Since taking charge of Trinidad and Tobago six months ago, former Real Madrid, Ajax and Netherlands coach Leo Beenhakker has inspired the island team to a magnificent turnaround in fortunes. Facing a two-legged play-off against Bahrain in mid-November, the Dutchman is confident of their chances of booking a first-ever spot at a FIFA World Cup™ finals as he revealed in an interview with FIFAworldcup.com.
The 63-year-old discussed his side's change in attitude, the recent win over mighty Mexico and what he expects against Bahrain. He also touched on the possible inclusion of English Premiership players Jlloyd Samuel and Bobby Zamora as last-minute reinforcements to his squad.
What, in your opinion, has changed in the camp during the second half of the campaign?
Basically, we worked very hard on certain aspects of the game that needed working on (laughs). When my coaching staff and I arrived here in Trinidad in April we realised that there were 20 very good individual players, but nothing resembling a football team. We focused firmly on keeping the ball, dictating the rhythm of the game and most importantly playing together as a team, as one unit. And although the (training) camps were never as long as we would have liked, little by little we built a team that was more in line with the demands of modern international football. Of course, with the positive results came big local support and this always helps too. It was a tremendous turnaround and now I am proud to say the team is playing with confidence and personality.
Can you give me your impression of the crucial win against Mexico earlier this month? You must have been a little nervous after Stern John’s missed penalty and the Mexican goal.
Nervous? Not at all. It's been 40 years I have been doing this job, there are very few situations that make me nervous (laughs). Nervousness is a negative impulse and does you no good as a player or a coach. Watching from the beginning against Mexico, I felt completely confident. Sure the missed penalty and the Mexico goal were not the best things that could have happened, but our heads never dropped, which was massively impressive. No one was particularly worried on the bench, we were playing very good football and we knew we were still very much in it. The fact that we were able to come back and win proves just how much this team has grown. They did not panic, they knew we could win and they were not overawed. Of course in football, maybe sometimes the goals won't come and there's nothing you can do about that, but we were every inch still in that game. And in the end we broke them down.
So, self-belief was the key?
Playing our own game is the most important thing for us at this point. In the past T&T has always been reacting to the play of the other team, letting them dictate the pattern of play. What I have tried to teach them is to take control of the game, home and away, and make the other team react to what we are doing. Against Mexico, we were in charge. We played our game with tremendous personality and to great effect. And after things began to look dark, we stayed in it and no one strayed from the battle plan.
The return of Russell Latapy (the 37-year-old playmaker whom Beenhakker coaxed out of international retirement) seems to really have added an extra spark in attack.
Without a doubt. He is one of those players that is so crucial to a team. He understands the game and what to do and when to do it. As a coach you are shackled to the bench, you cannot enter the pitch and tell players when to slow the game down or speed it up. But players like Latapy and (Dwight) Yorke have the knowledge to give the game what it needs at the right moment. And in this regard, Latapy is a special player. As a coach if you have two or three players like him, you are very lucky.
What do you expect from Bahrain in the play-off?
Some of my staff have been to see them play and I have watched DVDs and videos of them. Like any other side, they must be respected. Their style of play makes them a very tricky opponent. They have a ferocious defence and are not over-eager about getting forward. They will sit back and wait for the right time to hit on the counterattack. But regardless, we will play to win. Of course we will focus on organisation, but we will go right at them – I am Dutch after all (laughs)!
And their star striker, Aala Hubail ...
Yeah sure, this is a very good striker with all the weapons. But I have Marvin Andrews in the back who has gone up against some pretty good strikers from the USA and Mexico, not to mention at club level. I have faith he can handle the threat posed by Hubail.
There has been some talk about English-based players Jlloyd Samuel and Bobby Zamora possibly joining the T&T squad for the upcoming play-off. Can you comment on this?
Well, it is a bit of a tricky situation for a manager. I saw Samuel play for (Aston) Villa this Saturday and will be going to West Ham to look at Zamora. If they are players who can help the team then we will invite them to join us. But firstly I need to show respect to the players who worked so hard to get us where we are now. They have earned their spots and I must respect that. I have a team that has been living together, fighting together and playing together – and right now there are no problems in the team. So, bringing in someone new may not be the best idea. But that being said, if Samuel or Zamora are better than the man I have now in their position, it would be stupid not to bring them in. We will have to wait and see.
Do you see it as a disadvantage playing the first leg at home and the second leg on the round?
For me, there's no difference. It's a matter of personality, you have to overcome the crowd away from home sure, but there's a green pitch, two goal posts and it's all the same. As far as I am concerned, you have to play the same at home and away.
You have certainly found a way to motivate the team, but how do you keep them calm ahead of the biggest matches in the country's history?
Sure, it's an important pair of matches. But honestly, the last three or four qualifiers have also been very important, so they will be accustomed to the pressure. Also, most of these players play abroad and they know the pressures of professional football. You always have to find a way to win, despite adversity. I have faith in my team.
How does the experience of coaching T&T compare to coaching at a place like Real Madrid or Ajax or Holland?
For me, it's always basically the same. In Madrid, as here, I had 22 players with their own personalities and personal lives and social lives and private lives, but on the field the language is always the same no matter where you're from or what you are like. People are different in the world, but the language of football is always the same wherever you go. You must possess the ball, you must be organised in defence, you must score goals - these are universal principles.