Noting that there is still much work to be done, technical director of football, Ahmed Mohamed, says he is heartened by the performance of the national team after the scoreless draw with Bermuda at the Usain Bolt Sports Complex, Sunday night.
“We did well against a team that had 14 professional players. All in all, I am satisfied with the team but we still have a lot of work especially in the final third. We need to capitalise on our scoring chances.
“We dominated the game, we should have won. Bermuda battled hard, but we should have scored. In terms of possession, it was 55-45 in our favour,” he said.
Some observers would have considered the result a shade disappointing as Bermuda are ranked at 184, 32 below Barbados who are ranked at 152.
Barbados might have been hoping for more at home after beating Bermuda 3-2 in Bermuda last November.
Over the weekend, Barbados took nine shots at goal with five on target and Mohamed says he is confident the youthful side will get it right as they prepare for the CONCACAF Nations League starting in September.
The team employed at 4-2-3-1 system and according to Mohamed, the team “needs time to adapt to the system”.
“We know we have weaknesses in the final third but you know we have young players and we have to give them a chance to fully execute with the new system.
“With the new system, when we go forward the two wing backs come into the middle and the two wingers go to the attack. It worked out somewhat on Sunday night because we dominated the midfield even though Bermuda had a six-man midfield,” he said.
Mohamed exposed plenty of young talent in the latter stages of the match and said he was excited to have some promising teenagers.
“We have a very young team and in the last 15 minutes, it was pleasing to see the likes of 16-year-old striker Dishon “Eto” Howell, Darico King (20) and Akeem Applewhaite, who is 18 and that is really promising against the likes of a far more experienced Bermuda line-up loaded with pros.
“I wanted to win the game, but you have to be happy with what you have. The main goal was to win the game and dominate. I am reasonably happy,” he added.
Mohamed acknowledged that the CONCACAF Nations League would be a very tough assignment as the national team will play matches against Guyana, El Salvador, US Virgin Islands and Nicaragua. The clashes with Guyana and El Salvador will be away fixtures while Barbados will be at home for the showdowns with the US Virgin Islands (USVI) and Nicaragua.
Barbados will face with Guyana in September, El Salvador in October, USVI in November and Nicaragua next March.
There are 34 teams in the entire tournament with the top ten qualifying for next year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States in June.
The showdown with the US Virgin Islands has special significance for Mohamed, a former technical director of that country.
“I have worked with the US Virgin Islands and I can tell you that we cannot under-estimate that team. It is a big match. They are on the rise so we just have to do our job and everything will be alright.”
The next thing on the horizon for Barbados is almost certain to be warm-up matches against Grenada and Belize. (MK)
