By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh
Ahead of the tomorrow’s World Cup Qualifier against the Elephants of the Ivory Coast, the head coach of The Gambia senior national team, Tom Sainfeit, has said that his team needs to go back to the basic and how they have been playing to get a point against the side the annihilated Seychelles by 9-0.
Speaking at the press conference earlier today in Tanzania where the game will be played, the Belgian tactician said that his side will change its strategies compared to the one employed against Burundi where the scorpions lost.
“We need to go back to the basics, back to how we have started. Naturally, we have lost a lot of quality players. We need to change our strategy compared to our previous match. We need to find the right mentality in the squad,” the Belgian said in a press conference.
Tom highlighted that following the country’s dramatic qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations against Congo, there was an undue perception of Gambia as a football giant in Africa, influenced by the local media. He suggested that this perception may have affected the team’s performance against Burundi. However, he assured the press that in the upcoming match against the Ivory Coast Elephants, his team would adhere to its tactical approach, anticipating a challenging game.
“Tomorrow, it will be sticking to the tactical discipline; playing with the end heart, and I think we can have points — one or more against the Ivory Coast, but it won’t be easy,” he voiced.
Speaking to the media earlier last week before the game against Burundi, Coach Tom Sainfeit said that the team cannot afford to lose more than one match if the quest to qualify for the country’s first World Cup Senior qualification can be achieved.
With a surprising defeat against Burundi and the Ivory Coast’s overwhelming 9-0 victory over Seychelles, the Scorpions enter the upcoming game as clear underdogs, relying on their tactical prowess to challenge the formidable Elephants.
