Allan Jones: World Cup jigsaw slotting into place

Chris Wood helped set up New Zealand's goal. Photo / Getty Images

Opinion

Yesterday morning's result against Slovenia made me more convinced New Zealand will be competitive at the World Cup.

Yes, the All Whites were beaten 3-1 but were the All Whites outplayed in the way 3-1 would suggest? Absolutely not.

Slovenia were quicker and their ball speed and accuracy of passing was far superior but, tactically, New Zealand coped. None of the three goals really came from open play, given two were from free kicks and the third from a diabolical mistake from goalkeeper Mark Paston.

I think the All Whites should take great confidence from their three performances in the warm-up games and they would do well to remind themselves that they can compete with quality teams at the World Cup.

One thing New Zealand have to improve is their discipline in and around the box and they can't afford to keep giving away silly free kicks.

Arguments have and will be made about whether both goals from free-kicks were fouls in the first place. The one Winston Reid conceded for the second goal might have been soft but, technically, it was still a free kick.

He had his hands on the player, tugging his shirt and you can't do that. Referees will be instructed to blow those up so the All Whites defenders must keep their hands off the opposition. They must also be more aggressive in defending set pieces and work will need to be put into that.

We have seen a healthy balance of short passing and direct play from the All Whites but I think they could get even more out of it by delivering the ball into the box much sooner and being more aggressive in their passing.

Up front is where their strength lies and they need to give the front men every opportunity to create chances. Too often, the midfielders and wide players look to cut inside or play another pass when they could put it into the box. The players aren't clever enough to be able to pass their way to goal.

Rory Fallon's goal was a perfect illustration of what can be achieved from early delivery. Chris Wood knocked it down to Fallon, who shot, and if the goalkeeper had got more of a hand on it, Shane Smeltz was following up. It was top-class attacking play.

Tommy Smith must surely have played his way into the side. The young defender is going to be a great player and has played with a level of composure and maturity well beyond his years. Being left-sided is only going to make him more valuable.

Reid might eventually turn into a great player, too, but he's just a little more erratic than Smith. If I was picking the side to face Slovakia, I would go with Smith and Ben Sigmund to play alongside Ryan Nelsen at the back. Reid is quick but he's sometimes technically lazy and lunges at the ball.

The only other change I would make is to bring back Chris Killen for Wood, who has showed glimpses of why West Bromwich Albion rate him so highly.

Overall, New Zealand have had a perfect build-up. They have had a thorough and well-balanced lead-up against teams similar to those they will face in South Africa. It has not been a random choice of opposition.

Both Serbia and Slovenia will be similar to Slovakia and Italy while Chile will give an insight into the way Paraguay will play.

Coach Ricki Herbert has clearly concentrated on his top 14 or 15 players and given them game time, which is what he needed to do. These players required time together to understand the game plan and each other.

The players are learning what it takes to win at this level, and getting results and keeping hold of results in the international arena is what it's all about.

Serbia, Slovenia and Chile are all pieces of a jigsaw that will hopefully be finished at the World Cup.