Some football enthusiasts in Ebonyi have urged Golden Eaglets’ technical crew to be more coordinated as the team progresses in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil.
The fans urged the team not to be carried away by their 3-2 victory over Ecuador.
They gave the advice in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abakaliki on Wednesday.
NAN recalls that Ibrahim Saed on Tuesday scored a `hat-trick’ to enable the five-time FIFA U-17 champions to qualify for the second round.
Ikenna Odoh, member, Ebonyi Football Association told NAN that though the team was strong and energetic and its recovery rate was admirable, it, however, lacked coordination on the field.
Odoh noted that the Golden Eaglets had unparalleled business-minded approach to their games as exemplified in their fitness.
“This is the attitude that is giving hope to the fans; they have shown that they can churn favourable results, even from behind.
“The players should, however, improve on their passing abilities and positional play which seem disjointed and capitalised upon by their opponents,” he said.
Also speaking, Nnanna Nwangele, Technical Assistant to Ebonyi Governor on Security said that the team’s tenacity and stamina enabled them to recover from the jaws of defeat in their previous two matches.
“The team was trailing 1-2 behind Hungary in their first match, they recovered to win 4-2 with just a few minutes to the final whistle.
“They did the same thing against Ecuador after also trailing 1-2 to eventually win 3-2.
“However, there is visible anxiety in the players, this makes them string disjointed passes and lose possession incessantly,” he said.
Chief Mark Obi, an Estate Agent and soccer enthusiast, urged the technical crew to test other players in team’s final match against Australia on Friday.
“Having booked a place in the second round, the coach should field other players, especially in the goalkeeping and defence departments, to assess their competitive abilities.
“These departments remain suspects despite the recovery wins, it will also enable the regulars to rest after the two outings,” he said.
Another soccer fan, Mrs. Chioma Ikeyina, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his psychological boost to the players and urged Nigerians to continue praying for the team.
“Such messages of encouragement are strong morale boosters, they worked wonders for the male and female basketball teams recently.
Read Also:Hold on to ball control,Obuh urges Golden Eaglets
“The Golden Eaglets need prayers because other teams are presently aware of their come-back ability and will be devising their own tactics,” she said.