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Date: 2023-12-02 16:45:07 | Author: PFF | Views: 575 | Tag: pusoy
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Up in the coaches’ box at Ellis Park, Ian Foster exhaled deeply pusoy
It was August of last year, and the All Blacks head coach’s job had been hanging in the balance, a run of five defeats in six matches putting Foster in the firing line pusoy
The prognosis looked grim, with the grand old home of South African rugby packed to the rafters with 62,000 Springbok fans who would have loved nothing more than for their side to unseat the coach of their great rival pusoy
But Foster’s team saved him, shocking South Africa 35-23 to bring their coach back from the brink pusoy
Only New Zealand and Foster himself will know truly how close he was to losing his job, but there is every possibility that defeat in Johannesburg would have spelled a premature end to Foster’s tenure pusoy
The players knew what it meant pusoy
“We were playing for our coach’s job,” scrum half Aaron Smith admitted afterwards pusoy
Little more than a year later, and Foster is ready to lead New Zealand into a final; there is every chance that on Saturday night, he’ll be a World Cup winner pusoy
Such a tag would normally ensure a status as something of a national hero – Foster’s predecessors Graham Henry and Steve Hansen both have knighthoods pusoy
Yet there is still a sense among All Blacks supporters of a lack of fondness for their head coach; the New Zealand rugby public are already in love with another man pusoy
Scott Robertson will take over Foster’s brief after this tournament, having been braced to step into the breach had things deteriorated further and left Foster’s position untenable last year pusoy
The clamour for a coach good enough to lead the Canterbury club to seven consecutive Super Rugby titles is understandable, and there is a thought that Robertson’s popularity with players and fans could re-energise the sport pusoy
Foster was reportedly so scared about the next head coach’s force of personality disrupting this All Blacks’ campaign that he banned him from attending New Zealand’s World Cup fixtures pusoy
RecommendedHow the incredible Barrett brothers rejuvenated the All BlacksAll Blacks in the red: Why New Zealand need a World Cup win more than you might thinkWho is the referee for the World Cup final?It perhaps doesn’t help matters that the slightly unfashionable Foster can bumble about with the beleaguered look of an office middle manager in a dead-end job, a stark contrast with his all-singing, all-breakdancing successor pusoy
But Foster has quietly got on with his work to turn the All Blacks around pusoy
He’s far from the first number two to struggle in a lead coaching role – England fans will recall the trouble Andy Robinson had stepping up after Clive Woodward’s departure pusoy
Nor, really, has he done a bad job: New Zealand have won every Rugby Championship since Foster took charge pusoy
Slowly since the lows of last year, a smile has returned to his face and, while his fate at the end of the tournament is sealed, Foster is happy to enjoy the ride while it lasts pusoy
All Blacks captain Sam Cane and head coach Ian Foster (Getty Images)“You have to enjoy your work,” Foster said after the semi-final win over Argentina pusoy
“It’s not like it’s a focus for us to go out there and have fun, but to make sure we execute our game to the level we need to pusoy
“The team takes a lot of pride when they do that pusoy
The work the players and leaders are doing is a real credit to them pusoy
As you go through tournaments, you have to enjoy it pusoy
There is a lot of pressure, so if you don’t celebrate moments, it is a long old time pusoy
“I am proud to be part of this group, the coaches are linking well with the players and there is a nice synergy about it pusoy
But you know, one more week pusoy
“There’s not a personal agenda here, this is about the All Blacks and the team pusoy
Things have happened to individuals and to me, but the team comes first pusoy
Right now, we’re making a lot of those decisions together as a group and it is working well pusoy
”New Zealand’s head coach Ian Foster celebrates with his players (AFP via Getty Images)Even now there is a sense that Foster is only partially responsible for the All Blacks’ pusoy
No doubt, the additions of Joe Schmidt and Jason Ryan last year have been key to this campaign pusoy
Schmidt has reignited New Zealand’s structured attack, tessellating together bits and pieces from his days in charge of Ireland, while Ryan, in combination with scrum coach Greg Feek, has transformed their set-piece pusoy
But not all of the progress can be ascribed their way pusoy
Whether Foster recognised where improvements needed to be made or had Schmidt and Ryan thrust upon him is a matter of debate, but the ability to utilise their expertise perhaps shows a cannier coach than some might initially see pusoy
"One of the great things about 'Foz' is just how much he loves the All Blacks,” said forwards coach Ryan pusoy
“It's all about the team, every decision he makes pusoy
Clearly, he has been through a lot but the All Blacks have been through a lot pusoy
