Following two international friendlies in the inaugural FIFA Series competition, Guyana’s Golden Jaguars have walked away with a mixed bag of results. First there was a 1-0 loss to Cape Verde, which is ranked 92 places higher than the Golden Jaguars; and then there was an imposing 4-1 victory over Cambodia.
At the conclusion of the international friendly action on Tuesday at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jedda, Golden Jaguars Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz summed up the Saudi Arabia outing by deeming it “just what the doctor ordered”.
Shabazz mused, “When you look at the first game, we started slowly and we had to play catch-up. Again, this game, I thought we started slowly, we trying to put a game together where we build from the back, the guys are buying into it. I thought we looked well going forward, creating chances, but at times I felt we looked vulnerable at the back in this game.
Head Coach Jamaal Shabazz is pleased with the depth of the squad
“We definitely have some work to do on the defensive line. All in all, these two games are just what the doctor ordered for us. It has boosted the confidence in the team, the camaraderie and the team spirit; and I think that going into preparations for Panama, there is more enthusiasm than fear,” the Head Coach added.
Responding to inquiries of whether or not the Golden Jaguars had achieved their set objective, Shabazz answered in the affirmative, highlighting that there were a lot of positives.
“I think partially we achieved the objective, in getting the guys to buy into the game model more. as I said, I think the glass is half-full, because we looked very vulnerable to the counter-attack. We want to fix that and be a lot more organized defensively. But going forward, I’m satisfied that the guys have the concept of how we want to build up and play forward.”
Shabazz went on to divulge, “Now I think it’s a matter of trying to get a good preparation in from this experience. There are lots of positives that we can take from here. So much good things happened to us that has opened our eyes to international football, that has created a hunger in not just the players, but in the staff, to continue to rise.”
The Golden Jaguars’ next assignment comes in June
Welcoming the performances of the goal scorers, Shabazz emphasized that the national team has a lot of depth heading into its next important assignment.
“There’s a lot of focus on Omari, and rightly so, but we have a lot of youngsters in and around the squad. Khedoo, Leo Lovell, we have players coming, and I think this augurs well for the programme,” Shabazz opined.
Referencing options like Nathan Moriah-Welsh, Stephen Duke-McKenna and Nathan Ferguson, the Head Coach revealed, “I am pleased with the depth that we have in the squad, the hunger and enthusiasm; and I think it really now is to count down on the time to get together again and prepare for the next phase.”
The Golden Jaguars’ next assignment is a clash with Panama on June 6, which will kick-start the country’s FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign. For the World Cup qualifiers, Guyana is in Group D, alongside Panama, Belize, Montserrat and Nicaragua.
