U20 WC Nana's Journal: I'm Very Dissapointed
By Nana Attakora
I’m very dissapointed with our performance last night. It was staged for us to come out with a result — Canada Day, in front of a full crowd.
Although Chile was very technical there is no exuse for the lack of determination. We were second in every aspect of the game. We showed too much respect to our opponents.
Chile showed a lot of skill and team work. They pressed as a team which caused many problems for us offensively. With the way Chile plays, we had trained to be able to beat there press and contain their wingers. Personally, I think I dissapointed. As full backs Kent O’Connor and I had a difficult time on the ball. Chile shut down every option we had offensively. They pressed quick but at the same time pressed in numbers.
People watch the game and think Canada’s game plan was to go direct with long balls. This is totally wrong. We can play a possession game, but last night it was very difficult to get on the ball with no options. Chile was very organized and on the night we weren’t at all. South American teams all have something special about them. They are very technical, strong, and fast. It is our job to continue to use what we have learned to be able to break these type of teams.
With the group of players we have we are confident in ourselves that we will bounce back from that embarrasing showing. We have no excuses for that match. All we can do is continue to work hard and stay focused.
As for myself, last night things were not going my way. Chile had done exactly what we expected but much quicker and sharper. My passing was unacceptable on the night. Along with that, I do believe we need a lot more movement of the ball. With the movement off the ball, things will start to open up for us which will help us get out of our half and help us create chances.
We just arrived in Edmonton and there is little goofing around. We are trying to stay relaxed and forget about our match. Tomorrow we get back to training and will be on top of things from the beginning.
U20 WC Nana's Journal: Today Is The Day
By Nana Attakora
Today is the day. We have been training for this day Since October 15 2005 in England. With many camps and good performances from the squad we are going in very confident. For many players this will be their biggest game. For myself I can say I’m nervous but at the same time very excited. Not too many players have the chance to play in a World Cup at home.
As for the rest of the team, we are keeping off our legs and getting fluids in. We know it is going to be a tough game but we believe we have had the right preperations leading into the game, and now it’s just a matter of how we use what we have learned tonight. Chile is going to be very technical and talented on the ball. So defensively we have to be solid and keep our shape. With players like Will Johnson and Jamie Peters in the attack we are confident they will produce for us.
We are expecting a great atomsphere for tonight’s match and believe that it will give us a great amount of energy. As a team we thank everyone for there support and we can just ask that you continue to support us. We are going to do our best and by God’s grace we will get the win.
