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Hallgrimsson: We have to accept what we have
March 14, 2023
Despite his criticism of local football pitches, national football coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said the condition of the playing surface must not be used as an excuse when they play Trinidad and Tobago at the National Stadium this evening at 7 o'clock.
Jamaica lost the first game of their two-match friendly series against their regional rivals 1-0 last Saturday, with the unfavourable playing surface at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in St James coming under heavy criticism.
Although he believes the National Stadium has one of the best surfaces locally, Hallgrimsson insists that whatever the circumstances the players must learn to adapt.
"This (National Stadium) is one of the best pitches I have seen in the country so far. The people working on the pitch, respect to them.
"When it comes to playing, we have to accept what we have. We can't complain about the pitch once we are at the games. It is what it is and we just have to adapt to the circumstances," Hallgrimsson said.
Although he thinks the chemistry between players was off on Saturday, and might not be the best in this evening's encounter, he credits the players for the way they have applied themselves.
Nevertheless, he expects Trinidad to make themselves difficult to break down as they did on the weekend.
"They (Trinidad) will probably be happy with their performance in the (first) match. I am not particularly worried about what they are doing. We are just focusing on Jamaica and the players for us.
"It is a competitive team. I give them a lot of credit. They were organised and difficult to break down. It was tough but we will focus on ourselves," he continued.
Although aiming to restore some pride after Saturday's defeat, Hallgrimsson insists it is not all about the result.
"I am not going to say after losing a game that it is not about winning or losing. But this camp is more about giving players a chance to see what they can do, if they can be a part of the next camp, the Mexico camp or Gold Cup camp or are they not ready, or should we wait a year for them to be ready.
"We are just trying to build something and I would say these games are a good prep for the future."
