Angola, It’s Time to Concentrate

Ever since the 3-2 exhbition loss to Turkey last week, I’ve noticed that the key word coming out of the mouths of Angola’s players and coaches is “concentrate.” Following Monday’s closed scrimmage 1-0 loss to the United States, Akwa continued with this theme:

“We played well today, even though we didn’t score,” he said. “We now have six days until our big game. Now we have to concentrate. We’re making mistakes, especially in defence, and we have to stop this. Each time we make a mistake, the other team are scoring.”

To me, the lack of concentration in the backline is a reflection of the players inexperience on the world stage. Good teams will be very patient and wait to take their chances. If you have a momentary lapse they will burn you with a goal or two. Often that is all it takes to determine the winners and the losers.

I think it is a good thing that coach Goncalves and our captian Akwa are focusing on the concentration aspect. Angola does not lack for talented players. We can hold our own against anyone if we play hard, play together and eliminate the mistakes.