Nigeria’s goalless draw against Tanzania in their 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Dar es Salaam on Saturday has attracted criticisms to the team but former internationals, Jonathan Akpoborie and Garba Lawal, insist the match was not enough to judge Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh.
The game put Nigeria second with four points in Group G behind Egypt who defeated Chad 5-1 in Ndjamena on Sunday.
It was an encounter that almost went the way of the hosts as they dominated the second half but Wolverhampton Wanderers shot stopper Carl Ikeme denied the Taifa Stars what could have been their first victory against Nigeria.
Akpoborie, who is optimistic about Nigeria’s qualification for the AFCON finals, believes the Super Eagles have yet to blend under their new coach.
“Nigerians should be patient with the team. It was an away game and we had a point. A point is better than losing the game. The Super Eagles did not really play well in the second half but that should be expected because it was an away game,” the former Wolfsburg forward said on Saturday.
“The goalless draw is not the best for the team, but it is manageable. We’re still going to play against Egypt at home and away, and we’re still going to host Tanzania. I expect Oliseh to use the friendly against Niger to correct the mistakes he saw in the team.
“The Tanzania game was a case of lack of experience on the part of the players; it won’t get better in one day so Oliseh will continue to tinker with the team until he gets it right. We shouldn’t pray for Oliseh’s failure with the team; it takes time to build a strong team. The damage to the Eagles has been done a long time ago, so he is only trying to repair the team.”
His former teammate, Lawal, opined that it is sometimes difficult for both players and coaches to win their first games, insisting that the draw could be what the team needed to step up their game.
“Every coach wants to win his first game, but we have to be grateful for the draw. It could have been worse. First games are always difficult for teams,” Lawal said.
“The players these days are different from those in my playing days. We played by emulating the senior players in the team, by trying to impress them, so my debut in the national team was not on a disappointing note. But players in today’s Super Eagles have no senior players to look up to. They are more or less contemporaries both at club level and in the national team; they don’t have that competition among themselves when fighting for roles.
“Nigeria have no choice now but to win the remaining matches in the group if they must qualify for the AFCON finals.”
The Super Eagles will host Niger in a friendly on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, but their next qualifying game against Egypt holds on March 23, 2016.DON'T JUDGE OLISEH YET – EAGLE'S EX STARS
Nigeria’s goalless draw against Tanzania in their 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Dar es Salaam on Saturday has attracted criticisms to the team but former internationals, Jonathan Akpoborie and Garba Lawal, insist the match was not enough to judge Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh.
The game put Nigeria second with four points in Group G behind Egypt who defeated Chad 5-1 in Ndjamena on Sunday.
It was an encounter that almost went the way of the hosts as they dominated the second half but Wolverhampton Wanderers shot stopper Carl Ikeme denied the Taifa Stars what could have been their first victory against Nigeria.
Akpoborie, who is optimistic about Nigeria’s qualification for the AFCON finals, believes the Super Eagles have yet to blend under their new coach.
“Nigerians should be patient with the team. It was an away game and we had a point. A point is better than losing the game. The Super Eagles did not really play well in the second half but that should be expected because it was an away game,” the former Wolfsburg forward said on Saturday.
“The goalless draw is not the best for the team, but it is manageable. We’re still going to play against Egypt at home and away, and we’re still going to host Tanzania. I expect Oliseh to use the friendly against Niger to correct the mistakes he saw in the team.
“The Tanzania game was a case of lack of experience on the part of the players; it won’t get better in one day so Oliseh will continue to tinker with the team until he gets it right. We shouldn’t pray for Oliseh’s failure with the team; it takes time to build a strong team. The damage to the Eagles has been done a long time ago, so he is only trying to repair the team.”
His former teammate, Lawal, opined that it is sometimes difficult for both players and coaches to win their first games, insisting that the draw could be what the team needed to step up their game.
“Every coach wants to win his first game, but we have to be grateful for the draw. It could have been worse. First games are always difficult for teams,” Lawal said.
“The players these days are different from those in my playing days. We played by emulating the senior players in the team, by trying to impress them, so my debut in the national team was not on a disappointing note. But players in today’s Super Eagles have no senior players to look up to. They are more or less contemporaries both at club level and in the national team; they don’t have that competition among themselves when fighting for roles.
“Nigeria have no choice now but to win the remaining matches in the group if they must qualify for the AFCON finals.”
The Super Eagles will host Niger in a friendly on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, but their next qualifying game against Egypt holds on March 23, 2016.
0 comments:
Post a Comment