Rijsbergen wants improved fitness
By Joel Bailey (Newsday).
Friday, June 15 2007
TRINIDAD AND Tobago football team coach Wim Rijsbergen is making a plea for the national footballers, as well as the others in the local leagues, to improve their fitness if they are to succeed at the international level.
The former Holland defender expressed this point at the Piarco International Airport yesterday, after the national team returned from participating in the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament.
Competing in Group “B”, the TT team lost 2-1 to El Salvador on June 7 and 2-0 to the hosts United States on Saturday last, before battling to a 1-1 draw against Guatemala on Tuesday night.
“When they get a little fitter, you’ll see an improvement,” said the straight-talking coach. “The US is proving that because, overall, it’s not the most skillful team they (have) but they’re very fit and that’s what you need in international football.
“The guys who played a little bit more, you saw that their fitness was improving and that’s what we’re looking for,” Rijsbergen said.
“Hopefully, they have to do, individually, a little bit more extra when they’re with their clubs on their own to reach that level.”
Describing his stint with the team in the US as tough, he noted: “It was a good experience for the boys and, hopefully, everybody saw it on TV.”
In his analysis of the three matches, he said, “We had a very good match against El Salvador, unfortunately, we lost it, we made some defensive errors. “But I think the boys did well.
“In the second match, we’ve seen that physically against the US, we need a little bit more than just playing the match,” he said. “The third match was very difficult because we had to win. When we lost Dwayne Jack after 30 minutes, the guys fought very hard to get a result but it was very difficult.”
Rijsbergen, who has been at the helm of the TT team since August 2006, noted that the visa problems encountered by a number of the players in Honduras (after their June 2 friendly international), hampered their preparations.
He made it clear to the players that they would not be guaranteed automatic spots on the national team.
“Some of them did well and some of them have to show a little bit more in the future,” he said, “and, of course, we’re still looking for some other guys.
“We’re still looking in the Pro League and, maybe, if we have a chance, do some scouting in the US,” he added. “Maybe we can pick up some other players and still have some friendlies and some training sessions to get the best team possible.”
Concerning the status of central defender Anthony Noreiga, who was hospitalised following a collision with goalkeeper Jan- Michael Williams and American striker Brian Ching, Rijsbergen said, “(he is) getting much better, he’s still in the hospital.”
Noreiga suffered internal bruising and bleeding to his head and was warded in intensive care at the Harbour UCLA (University of California Los Angeles) hospital.
“It was a shock to all the boys and, in the beginning, we didn’t know what was happening (to him),” the coach continued. “His mother (went to see him) last night.
“Hopefully everything will be okay and he’ll be back on the field pretty soon,” was Rijsbergen’s wish to the 25-year-old.
Concerning the team captain Densil Theobald, Rijsbergen stated, “Theobald was improving when he was playing. I think he was a good captain and he’s one of the guys who is fighting all the time and trying to perform well. That’s a good sign for the other boys.
“So they’ll keep up the good work and are willing to sacrifice a little more, and work hard,” he added. “When they’re back with the clubs, they have to maintain a certain level of fitness, and improve it. And then we’ll see, in the next international games, what happens.”
