Football Ferns vs Thailand: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
What did we need to see from the Football Ferns in these games? Goals, victories, and a confident/ruthless attitude against a weaker opponent. Did we see those things? Yeah, we did... in the first game. That 4-0 win on Saturday afternoon in Christchurch made for a very satisfactory day at the office for Aotearoa’s senior women’s football team, providing a feeling that we have not experienced very often in recent years. They’ve had unlikely wins, they’ve had battling defeats, they’ve had solid draws... but routine victories usually only exist in the boundaries of Oceania match-ups.
To put that into context, the last time they Ferns won by at least four goals against a team from outside their confederation was... the last time they played Thailand. Back in November 2017. The last time they won by four goals in any home game was against Papua New Guinea in 2012. The Ferns had never previously won by 4+ goals at home against a non-OFC opponent. This could have been an even more emphatic win, that 4-0 margin hardly flattered them, but let us not get greedy over our first home-cooked meal in years.
Especially because the second game, on Tuesday evening, then reminded everyone that there’s still a long way to go as they were held to a 0-0 draw. The Ferns were no less dominant in game two... but Thailand must have shaken off their jetlag because they showed a whole lot more backbone with a sturdy and compact low block which the Ferns just could not break down. You know how that goes. They had shots upon shots, chances upon chances... though perhaps not the clear-cut ones that they were looking for. It’s a scene that we’ve all seen before – the parallels to the Philippines loss at the World Cup were hard to ignore.
But the second game doesn’t cancel out the first game any more than the first game can hide the second one in its shadow. We saw the duality of the Football Ferns during this window. Not in defence, where they were borderline flawless (zero shots allowed in G1, the only hints of wobbles in G2 coming from overcommitting in search of a goal), but certainly in that known area of limitation: the attack. An area that has been almost completely rebuilt over the last few years, where we’ve finally got some younger players on upward career trajectories demanding selection and beginning to flourish for the national team. Players like Jacqui Hand, Indi Riley, Macey Fraser, and Katie Kitching. They were all great in the first Thailand game. They were all wasteful in second, displaying the inconsistencies that commonly flow from inexperience.
It’s annoying because all the miserable folks pop up with critiques and pessimism whenever the Ferns slip up. They’re not always wrong... but there seemed to be a whole lot less of a clamour in the comments sections after the first game victory. But then that’s just social media for you, isn’t it? Really, these games ought to be looked at as a combined piece, in which we saw the progress that the Football Ferns are making mixed with the distance that they still have to cover. Some good stuff and many things that still need improving. In other words: an accurate reflection of where this team is at right now.
Game One
Chronological order means we get to do the happy game first. This one saw Jitka Klimková stick with the same formation and much of the same hierarchy of players as we saw in the Oceania Olympic Qualifiers last time out. It was a 4-3-3 formation with one holding midfielder. Indi Riley in the midfield again. The four changes from the 11-1 win against Solomon Islands were Anna Leat in goal, continuing her alternating rivalry with Vic Esson for the starter’s gloves, plus Macey Fraser in midfield and CJ Bott/Ali Riley in the fullback positions... the latter three having all been injured for that previous tour. In fact, neither Bott nor Riley had played since the Chile matches last September. Lots of Mack Barry and Mickey Foster with dashes of Grace Neville, Ally Green, and Liz Anton in the seven games in between but the two starters from the World Cup remain the two best options (although the gap is arguably closing on Ali Riley).
These tactics worked well against the OFC teams (after adjusting from a bland 4-4-2 in the opener) and this was always likely to be a similar type of match-up, where the Aotearoa side would have most of the ball. Obviously a very different approach will be necessary at the Olympics where the Ferns will become the unlikely underdogs against France, Canada, and Colombia... but this was not that. Continuity intact.
The Football Ferns took instant control against Thailand, bossing them physically and technically. Especially physically. Some of the mascots that walked out with the Thai team were almost as tall as the players so that was always going to be an area where NZ had advantages, with CJ Bott’s combative approach leading the way. Thailand brought a hugely different squad to that which failed at the intercontinental World Cup qualifiers in New Zealand a year ago, so they were clearly working on some things. One of those things was their passing out from the back although the lack of ball-speed there left them vulnerable to the press. Their keeper was very good though. Tiffany Sornpao had two excellent games, especially in the second match where she made seven saves and eight high claims. More on her later.
