CINCINNATI, Ohio – Reggae Boyz head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson has warned his side their winning performance against Guatemala in Sunday’s quarter-final, will not be enough to eclipse powerhouses Mexico in Wednesday’s semi-final.
Reggae Boyz head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson.Jamaica got a 51st minute strike from Luton Town defender Amari’i Bell as they edged a determined Guatemala 1-0 at TQL Stadium in the United States midwest, to advance to the final four of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
And while Hallgrímsson hailed the passion of the players and praised the defense for another clean sheet, he said there were areas which needed improvement if they were to deny Mexico.
“In the first half, I would say we were tactically a little open in regards to defending,” said the 56-year-old, in his first major tournament with Jamaica after taking over the helm last September.
“We were over ambitious, meaning we were rushing things both defending [and attacking]. We were trying to win the ball individually instead of collectively. I think then you lose a lot of energy in a game like this – an intense game, it was really hot.
“The same when we had possession, it was too much individual instead of collective. We should’ve passed the ball quicker to make them run instead of dribbling it too much.”
He continued: “So we learnt a lot from this match but still we did enough to win but I would say this performance would probably not be enough to win [against] Mexico in three days.
“So we need to learn from this game and we need to be more like a team, even though we’re happy with what’s happening.
“We’re now two games in a row without conceding a goal, which is always a good sign when you’re in knockout competition.
“So they’re some things we recognize we did not do well … but it was more important to win this match rather than thinking two steps ahead [to the semi-final] and maybe concede a goal.
“But overall I think we had a good team performance … you could see the passion of the players. There were a lot of tired legs in the final minutes of the game and Guatemala tested us in that area.”
Jamaica have been one of the form teams of the confederation showpiece, drawing with Group A winners United States, before thrashing fellow Caribbean Football Union counterparts Trinidad and Tobago 4-1 and St Kitts and Nevis, 5-0, to easily progress to the next round.
Reggae Boyz have fielded a strong side for the campaign with the likes of Premier League stars Leon Bailey, Demarai Gray, Bobby Reid, Michail Antonio and Bell, all turning out.
While acknowledging the individual quality in the lineup, Hallgrímsson said the side were continuing to improve as a unit the longer the tournament went on, and he expected them to test Mexico.
“This game was a 50-50 game. They probably have worked together longer than us as a team but we have probably better individuals …,” Hallgrímsson explained.
“There are a lot of new players doing their first games for Jamaica and I feel we are gaining strength with every game we play. There are more players now understanding what we want and we have more options to play players.”
He added: “I would say Mexico is not so different from Guatemala in the sense there is an intensity in their play. Both with the ball and without the ball, there is an intensity in their matches.
“So it requires a lot of energy to play teams like [Guatemala] and Mexico next. They (Mexico) play high pressure, they have really skillful players at a high level, so it’s just one step higher than maybe Guatemala are at this stage but same areas of strength. It’s just that the individual talent is higher than Guatemala.”
