Hallgrimsson asks for patience over midfield chemistry

THE REGGAE Boyz’ struggle in midfield reared its head once again in their 1-0 Concacaf Nations League A Group B game against Honduras at the National Stadium on Friday night.

The home team played second fiddle to the Hondurans, who dominated possession and created clearer opportunities for the larger part of the first half and the early periods of the second half.

The home team, consisting of a midfield trio of Bobby Reid, Joel Latibeaudiere and Kacey Palmer, lacked coordination and the ability to retain possession in the middle of the park, with most of the team’s creativity coming through wide areas from Leon Bailey or Demarai Gray on long balls from Damion Lowe and Ethan Pinnock in defence.

Although coach Heimir Hallgrimsson conceded that the problem in the middle of the pitch persists, he insists it will get better with time.

“We were off in midfield in general. We invested too many players in the build-up and that connection was lacking between the defence and the attack. So we didn’t find the players we wanted on the ball.

“We generally want to improve in possession but that happens when players play more games together and know each other better. It will come but, how long, I do not know,” he commented.

64TH-MINUTE GOAL

Jamaica took the lead in the 64th minute through a fine solo effort from former Everton winger Demarai Gray, and the introduction of Daniel Johnson for Palmer moments later gave some stability to the midfield, as the Reggae Boyz appeared a little more coordinated going forward.

“We tweaked it a little bit at half-time and second half was much better. So the midfield, we fixed it second half. I think, the last 20-25 minutes, Lats (Latibeaudiere) was outstanding. He grew into the game. We tried to push Kacey a little bit higher and let Lats be the lone pivot, so we had more options higher up the pitch, and then we added a third player in midfield and it started to flow a little bit,” he said.

Nevertheless, he thought it was a fair performance from his team, who play Haiti at the same venue on Tuesday.

“The surface got worse as the game wore on, and passes were not as accurate, as we are normally used to from our players. It could have affected us but it didn’t, and we are lucky and happy we kept a clean sheet.

“There were times in the game when we looked really good, and times when we were not so good.

“The balance was okay but we were missing some attacking moments and we lost at times going forward. But there were many chapters in the game and we had some good spells and bad spells, but it was a good performance when you add everything together.

“We can improve in defending and attacking. There are lots of things we can improve on, but 1-0, I love a 1-0,” Hallgrimsson said beaming.

Honduras coach Reinaldo Rueda said it was tough losing their opening game but said the Jamaican team is very talented.

“Losing is never good. Obviously, you never want to start with a loss. It’s a tough blow but Jamaica is a very talented team with a talented squad. From here, we have to lift ourselves up and think about the next match,” he commented.

Jamaica lead the group on three points, after Haiti and Cuba drew 0-0, and Grenada and Suriname drew 1-1.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com