Fred, your thoughts?

Show me a bit of transparency would be the first one, I think.

Yeah, I sort of line up with UEFA on this one.

Not a good idea.

As you say, it's the FIFA World Cup, it's the jewel in the crown.

This would actually be an organisation that runs all of FIFA's tournaments.

So you'd be looking at the Women's World Cup and the Club World Cup as well, and then the Women's Club World Cup.

Could this not be seen as a positive

We should always start with the winners, right? How did the Spanish team deal with those challenges Argentina posed on the day itself?

I thought Spain were great.

You know, I mean, any other day, that's a 3 or 4-0 hammering.

They had a goal, a perfectly legal goal disallowed.

What the ref found in that first strike, I don't know.

They had a, you know, the Tories, they'd scored, you know, what a finish for the goal.

You know, the side foot sort of volley into the roof of the net.

In Fred De Jong's mind, what are you going to remember in years to come?

What did you make of the match this morning? Were you enthralled?

I thought, like you, the quality, given what we saw the day before, between the Spanish and the French and how Spain just dismantled a very, very, very strong French team, this was a very different game.

You know, there's so much history, wars and previous matches, red cards between these two nations.

It was always going to be feisty, and that's what it was, especially the first half.

It was just foul after foul after foul.

So we were hoping that a game of football would break out at some point.

It

Did you observe the same?

The first goal was a very poor one to give away.

Yeah, absolutely.

We'd ridden our luck.

Up until that moment, they had a penalty, chalked off from VAR, Trossard's one cleared off the line.

So we were on the cusp anyway.

And then we just wanted to try and get to halftime.

And we couldn't do that because we conceded from a corner, which is so deflating, given that that's an area that we think we're good at.

Yeah,

He feeds, Trossard's going to cut back onto his right, and shoot, deflection! Bounces over Crocombe, and thankfully over the crossbar, and this was on the top of the net.

Trossard opened up, and he's hit the ball.

It's been given.

It's come off one of the New Zealand hands.

I think it's Sermon's arm.

Quite a long way away from his body, and then bounced up over the crossbar.

But referee, you've got to say, referee was very well positioned.

further this forward of this three in midfield to his righty Scott Castagna cuts it back to Kevin De Bruyne who skies his shot from 10 yards out and then in his follow through collects Finn Sermon who did well to sort of pressure him was in his eye line but you expect De Bruyne to get that in on target

And I thought those two guys played really important supporting roles.

And I think that movement of those front three, excluding Chris Wood, because obviously he's the fulcrum at the top of it, but the movement of those three created the space for other players to be able to find that space.

And then the critical thing in there is to then turn and play forward again.

Because so many teams we're seeing, players get the ball in those attacking areas, take a touch, goes back, then it goes wide, and it's this really slow, methodical buildup.

And they think they're going to be able to pass through And then suddenly they see that they've got 10 players behind the ball and you're trying to pass through this low block and it just all fizzles out.

But New Zealand, when they went, they went hard and they went quick.

And that's the difference.

Fred, what did you make of Egypt against Belgium today?

Egypt, so Egypt's Monday, isn't it?

Egypt's Monday, and so, yeah, you've got Mo Salah, you've got some real superstars in their team, they play, again, they played a high-energy game against Belgium, they were very positive, and I think This World Cup has shown the teams that are positive are doing really well.

The USA, Mexico, Morocco against Brazil.

All these real positive, forward-looking teams are doing really well.

And we looked like that as well.

We were positive and we showed a lot yesterday.

But yeah, it's tough.

cool was it to see 70,000 fans at what is a game between two fairly minor players in the World Cup?

Is that a reasonable summation from an amateur?

Yes, it is, actually.

It's a very open, entertaining game, way more than I expected.

And I thought...

That certainly helped the New Zealand cause because our better players, our attacking players, found themselves with a whole lot of space when normally they don't.

And they were allowed to show what they can do.

And we saw that with the two goals that New Zealand scored.

Are we going to? Could we beat Egypt?

Is that a reasonable summation from an amateur?

Yes, it is.

It's a very open, entertaining game.

Way more than I expected.

And I thought...

That certainly helped the New Zealand cause because our better players, our attacking players, found themselves with a whole lot of space when normally they don't.

And they were allowed to show what they can do.

Are we going to? Could we beat Egypt?

And I thought those two guys played really important supporting roles.

And I think that movement of those front three, excluding Chris Wood, because obviously he's the fulcrum at the top of it, but the movement of those three created the space for other players to be able to find that space.

And then the critical thing in there is to then turn and play forward again.

Because so many teams we're seeing players get the ball in those attacking areas, take a touch, goes back, then it goes wide.

And it's this really slow, methodical buildup.

