As Panama’s first World Cup appearance draws near, the interest on the preparation of tournament rookies ahead of clashes against a world champion and a high-profile European side grows.
Preparations are underway, and Panama manager Hernan Dario Gomez is equipped with a binder full of information about the players and style of play of his Group G rivals England, Belgium, and Tunisia.
But Gomez, who will manage his third World Cup, sent a warning on Friday: Panama must develop its style, but above all, its physical conditioning if it wants to contend for 90 minutes against its fast European rivals.
“The first condition I give the guys, and it is a personal concept, is physical conditioning,” said a relaxed and jovial Gomez at a press conference.
“If you look at the English team, they are light, with a spectacular weight. If you look at all the European teams, they are all light, and we have to improve a lot in terms of weight. If not, we will suffer a lot.”
“Our weight must be excellent to make quick and powerful movements like those countries,” added the former Colombia manager in France 1998 and Ecuador in Korea-Japan 2002.
The Central American side will make its World Cup debut against Belgium on June 18.
