‘What I would have done if the game were to be replayed’
...Uduamadi, Igiebor, Lawal likely to replace misfired Eagles
 |
Keshi
|
Stephen Keshi has been left pondering if he could achieve the impossible! The Big Boss, as he was fondly called during his illustrious playing career, would want to change the hands of the clock, specifically for the 2013 Nations Cup qualifier in Kigali where the Eagles held Rwanda to a goalless draw.
“I would have played with more committed players,” was Keshi’s reply when he was asked if there was anything he could have done differently if the game were to be replayed. Apart from Joseph Yobo and Vincent Enyeama, who justified their ratings during the game, the former Togo coach was visibly heartbroken with the shambolic performances of the other foreign-based players.
“I was not impressed with the level of commitment of some players. I won’t mention their names, but I have learnt a lot from that game.
“The home-based players gave a good account of themselves and I must commend their mentality. I would review a lot of issues including future invitation of players to the national team,” Keshi revealed.
It’s glaring that the former Mali coach was still regretting not fielding more home-based players in the Kigali encounter considering the man-of-the-match display of Enugu Rangers’ dazzling winger, Ejike Uzoenyi and the few others who featured in the encounter.
Pundits felt that the ex-Eagles should have mustered enough courage to use an entirely home-based team in prosecuting the match in Rwanda, considering the fact that the players have been together since last year and did not lose the two friendly games they played against Angola and Liberia. Moreover, the foreign-based players had only one day to train with their Nigeria-based colleagues, a situation that would have convinced the Eagles’ technical crew to stick with the lads that had been playing together.
At the moment, there are concerted efforts to try out other foreign-based players to replace those lacking in commitment.“Most of the Europe-based players did not show any commitment, they failed to live up to my expectation,” the Eagles’ handler rued. The trio of Nnamdi Uduamadi, Nosa Igiebor and Raheem Lawal have been penciled as likely replacements for some Eagles’ stars, who were not impressive in the game in Kigali with Keshi declaring that any player who fails to show commitment would not be considered for future invitation to the national team.
In the meantime, the Big Boss has vowed to continue to monitor the progress of the home-based lads at their various clubs to ensure they remain focused.
“I would have played with more committed players,” was Keshi’s reply when he was asked if there was anything he could have done differently if the game were to be replayed. Apart from Joseph Yobo and Vincent Enyeama, who justified their ratings during the game, the former Togo coach was visibly heartbroken with the shambolic performances of the other foreign-based players.
“I was not impressed with the level of commitment of some players. I won’t mention their names, but I have learnt a lot from that game.
“The home-based players gave a good account of themselves and I must commend their mentality. I would review a lot of issues including future invitation of players to the national team,” Keshi revealed.
It’s glaring that the former Mali coach was still regretting not fielding more home-based players in the Kigali encounter considering the man-of-the-match display of Enugu Rangers’ dazzling winger, Ejike Uzoenyi and the few others who featured in the encounter.
Pundits felt that the ex-Eagles should have mustered enough courage to use an entirely home-based team in prosecuting the match in Rwanda, considering the fact that the players have been together since last year and did not lose the two friendly games they played against Angola and Liberia. Moreover, the foreign-based players had only one day to train with their Nigeria-based colleagues, a situation that would have convinced the Eagles’ technical crew to stick with the lads that had been playing together.
At the moment, there are concerted efforts to try out other foreign-based players to replace those lacking in commitment.“Most of the Europe-based players did not show any commitment, they failed to live up to my expectation,” the Eagles’ handler rued. The trio of Nnamdi Uduamadi, Nosa Igiebor and Raheem Lawal have been penciled as likely replacements for some Eagles’ stars, who were not impressive in the game in Kigali with Keshi declaring that any player who fails to show commitment would not be considered for future invitation to the national team.
In the meantime, the Big Boss has vowed to continue to monitor the progress of the home-based lads at their various clubs to ensure they remain focused.
No comments:
Post a Comment