After defeating Bahrain in the playoff, New Zealand are going to make a long-awaited appearance in the World Cup next year. The only reason they have qualified seems to be because Australia have switched to the Asian qualification region.
Australia's squad is way superior than that of New Zealand. If Australia were still participating in the Oceania qualification region, they would have easily finished above the All Whites and entered the playoff instead of them. With Australia now out of the way, New Zealand were presented with this amazing opportunity and have done well to take it.
However, I fear that New Zealand will be humiliated in the World Cup next June. Yes, they were better than the other teams in the region. Yes, they did beat Bahrain. But have any of the teams they have played against been of the quality they will be up against in the World Cup? I can easily see them finishing with zero points and conceding a fair few goals if they are drawn with countries such as Brazil or Spain.
Having said that, New Zealand have done fabulously to have qualified for the World Cup. They were fortunate that a major obstacle in the form of Australia was removed. But credit is due for overcoming Bahrain. The World Cup will be good exposure for their players and a fantastic opportunity for their staff and players to learn and come back stronger in 2014.
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