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Thu, Mar

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Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation Technical Director Lincoln Phillips has paid tribute to the National Senior team for it's remarkable performance in last Wednesday's 2-1 win over CONCACAF giants Mexico at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.


"My heartiest congratulations to our Warriors for a great victorious performance last night.  While I am pleased with the way we played I am not totally surprized  over our performance. While Mexico, Costa Rica and the US are top ranked  teams I have seen our team outplay these teams, albeit for short periods, during our many encounters and lose when we could have gotten a win or tie. I know that we have the ability to possess the ball but we must work on possession of it for longer periods. If we do,  we will win games. And, that's what we did...possess the ball longer!" Phillips told TTFF Media on the weekend.

He added that credit must go to :
 
"The coach for working constantly on possession exercises and games during all of his sessions. Senior player Dwight Yorke has brought so much maturity (both on and off the field) and poise to the team .....and its beginning to rub off on other players. Dwight's presence in the midfield, even though his performances are not flashy, his presence represents a stabilizing force that was missing in our previous teams.  And when he speaks, everybody listens...because he has been there, done this, done that! Dwight  represents the weight-bearing column in a building...if he is not there the team may not collapse, but they will miss him!!

"Senior player Latapy  has brought another dimension to the team in his ability to handle the ball cleanly and manouver (meander) through a maze of pressurizing defenders with effortless ease.
 
"With these two players in the line up (together) ball possession percentages have gone up considerably!!!

"Aurtis Whitley whose game is now starting to pick up. I am sure  that Dwight and Latapy have had words with Aurtis and he is now coming around to realising his true potential. Before it seemed like he was playing someone else's game. I am glad that he is coming back to himself because that boy has some real talent...as he develops he will cause a lot of trouble for opponents.

"Chris Birchall...not so much for his contribution to ball possession but for his tenacity in regaining ball possession. He is what Dwight/Latapy is not...ball winners! So he brings another dimension to the midfield organization.

"Carlos Edwards for his improved slipperyness (I am making up adjectives)
And most importantly, credit must go to the fact that these four players have been playing together for several games....they are beginning to gell. Even newly inserted Cyd Gray looked good because he came into a "Team".
 
Good signs

"We have now won for the first time 2 games in a row in this final round of six. We have broken the jinx of inconsistent performances. When jinxes and droughts( long periods of not scoring) are broken then one can look forward to a period of good fortune....4 wins in a row and hattricks for Stern....This has been my experience after forty years of playing and coaching experience.

Exploring the psychological dimension

"When dealing with sport performances an athlete can find himself in three time zones: 1. the past; 2. the present and 3. the future. Whenever an athlete hits a bad patch, most times he is not focused on the right thing or he finds himself in the wrong time zone. For example, if a team wins a tough game and the next game is against a very weak opponent, they might relax and lose the game. The reason being that the players were focusing on the past and not the task at hand (the game). This has always been our problem because we never had anyone to handle the situation effectively: In 1967, in the Pan Am games we beat Argentina, Colombia and tied Mexico. We got over confident and bypassed Bermuda and lost 1-3. In 1989...the Strike Squad. Are we talking Deja vu here? I do not think so. We are well fortified to deal with this psychological bogeyman that has plagued us for over three decades. This team has what the other teams did not have: senior players on the field who have been through these experiences. Dwight and Latapy are very well grounded as well as scholar/gentleman/great athlete Shaka Hislop. So from a player perspective the team is well covered to deal with any psychological problems.

The technical staff:

Leo is a true battle hardened warrior. His words after the big win in Panama..." well it is good to have a win but let's get on with Mexico". One knows that this coach did not allow his players to slip into any foolish behaviour. Mike Maurice was part of the Strike squad and he understands what needs to be done. So, I believe that we are on solid ground inside the team. My problem is outside the team environment. We must be careful not to get too anxious and overly happy and do things like purchasing tickets to Germany. The media carries a lot of weight and must be responsible in their reporting. They (the media) are like the technical staff to a team. The media must keep its population grounded. If the wild, hysterical and overconfident reporting gets out of hand, it may affect the population which could easily seep into the team and erode the psychological strength of the players.

"We must understand that in order to win, we must play well....to our potential. If we do, we will qualify....one - block- at-a- time! That means that all players, once they assemble for the game all focused ,must be on playing their best possible game....for themselves, the team and for their country. We are two games away from qualifying let's not find ourselves in the future...let us all keep our minds on the here and now time zone (the task at hand).