Soccer: All Whites get World Cup warning

John Adshead (R) takes the All Whites through a training drill in 1981. File photo / NZ Herald

In the run up to their sudden-death World Cup finals qualifier this month, the All Whites should take heed of mistakes the All Blacks made in their 2007 Rugby World Cup campaign, former New Zealand soccer coach John Adshead says.

The All Whites face Bahrain in Wellington on November 14, with the prospect of being the first New Zealand team to make the World Cup finals in 27 years if they win.

While coach Ricki Herbert must be tempted to wrap his star All Whites in cotton wool ahead of that winner-takes-all game, Adshead argued that would be a mistake.

Adshead, who coached the 1982 side that famously beat China to make the finals in Spain, said the biggest threat to the current team was injuries, but resting players was not the way to go.

"The best training you can give a footballer, or give any sportsperson, is to play a game. Playing is a lot better than training," he said.

"I think we saw an example of players not playing games in the Rugby World Cup in France, and suddenly when we asked them all to come and play we failed.

"You can get as many injuries, if not more, on the training ground as you can on the playing ground."

With six of the All Whites squad from A-league franchise the Wellington Phoenix, Herbert, who coached both teams, certainly has the opportunity to rest players.

But Herbert appeared to be thinking along the same lines as the 1982 coach, showing no signs of wanting to preserve players for the national team.

On Sunday, Phoenix and All Whites goalkeeper Mark Paston was forced off the field after injuring his hip , most likely ruling him out for the Phoenix's clash with Newcastle tomorrow.

Herbert said seeing Paston injured was a concern, but that, as the coach of both teams, he could not focus on the threat of injuries too much.

"You can't. I could be watching Ryan Nelsen on the TV, I could be watching Simon Elliott in America, it's uncontrollable."

Herbert said if Paston was fit to play, he would play, and that was the case with all the other players in both squads.

- NZPA