Opinion
Michael Burgess runs through reasons for hope and fear ahead of the Football Ferns’ World Cup opener against Norway on Thursday night.
Home crowd factor
If the Ferns need a boost on Thursday night, they’ll just need to look around. The sell-out crowd will be a massive fillip and could provide a vital difference, as we saw in the 2009 Inter confederation playoff in Wellington between the All Whites and Bahrain.
Vic Esson
The Football Ferns’ goalkeeper is in the best phase of her career. She has been remarkably consistent since becoming the preferred option last year, with a series of important saves when it mattered most. The 32-year-old is mentally strong and will need to be, with the traffic expected to come her way.
Familiarity
The Ferns faced Norway just over a year ago, losing 2-0 to a full-strength XI in Oslo. Though the home side deserved the win, it wasn’t completely one-way traffic, as the Ferns created a few chances. Esson also had a game to remember – defying the Scandinavian team on several occasions – which is positive for the mental database.
Big guns are back
Aside from retired defender Abby Erceg, the Ferns have essentially a full-strength squad to choose from. The presence of Rebekah Stott and Ria Percival in the spine of the team is vital, while midfielder Malia Steinmetz has improved considerably in the last two years and is composed on the ball.
Unpredictable
Compared with other Ferns teams, this squad possesses an X-factor. Attacking midfielder Indiah-Paige Riley has genuine flair and can beat defenders with pace and skill. Jacqui Hand is also an emerging talent, while Michaela Foster brings set-piece weaponry that will challenge many teams. And don’t forget 17-year-old Milly Clegg, who is a talented finisher and could get some time off the bench.
Norway’s Achilles heel?
Norway has an incredible array of attacking talent in their front five, headed by former world player of the year Ada Hegerberg. But they can be defensively vulnerable. They used converted midfielders at the back for a period last year, and according to local scribes, are still looking for a definitive answer there.
The occasion
While Thursday will be a wonderful occasion, it’s a lot to deal with. For almost all of the team, it will be the biggest crowd they have played in front of, with the most at stake. How they deal with that will define their performance.
Lack of competitive matches
The Ferns haven’t played a competitive match since the Tokyo Olympics, due to their automatic qualification as hosts. They’ve played 25 friendly internationals in that time – some more intense than others – but no cutthroat games. In the same period, Norway has had qualifying matches for European Championships and this tournament, and competed at the Euros in England last year.
Star power
Norway has an impressive roster, with the entire squad based in Europe. There are seven players from English Women’s Super League clubs, two at Barcelona, three in Italy and one at Bayern Munich. The Ferns are much more diverse, with only a quarter for the squad based in major women’s leagues.
Defensive dilemma
As co-captain Ria Percival recently noted, the Ferns used to be known for their defensive grit but have lost those qualities in recent years. They have conceded a lot of sloppy goals in the Klimkova reign – often early in games – and any similar lapses could be terminal on Thursday. They are not a free-scoring team, so can’t afford to be chasing a deficit.
Poise in possession
Aside from struggles up front, with only 13 goals in 25 matches under Klimkova, the biggest issue has been their inability to retain possession for meaningful periods, especially against quality opposition. That was a major focus of their recent training camp and needs to click, otherwise they will be inviting pressure all night.
Norwegian pedigree
Norway are ranked 12th in the world for a reason. Over the last year, they have achieved draws with European champions England and Olympic silver medallists Sweden, along with France. They also trumped 2019 finalists the Netherlands, away from home.
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.