CE 7

Is there any other international winger out there with qualities such as those possessed by T&T’s number 7, Carlos Edwards? He has been a mainstay in the Trinidad national fold for the past couple of years, and has played in the World Cup 2006, representing this small twin island republic and putting in some incredible displays. The coach at that time played him at right back, maximizing on his foraging overlapping runs and blistering pace. Now under Francisco Maturana, he has been reverted to his preferred right winger status, but does he have all that it takes to be a good winger?

It has long been accepted that the Soca Warriors is made up of names rather than players. It is more of a popularity contest than an actual team. Dwight Yorke, Stern John, Marvin Andrews and Clayton Ince are all examples of this. No one will ever doubt the quality of these players, but based on current form they wouldn’t even make my savannah eleven. Unfortunately I now have to add Carlos Edwards to this list.

Carlos Edwards currently plies his trade in England’s Premier League with the black cats of Sunderland FC. He has made 12 appearances in all competitions with 5 assists for the 2008/9 season. On the international front, he has played 52 games for the Soca Warriors, with 1 goal to show. He hasn’t had an assist since the qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup that was held in Germany. For someone as attack minded as he is, he should either have a higher goal tally or a higher assist rate.

His technical ability continues to get mixed reviews from me. His dribbling prowess is undisputed. There is no one in the national fold in the Concacaf region that can get in and around defenders like CE. His quick feet, close control and blistering pace at times make him a headache for any defender. The problem comes in after he passes the said defender. This international winger with 52 caps cannot cross the ball. His end product is lacking and this has been the shortcoming of his game for a while. Any team that plays with a winger that cannot cross is crippled in attack. For this current WC2010 qualifying campaign, I have sat and looked at all the matches and in any given match he has had 1 maybe 2 good crosses in an entire game. Pathetic!!

His finishing is no better, 1 goal in 52 outings. These are a defender’s stats, not the stats of a big time winger like CE, our local CR7. Why do our footballers refuse to learn the basics? The reason why wingers like Robben, Ronaldo, Giggs even Ronaldinho became good then great, is because they learned the basics. Passing is the main factor in any footballer’s game, more so for wide players. I am totally fed up of seeing Mr. Edwards dribble his way down the field only to give away the ball because of an errant cross or a horrible shot. One can only hope that some family member, brethren or coach might just mention his shortcomings to him over a Stag or Sunday lunch, whichever comes first.

Our national team needs help. Their mental weakness cannot be helped, but their obvious lack of technical ability can. Uncle Jack talk to the boys please because I fear that on the 1st April we will be swept under the rug by a rampant US national team.

(Ps. Maturana should be fired. He is tactically inept and is not getting the best from his players)