Arnett Gardens want to win it all

ARNETT GARDENS, last year's third-place finishers in the Wray and Nephew-sponsored Jamaica Premier League (JPL), are aiming to better their performance this time around as the Kingston-based club harbours title-winning aspirations.

Following their success in the Caribbean Football Union Caribbean Shield competition last month, Arnett will be hoping they can go all the way in the JPL and the Concacaf Caribbean Cup this season.

However, head coach Xavier Gilbert understands it will not be an easy task for the Junglists as they face a busy schedule. He said the team's depth and players' commitment will play a vital role if Arnett are to achieve their objectives.

"Our plan is to go better than what we did last year. We made it to the semi-finals last year so our plan is to be in the finals this time and then we'll take it from there so that is our objective to ensure we give a good account of ourselves," he explained.

"It is massive for us to find the right balance in terms of the workload for the players and having rotations to make sure we don't have burnouts. We have to try to be consistent throughout and play well and do well."

Arnett did not have the best start in their Caribbean Cup campaign so far having lost their opening game 2-1 to Mount Pleasant Football Academy.

Gilbert said the focus now is to ensure they can return to winning ways this weekend in the JPL and bring a positive form when they travel to Trinidad & Tobago to face Police FC in their second game of the Caribbean Cup.

"It is important that we start well and pick up the momentum the following week in Trinidad," he said. "It is massive for us and we're mindful of the situation and we want to get back to winning ways and we're prepping as best as possible to ensure that we achieve that feat."

Gilbert said while Arnett have done their work on the training pitch to prepare themselves for the difficult season ahead, the real test will be in competitive games against their opponents.

He said as the season continues, Arnett will be forced to adapt and change to match each opponent they face on a weekly basis.

"The real tests are the games and that's when you know if your plans really work and we are open to tweaking plans as we go along and take it game by game and asses every single week as we go along.

"Our preseason was early and we had competitive games that we had to win. It has been good so far and we're managing as best as possible and we want to keep it that way," he added.

Leading from the front

Gilbert will be relying on Arnett Gardens captain Fabian Reid who has promised a stellar season in front of goal for the Junglists.

Reid said Arnett will be aiming to ensure the players peak at the right time to achieve their goals of walking away with the JPL and Caribbean Cup titles.

"It is good for the season that we are starting fresh and have the frame of mind to come out and put in the work. We don't want to peak too early to be honest because we want to win the Caribbean Cup and we want win the Premier League too. We're on a high now so we have to maintain it same way."