After his confirmation as the 16th coach of the All Whites on August 5, Hudson has been busy ticking all the logistical boxes that come with the role, all the while eying up the chance to begin working with this new team.
“All of the other stuff is part of the job and it’s enjoyable but, to be honest, this is the only thing I’ve been looking forward to,” Hudson said on Sunday.
“It’s a great place to go as well and now we can start preparing for a game which is the most enjoyable thing for me.”
The trip to Doha and Tashkent for his first tour allows Hudson and the team to establish a routine for their away journeys with Asian nations likely providing regular All Whites passport stamps in the future.
“We have to do as many of these as we can because everything has to be relevant to how we prepare. Accounting for things like the distances, hotels, timings and adjusting to the heat and all those types of factors will be important for us going forwards.”
Hudson says the top priority for this group will be the detail imparted to the team on the training ground as the new coach beds in his approach to the clash with the side ranked 51st in the world – and third in Asia – in Tashkent on Tuesday 9 September (NZ time).
“This will be very good for us and Uzbekistan is one of the strongest teams in Asia and this will be a really good benchmark for us and that’s what we’ve got to keep doing – testing ourselves against relevant opposition.”
“I want two or three things to be very clear when we come away from the game but overall I want a really strong week in terms of preparation and a really strong performance.
“If we get the first bit right we will certainly get the second part right.”
Follow the team in action against Uzbekistan on Tuesday 9 September at 2am (NZ time) with LIVE coverage on SKY Sport 3.
All Whites squad v Uzbekistan
(Caps/Goals/Club)
Goalkeepers
Glen Moss (28/0 – Wellington Phoenix/NZ)
Tamati Williams (1/0 – Glenfield Rovers/NZ)
Defenders
Michael Boxall (9/0 – Wellington Phoenix/NZ)
Thomas Doyle (0/0 – Wellington Phoenix/NZ)
Andrew Durante (8/0 – Wellington Phoenix/NZ)
Winston Reid (17/1 – West Ham Utd/ENG)
Storm Roux (3/0 – Central Coast Mariners/AUS)
Ben Sigmund (32/2 – Wellington Phoenix/NZ)
Bill Tuiloma (4/0 – Olympique Marseille/FRA)
Midfielders
Cameron Howieson (8/0 – Burnley FC/ENG)
Chris James (18/2 – CS Sedan Ardennes/FRA)
Michael McGlinchey (27/3 – Central Coast Mariners/AUS)
Tim Payne (10/2 – unattached)
Ryan Thomas (2/0 – PEC Zwolle/HOL)
Forwards
Kosta Barbarouses (25/2 – Melbourne Victory/AUS)
Tyler Boyd (2/0 – Wellington Phoenix/NZ)
Jeremy Brockie (43/0 – Wellington Phoenix/NZ)
Chris Wood (34/12 – Leicester City/ENG)
Match details
Uzbekistan v New Zealand
Pakhtakor Stadium, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Tuesday 9 September, 2am (NZ time)
LIVE SKY Sport 3
Story courtesy of NZF Media.
For more on New Zealand football visit www.nzfootball.co.nz

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