Coach Olof Mattsson says Leone Stars have 28% Chance to Qualify for Brazil 2014
Back-peddling from his initial stance that if Leone Stars lose their third group match against Tunisia’s Carthage their hope of qualifying to the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil is in his own words ‘is over,’ the team’s head coach now says that his squad has only ’28 percent’ chance of reaching the finals after going down 2-1 to the host past Saturday March 23 2013, at the Stade Olympique de Rades in Tunisia.
Coach Lars Olof Mattsson said: “the time I made that statement I did not consider the standings in the group when I spoke to you the last time, but afterwards I think we only have 28 percent chance to qualify although I don’t want to speak about the future right now.”
He said the two mistakes his boys made ‘killed the game.’
“The Tunisians had three to four chances in the first half but when we came in the second half, we were getting a little bit better when the two mistakes we made ‘killed the game,’” he told this reporter before departing to Sweden last Sunday.
He continued: “it was very obvious that the goal keeper Christian Caulker had a problem because a real stopper always ‘keeps’ the pieces… he makes mistakes and we have to accept that,” but he was also very quick to add however, “he also saved us especially in the first half.”
Coach Lars Olof Mattsson whilst defending his system of play admitted further that many players for the match were not match fit.
He said: “preparations have not been good; many players were not match fit because they have not been playing international friendly matches hence are not used to each other.”
“Every country plays friendly matches which makes the players come together and play together as a team but in our own case it was difficult to click as a team as many players were not match fit,” Coach Mattsson said.
He concluded by say that: “we have made remarkable results because Sierra Leone hadn’t won a game in three years before I took over the team and Leone Stars was ranked 129 and now we are ranked 63 in the world.”
Credit SWASAL; Sponsor Mercury International (SL) Ltd
By Frank Cole in Tunisia
Stay with Sierra Express Media, for your trusted place in news!
© 2013, https:. All rights reserved.