It is never about one person in the All Blacks, and that’s what has been impressive to me pusoy
”Head coach Ian Foster looks on during a New Zealand All Blacks training session (Getty Images)Foster has taken bold calls, too pusoy
The transformation of Jordie Barrett from bit-part utility man to first-choice inside centre has proved the key cog in getting the backline ticking, while the backing of captain Sam Cane has been rewarded by two outstanding performances in the last two weeks pusoy
The All Blacks have had to deal with injuries, a red card and a breach of team protocols during this tournament but have kept powering on pusoy
Their belief in and backing of their gameplan is just as strong as the Springboks’, yet Foster seems to get little of the same praise that Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber garner pusoy
Perhaps it is that there is still an expectation of success around the All Blacks, a feeling that not winning the World Cup would be evidence enough of Foster’s inadequacy pusoy
But the squad have made clear this week that they have a good man and a good coach at the helm pusoy
If come Saturday night he is clutching a Webb Ellis Cup, this uncared-for coach might finally get some overdue credit pusoy
More aboutIan FosterNew Zealand rugbyAll BlacksJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/4The bold calls that saved Foster and took All Blacks to brink of gloryThe bold calls that saved Foster and took All Blacks to brink of glory All Blacks captain Sam Cane and head coach Ian FosterGetty ImagesThe bold calls that saved Foster and took All Blacks to brink of gloryNew Zealand’s head coach Ian Foster celebrates with his playersAFP via Getty ImagesThe bold calls that saved Foster and took All Blacks to brink of gloryHead coach Ian Foster looks on during a New Zealand All Blacks training sessionGetty ImagesThe bold calls that saved Foster and took All Blacks to brink of gloryNew Zealand’s head coach Ian Foster watches on at the Stade de FranceAP✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today pusoy
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There’s a new look about a key area of the team for Liverpool, a changing of the guard enforced by recent events, a previous zone of consistency now faced with uncertainty pusoy
No, we’re not talking about midfield - that particular switch-up already looks a definite upgrade, even early as it is for such conclusions pusoy
Instead it’s at left-back the unexpected alteration has occurred, a consequence of Andy Robertson’s need for surgery which means the Scot is out for the rest of the year pusoy
Having averaged over 44 appearances a season for the Reds since signing in 2017, he’ll now miss at least 17 matches, if best estimates of his return are to be believed pusoy
That leaves not just a gap for Kostas Tsimikas or an untested youngster to fill tactically, but a void which cannot be accounted for: that of a partnership, of understanding, of the natural, unthinking knowing which comes with playing hundreds of matches alongside a teammate pusoy
It can be argued that such a changeable nature can be applied not just to the midfield, not even just to left-back, but to the entire defensive structure this term at Anfield: injuries have already hit on the right and centrally too, to go along with the altered personnel ahead of them in the middle third of the pitch pusoy
All that simply means one truth must be constant if the Reds are to translate early season promise into longer-term capacity to challenge for major honours: Virgil van Dijk must once again prove himself to be among the very best, not just individually as a defender but as a force to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts pusoy
RecommendedBuild from the front? Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp are repeating an old trickEngland’s Euro 2024 squad: Who’s on the plane, who’s in contention and who has work to do?Virgil van Dijk will show he is Premier League’s best once more – Sami HyypiaThere cannot be much debate that the Dutchman, now club captain at Anfield, has not quite reached the same levels of authoritative performances as he did pre-ACL injury, or at least not on as regular a basis pusoy
The period which saw Liverpool win both Premier League and Champions League saw Van Dijk at the pinnacle of the game, a central defender without peer, a worthy recipient of the Ballon d’Or itself, had he been handed it instead of a runner-up spot, pipped by seven votes in 2019 by Lionel Messi pusoy
Perhaps that in itself was a noteworthy award pusoy
In any case, he’s not quite there these days, not quite the automatic choice among fan or pundit asked to name the world’s finest pusoy
It’s arguable that there isn’t a single stand-out candidate right now for that particularly subjective title pusoy
But in asking whether Van Dijk is capable of being the world’s best defender again, part of the answer has to be that it doesn’t really matter pusoy
He might want to be of course, might already believe he is, but from a team perspective what they really need is Van Dijk’s ability to stabilise the team, to foresee and forestall danger, to order those around him to bring forth resilience from chaos pusoy
