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Boyz focused and ready to win in Nicaragua
October 10, 2024
Senior Reggae Boyz defender Damion Lowe says the team is well prepared and ready to take three points from their Concacaf Nations League, League A Group B game against Nicaragua at the Nicaragua National Football Stadium today at 9 p.m.
Lowe said head coach Steve McClaren has prepared them well for the encounter and that it is for them to go out and get the job done.
"I think we are well prepared," he said at the pre-match press conference yesterday. "The gaffer has put the plan on the board and we just have to follow the instructions.
"The guys are excited. They are focused and ready for the task at hand. We are prepared and we are going there to get three points."
One of the challenges the team will have to deal with is the artificial turf that the game will be played on.
However, Lowe does not think it will present a major problem, as most of the players in the squad are familiar with that type of surface.
"Most of our players play in Europe. If you play in the Champions League or Europa League, you have teams that play on (artificial) turf. So they are familiar with it.
"For myself, Andre (Blake), Jahmali (Waite) and a few others, we play week in week out on artificial turf, so it's nothing new.
"The surface will have an effect in the game but with the quality players we have, and how focused we are going into this game, we will have no excuses.
"We are going to go in it like a cup tie. It's going to be very difficult, so we have to focus on the task at hand and not worry about the obstacles ahead," he stated.
Meanwhile, the two teams are level at the top of the group on four points apiece and coach Steve McClaren, who has been impressed with the Nicaraguans, said the game is going to be a big test.
"I have watched four or five games, and each game I have been very impressed. Not just recently but I saw the game against Peru (March), and the team dealt well with the atmosphere (in Peru). They dealt with the crowd.
"They were very comfortable in possession. They do not depend on one outstanding player, they are a team and they play as a team. They work hard for each other. They are very technical so they can keep the ball," he said.
"We must be consistent. We must be 100 per cent, because if we are below the standard Nicaragua can cause us problems. So we just have to make sure we are focused and execute the game plan. We are here to win the game and we are here to make no excuses, no matter how we play," McClaren said.
