From the time he began his tenure as Head Coach of the Golden Jaguars, the Brazilian Marcio Maximo has been placing great emphasis on the ‘balance’ between using local talent and international players to produce great results while simultaneously developing local football.
Golden Jaguars’ international player Neil Danns
Having consistently chanted his mantra, this head coach expanded on the topic at a press briefing last week, and his reasoning was supported by the international players who have been stalwarts in the Guyanese team.
“I don’t think you can compete with any team without local players; it’s not really development. Also, you can’t give up your international players to compete; it’s a balance (that must be struck),” Coach Maximo explained at the press briefing.
When the names of the 20-man squad for Guyana’s first two CONCACAF Nations League games in September were released, many were surprised that an even number of local and international players had been named. The coach has not just yet let up on this practice, as he has opted to use a whopping six local players in Guyana’s games against Antigua and Barbuda at home and away.
Golden Jaguars Head Coach, Marcio Maximo
“I think that international players and local players should work together, like they’re doing now. We need good integration…to maintain our performances,” he said.
Asked about the development of Guyana’s leagues, Maximo declared his belief that that would be a long process. He, however, disclosed that players are already at a point where they are motivated to train and play, and his conviction is that while the players develop, the league would do so simultaneously.
“We’re trying to minimise the gap between local players and international players. It’s my job to do (that), because when Mr. Forde hired me, he hired me to come develop football. I can’t create the best competitive league overnight; you should first motivate players to train (regularly), like they’re doing now, and give the opportunity to them to be part of the process,” Maximo explained.
Guyana’s Neil Danns concurred with this observation, even as he declared that he has seen a fair turnover of players in the Guyanese senior squad. Referring to Guyana’s impressive outing in the CONCACAF Gold Cup tourney this year, Danns noted that, in its development, Guyana’s football is going through a positive transition that should directly impact the way it is played locally.
“I think (that) at this moment in time, everyone can feel that Guyanese football is going through a transitional period, and we’re all on board and fully committed to this transition. We realise (that), in order for everything that we achieved with the Gold Cup, for that to filter down, it’s got to filter down to the local players,” he stated.
The midfielder declared that the positive impact of the balance has been visible since Coach Maximo joined the senior team set-up.
“So, basically, like what the coach said, the balance has got to be right now. Even from the first get-together under this coach, you could see the difference in the quality of the local players (by observing) their development,” Danns explained.
Danns has even opined that the time is quickly approaching for Guyana’s next generation of senior players to emerge, and he deemed it wise for those players to rub shoulders with contemporaries who are more experienced.
“I’m an ageing player now, and I still have some to give. But it’s all about focus on the next generation now, and the youth players. You see, with the inclusion of your Kelseys and the other young lads, it benefits them now being around the senior players,” Danns explained.
