The Barbarous ready to intervene for New Zealand

New Zealand forward Kosta Barabarouses is set to lead the line of tournament favorites.

“It’s not often, when we play in other windows, that we are favorites. We have to recognize that we are favored to win and control the things we can control. We need to know that this won’t be easy, that there will be challenges, and we need to be mature and handle this in the right way. We have to do the basics well, and the rest will have to take care of themselves,” Barbarouses told Football in Oceania after the All Whites training session on Monday.

The Kiwis will play their opening match against the Solomon Islands on Tuesday. Solomon Islands lost their first match against Vanuatu and now need a good result against New Zealand.

“It probably reduces the chances of them playing five in defense and defending the whole game, but then again they could do it anyway and hope for a counter-attack or two. We know that regardless, it’s not going to be simple. We’re going to have to be on top of our game to get the job done,” says Barbarouses.

Goalscorer Responsibility

With Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood missing from the team as he is getting married at the time of the tournament, it is Barbabarouses who is seen as one of the main goal-scoring men for the Kiwis.

He is coming off a solid season in the A-League, where he scored 13 times in 28 appearances for Wellington Phoenix.

“I haven’t always been an attacker, but in recent years I have evolved in this area. I had a good year this year, I scored a lot for my club. In general, I handle responsibilities very well and I’m the most experienced player here, so I have to lead the boys. We have some very good young forwards ready to make an impression. I want to score goals, but I also want to guide the other guys to do the job as well,” he says.

Monday’s training session took place at a field “in the middle of nowhere”, about 15 minutes from Port Vila, Vanuatu’s capital. Barbarouses are a veteran of the Nations Cup and know the conditions are not always what they are used to at home in New Zealand.

“That’s part of the challenge, you know. It’s a challenge to just play two touchdown passes. I think the stadium will be a bit better, but like I said, that’s part of being in the islands and Oceania. That’s part of its beauty, you just have to accept it. I’ve been to several of these tournaments over the years, so I know what to expect, but for a lot of our guys, it’s the first time, and you kind of have to help them through the challenges that we are facing. But from what I’ve seen over the last few days, they’ve done it pretty well.

Vanuatu’s humidity also poses a challenge for some players and could dictate the pace of play somewhat on Wednesday.

“Game management is probably the biggest challenge. It’s not realistic to drive 100 miles an hour the whole game in this humidity, so we have to pick our moments. We have to control the game and choose the moments when you attack. After three or four forward runs or sprints you lose your breath for a few minutes, so if we have control of the game we can control when we go on the offensive,” says Barbarouses.

“Good luck winning a trophy”

He is one of the veterans of a group which will also be formed for the 2024 Olympics in Paris in a few weeks.

“We have some very exciting young players in our team and a good mix. So getting everyone together and figuring out what we want to do in the first game has been really good,” he says of the team’s time since arriving in Vanuatu a few days ago.

They also had more time to prepare since their first match was canceled due to New Caledonia’s withdrawal.

“There are a lot of players, 6 or 7, who could make their debut tomorrow. Some of them came on the last tour and didn’t play. I think giving them as much time as possible is a good thing. They’re really looking forward to it and it’s a good chance for us as a nation to win a trophy,” Barbarouses said.

About the Author