That ensured a bright start for the kiwis, leading to a 17th minute goal scored by Hannah Wilkinson who slipped into the area and beat the keeper with precision after Indi Riley had intercepted a bad pass. The NZers immediately huddled up after that goal with the mood looking far more business-like than celebratory. One goal was not going to suffice. However, one goal was all they had for quite a long time. Thailand’s low block got a little better but mostly it was New Zealand’s inefficiencies that were the issue. The intent was there. The execution not so much as sloppy touches and errant passes and rushed decision-making kept them from getting maximum bangers for their bucks.
Still 1-0 at halt-time. Still 1-0 after an hour when the first subs were introduced: those being Katie Kitching and Claudia Bunge. But then it very quickly became four thanks to a superb cameo from Kitching. First she set up Jacqui Hand for a goal on 64’. Then she scored two of her own. Kitch missed a bit of a sitter after Wilkinson had squared her a generous pass but quickly made amends by scoring a more difficult one when she volleyed home after a Fraser attempt had been blocked on 71’. Then on 85’, CJ Bott won a penalty with more typically tenacious work. Katie Kitching stepped up to convert it. Gabi Rennie did hit the post in stoppage time but 4-0 was good enough.
Game Two
Ali Riley spoke to the telly cameras after that game, sounding satisfied with the win but stressing that there were a number of things that needed to improve from that team performance. She was not wrong. Although they scored four times, they weren’t exactly ruthless with it. At least not until Katie Kitching turned up. Kitch was rewarded for that cameo with a start in the second game where she took the place of Indi Riley. There was also a swap at goalkeeper with Vic Esson getting her turn in front of a home crowd after Anna Leat played the first – that’s six games in a row that these two have alternated in. Claudia Bunge also swapped in for Rebekah Stott who had a rest ahead of A-League finals.
This one was already different when Thailand attempted the first shot of the match. It was blocked by Katie Bowen but still that was one more shot than they attempted in all of game one (it was also their only shot so don’t get the wrong idea). Their tactics remained the same but the low block was far more effective thanks to a boost in energy levels, mostly. Shaking off the rust. Did the Ferns get caught off guard by that improvement? Yeah, you sorta have to think they did. Though for their part there wasn’t much difference between how they approached the two games. It’s just that the opponents gave them a tougher time in the rematch.
The main criticism is that they were too reliant on crosses from wide areas. In theory it made sense to play direct like that against a smaller team, especially one which was given them room to cross from those wide areas due to their compact defensive quartet. Problem is... the Ferns are bad at heading. It was clear during the OQs and nothing has changed. Even Wilkinson and Jale, both tall and strong, are actually not that good in the air. Jale wins a lot of headers but she doesn’t score hardly any. Wilkie’s a bit better but still not reliable enough for that to be the main strategy. More underlaps and cut-backs would have improved things. More dribbling into the area looking to win another penalty. There was a little bit of both, especially when Jacqui Hand (and later Indi Riley after she was subbed on for the second half) was involved. But not enough. Klimková cited the 30 crosses they attempted in the second half (after 18 in the first) as proof of the pressure they were applying... but more incision through the middle would not have gone astray. Admittedly easier said than done against a deep defensive line with two holding midfielders.
S’pose another critique has to be that they never really changed this approach as the game went on. A trio of half-time substitutions saw Ally Green, Indi Riley, and Michaela Foster chucked out there (for Jale, Fraser & Ali Riley respectively) which only took them further into the ‘get it wide and whip it in’ labyrinth, with Green and Foster both being cross-first players. Actually, Green’s crossing was superb. She was by far the most effective exponent of that particular artform (Question: has Michaela Foster’s crossing gotten less effective this year or is that just familiarity speaking?). And, to be fair, they created enough half-chances from those many crosses to have won 4-0 all over again. But they didn’t, thus exposing the issues.
There’s always a lot of woulda, coulda, shoulda with the Footy Ferns and it tends not to be very helpful. The fact is, they had heaps of chances yet unlike that Philippines game at the World Cup it’s hard to pinpoint big moments (such as that evening’s offside goal, or when Hand hit the woodwork, or that spectacular save off Jale near the end). Again, lots of shots, lots of chances, but not enough clear-cut goal-scoring opportunities. No missed sitters. No blatant penalties ignored. Just a procession of half-chances that went awry. Nevertheless, it’s not hard to imagine one of these many attempts floating into the top corner, in which case this narrative changes pretty significantly (even though the underlying framework would be exactly the same... maybe that’s a blessing in disguise to keep us from getting ahead of ourselves?). With that many chances there should have been one that floated in the top corner merely by law of averages.
