Video: Coach Bascome On Football Training

Bermuda National Football Coach Andrew Bascome says that the squad will focus on getting a “good result” when it faces Puerto Rico in a friendly match tomorrow [June 5], stipulating that “it is important that we attack, our transition must be good, and we must be organized defensively – and don’t take the opposition lightly.”

Speaking to the media yesterday, Coach Bascome said, “The focus primarily, of course, will be to get a good result and play good, entertaining football, play organized, and learn from our previous experiences – especially the experience we had in Mexico.

“That approach to the game was technically different. There was a lot more work on defensive organization, but of course when you’re playing at home, the focus must shift. It is important that we attack, our transition must be good, and we must be organized defensively – and don’t take the opposition lightly.”

When asked what kind of training the squad had been focusing on since returning from Mexico, Coach Bascome said, “Conditioning and a lot more work on the offensive end.

“Of course, you have a different mindset; one of the experiences I find is when you pick the better players on each club, they come with behaviours because they are kind of spoiling their teams.

“The demand is not necessarily on them to work hard defensively. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s just what it is. But now we have to ask the same players, who would probably take the number 10 role in their clubs to now be a number seven and number 11 and put in the hard work and commitment to get inside to crucial areas.”

“So a game can have more of a direction instead of just playing to keep the ball. We must learn to keep the ball moving forward.

23-minute video of Coach Bascome’s full comments

“The commitment and the character of these men – it’s a great example. And if you look at the make up of the team, yes we have professionals, but the professionals play in the first third, which is the goalkeeper, and they play in the last third,” Coach Bascome added.

“But in the other third, which is the core, those are amateur players. These are players that have to come to train, go to work, come back to training, go back to work; most of the responsibility is relying on them.

“Shifting the block, tracking, all those small principles that are required to make up a good team, a lot of it relies on the amateurs. Then yet, in the most crucial areas where we have a professional that can be there for us when we make errors – because as amateurs we will make errors.

“It is ideal to have a professional on that area, and also in the last third where we have a professional that can capitalize on our penetration.

“So everybody has a responsibility, no responsibility is more important than the next, but it’s important that every player comes to play his part. So I’m very grateful for the amateurs as well because they have made the core of this team, I think they deserve some type of recognition.

“Our philosophy will always stay the same: we like to play penetrative football, but of course the tactics will change from team to team,” added Coach Bascome.

Bermuda advanced to the second round following two back-to-back victories against the Bahamas, and will play an international friendly match against Puerto Rico this Friday [June 5] at the National Stadium.

Star striker Nahki Wells, who may miss tomorrow’s game due to injury, has urged fans to come out and support the team saying, “Come watch us prepare for one of the biggest games for some of the players’ careers. There’s a lot at stake so come out and support us.”

Bermuda then head to Guatemala to play their first game against them on June 12, then return home to play the second game on Monday, June 15th. For ticket information click here, and for all our coverage of Bermuda’s participation in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia qualifying campaign click here.

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