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Target on Cavalier’s back – Speid
September 20, 2024
DEFENDING Jamaica Premier League champions Cavalier will kick off their 2024/25 campaign on Sunday when they face Portmore United.
Rudolph Speid, technical director of Cavalier, stated that he's fully aware that his team will have a target on their back throughout the football season.
"Whenever we play a game, we know exactly what we have to do. The target, again, is on our back this year, as we're the champions and the most consistent team in the league post COVID-19 pandemic. So we know every team will be gunning for us. It's a rebuilding phase every year but we're used to it," he stated.
According to Speid, last year's success is behind them as they're focused on the task at hand for the upcoming season.
"We just have to treat it like business. Our backs are against the wall but we know what we have to do. We saw that Portmore lost some players but also strengthened. Last year amounts to nothing and we'll just approach it businesslike and see what happens on Sunday," he added.
Their opponents, Portmore United, lost in their opening fixture 2-0 against Mount Pleasant Academy.
Speid shared that while the coaching staff has to be mindful of the threat that their opposition brings, the Cavalier way of playing football will not change.
"Usually you have to think about the opponent but Cavalier in the early season uses it as a testing ground, play what we want to play and see if the teams can cope with us. That's how we approach it, as this is a learning process and part of the competition," he noted.
In the off-season, Cavalier lost seven players in the transfer window, but Speid explained that it's part and parcel of the game.
"We're not perturbed by it, as we like to give younger players the opportunity. I'm sure a lot of them would be happy. Those players left so that they can get the opportunity to play," Speid said.
