Cerebral Palsy Football head coach Keith Webb is relishing the selection dilemma that lies ahead of him as his GB side go into this weekend’s Tri-Nations tournament at St George’s Park.
The man in charge is judged with cutting the current 20-man squad down to just 14 for the plane to Rio, and this weekend’s tournament will provide him with the first real chance to have a look at his side as they come up against the Netherlands and world champions Russia.
The final cut will be made after the Pre-Paralympic tournament in Salou, which takes place in May, but his players will be looking to catch the coach’s eye this weekend as they come up against two of their biggest medal contenders.
He said: “It’s a great position to be in as head coach, as I know whichever 14 players I take out to Rio that we can have a great tournament, and no team will want us in their group.
CP star Matt Crossen in action for England
“I can honestly say, hand on heart, that every player has been given the opportunity to show why they deserve a place in the team, and we’ve been slowly and gradually whittling that squad down.
"At the moment we’ve got roughly 20 players, so we’re waiting on one or two more injury problems to clear up and then we’ll have to choose the squad that I’m happy to take to Rio.”
Webb took charge of the England side that finished fifth in last year’s World Championships, also held at St George’s Park, and he has expressed that the Scottish additions and last remaining Northern Irishman have settled seamlessly into the squad.
He said: “They’ve blended in really well and you can see them growing and progressing with every training session and each game they play in.
“We just need to now get that collective belief of surprising one or two people, and we will, judging on the quality of our performance that we’re showing.
"So they’ve come in and made a real positive impact to the squad.”
Webb believes the addition of two or three non-English players will not disrupt the balance of the squad, but in fact give them an advantage over the other seven qualified nations.
“So far I’ve haven’t seen many countries changing since the World Championships, and that’s our big advantage, as they don’t know how great we can become. We’ve added that surprise element, so unless they find fresh players then we know exactly what they can do.”
When it comes to selecting his final 14, there is one attribute Webb is looking for above all others; mobility.
He explained: “When you look at the top team, that being Russia, they have great mobility. Their fitness, mobility and technical levels are far superior to most teams in and around the competition. I’ve consciously gone for mobile players and people that will be able to match the mobility of the Russians and I think we can really hurt them with our pace.”
The squad have been together at St George’s Park since last weekend, and the former Norwich man is adamant that this period together is crucial for the side’s development.
“I’ve not come into the tournament thinking of anything apart from development of the performance, as it’s my job as head coach. I’m a great believer that if you perform well then the other team have to perform even better to defeat us.”
In a life dominated by football, Webb concluded that this Games is going to be his career highlight, and he can’t wait to be on the plane to Rio.
“I’ve been involved in pro football all my life, but this is the pinnacle. To be involved in the third largest sporting competition on the planet and to be head coach of a GB squad, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and one that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