Instead it’s two steps forward and one step back for the Footy Ferns. Don’t be mistaken into thinking there’s no progress on show. Since the start of the World Cup we’ve seen a clear emergence of a new group of influential creative players, exactly what this team had been desperate for, and they’re steadily finding their feet at the international level. Also don’t be mistaken into thinking that progress is going to follow a steady trajectory. Younger players make mistakes. They overreact. They mismanage situations. They’re still learning and these are all important milestones, the good and the bad ones. Plus, as always needs emphasising, most player development happens in the day to day of club football. Ultimately, they should have beaten Thailand in both games. There’s not really an excuse for why they didn’t. It is what it is.
The Retirement of Ria Percival
The Football Ferns warmed up on Tuesday night in shirts that read ‘Thank You Ria!’ after their all-time most capped played retired in between these two fixtures. Not an unexpected development considering she’s not featured for the national team since the World Cup, regularly citing a need to get back into match rhythm for her club.
After a serious knee injury in 2022, she looked like her usual commanding self at the World Cup but that did not flow into her mahi for Tottenham Hotspur, leading to a match fitness loan out to Crystal Palace where she’s now playing as a right back. At the time of her injury she was probably this team’s most crucial player. At the time of her retirement she was beginning to look expendable thanks to the rise of Malia Steinmetz and her own form/minutes slump. The time was right, in other words. Shout out to a legend of kiwi football and let’s hope this keeps her going at club level for a few more seasons.
What this retirement also highlights is the way in which this squad has been refreshed over the past few years. It’s been a subtle process. There was no point at which they hit a dramatic reset button and dropped a bunch of senior players. Slowly and organically it just kind of happened on its own. Ria Percival joins Rosie White, Anna Green, and most notably Abby Erceg as recent retiremees. Erin Nayler is no longer getting picked for squads after settling into semi-retirement as a backup goalie at Bayern Munich. Betsy Hassett and Olivia Chance are pregnant and won’t be at the Olympics. They might return afterwards but they’ll have to earn back their positions. Annalie Longo’s recurring injuries have her in some doubt too, while Paris 2024 could well be Ali Riley’s final bow.
With the Olympics only allowing squads of 18 players plus four travelling reserves, there’s a very tricky selection dilemma ahead for Klimková. The Olympics are not a realistic target for the Ferns given its compacted format (and we know they struggle against compactness) and JK has long since been on record as seeing it more as a stepping stone towards the next World Cup. In which case, youth could be a tipping point in some of these decisions.
Locks: Leat, Esson, Bowen, Stott, Bott, Steinmetz, I.Riley, Hand, Bunge
Probables: A.Riley, Kitching, Wilkinson, Jale, Fraser, Taylor, Foster, Green, Clegg
On The Fringe: Cleverley, Rennie, Barry, Edwards, Satchell, Nathan, Moore, Longo, Anton, Blake, Main, Jackson, Pijnenburg, Neville
Can’t really see anyone else making the cut. The locks plus probables adds up to 18 players but that’s with no consideration of positions so it’s not a predicted squad. Although... it’s actually not a bad one, on closer inspection. Anyway, there’s no time for any sudden emergences between now and July given the timing of the various club seasons. This is where we’re at. There will be games at the end of May which will give us more of an idea of how the depth chart sits, including a last chance for those fringe players to have a say.
Further Notes
A crowd of 6031 showed up in Christchurch for this game, not quite what they were drawing during the World Cup but pretty good for a friendly against a team that isn’t a drawcard themselves (outside of a very vocal expat section in the stands). It was only 15 months ago that a crowd of 12k turned up at Eden Park for NZ vs USA which set a new record for a women’s international in Aotearoa. That’s been shattered since but is better context for this crowd. Game two, on a Tuesday night, saw 3503 hearty souls in attendance.
