Look Loy: Phillips and Judah shone, but TT should be wary of defensive lapses

“[…] We were decent in attack in patches, especially after the introduction of the incisive Judah Garcia, who looked (to me) the most technically gifted and tactically effective attacker.

“[…] However, the wing backs barely made it into the opponent’s half [and] there was a permanently available space behind Neveal Hackshaw’s back on the left side of the defence…”

The following commentary, on Trinidad and Tobago’s 3-0 win over Guyana in their opening Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifying match, was submitted to Wired868 by former Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) technical committee chairman Keith Look Loy:

Photo: The Soca Warriors pose before kick off against Guyana on 25 March 2021.
(via TTFA Media)

Our first win in God knows how long, and a necessary win with a performance adequate to the level of the opponent. 

Guyana were surprisingly poor, even if we take into account their change to younger personnel and their lack of training matches. (For those reasons I think the Guyana coach adopted the wrong match strategy, as was evidenced.)

The team selection was good, based on the evident tactical approach. We benefited from a poor referee decision to donate the third goal to our cause, but we were decent in attack in patches, especially after the introduction of the incisive Judah Garcia, who looked (to me) the most technically gifted and tactically effective attacker.

Ball possession needs consistency and calculated patience, and our play was too often vertical. But Daniel Phillips had a good debut and looks promising, while the other midfielders were competent. However, the wingbacks barely made it into the opponent’s half. They left the attacking to the front three. Modern attacking tactics require so much more of them.

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago midfielder Judah Garcia (centre) tries to keep hold of the ball during friendly senior team international action against Panama at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva on 17 April 2018.
(Copyright Chevaughn Christopher/Wired868)

Even with our dominance, there were serious issues of:

  1. Concentration among the defenders, who gave several opportunities to a poor opponent—opportunities that a better opponent would seize;
  2. Defensive cover, as there was a permanently available space behind Neveal Hackshaw on the left side of the defence that Guyana never seriously exploited, although they hit the post from that position while goalkeeper Nicklas Frenderup stood and judged the ball as wide of the mark (he was otherwise solid).

All in all, a good start, which places us in the expected pole position to win the group. But Puerto Rico at home should not be taken for granted. Every dog bad in their own yard. 

St Kitts and Nevis should despatch Bahamas and move on to six points, so we keep an eye on them for a showdown in next window.

More from Wired868
T&T resume WCQ campaign x Curaçao in POS on Friday 5 Sep

The Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team will resume their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign against Curaçao at the Read more

Yorke’s troops slip to 101st in Fifa rankings; T&T now six years in the doldrums

The Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team dropped one place to 101 in the Fifa Men’s International World Ranking Read more

Dear Editor: How to build fitter, smarter and more resilient athletes

“[…] One of the most common causes of injury in the preseason is the sudden increase in training intensity. Coaches Read more

Dear Editor: TTFA should come clean on relationship with radio station

“[…] We have a national senior men’s soccer team funded by Fifa, the government (my tax dollars), and private donors that pays Read more

T&T mis-Fortune for WCQ campaign; Atlanta midfielder requires surgery

Midfielder Ajani ‘Jay’ Fortune will miss the remainder of Trinidad and Tobago’s 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign as well as Read more

Yorke says T&T can compete—but can Warriors get to 2026 World Cup?

Trinidad and Tobago Men’s National Senior Team head coach Dwight Yorke said the Soca Warriors proved that they belong among Read more

Check Also

Dear Editor: My issue with our health facilities—where Arima gets high and low marks

My experience at the Arima hospital today was mixed. It was mostly sweet, mind you. …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.