Chris Wood celebrates with Winston Reid. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
In his weekly Road to Doha column, Michael Burgess reveals all the latest All Whites news in the buildup to their World Cup playoff against Costa Rica in June.
All Whites confident of no déjà vu for Chris Wood
New Zealand coach Danny Hay has no concerns about Chris Wood's fitness, despite the key striker missing his latest club game due to an unspecified hip injury.
"When I spoke to him, he wasn't overly concerned about it," Hay told the Herald. "You need to take his comments at face value - he is always really honest and up front. I have no qualms that by the time he joins us [on 30 May] he will be fine and good to go."
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe indicated on Thursday that Wood was even a chance to play the final game of the season against Burnley on Monday (NZT).
With his unrivalled goalscoring ability, Wood is New Zealand's most irreplaceable player and nobody wants to entertain a repeat of the 2017 scenario against Peru, where an untimely hamstring strain saw him come off the bench at halftime in Lima, after being restricted to 16 minutes in the first leg in Wellington.
"From what I have got from him, there isn't anything to be worried about at this stage," said Hay. "Our medical team is talking to their medical team and it is nothing major."
Plan 'B' for second preparation match
The All Whites' second warm up game should be confirmed over the next week. New Zealand Football had lined up a team ranked inside Fifa's top 40, but that plan was scuppered when those opponents wanted to play the game on June 10, just four days out from the Costa Rica clash in Doha.
NZF are unwilling to risk the All Whites any later than June 9 for the final preparation game, after the Peru encounter in Barcelona on June 5. They remain confident they can secure a quality opponent.
Latest All Whites' selection completes decade of change
From the extended 26-man squad named on Tuesday, there are only four survivors from the 2013 intercontinental playoff with Mexico, with Chris Wood, Bill Tuiloma, Kosta Barbarouses and Marco Rojas the veterans of that series (Winston Reid was a late injury withdrawal).
The latest incarnation is also testament to the changing profile of the Kiwi footballer.
Back then, the bulk of Ricki Herbert's squad was drawn from Australia and New Zealand, with 10 selected from the A League and four players called up from domestic football.
Less than one third of the group (seven) were based in Europe.
This time around there are seven men based in Australasia and 15 plying their trade at European clubs.
And that's not including Joey Champness, who recently cut ties with his Turkish club over an unpaid contract and Reid, who would have no shortage of suitors on the continent but is prioritising his All Whites build-up rather than risking injury by returning to a weekly grind.
Hay's Danish mission
Ahead of the All Whites' upcoming camp in Marbella, Danny Hay will spend four days in Denmark, as he continues to build networks in the Scandinavian nation.
After their 34 hour trip from Auckland – via Sydney and Doha – Hay and assistant coach Darren Bazeley watched Marko Stamenic feature in a 2-0 win for HB Koge over Jammerbugt in the Danish second tier on Friday morning (NZT).
The duo will also take in a training session at Brondby – where midfielder Joe Bell has been based since his move in January – before attending their match on Sunday. They also have meetings scheduled with another Danish club.
"The more I see and talk to the players that are in Scandinavia, the more I believe it is a fantastic place for them to land out of New Zealand and evolve and develop," said Hay. "It's important that we are constantly trying to build those connections and networks for the next generation, the next cycle of players."