Waitakere United ponder formation choices

Waitakere United has settled into Tokyo ahead of Friday’s FIFC Club World Cup match against Sepahan (Iran) but Head Coach Chris Milicich has some unresolved issues – all of them good.



Milicich says his squad understands and is capable of playing a number of different formations depending on the situation, now he and his coaching staff must work out which will provide the best chance for success on Friday night.



“We have a very experienced and adaptable side here in Japan. A big part of our pre-season and the NZFC so far has been to expierment a little, work on different scenarios and have our players understand differenty systems and styles of play. They have done this well to the point now where we can drop into a different shape quickly and without fuss. What I must now do is figure out the best formation to achieve a result on Friday night and come up with the ideal combination of players to make it work. The good news is a number of players are putting their hands up to play, the spirit in the squad is great and everyone knows what we are here for.”



The only players not in contention are Shane Pascoe and Mikael Munday, both of whom are carrying knee injuries that will see them miss Friday’s tournament opening encounter.



Neil Emblen is taking a full part in training and may well figure in Milicich’s plans, albeit he has not seen much game time due to the injury picked up in the opening O-League match of the season a month ago. Emblen has the ability to play in a number of roles so again offers Milicich the sort of selection conundrum all coaches enjoy – where to put quality players and how to fit them all into your starting eleven.



Interest in the tournament and in the Oceania representatives is high with the arrival press conference attracting 60 different media representatives, primarly from Japan but also from around the world.