We are still learning — McClaren
Coach says Boyz will get better with time after struggling to break down Honduras
Despite consecutive goalless draws in his first two home games, Reggae Boyz Head Coach Steve McClaren says he’s far from worried about the team’s future as they move into to the quarter-finals of the Concacaf Nations League (CNL) A.
Jamaica were held to a nil all draw by Honduras on Monday at the National Stadium but finished top of Group B in the CNL A with 8 points, which sees them advance to the last eight of the competition.
However, for the second game running, majority of fans inside the stadium were left disgruntled as they failed to find the back of the net and registered no shots on target, despite scoring four goals in their two away games.
McClaren admitted the Boyz performed below expectations but he was pleased with their tactical efforts.
“The great thing from my point of view was we want to control the game through possession and we’re building towards that,” he said.
“We had possession, possession then at some stage you have to speed up the game and we never quite sped up the game. We kind of kept it and we didn’t take a risk, so we didn’t have enough movement up front and we didn’t take enough risks and the balls that were delivered were decent but the progression from the build up, we need to work on that.”
McClaren believes the team, when given more time together, has the potential to become one of the best teams in the region.
“We’re trying to find a way in which we can play at home and build up, speed up and finish and we had it against Cuba; I couldn’t fault the performance, just the finishing, so it’s there and like everything, you’re always aiming for consistency and if you look, we’ve probably had four sessions in which the players have had to work on what we’re trying to do,” he said.
“What the players have taken on and tried to implement, I’m so pleased about. We’re not doing it fluidly at the present moment but they understand it and what I like is we made mistakes but we were still brave enough to continue keeping the ball and searching, which is difficult to do but if you want to get to the World Cup, you’re going to have to be able to want the ball, deal with the ball and be brave on the ball. The mentality, that’s what we’re looking for.”
The former England manager has now overseen four games in charge in the span of three months. He, though, has promised to improve his decision making going forward.
“I’m learning so much. Don’t get me wrong, I’m making mistakes as well but I’m learning. The more mistakes I make, the quicker I will learn and we will get to a squad and a team which will get better and better,” McClaren said.
The Reggae Boyz now await the quarter-final draw where they will meet one of the top four-ranked teams in Concacaf (USA, Mexico, Canada, Panama) next month in a two-legged play-off for a spot in the semi-finals as well as a berth to the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.
It’s the second year in a row in which Jamaica has made the last eight of the Nations League.