‘Tappa’ not taking any team lightly

Jamaica national senior men's football coach, Theodore 'tappa' Whitmore, argued that with ranking being such an important part of the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers, the Reggae Boyz will have to maintain their high standard and their consistency in the upcoming Nations League games against Antigua and Barbuda, and Guyana.

This, as he believes, all the countries in the Caribbean have developed their football, and Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago are no longer head and shoulders above the other countries.

With that in mind, he wants his side to plan, prepare and execute properly in order to stay ahead of the competition and in the top-six ranked teams in Concacaf.

"We reach a critical time in our football because of the Nations League and where we find ourselves. We are in the top six, we are fourth (Concacaf). So we have to maintain a consistency. We have to maintain that standard. Every game is a must win for us, so planning, preparation and execution will be the key for us," he told STAR Sports.

Jamaica plays Antigua and Barbuda at home on September 6 and Guyana away on September 9. Antigua has been one of the Reggae Boyz toughest Caribbean opponents in recent years, but Whitmore contends that it's not just the Antiguans that are now a threat, as he believes every team in the region is now a potential upsetter.

"Everybody, not just Antigua, has stepped up in the Caribbean. The only team not stepping up is Jamaica, but everybody is evolving. So playing Antigua and Guyana and those teams (now) is like playing Trinidad back in the days. If you go back to the Gold Cup and look at how the regional teams did in the Gold Cup. So it is simple, every game is going to be important, we cannot take no game lightly because we don't want to fall out of the top six, because once we fall out (top six) we are dead, our (World Cup) dream would be shattered right there," he said.