Football: All Whites beat Tahiti and Malaysia - what we learned

Chris Wood of New Zealand applauds after their 4-0 win over Malaysia. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz

Analysis -It has been a very productive international break for the All Whites. Two wins, seven goals scored, none conceded and a winning start to their best chance of qualifying for a FIFA World Cup in a generation - it probably doesn't get much better for head coach Darren Bazeley.

With the next set of international fixtures coming round fast, here's we learned from the 3-0 win over Tahiti and the 4-0 victory over Malaysia.

Chris Wood needed that. While his great form for Nottingham Forest recently earned rare praise from the stereotypically scathing Roy Keane, he had not scored from open play for the All Whites since March 2022.

So scoring two trademark headers across both games, taking his record to 36 international goals, will be a huge boost for a player who has shown clear frustration after recent struggles at international level.

If the All Whites are going to perform to their absolute best, then Wood needs to be firing and this is a huge step toward doing so.

One criticism levelled at the All Whites in recent years has been an overbearing desire to play out from the back, despite potentially not having the personnel to do so.

The desire to control games remains, but there is certainly more licence to get up the pitch with more pace - much like they did to great impact with their late leveller against the US last month.

Against Tahiti, on the ankle-long surface of Port Vila's Freshwater Stadium, they adapted to try and test their opponents with chipped balls and crosses into the box, leading to Ben Waine's closer. There was a variety to the method of scoring across the seven goals this international window that demonstrated a much more adaptable style under the current management.

Malaysia left Libby Cacace to his own devices in the second-half last night and were severely punished.

The Empoli full-back ran his opponents into submission at North Harbour, constantly finding himself in dangerous attacking positions, with the reward being two assists. He could have had more and it is clear the 24-year-old can be both a potent offensive and defensive threat for the All Whites.

Unfortunately, he is not a regular starter at his Serie A team and the time will surely come where he will have to establish himself in Tuscany or consider making a move.

Have New Zealand ever had a stronger depth chart than they currently do going into this World Cup cycle?

Perhaps the biggest indicator of this is the players not selected or unavailable. Bill Tuiloma, Finn Surman, Joe Bell and Sarpreet Singh were among those left behind. Meanwhile, all three goalkeepers in the team could easily be the nation's number one.

New Zealand will never be able to challenge the best nations in the world in terms of world-class talent, and they know that. But the development of young players is certainly something that is paying dividends right now, with the squad and starting XI no longer simply selecting itself.

Scoring goals, especially against teams from outside the OFC cohort, has been a long-standing issue for the All Whites. However, the 4-0 win against Malaysia at North Harbour was their biggest over a non-Oceania nation since a Mark Elrick double helped them beat the same opposition 5-1 in Kuala Lumpur 25 years ago.

While Malaysia do not represent the likely quality of teams New Zealand might potentially face at a World Cup, they are a significant step-up from their usual regional opponents. There's proof of that, with Malaysia thrashing Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands 10-0 and 4-1 respectively in 2023. They also held South Korea to a 3-3 draw in January, so New Zealand should give themselves a deserved pat on the back.

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