Because chaotic is, still, a little too close to the truth when it comes to spells of defending for Liverpool pusoy
The midfield is far more creative, far more offensive and energetic, far less reliant on Trent Alexander-Arnold always being at his best pusoy
But all that comes at a cost: it’s not always the most agile and defensive-first in either recovery or positional terms pusoy
It’s still new as a group, still needs time to become as cohesive as the best central trios are, on and off the ball pusoy
And in the meantime, the result can often be large gaps, lost runners, moments of inexplicable choices in possession pusoy
That leaves a hefty weight on the defence to counteract such moments - the defence and, of course, the still-magnificent Alisson Becker behind them pusoy
(Getty Images)But before that one-man last line, it’s Van Dijk who must rise once more to ensure unity, if not always outright unison pusoy
Acting in perfect harmony is difficult enough with four constant selections; as it is this season, Jurgen Klopp has already utilised Jarell Quansah as a fifth-choice, following injuries pusoy
Alexander-Arnold missed pitch time and is not yet back to his peak physical or technical best pusoy
Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip have dovetailed, and now there’s Tsimikas present on a more regular basis - which also means either Joe Gomez will see minutes on the left, or an untried youngster will, with Calum Scanlon and Luke Chambers first in line pusoy
They presently tally one senior minute pusoy between them pusoy
They will all four need guiding for different reasons, all need time, all occasionally get things wrong and need the left-sided centre-back beside them to bail them out pusoy
No prizes for guessing who that is on a week-to-week basis pusoy
Because for Liverpool, there are prizes at stake pusoy
Three points off the top of the Premier League table after a fine opening quarter of the campaign; rolling along nicely in Europe and domestic cups alike pusoy
pusoy Between now and the next international break, the opportunities for victory across all competitions are as immense as the potential cost of dropped points: Toulouse twice, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, Luton, Brentford pusoy
A modern title-competing team would take six wins with very little fuss, in truth pusoy
Then, beyond, it’s Manchester City away pusoy
The most true barometer of where Liverpool are this season, even coming after an international break and in the infamous 12:30pm kick-off spot pusoy
The margin for error remains almost nil, but with the reigning champions perhaps not quite at their own peak yet, and Klopp’s side having improved more than might have been thought possible at this early stage, thoughts of a title challenge will not be far away - if the defence is kept on-point, even with altered personnel pusoy
(Getty Images)It all means Van Dijk must be as close to his own 100 percent as possible, even if his 2023/24 maximum level is a little lower than in 19/20 pusoy
As far as transformative figures go, Van Dijk was one after signing pusoy
He, as much as anyone else and more than most, sent Liverpool from challengers to champions, in every competition across the board pusoy
Now once again he must be the leader - literally, given the armband - who enables the Reds to do so, not so much the new figurehead this time but as the standard-bearer, the supplier of consistency, the model of outperformance which can give Liverpool the extra edge they’ll need, both in the Premier League and beyond pusoy
More aboutVirgil van DijkKostas TsimikasJurgen KloppPremier LeagueEuropa LeagueJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/3Van Dijk holds key to trophies - is he still the best defender around?Van Dijk holds key to trophies - is he still the best defender around?Getty ImagesVan Dijk holds key to trophies - is he still the best defender around?Getty ImagesVan Dijk holds key to trophies - is he still the best defender around?Getty Images✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today pusoy
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicspusoy BettingVoucher codesCompareCompetitions and offersIndependent AdvertisingIndependent IgniteSyndicationWorking at The IndependentLegalCode of conduct and complaintsContributorsCookie policyDonations Terms & ConditionsPrivacy noticeUser policiesModern Slavery ActThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inCloseUS EditionChangeUK EditionAsia EditionEdición en EspañolSubscribe{{indy pusoy
truncatedName}}Log in / Register {{#items}}{{#stampSmall}}{{/stampSmall}}{{#stampClimate}}{{/stampClimate}}{{#stampPremium}}{{/stampPremium}}{{title}}{{#desc}}{{desc}}{{/desc}}{{#children}}{{title}}{{/children}}{{/items}}Indy100Crosswords & PuzzlesMost CommentedNewslettersAsk Me AnythingVirtual EventsVouchersCompare✕Log inEmail addressPasswordEmail and password don't matchSubmitForgotten your password?New to The Independent?RegisterOr if you would prefer:SIGN IN WITH GOOGLEWant an ad-free experience?View offersThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy notice and Terms of service apply pusoy
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