William Troost-Ekong is thrilled with the opportunity to work with head coach Slaven Bilic at Sky Bet Championship club Watford.
The Nigeria international has regained his place in the team since Bilic took over the reign at the Vicarage Road.
Troost- Ekong reckoned that the clarity of instruction has helped the defenders to know exactly what is required of them.
“As a defender, he talks to me a lot and he makes it clear how he wants us to play,” Troost-Ekong was quoted by the Watford Observer.
“He likes us to carry the ball, try to pass forward more and take on responsibility.
“He likes us to dominate the striker we’re marking, get the ball and then be confident with it. He gives us licence to play and I think we have grown a lot when we are in possession.
“The job of us at the back is to try and get the ball and then serve it to the real ball players in midfield and attack.
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“That style of carrying the ball did take time to get used to, but now we’re accustomed to it. You’ll see that when we receive the ball, the midfielders and strikers are trying to create space and give us an angle to move the ball.
“The most frustrating thing if you’re a defender on the ball is not having a next pass available, and you have to start dribbling or taking risks that you don’t want to.
“I think the boys up the pitch are doing well to get into positions to take a pass. When you look up and you’ve got three options, our job is then to pick the best one.”
Troost-Ekong also explained what Bilic has brought to the team after 10 games in charge.
“The first thing that comes to mind when I think of him is his experience,” said Troost-Ekong.
“All of us probably knew that before he came in, but now we’ve worked with him we’ve all seen it in action.
I think he’s probably what we needed at this moment in time. He doesn’t try to do anything over the top or reinvent the game of football. He knows what has worked for him, and he looks at our team and tries to put everyone in their best position.
“He’s made performing well a lot easier, and there’s less confusion and more clarity. We believe in his playing style and we’re seeing the result of that on the pitch.”
By Adeboye Amosu
