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:

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.

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.