A dominant Suriname was unable to beat Guatemala on Friday evening. The Concacaf Nations League match ended 0-0. National coach Henk Fraser admitted during the obligatory press conference afterwards that the result was not what he wanted. “You know that they come here for a point and it is annoying if they can take that with them. But above all I have respect for what my players have done.”
Text Desney Romeo
Image Terence Oosterwolde
Fraser: “I believe that of all the three games, this one was actually the better one. We had chances, had good fielding, there was a little more tempo than against Martinique (2-1), a similar opponent, who was well organized. The only thing you can hear as a point of criticism is that we had chances.”
“We deserved more in this match”
National national coach Henk Fraser
According to the national coach, Suriname would have had two penalties “with a bit of luck”. “I looked back at the images and the second one was very clear. Kerk gets to the ball a fraction earlier than the goalkeeper, but that’s football too. The previous match the field play was not what we expected, today the result is not what we expected, but I cannot blame my players. It is a very tough cycle, a very tough window. They gave everything.”
The result means that Suriname, although still the leader with seven points after three matches, will have to work hard on Monday when they play away against the same Guatemala to reach the quarter-finals. “Yes, it is frustrating when you play well and don’t win. You are often criticized for not playing well and now that you do, you actually have an unpleasant feeling because you know that you are better and have created enough chances. Then it is annoying when you don’t win. We deserved more in this match.”
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Different halves
Suriname was extremely dominant in the first half and often had the ball. In the first 45 minutes, Guatemala did not even have a single shot on the Surinamese goal. The game pattern was different in the second half. “None of us had the intention of going back, but I hope you understand that it is our third game and some of the boys have also played their third game. So it is a very logical consequence, especially when you put a lot of energy into it in the first half and the opponent was only defending,” he explained the decline.
If Suriname had “put in at least one” of the chances it had created, Guatemala should have come out of it, according to the national coach. “Then you would have a completely different match. I had indicated in advance that it could be an unpleasant match. It was less annoying, because I think we have reached a decent level, if I compare with last year at home to Guatemala, when we had not played enough football. But today we saw clear patterns. We gave everything and then you get tired.”
Fresh team
Due to the energy put into it on Friday evening, Fraser expects that it will be “a tough match” for both countries on Monday. The national coach hastened to say that he expects “a different match”. He assumes that Guatemala will be more aggressive in its own country. “They have four points and with five points you do not qualify for the quarter-finals, which can create more openings for us. And in the system we play, that will suit us well, as we function best in it.”
For Fraser it will be, as he put it himself, “puzzling” with the setup. He is sitting with players who already have three games in hand. He will seriously consider whether he should use some fresher players. “Building a fresh team,” he therefore called the biggest challenge for Monday’s match.
In his opinion, Natio has certainly shown that when it comes to playing football, he can hold his own. “We played a reasonable match against Honduras, against Martinique we could have done better, but we showed mentality. Actually also against Honduras, because we fell behind and were still able to win. Against Guatemala it was a combination of good mentality and good play. We had nice attacks and you could see that the things we agreed on also came true. The first half was good, we were fresh, but fatigue played its part in the second half,” Fraser analyzed.
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Charging battery
Defender Shaquille Pinas, who was also sitting with the national coach, was asked how the battery will be charged after such a wear and tear. “It won’t be how I recharge for Monday’s game, but I have to recharge for Monday’s game. Everyone just has to do that. That’s all I have in my head right now.”
There was some disappointment in him. “If we had scored, I would be laughing now, but this is also inherent in football. Sometimes moments like this can come, but then you have to show that we are a team and I think we have shown that in all matches and that will happen again on Monday.”
‘t Zand
Against Guatemala there was another starting spot for Siloh ‘t Zand, who is making his debut within Natio this window. Fraser was pleased with the midfielder. “Yes, I have to be careful not to put too much pressure on men, but in this case I will do it. I think he is a very special football player. He is technically skilled, tactically very strong, good physically.”
According to the national coach, what he must learn from himself is to control his emotions and not get angry with himself. “He is very critical of himself, which is a good mentality for a top athlete, but sometimes you can put too much pressure on yourself. And not everything can go well in a match. But I think he is a fantastic talent,” Fraser praised the midfielder.