And they think they're going to be able to pass through.

And then suddenly they see that they've got 10 players behind the ball and you're trying to pass through this low block and it just all fizzles out.

Fred, what did you make of Egypt against Belgium today?

Yeah.

Um, I think what we've seen through, through the qualification for the World Cup, it's, it's taken away a lot of the drama for the bigger teams, uh, bigger countries around the world.

Uh, and then at the tournament itself, it just dilutes everything.

So historically, with 32 team World Cup, it's been perfect, obviously, where you go the top two in each group.

So eight groups of four, top two in each group leaves you with 16 teams, and then you're into the knockout stage, and it all just flows beautifully down to a final.

Now with 48 teams, um, you have to, you have an extra round of knockout, but you also have third place qualification teams in 8 of 12, of the 12 groups of, of four, of the 48 teams.

So, um, it'll, it gives all the ...

Yeah.

Very,

very good chances.

So it could have actually been worse.

But, yeah, in New Zealand, this team isn't a free-scoring team.

We know that.

A lot of their games, they've lost 1-0, 1-all, these sort of results over the last three or four years.

other than, of course, how they qualify when they go for Oceania.

I

Very,

very good chances.

So it could have actually been worse, but yeah, and New Zealand, this team isn't a free-scoring team.

We know that.

A lot of their games, they've lost 1-0, 1-all, these sort of results over the last three or four years.

other than, of course, how they qualify when they go for Oceania.

But, yeah, defensively, just at sixes and sevens, especially second half, any sort of pace down the flank exposed us.

Fred I'll just ask I don't know what's going on with your phone there mate but you're just sort of dropping in and out on us and fading on us so I don't know if there's a setting you've got there that's not quite working but that's all good in terms of were there any positives for you I mean let's focus on the positive

Mm-hmm

... um, at his Motherwell side over in Scotland.

Um, I think he'll just slot in instead of Sarpreet Singh.

Um, and so that's sort of your probably, your starting, um, sort of forward line.

And then, uh, you know, Stamenic, Ryan Thomas, or Joe Bell in those two midfield roles.

Um, and I think the, the back four is probably, probably picks itself with the, with the availability of the players and, and with Michael Boxall not being there-

Fred, with this game tonight against Finland and Monday against Chile, uh, who do you think are the All Whites who need to put their hand up the most as to make sure they secure, you know, on, on that bubble, if you like, of selection for the World Cup?

Yeah, I think, um, like I say, the guys, the guys who are probably sitting on the bench are the guys who, um, are, are the ones who sort of, uh, when they get an opportunity to come on, they're the guys who have to sort of make a, uh, make a name, you know? Um, I'd say guys ...

Convincing enough in the N3-1 for Auckland, but pretty hard to go up against FC when you've only got 10 on the park, isn't it?

Yeah, exactly.

And, you know, once it went down to 10, you're going 1-0 down, 10 men.

You think, well, this is a long, long afternoon for the rest of the game.

And Alex Rufa pulled them back with scoring an absolute screamer.

You know, just one of the best goals he's ever scored in his life.

He doesn't score many, but they tend to be quite good ones.

What do you make of their pull? And any of those teams for you saying that's a victory for us?

Convincing enough in the N3-1 for Auckland, but pretty hard to go up against FC when you've only got 10 on the park, isn't it?

Yeah, exactly.

And, you know, once it went down to 10, you're going 1-0 down, 10 men.

You think, well, this is a long, long afternoon for the rest of the game.

And Alex Rufa pulled them back with scoring an absolute screamer.

You know, just one of the best goals he's ever scored.

And it's like he doesn't score many, but they tend to be quite good ones.

What do you make of their pull? And any of those teams for you saying that's a victory for us?

Apart from that lapse in defensive towards the end of it, it was a good outing for the team.

Yeah, it was.

And I mean, I think also, you know, watching the game and then after two minutes, they had, you know, Columbia's got this beautiful sweeping move and a guy just rips the ball and, you know, no chance for Max Crocombe.

And you're sitting there going, wow.

And I actually said, wow, on the couch going, that was quality.

And you thought, oh, here we go.

Now this is really a step up.

But have you seen enough in their attack from Darren Baisley to show that they're on the right course, right direction at the moment from an attacking point of view?

Apart from that lapse in defensive towards the end of it, it was a good outing for the team.

Yeah, it was.

And I mean, I think also...

I was watching the game, and then after two minutes, Columbia's got this beautiful sweeping move, and a guy just rips the ball.

No chance for Max Crocombe, and you're sitting there going, wow.

Actually said wow on the couch, going, that was quality.

And you thought, oh, here we go.

But have you seen enough in their attack from Darren Baisley to show that they're on the right course, right direction at the moment from an attacking point of view?