Closed doors session for N.Z. squad

Press, 25 November 1981, Page 48

Closed doors session for N.Z. squad

PA Auckland The manager of the New Zealand World Cup soccer team, John Adshead. held a “closed doors" session with his squad yesterday to outline his plan to beat Saudi Arabia in Saturday’s crucial match at Mount Smart. After seeing the Saudis twice lose to China in Kuala Lumpur, Mr Adshead knows what he wants and his approach will be based on stopping the Saudi Arabians before they get going. “We’ve seen Saudi Arabia play the best football in the group — and the worst.” said Mr Adshead yesterday. "They can be brilliant and the trouble is that Mount Smart will suit their short passing, clever flicks, type of game. They have already described the surface out there as astroturf. “But they haven't shown much appetite for picking themselves up when things are going wrong,” said Mr Adshead. “Without going into detail, we’ll be pressuring them in their own part of the ground, much as we did with Kuwait and we don’t intend to allow them the room or the opportunity to build." Mr Adshead described the Saudi style of play as “Brazil five years ago.” “They like to build elaborately from the back, but they do it quicker than Kuwait," he said. Mr Adshead gave the impression he believed that the Saudis lacked the hard edge needed to win tough games with the pressure on. He was impressed with New Zealand’s performance in a full scale practice match against a New Zealand invitation side at Mt Smart on Sunday "We took control after two minutes and didn’t

slacken our grip on the game." He declined to reveal the reasons for the Gisborne City mid-field player, Ken Cresswell, being drafted into the squad for this game and immediately getting a run in the first team line-up at fullback. “He was lucky to get a run — but he opened up some new dimensions for us to consider,” was Mr Adshead’s only comment. The New’ Zealand manager has singled out the Saudi Arabian striker, Marjid Abdullah, and the central defender (and captain) Salih Al-Nea-Ainah, as two players with a “lot of class." He has also noted the w’ay the mid-field man. Abdulah Abd-Rabboh, links with Marjid Abdullah and the overlapping abilities of the fullbacks, Husain Al-Beeshy and Mohammed Abdul-Jawad. But his approach to this game will be positive — how to open up Saudi Arabia and produce goals — rather than defensive. This is a game New Zealand must win to keep alive its hopes of reaching the finals in Spain and every goal for New Zealand on Saturday will be worth an Arab oil well. The New Zealand camp is at full strength. The midfield player, Allan Boath, is the only player on the injured list — with a thigh knock from last Sunday's game. "Steve Sumner, Steve Wooddin, and Glen Dods are all back to full fitness after their little problems," Mr Adshead said. “So we are in better shape, fitter and sharper, than we have been at any stage of this World Cup campaign.”'