Former All White Ivan Vicelich. Photo / Photosport
Former All White Ivan Vicelich. Photo / Photosport
Former All White Ivan Vicelich warns that New Zealand's path through the upcoming Oceania Fifa World Cup qualifying tournament could be far from straightforward.
The All Whites will be warm favourites for the eight-team event, which begins on Friday in Qatar. They have far more professional players than any othernation and have recent experience of Middle East conditions, with five friendly games in the region since last October.
But it won't be a walk in the park.
"It will be difficult," Vicelich told the Herald. "New Zealand Football understand that and they are not treating it lightly at all. On paper people who don't understand the region think it is not as difficult as it is.
"But as a player it was always a challenge and every team in Oceania has improved, which is great for the region."
Few bring a better perspective than Vicelich. He made a record 88 appearances for the All Whites between 1995 and 2013 and faced Island nations almost 30 times.
His first start for the national team came in a huge boilover, as the All Whites fell 1-0 to Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby in 1997, before they edged Fiji 1-0 in Ba a few days later.
While the All Whites have been dominant over the years, there have been upsets. Vicelich was part of the team turned over by Vanuatu 4-2 in the Fifa World Cup qualifying tournament in 2004, a massive shock.
He also experienced the painful 2012 Nations Cup tournament in Honiara, where New Zealand were knocked out by New Caledonia in the semifinal (2-0), after three tight group games (1-0 v Fiji; 2-1 v Papua New Guinea; 1-1 v Solomon Islands), which ended hopes of going to the 2013 Fifa Confederations Cup in Brazil, with Tahiti the Oceania representatives.
One major difference this time is the unusual location, on presumably immaculate pitches in Doha, that should hold up better than other venues over the years. Match officials from the Asian Football Confederation to assist their less experienced OFC counterparts will also help lift the refereeing standards.
The All Whites during their friendly match against Jordan in January. Photo / Photosport
The heat and humidity in Doha can be extreme, though March is relatively mild, as the mercury doesn't often exceed 30 degrees during the day and will be between 20 and 25 degrees for the evening kick-offs.
"The medical staff will have every possible process and piece of equipment," says Vicelich. "It will be a challenge for every team."
The upcoming tournament is partially staged outside an official Fifa window, with 12 players joining the All Whites squad midway through the group phase.
That will bring unusual selection dilemmas, as the coaches may change the team with the reinforcements, despite a positive previous result.
"Some players will be part of a team that might win a game and expect to play in the next one but at the international level every player must focus on each training session," said Vicelich. "Whoever is selected for the game needs to work hard and get the result the country needs. That has to be the goal of the entire group."
Vicelich also pointed out that the situation could have a silver lining, by balancing the physical and mental demands. If they reach the final, the All Whites will face five matches in the space of 13 days and having some players with a narrower focus on a couple of matches could be an advantage.
Vicelich also backed Auckland City FC stalwart Cam Howieson to perform, with the midfielder the only player called up from domestic football. Howieson made his All Whites debut in 2012 but has only featured in four international matches in the last seven years, all of them in 2018.
"He is a very good player and has been around a long time," says Auckland City assistant coach Vicelich. "He is really excited to be back in the mix and wants to make the most of the opportunity. He has the ability to step up."
The tournament starts on Friday, with Group A games between Solomon Islands and Cook Islands, followed by Tahiti versus Vanuatu. New Zealand face Papua New Guinea at 3am on Saturday morning, with New Caledonia playing Fiji in the other Group B match.
