‘It’s a very aggressive team’
To say that Panama has been Jamaica’s bogey team would be an understatement.
In 13 encounters between both countries since they first mat on November 3, 1969, the Caribbean champions have managed just two victories (2-1 and 3-2), with the Central Americans enjoying five wins, with the remaining six games ending in a draw.
For Assistant Head Coach Miguel Coley, who will be the man calling the shots from the touchline today — as Head Coach Winfried Schaefer sits out a one-game ban — the statistics don’t lie as Panama are very good team which should provide a stern test for his players.
“It is a very aggressive team, a physical team which plays a 4-4-2 system,” Coley, also the coach of defending Manning Cup champions Jamaica College, told the Jamaica Observer.
“In midfield they tend to play narrow and sometimes form a circle with the two strikers. The defenders play a little bit wider, but they are a good team,” he reiterated.
The coach also added that Panama are “very physical and I think they are coming here to play a high press game like Nicaragua did and like Mexico did in the Gold Cup Final, so I guess all the Central American teams will try to employ that tactic against us”.
He added that they are fast, especially down the wings, and in 34-year-old Blas Perez, they have a powerful striker who can be very potent, having registered 38 goals in 98 games since making his debut in 2001.
“They are without Torres (Ramon) their captain, but they have good replacements. Watching a couple of their games, sometimes Machado (Adolfo), number 13 comes from right back and plays centre half, so they have good replacements there and in a couple of the games they have been switching and changing players in different positions, so it’s a very good team and we just have to be disciplined and play with a lot of control.”
Over the years the teams have met n four World Cup Qualifying games, with Panama winning once, 2-1 here in Jamaica, while the others have ended in 1-1 (twice) and 0-0 results.
“They have scored four goals against us over the years (in WC qualifiers) and three have come from set pieces, so that’s the first thing in the back of our minds. We have to prevent them from scoring form set pieces.
“In terms of their attacks, they have a lot of speed and power up front and they tend to come through the middle a lot, so we just have to be very tight in defence, tight in midfield, be very organised and do what we have to do in terms of the plans for the game.”
Regarding their weaknesses, the assistant coach identified ‘one versus one situations’, especially on the flanks, and that they are susceptible to counter attacks. “If we can play quickly to the wings they will be susceptible to that; it is going to be very important that we keep switching plays because they are compact in the middle, move the ball as quickly as possible and look for our openings,” Coley explained.
However, according to yesterday’s edition of El Siglo.com, Panama’s head coach Hernan Gomez appears set to make one change to his defensive four-man backline in the absence of Torres.
Ricard Dixon seems set to accompany captain Felipe Baloy, with Adolfo Machado ad Luis Henriquez completing the quartet.
The news media claimed that a source close to the team confirmed that the Chorrillo FC defender was given the nod by the coaching staff, as Dixon was said to be in better shape just now and his style was more suited against the Reggae Boyz.
It said the goalkeeping job will go to Jose Calderon, the 30-year-old Platense player, in the absence of regular starter Jaime Penedo who is out on yellow card suspension.
The midfield is set with regulars Gabriel Gomez, who has 113 caps and 10 goals, Armando Cooper, Anibal Godoy, and Alberto Quintero.
Apparently Amilcar Henriquez and Valentin Pimentel will battle for the second striker’s position, with Perez, a teammate of Jamaica’s Je-Vaughn Watson at FC Dallas, being the lone striker, in what they claim could be a 4-4-1-1 formation which was employed during the team’s recent training camp in Fort Lauderdale.
— Ian Burnett
Jamaica assistant coach Miguel Coley (right) and Reggae Boyz defender Adrian Mariappa in a pensive mood during a training session at the National Stadium yesterday. (PHOTO: GARFIELD ROBINSON)
Jamaica vs Panama head-to-head
Nov 3, 1969 Jamaica 1, Panama 1 in CONCACAF Champions Cup
Nov 5, 1969 Jamaica 2, Panama 1 in CONCACAF Champions Cup
July 17, 1993 Jamaica 1, Panama 1 in Gold Cup in USA
Aug 24, 1996 Jamaica 0, Panama 2 in friendly international in Panama
May 14, 200 Jamaica 0, Panama 1 in friendly international in Jamaica
Sept 4, 2004 Jamaica 1, Panama 2 in World Cup Qualifier in Jamaica
Oct 9, 2004 Jamaica 1, Panama 1 in World Cup Qualifier in Panama
Mar 26, 2007 Jamaica 1, Panama 1 in friendly international in Jamaica
June 7, 2009 Jamaica 3, Panama 2 in friendly international in Jamaica
May 27, 2012 Jamaica 0, Pamana 1 in friendly international in Jamaica
June 1, 2012 Jamaica 1, Panama 2 in friendly international in Panama
Mar 22, 2013 Jamaica 1, Panama 1 in World Cup Qualifier in Jamaica
Sept 6, 2013 Jamaica 0, Panama 0 in Qualifier in Panama