Ahead of tomorrow morning’s game against Jordan, Men’s National Team Head Coach Danny Hay spoke to media about the match.

What sort of challenge will Jordan provide for the team? 

Firstly, we are super excited about another opportunity to get the players together.

All the analysis that we’ve done on Jordan shows us that it’s going to be a good test, particularly with a number of our players coming off the back of their off season. 

They are going to be very dangerous on the counter-attack. They’ve got some really technical players up front as well. They are really quite structured in a 4-4-2 block defensively so we are going to have to break them down. But we are just excited to have another challenge with this group of players. 


Any injury concerns coming into the match?  

There are a couple of little niggles and injuries that a couple of key players are carrying. So we won’t risk them... Probably more so than any other games in recent times we are really going to have to juggle the squad, watch minutes and look after player welfare because so many players are coming off the back of an off season. 

The team training in Abu Dhabi, UAE | Image: Abu Dhabi Cricket Club

What are some of the questions you are looking to get answers to from this window? 

The focus, obviously, is really on FIFA World Cup qualifying. Let’s not beat about the bush. We need to know exactly where our strengths and weaknesses lie so that we can give ourselves the best chance possible of making the World Cup. 

I guess for a number of players, they are going to get opportunities that they potentially haven’t had in the past. I’ve got a guy sitting right next to me [Tim Payne]. I know exactly what he is capable of but we need to see that again on the international stage so that he can try and put a stake in the ground in terms of making sure, if we make it to Qatar at the back end of the year, that he’s a big part of that. 

There’s going to be some big decisions to make. Not just looking that far ahead but [OFC] World Cup qualifying as well. Who is going to play in the big games. So a lot of players are going to get opportunities and they are going to have to show us what they are capable of.  

The All Whites face Jordan on Friday 28 January 2022 (Saturday 29 January NZ) at New York University Stadium, Abu Dhabi (kick-off 7pm / 4am NZ). 

Watch live on Sky Sport NZ with a delayed broadcast on YouTube from 10am (link below)

Article added: Friday 28 January 2022