Golden Jags ‘focused’ ahead of must-win games

‘Focus’ seems to be the main component of the Golden Jaguars’ game plan heading into the second half of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers today.
Guyana’s Senior Men’s National Football Team will embark on the first of two remaining World Cup Qualifying matches in the Group stage, as they seek to move on to the next round of qualification.
However, with Guyana sitting at fourth place in Group F, two wins on the trot is necessary for the Golden Jaguars.
According to Head Coach Marcio Maximo, focus and professionalism will be key for the home squad.

Head Coach Marcio Maximo

“For me, it’s a test of concentration, test of professionalism; and I’m very surprised with the players, because we don’t have any problems with discipline issues here or lack of concentration in what we are doing. So, they are completely focused in the competition,” the Head Coach shared, during a pre-match media engagement on Thursday.
Speaking to the objectives that the team currently holds, Maximo highlighted that winning the two games is more important than accumulating goal difference.
“Our first objective before making a lot of goals, is winning the game. Because if you win tomorrow (today) we go to 6 points, Puerto Rico just have 4, and against Puerto Rico, if we beat them, we don’t need the score to advantage, because I think that we should start step by step.”
He emphasised, “The first target, we should win the game, definitely, tomorrow (today) and against Puerto Rico, to keep our chances alive.”
On the topic of the team’s sporadic training and travelling, the Head Coach was adamant that it was fruitful and the team remains confident.
“We have seen very high intensity in training and great commitment from the players,” said Maximo. “We are very optimistic that we can take some positive results in St. Kitts. We know it’s going to be a challenge, but everyone has high confidence about hitting our targets.”
Reiterating what the Head Coach had to say, new Captain Matthew Briggs also touched on the importance of the team remaining focused, while trying to build momentum ahead of the upcoming Gold Cup.

Captain Matthew Briggs

“I found that it has been an easy transition, to be honest. For me, as being one of the leaders in the group, I found that it has been the easy way for me to step in to this role. The players have been very accepting,” Briggs said initially about his first stint as captain.
Moving to his thought on the upcoming matches, he commented, “Football is football. And we all have to stay switched on, we have to prepare in the right way, I don’t think it’s going to affect us going into the Gold Cup. I think football is momentum-based, so right now, we’re focusing on this first game against St. Kitts and we’ll take it from there.
“We’re going there to win and when we win that game, we go into the next game and son on.”
As the man with the task of leading the team, Briggs is hopeful that his squad can play positively without worrying.
“How I think I’m going to approach captaining the team is to obviously lead the team to a win. But for me I feel like when we played in the past, maybe we played with a lot of stress on our shoulders, trying too hard, like we need to win, which is good but I want to instill in the team ‘play with no pressure’.”
The Golden Jaguars will face off with host team St Kitts and Nevis at 4pm on Friday, June 4. After which, they will take on Puerto Rico on Tuesday. June 8, at the same time.
Guyana currently sits at fourth place in Group F, moving down one following Puerto Rico’s recent win over the Bahamas. While St Kitts leads the Group with 6 points, Trinidad and Tobago and Puerto Rico currently have four, Guyana three points and the Bahamas as yet to win an encounter.
The Golden Jaguars’ team reads: Akel Clarke, Shawn Adonis, Kai McKenzie- Lyle, Miguel Scarlett, Matthew Briggs (C), Liam Gordon, Terrence Vancooten, Nicholai Andrews, Bayli Spencer-Adams, Kevin Layne, Nathan Moriah- Welsh, Javier George, Daniel Wilson, Job Caesar, Marcus Wilson, Pernell Schultz, Stephen Duke-McKenna, Keanu Marsh Brown, Omari Glasgow, Kelsey Benjamin, Osafa Simpson, Trayon Bobb and Emery Welshman. (Jemima Holmes)