Tweet
UP A NOTCH!
Boyz intensify preparation ahead of Panama friendly
Ian Burnett
Friday, June 05, 2009
It could easily have been mistaken for a World Cup qualifier - not necessarily for the quality of play, but moreso for the high levels of intensity.
BARNES... it's good to see there's competition for places
Such was the Reggae Boyz's training session at Winchester Park, St George's College, yesterday in preparation for Sunday's friendly international against Panama at the National Stadium at 6:00 pm.
The 21-man squad which was completed by Wednesday's arrival of European-based Rodolph Austin, Khari Stephenson, Demar Phillips and Jamal Campbell-Ryce held a full field squad match and team masseur Pablo Camargo was kept busy attending to players such as Austin, Jermaine Johnson, Navion Boyd and Demar Phillips who fell to hard knocks.
However, at the end of the session, save for a few niggles, all seemed free of any serious injuries.
Head coach John Barnes was not overly worried about the physical nature of play. "It's getting more intense now, the closer we get to the game," he said. "But it is good to see there is competition for places with the quality that we have and for the Gold Cup it is going to be even more so," he added.
But for Sunday's contest against the Digicel Central American champions, who were beaten 1-3 by Argentina in a friendly international in Santa Fe two weeks ago, Barnes has set a few targets for his team, in further preparation for the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the long term football development.
"I am looking for us to be more clinical in front of goal and I am looking for us to be less naive," he said, reflecting on some of the weak areas in the two previous friendly games against Haiti and El Salvador.
"We need not give the ball away in the wrong areas of the field, so we are looking for perfection as we always do, and the more we train properly and with good tactical discipline, the easier it gets for the players," he argued.
He added: "It is an issue because when you play against a weak team it doesn't matter because you will get the ball back easily, but when you play against the better teams it is much harder to win the ball back, and that is a lot of hard work, so when you have the opportunity to keep the ball, you need to do it."
But there is reason for Barnes, the former England international and Liverpool legend, to be hopeful because the players are responding positively to his instructions.
"Since I have been here I can't fault the players, they are trying to do what I have asked them to do, even sometimes at the expense of their own game. They like to play free and run with the ball, but I am trying to get them to be patient and more disciplined in their approach," he noted.
And though the Gold Cup is of paramount importance, Barnes is taking it match by match and for Sunday's contest, he says he knows exactly what he wants from his players and how he wants them to play.
He is also hopeful that Jermaine Johnson, who was given the responsibility of the playmaker's role against El Salvador, will continue to flourish in his new role.
However, he was quick to throw lavish praise on the two holding midfielders - Richard Edwards and Jason Morrison - whom he said did not get the headlines, but created the platform for Johnson to flourish.
"He's (Johnson) an intelligent player and it (system) is going very well, but we need to understand the amount of work that the two midfield players (Edwards and Morrison) do to make Johnson do what he does... they cover for him, they give him the ball and if he loses it they try to get it back.
"From a strategic point of view we are working on trying to get him the ball in the right areas of the field...and he (Johnson) is respectful of the role of those individuals play," he added.
THE DIFFERENCE!
Boyz intensify preparation ahead of Panama friendly
Ian Burnett
Friday, June 05, 2009
It could easily have been mistaken for a World Cup qualifier - not necessarily for the quality of play, but moreso for the high levels of intensity.
BARNES... it's good to see there's competition for placesSuch was the Reggae Boyz's training session at Winchester Park, St George's College, yesterday in preparation for Sunday's friendly international against Panama at the National Stadium at 6:00 pm.
The 21-man squad which was completed by Wednesday's arrival of European-based Rodolph Austin, Khari Stephenson, Demar Phillips and Jamal Campbell-Ryce held a full field squad match and team masseur Pablo Camargo was kept busy attending to players such as Austin, Jermaine Johnson, Navion Boyd and Demar Phillips who fell to hard knocks.
However, at the end of the session, save for a few niggles, all seemed free of any serious injuries.
Head coach John Barnes was not overly worried about the physical nature of play. "It's getting more intense now, the closer we get to the game," he said. "But it is good to see there is competition for places with the quality that we have and for the Gold Cup it is going to be even more so," he added.
But for Sunday's contest against the Digicel Central American champions, who were beaten 1-3 by Argentina in a friendly international in Santa Fe two weeks ago, Barnes has set a few targets for his team, in further preparation for the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the long term football development.
"I am looking for us to be more clinical in front of goal and I am looking for us to be less naive," he said, reflecting on some of the weak areas in the two previous friendly games against Haiti and El Salvador.
"We need not give the ball away in the wrong areas of the field, so we are looking for perfection as we always do, and the more we train properly and with good tactical discipline, the easier it gets for the players," he argued.
He added: "It is an issue because when you play against a weak team it doesn't matter because you will get the ball back easily, but when you play against the better teams it is much harder to win the ball back, and that is a lot of hard work, so when you have the opportunity to keep the ball, you need to do it."
But there is reason for Barnes, the former England international and Liverpool legend, to be hopeful because the players are responding positively to his instructions.
"Since I have been here I can't fault the players, they are trying to do what I have asked them to do, even sometimes at the expense of their own game. They like to play free and run with the ball, but I am trying to get them to be patient and more disciplined in their approach," he noted.
And though the Gold Cup is of paramount importance, Barnes is taking it match by match and for Sunday's contest, he says he knows exactly what he wants from his players and how he wants them to play.
He is also hopeful that Jermaine Johnson, who was given the responsibility of the playmaker's role against El Salvador, will continue to flourish in his new role.
However, he was quick to throw lavish praise on the two holding midfielders - Richard Edwards and Jason Morrison - whom he said did not get the headlines, but created the platform for Johnson to flourish.
"He's (Johnson) an intelligent player and it (system) is going very well, but we need to understand the amount of work that the two midfield players (Edwards and Morrison) do to make Johnson do what he does... they cover for him, they give him the ball and if he loses it they try to get it back.
"From a strategic point of view we are working on trying to get him the ball in the right areas of the field...and he (Johnson) is respectful of the role of those individuals play," he added.
THE DIFFERENCE!
Comment