Fred de Jong: Serbia can expose New Zealand's frailties

All Whites midfielder Tim Brown battles it out with Australia's David Carney. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The first transtasman soccer clash for five years provided a good benchmark for the All Whites.

With both starting line-ups on the field, the first 45 minutes gave a good indication of the relative styles and strengths of the two teams. Against an Australian side that sat back and defended deep, the All Whites looked assured and composed. They were content to retain possession and attack on their own terms.

They proved that when the delivery into the penalty area is on target then the All Whites have the height and physical presence to create problems. If they can bring that level of organisation and composure to the field they will not be embarrassed in South Africa.

But the Australians did expose some frailties. The All Whites lack any genuine pace, always a major handicap. As with most New Zealand teams, the technical ability is below international standards, making their passing look a little slow and laboured.

Tomorrow the All Whites take on Serbia in their second build-up match. This will give both a gauge on their progress and also on how Australia will fare at the World Cup, as they are in the same group as Serbia. Serbian coach Raddy Antic favours a 4-4-2 formation. He is not afraid to push his wide players forward as wingers. This will be a real test for All Whites coach Ricki Herbert's 3-4-3 formation, should he stick with it. Serbia will attempt to exploit the space in behind the wing-backs, which is something the Australian players could not manage.

Serbia finished ahead of France in qualifying for the World Cup. They are a settled side and seem to be heading to a major tournament without issues around player payments, squad selection or outside meddling which have derailed campaigns in the past. Much of the credit is attributed to Antic.

Players best known to Kiwis will be the superb central defender Nemanja Vidic, of Manchester United. He has been the linchpin at the back for Sir Alex Ferguson over the past couple of seasons. Also at the back is Branislav Ivanovic, who has become a regular in the Chelsea side. That says enough about his quality, so it could be a tough night for the All Whites' front three of Shane Smeltz, Chris Killen and Rory Fallon.

In midfield, captain Dejan Stankovic will be heading for South Africa with a Champions League winners' medal in his back pocket having come on for Inter Milan early in the second half in Madrid last weekend.

Stankovic has just re-signed for Inter until 2014, so that is a good indication of the high regard he is held in by one of the world's top clubs.

Serbia are favoured to finish second behind Germany from Group D and make the knockout phase at the expense of Australia and Ghana.

For New Zealand, only Italy will pose a more difficult threat in the coming weeks.