Guinea coach Camara looks beyond scoreline in CHAN 2024 preparations
Guinea's home-based national team wrapped up a vital stage of their 2024 TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) build-up this week, using back-to-back clashes with regional rivals Senegal to sharpen their competitive edge ahead of the tournament.
Although the Syli Local lost the second match 1-0 in Diamniadio on Monday—following a goalless draw in the first leg—head coach Souleymane Camara says his side came away with more than just a result.
'Performance, not the scoreboard, was our main focus,' said Camara, who led the team through five days of intensive preparation split between Conakry and Dakar.
'We wanted to give every player time on the pitch. These games offered us real test conditions to fine-tune our game plan.'
The two encounters, far from gentle friendlies, were fiercely contested, highlighting the stakes involved even before the CHAN group stages begin in August.
Camara underlined the competitive tone of the fixtures. 'It wasn't a friendly for us. This was high-intensity football.
"These games were rich in lessons, and we'll go back with valuable footage and insights to help us fix the details before the tournament kicks off.'
Despite the narrow defeat, Camara expressed optimism about the overall structure of the team, particularly in defence.
'Our organisation at the back held firm under pressure, which is encouraging. Offensively, we lacked sharpness in the final third. That's an area we're targeting in the next phase.'
Guinea will now shift their base to Morocco, where an extended training camp is expected to further refine tactics, fitness, and cohesion ahead of CHAN 2024, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
Drawn into Group C, Guinea will face stiff competition against Algeria, Uganda, South Africa, and Niger.
But with valuable match rhythm and tactical clarity gained from their Senegal outings, the West Africans will be eyeing a strong tournament start in early August.
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