Maximo urges fans to remain strong, vows Jaguars will do better

– Cox says team learning from their mistakes
– Maximo & Cox seeking to amend mistakes

The Golden Jaguars suffered a horrendous 3-0 loss to the Soca Warriors on Thursday March 25 in the Dominican Republic, but although Captain of the Jaguars side, Sam Cox, and Head Coach Marcio Maximo are gravely disappointed, they yet believe the Jags will bounce back when they tackle the Bahamas on March 30.
Maximo noted that while many may have questions on the structure of the team, he was not unhappy with the way they played. In spite of the team creating chances, the Head Coach admitted, they were not able to capitalise on those opportunities presented before them.

“Of course, we are disappointed! The score did not reflect what we saw in the game. If you see the full 90 minutes, the team was composed and tactical. But sometimes we make primary mistakes in the crucial times of the games; you would have to pay the price. But generally, the team competed at a high level.
“I repeat: the score doesn’t reflect what the team put in the game, as we were composed and organised. We are part of a transition process; you can’t keep the same group for 2 to 4 years. It’s my responsibility, as I have the GFF and players’ support, sometimes we play bad, but it’s all part of the process. While it is sad that we lost, we encourage them to learn from their mistakes.”
Maximo noted that the team would henceforth be analysed, as he would be looking into things such as the overview of the game, and not only the result. Hence, he will focus on the next game, and learn from their mistakes, as they have three more games to play.
Captain of the side, Sam Cox, humbly apologised to the Jaguars’ supporters, as he related that the team knew how important the game was to all Guyanese across the world. Cox reiterated that play in the first 45 minutes of the game was not good enough, and the entire team is hurt and disappointed.

Cox also said, “We’ve got Tuesday night to bounce back. We are looking forward to amend that game as, at the end of the day, no words can atone for what happened on Thursday. They exploited us, and we did have chances, but if you concede the goals we did, then we didn’t deserve to win that match. We could have scored a couple…goals, but we have to recognise our shortcomings, as we have to be better and adjust them, learning from our mistakes.”

Midfield Queries?
At the end of the game, many fans had had questions about the centre midfield selection of the Jaguars, which consisted of Daniel Wilson and Sam Cox, and the selection of debutant Miguel Scarlett who plays right back position.
Here’s what Maximo said: “It is our job to analyze the players. Cox’s team plays him midfield since sometime, and Wilson trains together, so that’s why at regular time I optioned for both in the midfield. Also, in the case of Scarlett, he is an offensive winger that would have opened the corridor, so our analysis was correct. I am satisfied. I did not like the results, but the team was organised.”

Adjustments to midfield in the future?
Further, Maximo went on to say that the two teams were compact, as there wasn’t any space in between the midfield. He noted that it wasn’t only Guyana that played like this, but Trinidad as well, hence heading into Tuesday’s encounter, the team needs to recognise their mistakes when moving forward.
He also noted that if one were to analyse the game, the local side had 3-4 chances to score when the game was 0-0, but Trinidad capitalised.
Nevertheless, the Jaguars Head Coach noted that the team needs to prepare for its encounter with the Bahamas, as they are another team, and they would have to take another approach in terms of their strategies.

Maximo’s message to Guyana
Maximo reiterated that it is his belief that the team did not put on a bad game, and while they could have done better, they must learn to reflect on their mistakes. He noted that while the game wasn’t perfect, there are things they can do to be better, and he believes that everybody did their best.
“We are in a transition phase, as mention, and we have to work on the program. Look at Venezuela, they came to Guyana and lost 7-0, but look at them now. They maintained their programme and they are the perfect example. For Guyana, we improve our local players and foreign players, and interchange between them as that is our main objective.
“We should have patience. It’s just not to have a team of winners overnight, but rather, we need time to do it. We must focus on that programme, and I am sure that it will be a success.” Maximo opined.
Further, he stated that the people of Guyana should not lose hope, as it is all a part of football; and while the results were not positive, the Jaguars will focus on the next game as they recover from their loss and come even stronger that the last game.