Only time separated the Cuban team from its next game in the 2023–2024 Concacaf Nations League, which will take place at the Félix Sánchez Olympic Stadium in this city
The match will take pla against one of the best teams in the area, which has not experienced the best moments but seems better than the previous ones faced in this competition.
Cache players like Alberth Elis, Luis Palma, and star Antony Lozano, who plays for Getafe in the Spanish league, live in the Honduran forward line. Therefore, keeping the door open has become more difficult, an issue handled by the Caribbean Lions high command.
“It was a strong match against a World Cup team with very good players who called on the best they have. We face it with excitement and with a great desire to walk to competition,” he described for JIT Cuban technical director Yunielys Castillo.
“Despite the notable losses in the squad, we have players who are ready and very focused on the game, which gives us a lot of confidence. It’s up to them to assume the responsibilities on the field,” he commented.
The absences up front and the confidence given to the good defense in the previous games suggest that Castillo will propose a match along the way to take care of an opponent that creates danger.
“Obviously, the loss of players of proven quality in attack weighs, but we give confidence to everyone, including the youngest. “They have minutes, and this serves to prepare them for this commitment,” he said.
“We intend, as a philosophy, to propose schemes where the defensive line dominates when we don’t have the ball and transitions quickly when we get it back,” he explained.
“We know the strength of the opponent, but also their weaknesses. We will try to bother him and make him uncomfortable there, in search of a positive result. As Professor Ronaldo Veitía said, you will not work to lose. It didn’t happen that we trained to lose,” said the coach of Sancti Spiritus.
In the attack, perhaps the greatest concern due to losses is the possibility of hurting an opponent who is likely to bet on continuity and not defend. It is up to Yasnier Matos and William Pozo to take advantage of the spaces that will theoretically be left by the H team’s advanced defense.
The midfield will be very important if Castillo chooses the line of five that he usually uses in defense. Interiors, in addition to content, should try to make properties last if they cannot leave immediately. In that area, the Cuban attack party must be organized, while the double pivot has a lot of work, involving the help of the wings, who understand that the bicolor likes to damage the flanks.
Several keys can be noted for defensive success: order, especially in the first minutes of each half; thrift; and cleanliness. There is no risk to take the unsafe exit and destroy the danger as much as possible from the goal defended by Raico Arozarena.
The latter will play a leading role in the Antillean eleven, considering the excellent level of his performance. “I feel ready from a mental and physical point of view. I have good preparation, and I am very excited and looking forward to the day of the game,” emphasized the goalkeeper from Pinar del Río.
“We have done a very good job in defense, with two consecutive games with a clean sheet. We have worked hard in the line of five, and all that will give us good results this Thursday,” concluded Arozarena.
In any ase, it will be a very difficult exercise with the greatest demands in terms of skill and concentration.