The amount of injury stoppages across both of these matches was insane. All of them for Thailand, if memory serves. Nobody really noticed it in game one because of the result but it was pretty much the same there as it was in game two (where is led to nine minutes of second half stoppage time in a friendly match with no VAR). Only difference is that many of those stoppages towards the end of the second match were for leg cramps - that’s one way to define a much-improved effort from Thailand. In both games they had to make first half changes, in fact they subbed off the player wearing the captain’s armband on at least three different occasions which is truly wild. Some of the stoppages felt a bit time-wastey but New Zealand can hardly complain. It’s not like they didn’t find time for enough shots. Would even suggest they did quite a good job of keeping the tempo high against a fatigued Thailand side, with Katie Bowen’s forays forward a particular help... they just forgot to score the goals.
Highlighting the youth/inexperience in the attacking areas, these are the players who got minutes in the midfield and attack across these two fixtures:
Malia Steinmetz – 25yo, 29 caps
Macey Fraser – 21yo, 5 caps
Indiah-Paige Riley – 22yo, 23 caps
Katie Kitching – 25yo, 8 caps
Grace Jale – 25yo, 30 caps
Jacqui Hand – 25yo, 25 caps
Hannah Wilkinson – 31yo, 124 caps
Ally Green – 25yo, 12 caps
Paige Satchell – 25yo, 49 caps
Daisy Cleverley – 26yo, 37 caps
Gabi Rennie – 22yo, 35 caps
Wilkinson stands out like a sore thumb there, doesn’t she? The next three most-capped players of that lot were only reserves as well. So keep in mind that the goal-scoring issues precede almost all of these players. We’re likely to see Milly Clegg getting game time at the Olympics aged 18 with 6 caps and there are a couple of uncapped options who mightn’t be out of the mix just yet either (all aboard the Main Train) – especially since the other thing that stands out is how only Wilkinson is a proper number nine. Hand finished game two there and was heavily involved but her finishing was no better than anyone else’s.
On that note, Hannah Wilkinson scored nine goals during the ALW regular season which is a very respectable haul, top scoring for the minor premiers. But she scored those nine goals from 12.9 xG. First for expected goals, only tenth for actual goals. Only three players had a worse xG differential than Wilkie’s -3.9 (Princess Ibini at -5.1 and Rhianna Pollicina at -4.3). Meanwhile Grace Jale scored three goals in her first four games for Perth Glory then failed to scored in any of her next 15. So that’s two of our front three who aren’t exactly in glowing form in front of goal. Even Jacqui Hand too. She’s been setting up goals for Lewes FC but has yet to score in eight appearances.
For that reason, combined with her direct dribbling abilities, it was a shame not to see Indi Riley stationed on a wing like she is for PSV where she’s been knocking in goals with regularity. Instead she was used in both games, same as in the OQs, as a Matt Garbett style midfield presser/dribbler. Not a bad option but the wider team balance arguably required her elsewhere.
Had the Fernies scored in that Tuesday nighter, it would have meant the first time they’d ever won seven games in a row (six wins on the trot was already a record). It would have also meant the first time scoring in seven consecutive games since 2012. They’ve done six in a row on a few occasions but only once gone further than that: scoring in 11 straight back in 1980-81.
It wasn’t initially clear who would get the penalty honours on Saturday. The Ferns have alternated spot kick takers with the last five all taken by different players. Ria Percival scored one in JK’s first game in charge but missed one against Norway at the World Cup. In between, while Percy was injured, Meikayla Moore scored a penalty in a 2-1 win vs Philippines. They won two of them in the Olympic Qualifiers with Ally Green scoring one and Grace Jale missing one. Now Katie Kitching has scored one as well.
Tiffany Sornpao was brilliant across these two games, a pesky goalkeeping presence at a time when the Football Ferns could really had done without it. Especially with how good she was in the air. Sornpao was born and raised in the United States making her a rare dual-national in this Thailand group (unlike that Philippines team at the World Cup which was almost all dual-nats). Sornpao is 25 years old and after a couple of years in Iceland, where she’d have come up against Betsy Hassett a few times, she recently made the move to Brøndby in Denmark where she’s their backup keeper. That makes her even peskier because Brøndby currently lead the Danish Kvindeliga ahead of HB Koge (Claudia Bunge & Daisy Cleverley) and FC Nordsjælland (Malia Steinmetz) in a three-way title race. So she’s threatening to keep spoiling things for that trio. They’ll be sick of the sight of her.
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