National Head Coach Leo Beenhakker described his first session in charge of the Trinidad and Tobago Senior Team as customary as he went about in developing an understanding between the players and the rest of the technical staff in Monday’s morning session at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.
With a few onlookers present including Special Advisor Jack Warner and other officials s of the TTFF, Beenhakker had some 26 players on the pitch for about two and half hours with breaks in between as he paid specific emphasis on ball movement and possession, allowing the players to play for much of the session. Assistant coaches Theo De Jong and Wim Rijsbergen also took an active part with the latter overlooking a separate group.
Among some of the names turning out were Arnold Dwarika, Atiba Charles, Gary Glasgow, Anton Pierre, Angus Eve, Derek King, in form Pro League forward Andre Toussaint, Aurtis Seaton, who had not turned up for the past few months, Densill Theobald and Derek Phillips who flew in from Ireland on Saturday and will return to his Shamrock Rovers club later this week.
“Everyone was working with a lot of interest and ambition and that’s the main part of things at the moment. For me it was a situation of getting to know who is who as quickly as possible. The first impression was a good one,” Beenhakker told TTFF Media following his first session.
He was quizzed on his constant stop for conversation with the players and how he and the assistants coped with the sweltering morning heat.
“Part of football is good communication because if you don’t have that then you can’t work together. We must understand each other at all times even though the main aspect of our preparation will be the actual training.
“We have a lot of experience working at various points across the world so we are accustomed to the different conditions. It’s just one of the things you have to accept. When I was signing the contract, I knew that there was going to be no snow and ice here so if you don’t like it then you don’t have to come out,” the former Dutch National Team coach added.
Technical Director Lincoln Phillips took charge of the goalkeepers and he mentioned that the players responded well to Beenhakker in the maiden session.
“I think he got a good response from everyone and he seems to have a way to have everyone on their toes throughout which is good. Some people have said our fitness may not be good but if we could have the ball for 30 percent of the match and then the other team keeps it longer the obviously we are going to get tired chasing it around all the time. Hence, the reason that he sees ball possession as a big focus for us,” Phillips said.
The team checked in at the Dr Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence before undergoing another session at the Larry Gomes Stadium on Monday evening. They will train twice at the Arima venue on Tuesday.