Missed chance
By Ian Prescott (T&T Express)
It was an opportunity lost by Trinidad and Tobago to put a handful of goals on both Bermuda and Barbados, and so give themselves breathing room in their Group B CONCACAF Zone second round World Cup qualifying series.
Just one of the four competing teams will advance to the third round. With a 1-0 home win over Bermuda and a 2-0 victory on the road over Barbados, the Soca Warriors lead the group with a maximum six points. Guyana, who edged Bermuda 2-1 on Tuesday night also have a maximum six points.
There is the feeling that T&T failed to distance themselves further by squandering many scoring chances against Barbados. According to the results in their two tricky matches against Guyana, those misses might hurt the Soca Warriors later in the series.
"We should have scored at least five goals," T&T assistant- coach Anton Corneal said after the Barbados match on Tuesday night. "We now have to go to Bermuda for what could be a tough return game, and they still have it in their heads that they beat us once during the last campaign."
T&T's German head-coach Otto Pfister was pleased to have picked up full points irregardless.
"It's not easy playing away but today I thought we played again a little bit better. Today I changed the organisation and we started with a 4-3-3 formation with Phillip, Clyde (Leon) and (Keon) Daniel coming into the first team. We dominated the game.
"Last Sunday Kenwyne Jones scored and today he gave the last two passes for the goals. I am satisfied with the performance. Now we have six points but we have to work very seriously for the next set of matches because we have to top this group and we need to stay unbeaten."
Coach Pfister added: "We had a good mix of local and overseas players. Today (Seon) Power was the best player on the field and he is a local player. And I was also very happy with (Julius) James. Today he played a perfect game. All these boys were okay and Daniel was also very good. At the end of the game when we were leading 2-0, I give a chance to Hyland also."
Likewise captain and Stoke City striker Kenwyne Jones felt it was a win obtained under difficult conditions, referring mainly to the poor state of the pitch at the very bumpy Barbados National Stadium.
"The surface that we played on was not the best. But, again, there were two teams playing on it and we had to make it work," Jones said. "A few things were off. The first goal was a good goal. The other one was a bit scrappy, but at the end of the day it was two goals and I am quite happy with that."
Jones said further that, "based on the group we are in, everyone would expect us to come out on top. Football is no easy game, there are no easy opponents. We have four more games to capitalise on being on top of the group to progress, " Jones said.
Pfister has installed Jones as captain, presumably to capitalise on his experience as an English Premiership player. But Jones was the chief culprit in missing chances against Barbados.
Two of his misses on Tuesday were glaring, as he failed to convert what lesser players most likely would.
Daniel scored from almost the same position Jones was in when he tried to dribble the keeper and took the ball out of play.
"It is the life of a footballer and a striker," Jones said. "Sometimes you get five chances and score one and other times you score all which you get. I am not dwelling on that. I have more games to go and I think there will be more chances to score."
As Soca Warriors captain, Jones is expected to do more than just dish off the ball, and then stand in the same spot admiring the work of his teammates. He would be expected to give teammate Hayden Tinto and others the option of taking a return pass, if he moved into a space. Against Bermuda, Jones scored, but that was it.
To his credit, the Stoke City man tried to do some work there. Against Barbados he was largely a stationary target who fell down easily, and constantly looked for the referee's help.
Generally though, the Soca Warriors are not aggressive and are so slow, that they allow defences to easily filter back.
They also never pressure the opposition when they do not have the ball.
The defence has held well, and Marvin Phillip seems to be the number one keeper at the moment. Seon Power has had two solid games, but will do well not to lunge against better teams.
Chris Birchall and Clyde Leon both worked hard against Barbados and Daniel was comfortable at central midfield where he unusually put in a few tackles. Carlos Edwards and Anthony Wolfe have managed as wing backs, though both are natural wide midfielders.
Up front, Jones doesn't do enough; Darryl Roberts is always on the move, but does not yet have match sharpness and Stern John, 34 next month, is still capable of scoring goals regardless of criticism about his age.
So far coach Pfister has a 100 per cent record and has worked under difficult conditions with just one warm-up match, and local players who have not played for seven months.
But unless he gets the Soca Warriors playing better soon, they will be no match for Mexico and Costa Rica.
