Liburd had a write up with some quotes from after. I'll post it here in a sec
WARRIORS STRUGGLE
...fall 3-1 to pacy Slovenia
Lasana Liburd (Express)
Thursday, June 1st 2006
The Trinidad and Tobago national football team got another European lesson yesterday evening as the "Soca Warriors" fell 3-1 to hosts Slovenia in their penultimate warm-up match before next week's World Cup tournament in Germany.
Slovenian striker Milivoje Novakovic ran the rule over the T&T backline with a hattrick-two of his goals came within the first 16 minutes-although midfielder Chris Birchall did muster a response with a fine strike midway through the first half.
Trinidad and Tobago never looked like winning, though, and team captain Dwight Yorke rued a catastrophic start.
"We always seem to concede goals pretty early," said Yorke, after the final whistle. "It is something we need to eradicate from our game."
Coach Leo Beenhakker conceded that his team struggled to handle the pace of Slovenia's game but was happy with the work-out and did not appear particularly distressed by the result.
"It was a very speedy game; very tough and physical," said the former Real Madrid and Ajax coach. "It was a perfect preparation match."
Beenhakker made three changes from the line-up that lost 2-1 to Wales on Saturday. West Ham goalkeeper Shaka Hislop replaced Kelvin Jack while St Johnstone striker Jason Scotland and CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh midfielder Aurtis Whitley replaced Marvin Andrews and Kenwyne Jones respectively. All three outgoing players experienced injury scares recently and could have been rested.
But Beenhakker did not just change names. There was a tactical swap as well.
On the weekend, Beenhakker used two nominal strikers in Stern John and Jones with the latter player retreating on the flank when T&T defended. Yesterday, Yorke played in a libero role-as an auxiliary third central defender or midfield sweeper-while full backs Carlos Edwards and Avery John were encouraged to push deep into the opposing half of the field.
Scotland and Densill Theobald were utilised in advanced midfield roles and pulled wide or tucked in according to the position of T&T's marauding full backs with John, as usual, playing alone upfront.
But Beenhakker's players barely had time to adjust to their new roles before they conceded the evening's first goal in the fourth minute. Slovenia captain Nasta Ceh's inswinging free kick from the right flank caught the opposing defence unawares and Novakovic swept the ball past Hislop from eight yards.
John, Trinidad and Tobago's all-time record scorer with 65 international goals, could have pulled the Warriors level in the 13th minute after a clever pass from Yorke but failed to lift the ball over Slovenian custodian Borut Mavric.
Three minutes later, Slovenia doubled their advantage from another Ceh set piece. On this occasion, Hislop blocked a header from Branko Ilic but an unmarked Novakovic rammed home the rebound.
Trinidad and Tobago pulled a goal back in the 26th minute with a superb half volley from Birchall into the far corner, his third international goal, after good build-up play by Theobald and Scotland.
Edwards nearly conjured an equaliser, four minutes later, as he skipped past two opponents to find John in the penalty area but the Coventry striker was slow in getting off his shot and was blocked by Ilic. John again found space in the opposing box in the 36th minute after another Yorke feed but, this time, was inches wide at the far corner.
Gillingham defender Brent Sancho came on to partner the lanky Dennis Lawrence at the interval with Gray moving to right back and Edwards rested. But T&T rarely threatened in the second half with Yorke content to baby-sit the defence.
"(His defending) was too much," said Beenhakker, "but, if we have the ball more, then Dwight can get forward."
Slovenia still managed to create chances and got a third in the 76th minute as Hislop failed to hang on to a Robert Koren effort and was again punished by an alert Novakovic.
Whitley struggled to assert his authority in central midfield and was booked after successive late challenges to add to cautions to Gray and Birchall.
"The game in Europe is much more speedy than we're used to," said Beenhakker. "It is difficult (for some of the players) to manage but we have to do it."
The experienced coach continued to stress the importance of ball possession in his plans.
"The main part of football is ball possession," said Beenhakker, "(when you have the ball) you can do everything."
The match statistics suggested that Trinidad and Tobago improved in that regard although the result was uninspiring. Yorke insisted that the squad had full confidence in their technical leader.
"You have just got to believe in what he is trying to accomplish," said Yorke. "Time is running out but I am sure, come the 10th of June, that we will be fully equipped."
Beenhakker highlighted the lessons learnt at Slovenia, which must be improved upon before Trinidad and Tobago's World Cup opener on June 10 against Sweden.
"We know exactly what we have to do," he said. "(We need) a little bit more discipline and much more concentration."
His players get another chance to show the extent of their education on Saturday when Trinidad and Tobago play the Czech Republic, ranked number two in the world by FIFA, in Prague.
TT: Shaka Hislop; Carlos Edwards (Brent Sancho 46), Dennis Lawrence, Cyd Gray, Avery John; Dwight Yorke (Capt); Densill Theobald, Chris Birchall, Aurtis Whitley, Jason Scotland (Jason Scotland 68); Stern John.
