Local fans can expect to see a revamped Trinidad and Tobago Senior team within the next few weeks. And if it means seeing one or two new faces or a couple regular faces off the team, then so it will bet. That was the indication coming from newly appointed head coach Leo Beenhakker as he got ready to depart the Crowne Plaza on his way back to the Netherlands on Thursday afternoon.
Local fans can expect to see a revamped Trinidad and Tobago Senior team within the next few weeks. And if it means seeing one or two new faces or a couple regular faces off the team, then so it will bet. That was the indication coming from newly appointed head coach Leo Beenhakker as he got ready to depart the Crowne Plaza on his way back to the Netherlands on Thursday afternoon.
Beenhakker had been here on a four-day visit which he ended with a two-hour meeting with TTFF technical director Lincoln Phillips before being escorted to the Piarco International Airport by Team assistant manager Sam Phillips.
The articulate Beenhakker, in conversation with TTFF Media, recalled his days in charge of Real Madrid, Ajax and Holland, explaining how he dropped some of the biggest names in European football in order to get results.
“I recall dropping the great Emilio Butragueno from the Real Madrid team because he was not contributing for the good of the team. Up to this day he has not forgiven me for it but we still talk and everytime he would ask me ‘Coach you dropped me, why?’ and I would le them know exactly why which was because he didn’t fit into the team as I wanted despite the great player he way. We still went on to get good results,” Beenhakker told TTFF Media. At the time he was also wearing a red ‘Warriors’ wristband which has been manufactured to spread further awareness and support of the team and to an extent the fight against crime, race and use of illegal drugs in T&T.
“And the same implies with any team I am in charge of. People ask always how come the Netherlands have never won a World Cup, why it is that they have won only one European Championship? It’s simple! The Netherlands has some of the greatest players and an exceptional bunch for the upcoming generation but there have been various things that contributed to this like personality differences and so on. But great individual talent doesn’t win you matches or a championship, it’s a team that does it at the end of the game. You defend as a team and that means the attacking players coming back to help and then you attack accordingly when you’ve got that ball again.”
Beenhakker, fondly referred to as “Don Leo” revealed plans to have three days camps in Trinidad in each of the first two weeks in May including a training match against a local team before playing his first international warm-up in the third week of May. He is expected to begin meeting this country's overseas-based pros along with their club managers later this month.