Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, former coach of the Super Eagles has said the absence of injured players should not affect the Super Eagles in their Cameroon 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Seychelles in Victoria on Saturday.
William Troost-Ekong, Alex Iwobi and Ola Ainawere forced to withdraw from the tie due to injuries.
Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr has at his disposal uncapped Bordeaux winger Samuel Kalu, Paderborn left-back Jamilu Collins, Porto B player Kelechi Nwakali and Rotherham defender Semi Ajayi, as well as Porto centre-back Chidozie Awaziem, who has played some matches for the Eagles.
Onigbinde, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone during the week, said there are players in the team capable of replacing the injured players.
He said, “No player is indispensable. The new players (Kalu, Jamilu and Ajayi) should be able to do the job when called upon.
“As a coach, once you begin to see a player as indispensable in your team, it begins to affect your game plan and tactics. The basic thing in the mind of every coach should be attack and defence. He should think he has 10 players attacking when they have the ball while he should also know he has 10 players defending whenever they lose the ball.”
The former Shooting Stars manager added, “The coach (Gernot Rohr) invited the new players because he believes they are good enough for the team. So they should make their impact felt and convince the coach they have what it takes to be a part of the national team.”
The former CAF/FIFA instructor warned the Eagles not to underrate Seychelles.
Onigbinde said, “It will be a major error for any team to look down on their opponents. There has never been an easy match, irrespective of the score at the end of the match. In my years as a coach, I have always told my players that they should always have it at the back of their minds that no team is a minnow, and no team is too big to be beaten. The match will not be an easy one, because the opponents also have a point to prove.
“In any match, the coach’s tactics is very important. Some players are fielded not because they can deliver the goods but because their presence and work rate in the team does a lot. For instance, I remember that there were matches I left Segun Odegbami on the pitch while there were others he came in as a substitute despite him scoring a lot of goals. The right tactics in a match goes a long way to determine the outcome.”
The veteran coach, who led Nigeria to the Korea/Japan 2002 World Cup, urged the Eagles to work on their weaknesses in the defence to remain a force to reckon with.
He said, “The four goals the team conceded at the World Cup were from the same mistake. The coach should work on that because once opposition coaches identify that lapse; they exploit it to their advantage.”
Nigeria lost 2-0 to South Africa in their first match of the qualifiers last year while Seychelles lost 5-1 to Libya.
Credit: punchng.com
