World Cup Qual. OFC
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last year - 10/3/2024 5:23 PM GMT-3
Coach Schmeling had the benefit of assessing a wider pool of local players in two international friendlies against the Australian U-23 squad in Port Vila last month.
He believes his Vanuatu side will be better than it was at the Nations Cup, having only spent a few weeks with the team before that campaign.
โWe know a little bit more about each other. I know them more as players and they know me as a coach. I think that helps.
โWeโre working on our physical conditioning and enhancing our goalkeeping capabilities,โ Schmeling explained.
โItโs essential to build a strong squad as we move forward in the qualifiers.โ
The Brazilian coach has worked with an extended squad of 30 players in the buildup to next monthโs match and will whittle it down to 23 next week.
Schmeling is a realist and believes his side will most likely be battling Samoa and Tahiti for the second spot in the group behind Darren Bazeleyโs New Zealand side.
With that in mind and a tight turnaround from the New Zealand game in Hamilton to playing Tahiti three days later in Auckland, the coach admitted he could potentially rest key players for the All Whites match.
โIt could be thatโs the way, save some energy against New Zealand and play the full strength against Tahiti.
โBut we have a few more weeks, more than a month for us to see whatโs the best for the November matches. Our main goal is to qualify for the semi-finals, so we need to assess our options as the games unfold,โ Schmeling admitted.
Since moving from New Zealand to Vanuatu in May, Schmeling has worked closely with the local clubs to identify talent and monitor players.
โI donโt have the players full time with me, but they are training with the clubs and training and playing every week, every day. So thatโs the one thing that I feel, and I want to keep doing, is being closer to the clubs, support the clubs, support the head coach, support the training. And the more I support the clubs, I believe the better players we will have for national teams.โ
Vanuatu fixtures
FIFA World Cup 26โข Oceania Qualifiers
(kick-off times local)
Saturday, October 12
v Samoa, 2:00pm, VFF Freshwater Stadium, Port Vila
Friday, November 15
v New Zealand, 7:30pm, FMG Stadium, Waikato
Monday, November 18
v Tahiti, 4:00pm, Go Media Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
Visit ofcfootball.com for more details.
He believes his Vanuatu side will be better than it was at the Nations Cup, having only spent a few weeks with the team before that campaign.
โWe know a little bit more about each other. I know them more as players and they know me as a coach. I think that helps.
โWeโre working on our physical conditioning and enhancing our goalkeeping capabilities,โ Schmeling explained.
โItโs essential to build a strong squad as we move forward in the qualifiers.โ
The Brazilian coach has worked with an extended squad of 30 players in the buildup to next monthโs match and will whittle it down to 23 next week.
Schmeling is a realist and believes his side will most likely be battling Samoa and Tahiti for the second spot in the group behind Darren Bazeleyโs New Zealand side.
With that in mind and a tight turnaround from the New Zealand game in Hamilton to playing Tahiti three days later in Auckland, the coach admitted he could potentially rest key players for the All Whites match.
โIt could be thatโs the way, save some energy against New Zealand and play the full strength against Tahiti.
โBut we have a few more weeks, more than a month for us to see whatโs the best for the November matches. Our main goal is to qualify for the semi-finals, so we need to assess our options as the games unfold,โ Schmeling admitted.
Since moving from New Zealand to Vanuatu in May, Schmeling has worked closely with the local clubs to identify talent and monitor players.
โI donโt have the players full time with me, but they are training with the clubs and training and playing every week, every day. So thatโs the one thing that I feel, and I want to keep doing, is being closer to the clubs, support the clubs, support the head coach, support the training. And the more I support the clubs, I believe the better players we will have for national teams.โ
Vanuatu fixtures
FIFA World Cup 26โข Oceania Qualifiers
(kick-off times local)
Saturday, October 12
v Samoa, 2:00pm, VFF Freshwater Stadium, Port Vila
Friday, November 15
v New Zealand, 7:30pm, FMG Stadium, Waikato
Monday, November 18
v Tahiti, 4:00pm, Go Media Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
Visit ofcfootball.com for more details.
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