I don't think neither teams are going to play like that in the WCQ and when it really counts. Both teams need their experienced and key players get through the WCQ and into the finals. The depth is not there, but don't rate their teams based on the experimential line-up. The experimental line-up is no indication of the style of play.
A few names come to mind but who was NZ missing that will make that lineup stronger? Just about every NZ game I have ever seen its been bunker ball not just those 2 friendlies.
It was not always bunker ball, but then bunkerball sometimes does the job. ;--) Anyway, NZ was missing Simon Elliot, Ryan Nelsen, Dan Keat, Chris Killen, Winston Reid, Tony Lochhead, and Rory Fallon. Some of these players can pass the ball well . . . when you scream at them. Not really complaining having seven players under 25 in the line-up with Tommy Smith the Captain turning 22. Well I think we better leave NZ off this thread now. They have been beaten and bruised and I don't want to warn or report myself. . . . it would look bad.
Is Simon Elliot even a professional player anymore? Of the missing players the ones that standout are defenders that would hardly change the bunker ball style they showed in both friendlies. The fact that NZ will be sitting back and hoping bunker ball works is the reason I said their path to Brazil won't be an easy one. Your coach thinks it works as well but most CONCACAF teams see it often from the Caribbean teams and Canada on occasion and most of the time it doesn't work.
Guadeloupe in Gold Cup semi-final, Tahiti winning the OFC Cup against New Caledonia in final... Gosh! Overseas France would dominate a minnows world cup! But thinking about it, they actually already produced World champions... Christian Karembeu is New Caledonian and Lilian Thuram is Guadeloupean, they both played the 1998 final against Brazil. Probably the regional teams benefit from some of the FFF (French FA) experience, explaing why they are performing so well considering their small size.
"the ticket sale for the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 is anticipated to start after the draw in December 2012" http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/tou...014fwcticketing_questions_version2_findoc.pdf
There's no strong reason to wait. There is about a 99.8% chance that the African representative won't be seeded no matter who wins the Cup of Nations, so it doesn't justify delaying the draw by over 2 months IMO. Right now the lowest ranked team from Pot "A" is Italy who is #6 in the FIFA rankings and the highest ranked CAF team is Cote d'Ivoire (#16).
Agree so ... And final draw: Italy were Euro finalist - to have subsituted a Spain (WC and Euro winner)
This draw will be rigged. I am calling it now. Brazil Italy Tahiti Japan Spain Uruguay Mexico African Champ.
More reason for them to turn the 2012 Cup of nations into the Confederations qualifier, and get rid of the 2013 edition. They should get rid of the 2nd gold cup as well. What is the exact date for the draw?
How about this: 2012 - 2015 - 2019 - 2023 - ... Every four years is better anyway, because first it increases the value of each tournament and second they had more time to do a proper qualification for this tournament and the world cup.
Last round of ACN qualifiers taking place this weekend. Cape Verde currently shocking Cameroon. Lead 3-1 on aggregate with about 20 minutes to play in the second-leg. Defending champions Zambia almost lost, but won a PK shootout over tiny Uganda so they are headed to South Africa.
And they are out! Won 2:1 at home but lost 2:3 on aggregate. Only bright spot? Malaga youth footballer Fabrice Olinga looks like a star for the future.
About time that the Cape Verde Islands accomplished something, though, after flattering to deceive so many times in World Cup and AFCON qualifying.
Togo and Nigeria are back at the ACON, but in general looks like to number of teams there just to make the numbers isn't going to decrease that much (Ethiopia, Niger, Cape Verde, Togo, probably CAR and DR Congo). Still the overall quality seems higher than this year. Cote d'Ivoire bound to be tournament favourites again.
Valcke expresses fears over Brazil’s Confederations Cup preparations FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke has expressed his doubts that Brazil’s six stadiums for the 2013 Confederations Cup will be ready on time due to the slow pace of preparations. Oct 17, 2012 10:34:36 AM FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke has expressed his doubts that Brazil’s six stadiums for the 2013 Confederations Cup will be ready on time due to the slow pace of preparations...." http://www.goal.com/en-ke/news/4631...presses-fears-over-brazils-confederations-cup -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- pure nonsense. If Valcke was truly concerned about stadiums for the Confederations Cup, he would ask to use Grêmio Arena, a modern stadium for 60 thousand people, with LEED certificate and everything else needed for the World Cup, to be included in the tournament. The stadium will be inaugurated in 8th December this year. However, its in the same city as Beira Rio stadium, which belongs to Internacional, the club whom the brazilian president Dilma Roussef and the state governor are supporters. Beira Rio is the 2nd most delayed stadium for the 2014 World Cup and Porto Alegre lost the Confederations Cup because of it. So the problem is NOT the lack of stadiums, otherwise Valcke could get a brand new ultra modern stadium right away, just asking Grêmio to use its new Arena. if they were REALLY worried about anything, they would look at this (the grass is being seeded today:
This coming from a South American is disturbing. Considering that top teams do play in the Confed Cup. Last one we had Spain, Italy and Brazil on it. This year we got a repeat Brazil, Italy, Spain + Uruguay. Also the Asians are no pushovers.. neither is N. America... And World Club Cup is very big in South America, i'm not sure what you're talking about.
I think it will look more like this Italy Uruguay Tahiti African Champ Spain Brazil Japan Mexico That would be a great tournament!!
It's very big for the fans of the one club that qualifies for it. That's about it. The Confed Cup is a bit different. It's probably "bigger" for neutrals, so it has a much larger base of people who are somewhat interested. But nobody cares too much about it.
In Brazil all fans watch this, IF there is a brazilian team playing. If it's not from Brazil we really don't watch that's true...