HEAD coach of the Trinidad and Tobago’s Soca Warriors, Russell Latapy, said while tomorrow’s friendly against Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz at ‘The Office’ is being touted as a big derby clash, his focus is in on gauging where his team’s at as it relates to the upcoming Digicel Caribbean Cup.

“The exercise on Sunday (tomorrow) is much the same thing for us to have an idea of exactly where we are in our preparation. And we think if things go to form on paper these two teams who would most likely would be victorious in the Digicel Cup. So the game gives both a chance to have a better look at each other,” said the former Trinidad international at a press conference at the JFF headquarters in New Kingston yesterday.

Latapy also sought to dispel suggestions that his job could be on the line unless his Warriors put up a good show against rivals Jamaica, following a string of “poor results” against considered weak opponents of the region in the recent past.

“In football management it is a game of results, and if you don’t get positive results then changes have to be made. But fortunately for us, we will be judged by results in the Digicel Cup and that is not upon us yet,” he said shortly after the team arrived in the island yesterday from the eastern Caribbean.

In the first of the two-way tie, the Boyz were victorious 3-1 in Port-of-Spain, but Latapy is looking past that now.

“Our main purpose is the Digicel Cup and its preparation. There are several aspects of our game that we want to work on and these games are the perfect opportunity to do so,” he explained.

The iconic Trinidad player has promised an improved performance with the inclusion of four overseas-based players in Julius James from DC United, Keon Daniel from Puerto Rico Islanders, Yohance Marshall from the La Galaxy and Cornel Glen from the San Jose Earthquakes.

“That generation of players that include Dwight Yorke, Denis Lawrence just to name a few, are all gone and we are now molding a new crop of players between the ages of 20 to 25, so we just have to work diligently with our present crop to get the best results we can,” he noted.

Clyde Leon, who will lead the team tomorrow’s clash, said that the team was not bothered by pressure at this particular time.

“A victory will be a kind reward for our concentrated efforts to put in place some of the things we are working on. But how we play will be of greater importance at this stage of our preparations as it will give us a better idea of where we are at the moment with the Digicel Cup a month off,” he said.