‘We have to be competitive’

FACED WITH the uphill task of facing the England Lionesses without several of his more experienced players, Reggae Girlz head coach Hubert Busby Jr said the goal for today’s match will be finding the balance between being competitive and developing their young talents.

Jamaica will take on England today at the King Power Stadium with kick-off set for 11 a.m.

Speaking in a pre-match press conference yesterday, Busby said despite relying on several young players, the team will need to remain competitive.

“We have to be competitive,” Busby said.

“We are the Jamaican women’s national team and we have pride and we want to go out there and show the world exactly who we are and what we are about. The players have expressed that within the group.”

Busby is keenly aware it will not be an easy task as they face the reigning UEFA European Women’s Championships winners.

“We’re under no illusions. We know we’re playing the reigning European champions and fourth best team in the world, but we’re looking forward to the match.”

The Reggae Girlz boss said one of the keys will be to limit the number of opportunities England will create by being defensively organised.

To do so, Busby will look to the vastly experienced Allyson Swaby to lead the team’s backline, where she will receive support form her sister Chantelle Swaby and Vyan Sampson.

“One of the things we definitely need to be aware of is they’re so dynamic in attack and they are a good team that moves the ball well,” he said.

“We have to be organised, we have to be compact and limit the spaces between the Ines for them to play and get at us.”

He continued: “Also, when we do have an opportunity, we’ll obviously look to threaten them with our power and pace as well.”

For England, the match will be their send-off game before heading into the 2025 Women’s Euros tournament on July 5.

Sarina Wiegman, England’s head coach, said her players are excited to show their fans how ready they are for the Euros.

“[Today] is our last moment in England to show that we’re ready and how ready we are. We’re really excited to play the last game before we go into the tournament and you want to get good action out of the team.”

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com