Angola’s Big Concerns for the World Cup

The Palancas are busy training at their base camp in Celle, Germany, preparing for among other things the May 30 friendly against Argentina. As we move closer to the World Cup, I have a few concerns about our team. The first is our lack of experience. Many of our players don’t have a lot of big game experience. I am concerned that they’ll come out against Portugal and be caught up in the moment. I don’t think there really is any way to prepare for something as big as a World Cup match, but hopefully the guys will be able to relax and play the game the way they know how.

I am also concerned by our lack of depth, especially in the midfield. There is a big dropoff between some of our frontline players and the reserves. Given the intensity of the World Cup and the number of games played over a short period of time, I only hope that our starters are able to stay fit and that the bench players can contribute when called upon.

My last concern is how the team will play when it falls behind. Again, because we lack experience it might be tough for our guys to stay mentally positive if they let in the first goal. The main way to get around this is for the Palancas to always play hard. I hope that if nothing else people who watch Angola play for the first time see a team that never stops working and never gives up.