Jean-Jacques Pierre’s five major challenges

Eliminated in the first round of the 2021 Gold Cup and still in the running for Qatar 2022, the Grenadiers begin a long period of transition in September 2021. The time has come to set a goal and give ourselves the means to achieve it. The Gold Cup in 2023 is the nearest goal. But first, Jean-Jacques Pierre faces some major challenges.

Finding useful warm-up matches

The Grenadiers will face Bahrain and Jordan on September 1 and 4 in Manama. These are the team’s first two matches after their first-round elimination from the 2021 Gold Cup. Bahrain is ranked 94th in the world in the FIFA Ranking for August 2021, while Jordan is 95th. Haiti is 90th in the same ranking published every month.

These two matches should be the starting point. Deprived of competition (eliminated from the World Cup, Nations League on pause), the national team will only be able to play preparatory matches over the next 16 months. Playing at least two matches during each “FIFA break” is a necessity. Of course, planning friendly matches is not Jean-Jacques Pierre’s direct job. However, he must insist that the FHF management insist on these matches to improve the team’s performance. The choice of opponents will also be important.

Isolating non-sport problems

Between March and July 2021, the team experienced a number of extra-sporting problems: unpaid match bonuses; administrative and logistical problems; players constantly dissatisfied with the management of the team and publicly criticizing the organization; problems with air tickets and the management of Covid-19. These difficulties had a negative impact on the team’s performance.

In some cases (Covid management or administrative problems), this has led to the withdrawal of several Grenadiers, and in more recent cases (unpaid match bonuses) to their categorical refusal to honor a call-up to the national team. Jean-Jacques Pierre will have to work with the Federation to isolate these problems.

Réunify the group

Jean-Jacques Pierre is new to the Grenadiers as coach (officially in post since March 11, 2021). He had to integrate new blood into a team that hadn’t played a match in over a year (from November 2019 to March 2021). Players such as Steeven Séance, Ashkanov Apollon, Carnéjy Antoine, Leverton Pierre, Jeppe Simonsen, Martin Expérience and Francois Dulysse all received their first senior national team call-up under Jean-Jacques Pierre.

Some of these players quickly took up an important place in the group, to the detriment of others. This has led to some dissatisfaction. The team must quickly regain its cohesion, the unity that contributed to its success at the 2019 Gold Cup.

Improving the workforce

In Haiti, fans are expecting the Grenadiers to compete with the best teams in the zone: the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Jamaica and Canada. This, despite a glaring deficit in terms of infrastructure, organization, financial resources and level compared to the aforementioned teams.

Haitian footballers have talent, but are struggling to establish themselves in the first division of a European league or in MLS in the USA. The Canadian team, for example, had some fifteen players in MLS at the 2021 Gold Cup, whereas Haiti had only Derrick Etienne Jr. in the top flight. Our Grenadiers are in Kazakhstan, Cyprus, Haiti and/or the French or American 2nd or 3rd divisions.

The difference in level is therefore enormous. The only way to make up this shortfall in the short term is to convince certain footballers of Haitian origin, from Ligue 1 or elsewhere in the top flight, to play for Haiti. Wilson Isidor (Monaco), Odsonne Edouard (Glasgow Celtic), Jean-Kevin Duverne (Brest), Yohann Etienne (Lorient), Yacine Fortuné (Angers) are all in this category. This would bring talent to all the lines, experience and top-level experience that are essential if we are to achieve important victories.

Suggest a better soccer

This is perhaps the most important challenge of all. The national team has shown its limitations recently against the zone’s top teams, losing 3 times to Canada (scores: 1-0, 3-0 then 4-1) and once to the USA, 1-0. Defensively, the team conceded goals that could have been avoided. Between individual errors, poor positioning and failure to follow tactical instructions, the Grenadiers fell short. Jean-Jacques Pierre will have to work on finding a more solid team. It’s absolutely essential.

The national team has often created goal-scoring opportunities but failed to capitalize on them. Derrick Etienne Jr’s chances against the USA at the 2021 Gold Cup, and the numerous goal-scoring situations against Martinique speak volumes. Ronaldo Damus and Alex Christian Jr’s chances against Canada at the Gold Cup also spring to mind.

So we’ll have to do better in the finishing department and perhaps come up with another game plan that will help us make better use of the various talents at our disposal to create more goal-scoring opportunities.