Cavalier’s Speid: The target is on our backs
Published:Friday | September 20, 2024 | 12:14 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
DEFENDING Jamaica Premier League champions Cavalier will kick off their 2024/25 campaign on Sunday when they face Portmore United. Rudolph Speid, technical director of Cavalier, stated that he’s fully aware that his team will have the target on their backs throughout the season.
“Whenever we play a game we know exactly what we have to do. The target, again, is on our backs this year as we’re the champions and the most consistent team in the league post-COVID-19 pandemic so we know every team will be gunning for us. It’s a rebuilding phase every year but we’re used to it,” he stated.
Their opponents, Portmore United, lost in their opening fixture 2-0 against Mount Pleasant Academy. According to Speid, last year’s success is now behind them as they’re focused on the task at hand for the 2024-25 season.
“We just have to treat it like business, our backs are against the wall but we know what we have to do. We saw that Portmore lost some players but have also been able to strengthen. Last year amounts to nothing and we will just approach it businesslike and see what happens on Sunday,” he added.
Speid shared that while the coaching staff has to be mindful of the threat that the opposition brings, the Cavalier way of playing football will not change.
“Usually, you have to think about the opponents but Cavalier in the early season uses it as a testing ground, play what we want to play and see if the teams can cope with us. That’s how we approach it as this is a learning process and part of the competition,” he said.
In the off-season Cavalier lost seven players in the transfer window but Speid explained that it’s part and parcel of the game.
“We’re not perturbed by it as we like to give younger players the opportunity. I’m sure a lot of them would be happy those players left so that they can get the opportunity to play,” Spied said.