Ricki Herbert: former All Whites head coach speaks ahead of the FIFA World Cup final

The finalists are now set in the FIFA World Cup.

This morning, England started off strong and looked set to make their first final appearance in 66 years, but Argentina stormed back towards the end to win 2-1.

Former All Whites head coach Ricki Herbert joined D'Arcy to discuss.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk Zed be finalists have been found for
the fee Fat World carp This morning second semi final,
England looked like they were possibly in with the chance
of their first final appearance in sixty six years sixty
six on that sixty Yeah it was ninety sixty six,

(00:30):
wasn't it. I get my sexes all mixed up and
you get triple six. Well, yeah, they move quick, but
miss me. They are leading one zip. Then Messi and
those mates decided to start piling in on them after
they packed a coach in front of the golch weird
Ricky Herbert, former All Waits coach, joins us now to
take a look. Ricky welcome is a former top level coach.

(00:52):
Can you tell me what happened to the English in
that second half?

Speaker 2 (00:56):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (00:56):
Look, it's interesting, daursays, And I think I guess at
the end of the day, we've got two really exciting
teams coming to the final and that's amazing to see.
And I think if we can just jump back quickly
to the first semi final, you know, France and the
Rich vein the form they were and you know, didn't
really get a foot in the game against the Spanish
team that was absolutely sensational. So can we flip it
over and we you know, we're seeing English eye that

(01:18):
takes the lead and you know, not long periods to go.
But I guess decisions and that's what's always going to
have some controversy to it. Do you kind of sit back,
sack up the pressure a little bird and try and defend?

Speaker 2 (01:30):
And for me, look at that.

Speaker 3 (01:32):
Level and the quality of players, I'd be disappointed that
they haven't been able to do that, you know, and
whether that's the right decision by the coach to take
to go down that pathway, I still think you've got
to put some emphasis back on the players to defend
better because we've seen so many teams at this World
Cup that haven't been able to defend have gone home
really early.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
You get that feeling that one Argentina are cotton on
to what they were doing in the England thought well
that's okay, we's going to go absolutely ballistic and that
just gave them that extra energy, that wind in their
sale to just keep attacking airily like that did.

Speaker 3 (02:07):
Yeah, I think the good aren't they when they can
get their tails up and like you say, they get
a little bit more space, a little bit more time,
and the pressure is not coming, you know, deep in
their half or deep in their defending thirds. So you
know that clearly put the game back into the Argentinian's
hands and they have the quality and expertise to make
those fine cuts and make those margins and make a

(02:29):
difference by taking those small opportunities when they come along
and score. So look, it's always going to be a
talking point, mate, I mean, you could have made changes.
They could have still lost. You've got to make changes
and they could have win. So devil you do, devil
you don't. I guess I just look back at it
and go, well, you know, best teams in the world
have the best defensive records, they conceive the least amount
of goals, they have the best goal scoring difference.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
So in moments like.

Speaker 3 (02:52):
This at the World Cup, I don't personally, I don't
see it any differently.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
Wanted to make the opening stands at the start of
it. It become scrappy. I think it's probably a pleasant way
of saying it. That was quite an aggressive and it
was a clunky old first half. Wasn't it don't really
got into the rhythm of the swing of it.

Speaker 3 (03:10):
Yeah, look, I think we're always going to be engaged
into something like that. I think it's probably something that
you're not wanting. But you know, I wasn't sort of surprised,
you know, to feel little tackles and little few pushes
here and a little bit of a skirmish, and you know,
I think it was always going to set the tone
on you know, who was going to be big enough
to stand up and kind of move forward and bring

(03:32):
that game plan together, you know, on either side of
the English side or the Argentinian side, and who could architect,
you know, the best strategy, the best way out once
that sort of dust had settled.

Speaker 2 (03:42):
And yeah, like.

Speaker 3 (03:43):
I say it, you know, England had their chance by
getting their noses in front, and at the end of
the day, the Argies were just too good at the
end of the day to take those chances and come
away with a super result for them.

Speaker 1 (03:55):
Well, I don't know, skin and it didn't bother me
who won through that game. I'm an interested bystander more
than anything. But in the essence, you've got to look
to Argentina. I suppose, well, credit where credits do got
the job done, and that bloke Messy was instrumental that
when that situation arised he could actually he led them,
didn't he Really? It was a fantastic work work from him.

Speaker 3 (04:18):
Yeah, And I think, you know, we shouldn't come to
expect that all the time for him, because there's ten
other players on the pitch and players coming off the
bench to implement and sort of drive energy and make
differences in teams. But you know, clearly we do keep
coming back to him because he's absolutely.

Speaker 2 (04:36):
Well class and you know we don't speak lightly about that.

Speaker 3 (04:38):
It's you know, he's certainly at the sharp end, the
top end of the sport that we love. So you know,
the applause goes out to him because he just keeps
rolling out these appearances when when it's tough, tight and
at critical times and biggest sporting event in the world.

Speaker 1 (04:53):
Not all roads now lead to New Jersey three v. Four,
just pushing that to one side, like Russell sprouts on
a plate that the final Now what you've seen who
walks into this holding favorite if any side does, who
do you like ahead of this? We've seen them at
their best and they've got one more shot.

Speaker 3 (05:13):
I think probably it's going to be tight nas see,
whatever it is, I think at the end of the day,
I think, but I'd probably need to lean with the
Spanish team, I think, you know, leading into it, and
you know, I thought France from day one were going
to be very, very difficult to beat, and you know,
they looked extremely good going into that quarterfinal, but never

(05:34):
really good a chance. And I think, you know, the
Spanish side come out and we're clearly dominant, took the chances,
you know, pressed one balls, really good balls in the
middle of the park and made life extremely difficult for
the French team right across the pitch. So you know,
that performance I think a signaled that they probably werernant
a slight edge going into the final, but they'll come

(05:55):
up against a super tough Argentinian team, let me know.
And you know, if they can architect and get enough
good quality ball in that final third of the pitch,
then they've got the Magician and Messi to drive there.
But they've also got the quality of players to finish,
so it'll be an extremely great final I think, But
if I had to, I'll just lean slightly with the Spanish.

Speaker 1 (06:15):
The organization over anything else when you look at the game,
they're on a piece of paper, not that you play
it on a piece of paper. You've got that all
sort of out going into it. Well, you've got a plan.
It's a good plan. It's a plan that's worked. Why
would you deviate from that?

Speaker 2 (06:30):
Yeah, and I think you're right.

Speaker 3 (06:31):
I mean, you know the Spanish was slow to get going,
wouldn't they through the group stages? But they've clearly growing
and you know, they're a fantastic team to watch, and
they were super in that game against the French.

Speaker 2 (06:41):
So you know, I think they will. You know, they'll
be difficult to break down.

Speaker 3 (06:46):
And I think, you know, Argentina, I think we'll just
have to go to a slightly different level. And I'm
not saying they can't, because they've got the quality in
there to do it. But again, just reiterating, I think
the Spanish might just have the edge.

Speaker 1 (06:58):
Ricky, welcome back to sleep. You'll get that next week.
I'm sure you're going to enjoy it or they're going
to miss the football a lot. I know, it's okay,
it's only four more years, Ricky Hubert, thanks for your
time as always.

Speaker 2 (07:10):
Geeers Dassy, let's appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (07:12):
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