‘We will suffer’
Reggae Boyz coach wary of ‘good on the ball’ Dominican Republic
Published:Thursday | June 6, 2024 | 12:09 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
NO MATTER what the make-up of the Reggae Boyz starting team looks like today in their opening Concacaf Group E World Cup qualifiers, the type of performance they put in, or the time the game gets under way, head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said most significant is getting the campaign off to a winning start.
However, Hallgrimsson said their Caribbean opponent today cannot be underestimated as the Spanish-speaking country has experienced vast growth under Argentine coach Marcelo Neveleff, who has been in charge since 2022 and who has developed one of the fastest improving teams worldwide.
Nevertheless, the Iceland coach said three points is a must.
“The most important thing is to win this game. Dom Rep is the team everybody should be on the lookout for. That’s the tricky team to play.
“Everybody is talking about Guatemala (also in Group E), and they will be the toughest,” he admitted. “But you will see tomorrow (today) how good Dom Rep is.”
“We want to win and top the group. But it is most important not to be overambitious, be ambitious for sure, but not overambitious, and win this game and take three points and start this World Cup campaign on the front foot. That is most important.”
STUDYING OPPONENTS
He noted that they have been studying the opponent carefully and have been impressed with what Neveleff is doing with that team and that the game will be closer than most people expect.
“They have good players, good on the ball. They are a good passing team. So we will suffer at times as they will have possession for sure, trying to create chances. But winning is the most important thing, to get three points,” he reiterated.
The Reggae Boyz will be missing keys players such as Leon Bailey, Demarai Gray, goalkeeper Andre Blake, and Ethan Pinnock and will have to make adjustments tactically.
Nevertheless, Hallgrimsson is confident in the players at his disposal and said the intention is to go at the Dominican Republic from the opening whistle.
“I rather on match days to focus on the guys that are here and not about the ones that are missing. We will focus on this game and the players who will represent Jamaica, and we are really happy everyone in camp is injury free and in good spirits.
“We hope to start the game on the front foot and try and get some tempo in and truly maximise the qualities we have.
“So tactically, we are not going to say what we are going to do in this meeting, but we are going to start on the front foot and try to put some pressure right from the beginning,” he said.
However, he cautioned that this will be no walkover.
“Tactically, they are well drilled. It’s a mix of very promising young players, but they also have good senior players, who are good on the ball.
“They are a good passing team. They have been recruiting some good players playing at a high level from England and Spain. They have quality players at a high level. So they are a good, quality team.”