T&T U16s not sure eight is enough.
By: Shaun Fuentes.[/size]
Fresh from an opening 8-1 victory over Aruba in the Caribbean Football Union Under 16 Cup at the Larry Gomes Stadium on Monday, Trinidad and Tobago’s Under 16 footballers are pacing themselves and are already trying to compare their game with the big guns around in the tournament.
Head coach Anton Corneal said he was somewhat satisfied with the performance but captain Jesse Fullerton wasn’t talking the same way as he stressed that his team is preparing for total football against the likes of Mexico, Guatemala, Panama and Caribbean rivals Jamaica and Cuba.
“It’s a good start but the tournament is two weeks long and we have to put things into perspective,” Corneal told TTFF Media. We continued to put pressure on them but it was difficult to see defensively where we were because they didn’t really make that transition from defense to forward too well. We won the ball early and we scored eight goals which was a good start and we created a lot. We have to hope that we remain healthy and take from here and only build on it.”
“We need to look at the bigger picture which is the CONCACAF level and the World Cup level. We also don’t want any complacency and we need to give the game it’s due respect and the only way to do that is to play from the start to the end. We will go into the game hoping to improve on things,” Corneal added.
Fullerton meantime said fitness was a key to his team’s strong second half showing and they are well aware that the same will be required against the bigger teams, not that they are estimating Wednesday’s opponent’s Grenada and Guyana which now has local coach Jamaal Shabazz as technical adviser.
“We were nervous a bit in the first half especially me because I felt my legs were feeling heavy but Anton Corneal spoke to us we settled down and we played our game. We also worked hard on our fitness and we showed that by finishing the game well. Our trainer stresses on that and he (Gilbert Bateau) is maybe even fitter than us. We are on the Caribbean level but we are trying to set ourselves for the next level. We might get two shots only against teams like Mexico and we need to make them count,” Fullerton added.
And with Shabazz being offered the post as technical director and head coach of the Guyana senior team, he will be keen to face T&T later this week. Shabazz, had been working two days per month with the Guyana FA since last August and has helped prepared their Under 16 team for this tournament.
“It’s a great opportunity to share the knowledge that I gained in football and Trinidad and Tobago. Following the permission of the TTFF I started assisting Guyana since last year and now with the new offer for the head coach I will have further discussions with the TTFF before I make my decision at month end. But it’s a big chance that I am really considering. I think I have given what I can to the women’s football here and hopefully I can now assist them in Guyana. Time will tell,” Shabazz told TTFF Media.
