2008/09 season Shane Smeltz won the A-League golden boot with Wellington Phoenix. This prompted a move to Gold Coast Utd for the 2009/10 season where he repeated the feat. No one is denying Smeltz can score goals, but whether he can do it against top defences is another matter. At times it’s looked all too easy for him in the A-League, but previous goals against Italy, Wales and Chile suggest maybe he could be a lethal front man on the world stage, assuming the supply is there.

Leo Bertos
28 years old
Midfielder
Wellington Phoenix (NZ)

By New Zealand standards this is certainly one of the strongest national squads ever produced, but it comes with a proviso: this strength is up front and at the back. Midfield remains a weakness and Bertos may be the key to linking up play and getting the most out of the front men. An attacking midfielder who’s versatile enough to be asked to drop deep or head out wide, he’s had some good seasons in the A-League after scratching around the English lower divisions. The 28-year-old set up two of the goals against Italy in last year’s friendly and provided the corner for the winner against Bahrain that got New Zealand here, but can he repeat this feat on the world’s biggest stage?

Jeremy Christie
27 years old
Central Midfielder
Tampa Bay FC (US)

Jeremy Christie dropped off most people’s radars after Wellington Phoenix declined to renew his contract. He returned to the National League and then early in 2010 headed to Tampa Bay to play in the US Second Division. Not the wilderness it sounds, since Ricki Herbert kept close tabs on this useful midfielder, his dedication to keep challenging himself has paid off with this call-up. With what he’s achieved it’s very hard to second-guess Herbert’s decisions. If Christie is in the squad it’s because he can bring something useful to the table.

The view from New Zealand:

NZ Football Chairman Frank van Hattum, another member of the ’82 World Cup party says he’s excited about this squad whilst conceding that ‘no game will be easy.’ Known problems with the midfield strength are an easy out for an early exit excuse, and locals are realistic about this. However, anything less than a fully committed showing will not be tolerated.

Prediction

New Zealand are very unlikely to progress beyond the group stages but it’s not impossible. A scenario where Italy beat all-comers means that a result against Slovakia could well be enough to see them through. Certainly a loss would all but end what hopes they have. If they throw the whole arsenal at the Slovaks in that first game and conjure a result it’s game on, otherwise they’ll be stepping out onto the pitch against Paraguay knowing they’ve already left it too late.

Did you know?

New Zealand’s first six full international matches were all against Australia in the early 1920s, a series of fixtures that New Zealand dominated, only losing once.

15/06/10: New Zealand  1 – 1  Slovakia     –   Rustenburg
20/06/10: New Zealand  1 – 1  Italy     –   Nelspruit
24/06/10: New Zealand  0 – 0  Paraguay     –   Polokwane