AFTER drawing 2-2 with a Barbados team that featured mostly Under-23 players on Sunday, head coach of the Golden Jaguars, Jamaal Shabazz, confessed that his side’s lack of fitness played a significant role in the outcome of the game, though he believed that Guyana should have won the game. Sheldon Holder and debutant Emery Welshman scored for Guyana in the 12th and 33rd minute respectively while the ‘Bajans’ replied through Jomo Harris (36th) and Mario Harte (38th).
The last time the two countries had met during the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Guyana won both home and away matches by a 2-0 margin, but the game at the Barbados National Stadium was played between two nations in a rebuilding process.
“Fitness was always an issue,” Shabazz told Chronicle Sport upon their return yesterday at the Ogle International Airport.
“For the first 32 minutes, we played very well. We created three chances and we scored two. After that, we didn’t have the tank or the gas and they were certainly fitter and faster, so, they equalised with two equally good strikes,” Shabazz said.
He added, “It was pretty even in the second half, but for the last ten minutes after bringing on youngsters like Pernell Shultz, Daniel Wilson, Calvin Shepherd and Clive Nobrega. It turned the tide for us and we should have pulled it away. The big difference in these two teams in Barbados was fitness.
“We had a better quality team than the Bajans but being able to play at a consistent level of intensity, we just could not put the game away; we were like a tired boxer.”
Was it the result Shabazz wanted? Certainly not, since prior to their departure Shabazz said that they needed to win the game to put Guyana’s football into perspective, as they will shortly begin preparation for the CONCACF leg of the FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifiers against St Vincent and Grenadines.
“We have a group of young, talented players along with a group of players who have a decent level of experience and exposure and the challenge now is to get them playing regularly, not just for the National Team, but for their clubs as well, week in, week out, training at a high intensity so we could get them fit and ready to play international football,” said Shabazz.
Shabazz said that recommendations will be made to the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Technical Director Claude Bolton to ensure that there is year-round football at the club level which will also help the National programme in the future.
The GFF Normalisation Committee had only contracted Shabazz for Guyana’s Barbados International Friendly and when asked if he would be around to see the Jaguars through their World Cup campaign, the Trinidadian said, “Well no, we haven’t gotten a chance to talk about my future as yet but when I am finished with my report and recommendation, we will talk about that.”
(By Rawle Toney)
