The team left for Canada via Japan on 19 May and touched down in Vancouver a week later having run the current World Champions Japan close in a 0-1 defeat in Kagawa.
They transfer on Tuesday to Edmonton – scene of their opening Group A match against the Netherlands on 6 June – but for now have put the brakes on a heavy schedule to ensure bodies and minds are in peak condition.
“We’ve going to have a little bit of downtime now,” said New Zealand coach Tony Readings.
“The group has been together and worked really hard non-stop for almost two weeks. It’s important we’re fresh going into the first game.
“When we move to Edmonton as a group we will hit the ground running. We’re planning to be in this tournament right to the end. That’s how we’ve written our programme – to stay fresh throughout because in these tournaments it can be survival of the fittest at times and we need to make sure we’re fresh going in.”
With the FIFA Women’s World Cup expanded to 24 teams for the first time and scheduled over 30 days, Readings says switching off is crucial to keeping high levels of focus on and off the pitch throughout the next month.
“We’re obviously going to be tactically organised. The girls are fit; they’ve peaked for this tournament but you’ve got to make sure you balance that with some downtime.
“We demand so much from each other as a group and want to be performing to the top end of our ability as often as we can.
“Whether it be in a meeting, a training session or watching the opposition we want everyone to be fully immersed in what they’re doing and to perform to that standard you need to rest in between. Getting that balance right is always tricky but we’ve been to a lot of these tournaments and we’re confident we’ve got it right.”
Preparing for a pool that also features the hosts (11 June) and China (15 June), New Zealand’s time away has included some behind-closed-doors matches against other World Cup teams, allowing the coaching staff to ensure all players are match-ready while putting the final pieces of preparation in place.
“We’ve been training really hard. We’ve had a couple of training games so we’ve been able to try a few more things and experiment a bit more before the tournament.
“Every player has had some really good game time against some good opposition. So it’s been a really good fine-tuning process for us and that’s what it’s about now.
“We’ve done the hard work and now it’s just about executing that the best way we can. Fine tuning those little things because that one or two percent can make a big difference.”
Story courtesy of New Zealand Football
For more on FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™ visit www.fifa.com

Share