All Whites still searching for attacking answers one year out from FIFA World Cup return

Friday, 13 June 2025

Darren Bazeley believes the All Whites will be better from the experience of playing Ivory Coast and Ukraine, with a year to go until the World Cup.

ANALYSIS: Twelve months out from their FIFA World Cup return after 16 years away, things are extremely promising for the All Whites at one end of the pitch and increasingly concerning at the other.

Their goals for next year’s tournament in North America – to win a World Cup match for the first time and to make it to the knockout stages for the first time – remain well within reach.

But they have plenty of work to do over the next 12 months to make them a reality, starting in September when they are expected to face Australia home and away.

After their 1-0 win over Ivory Coast – their most notable win in 15 years – and their 2-1 loss to Ukraine in Toronto in this month’s international window, it’s clear the All Whites are in as good a place defensively as they could hope to be, which is a great place to start. You can’t lose if you don’t concede.

At the same time, it’s just as clear the attacking side of their game is a massive work in progress for coach Darren Bazeley and his assistants Tony Readings and Simon Elliott.

Finn Surman, seen here being congratulated by coach Darren Bazeley, had his best All Whites performance against Ivory Coast.

Defence: Tick

The outstanding performances of young centre backs Tyler Bindon and Finn Surman against Ivory Coast had comparisons being drawn by some around the camp with former captain Ryan Nelsen, who was among those watching in the stands.

The 20 and 22-year-old both debuted in 2023 and have slowly but surely been given bigger roles by Bazeley, who also has Michael Boxall – in career-best form despite turning 37 in two months – and Nando Pijnaker – at the heart of Auckland FC’s stellar defence in A-League Men last season – to call on in that position.

With goalkeeper Max Crocombe showing across both matches why he is No 1A to Alex Paulsen’s No 1B with some crucial saves and Liberato Cacace leading the side well from left back, four-fifths of the defensive unit is sorted.

Right back remains the problem child, though it’s hard to read too much into that position from this window, where the first-choice incumbents – Tim Payne and Storm Roux – were unavailable. And the problem there pales in significance compared to the one further up the pitch.

Midfield: Tick – mostly

The All Whites impressed with their ability to maintain composure and retain the ball in the first two-thirds of the pitch against top opponents this month. At the base of midfield, Joe Bell had his best matches for the national team in some time and Marko Stamenić showed his class in setting up Elijah Just’s goal against Ivory Coast before scoring himself against Ukraine.

Chris Wood, seen here battling with Odilan Kossounou of the Ivory Coast, is the All Whites attacking star, but he needs the right combination of players installed behind him.

It’s ahead of them, getting the ball into the attacking third, then into the box, that the problem lies. Like at right back, this was a window where there were numerous obstacles – star striker Chris Wood needing to be carefully managed, an injury to in-form forward Callum McCowatt, and a lack of match fitness for attacking midfield options. Matt Garbett, Ben Old and Sarpreet Singh. But the problem isn’t a new one.

Attack: Question marks aplenty

Across 180 minutes of football in Canada, there were just five genuine New Zealand shots – the ones for Just’s and Stamenić’s goals, an off-target effort by Garbett late against the Ivory Coast and an off-target first-half header from Ben Waine and a blocked one by Singh against Ukraine.

Caveats acknowledged – including the fact that two shots were enough for a memorable win over Ivory Coast, who went on to draw 0-0 with hosts Canada in their second match – that low shot volume won’t cut it in 12 months’ time.

Getting Ryan Thomas back for the first time since 2019 – which looks likely to happen in October, provided he stays fit and healthy between now and then – will undoubtedly help, but until it happens he can’t be counted on.

Is the answer giving Alex Rufer a bigger role beside Bell and pushing Stamenić further forward, to help win the physical battle in midfield and get more control higher up the pitch?

Making more use of Francis de Vries’ crossing and set-piece ability seems a no-brainer, especially when New Zealand’s best attacker – by a long way – is a 1.91m-tall English Premier League striker. He finally appeared at left wing – a solution that could hold more appeal than putting him at left back with Cacace further forward – for the last 10 minutes against Ukraine and immediately proved a threat. Could he have been used earlier with Waine, instead of being kept for use solely with Wood?

What happens if Garbett – a reliable performer in big matches stretching back to 2022, but unwanted by his last club since last December – doesn’t find regular playing time wherever he ends up next season?

Along similar lines – what will Just, Old, Singh and Waine be up to at club level? They need to be playing regularly at as high a level as possible. Kosta Barbarouses and McCowatt look more assured of major roles.

Is there time to look more closely at someone such as Logan Rogerson, whose omission for this window looks even odder in the wake of Wood’s limited involvement? What about Andre de Jong, Max Mata or Jesse Randall? Or a real bolter, such as young gun Luke Brooke-Smith, Moses Dyer on the back of his resurgence in Ireland, or Australian-based striker Ben Gibson?

There has to be an answer there somewhere when it comes to finding the right combination of players to fill the three holes in the front six (Bell, Stamenić and Wood’s inclusion in the strongest XI feels like a given, though Thomas’ return could change things).

One year to go

A week ago Bazeley and co had 12 matches to try to find that answer.

Now they have 10, with September’s matches set to be followed by two extremely tough ones away to Poland and Norway in October and the year to finish with two in North America in November – likely against South American nations, but not the most famous ones.

Darren Bazeley was full of praise for his two young centre backs after the All Whites claimed a memorable win over a higher ranked opponent.

The World Cup draw will follow in December and shape plans for the first half of next year.

Most of the All Whites are now headed for well-deserved off-season breaks, after a 2024-25 season where many of them flew home to New Zealand three times and to North America twice.

The 2025-26 season – from August to next June, where the World Cup starts on the 11th (the 12th NZ time) – promises to be one that could define their careers.

All Whites – key dates on road to FIFA World Cup

September 1-9: Home-and-away matches v Australia (to be confirmed)

October 6-14: Matches v Poland and Norway in Europe (Poland match to be confirmed)

November 10–18: Two matches in North America, likely against South American opposition

December: FIFA World Cup draw

March 23–31: Two matches

June 1–9: Two matches

June 11: FIFA World Cup starts