Football: Fifa World Cup Africa qualifiers |14 November 2023
Lead coach Jean-Louis with his assistant Basil Hoareau and technical assistant Osama Haroun (Photo: Roland Duval)
‘We should set realistic objectives,’ says lead coach Ralph Jean-Louis
Ahead of Seychelles’ upcoming clashes against the mighty Côte d'Ivoire and Kenya, counting as African qualifiers for the 2026 Fifa World Cup, lead coach Ralph Jean-Louis said they are setting realistic objectives based on the nature of, and amount of time for preparations.
He was speaking yesterday at the team’s last training session before heading to Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire this afternoon.
It was only on Sunday that the group of selected players hit camp where they had a warm-up session, before engaging in a test match against foreign players competing in the national leagues.
He explained that, having had the cooperation of local clubs, the team’s objective would have definitely been different, but nevertheless, he worked with what he had and is ready to face the challenge.
Lead coach Jean-Louis said objective number one is to score at least a goal in both matches, especially against Côte d'Ivoire, and this, he said, will help to boost the confidence of the young players, while being a motivation for them to better perform.
The second objective is for the players to cover a certain number of kilometres during the matches.
He said, initially the target was 100km, but has now been reduced to between 70 and 80km per match, which if covered, will be a huge achievement for the team.
A set target of 150 passes during the match has been marked as the team’s third objective by lead coach Jean-Louis, who noted that all three objectives are realistic and the players have the ability to meet them.
He added that even if Côte d'Ivoire are a giant in, not only African football, but also at world level, it is very important for our young players to not let them feel at ease with the ball.
This, he said, can be achieved through their level of fitness and agility on the pitch.
Lead coach Jean-Louis was supposed to announce his 23-man squad last night after the final training session.
For the two matches, Jean-Louis has been temporarily appointed as the lead coach of the team who are being managed by a caretaker committee, made up of Jonathan Paul (head of delegation), Basil Hoareau (assistant coach), Osama Haroun (technical support), Dylan Paul (liaison and communication officer), Michel Pierre (administration officer), along with three foreign experts who will bring their know-how in goalkeeping, video and field and osteopathy.
Seychelles will compete in group F alongside Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Kenya, the Gambia and Burundi.
In their first match on Friday, Seychelles will face the mighty Côte d'Ivoire at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, commonly known as the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé, before facing Kenya on Monday November 20, at the Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny.
Out of the group, Seychelles are lowest on the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (Fifa) ranking, presently occupying the 195th spot overall on 853.50 points, while Côte d'Ivoire, the highest-ranked, and are 52nd in the world on 1439.17 points.
Gabon are ranked 86th on 1270.8 points, while Kenya are 110th on 1186.85 points, with the Gambia in the 117th spot overall on 1160 points.
As for Burundi, they are presently ranked 142nd on 1080.43 points.
It is to note that out of seven international matches played in 2013, Seychelles registered one win and six defeats.
The only victory was in the first of a two-match friendly against Bangladesh in March, before losing the second match on the same score.
Other than the friendly match, Seychelles lost all the other matches, including qualifiers for the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) Cup and also both group matches at the 11th Indian Ocean Island Games (IOIG) held in Madagascar between August 23 and September 3.
For the Cosafa qualifiers, Seychelles were drawn in group B alongside the Comoros, Malawi and Zambia, losing 2-4 in their opening match against the latter, before losing their second match 0-2 against Malawi.
In the third match, Seychelles lost 0-3 to neighbours the Comoros.
Seychelles’ international results so far in 2023
28.03.2023 Bangladesh – Won 1-0 (Friendly) - Sylhet District Stadium
25.03.2023 Bangladesh – Lost 0-1 (Friendly) - Sylhet District Stadium
11.07.2023 Zambia – Lost 2-4 (Cosafa Cup) Group Stage - Princess Magogo Stadium
09.07.2023 Malawi – Lost 2-0 (Cosafa Cup) Group Stage - King Goodwill Zwelithini Stadium
06.07.2023 Comoros – Lost 0-3 (Cosafa Cup) Group Stage - King Goodwill Zwelithini Stadium
28.08.2023 Mauritius – Lost 0-1 (11th IOIG) Group Stage - Elgeco Plus Stadium
24.08.2023 Madagascar – Lost 0-1 (11th IOIG) Group Stage - Mahamasina Municipal Stadium
Roland Duval
