William.Troost-Ekong has provided a detailed explanation on the coaching philosophy on Nigeria head coach, Jose Peseiro, reports Completesports.com.
The Super Eagles had their first outing under the Portuguese against the El Tri of Mexico last Sunday.
The three-tme African champions struggled to get going in the first half, but produced a superb attacking display after the break despite going down to a 2-1 defeat .
Peseiro expressed his love for attacking football after the game, and Troost-Ekong has corroborated the former Venezuela style of play.
“He (Peseiro) wants attacking football from us. We played two different systems against Mexico. 3-5-2 in the first half, and then we switched to 4-4-2 in the second half. I think it suited the game better,”Troost-Ekong told NFF TV.
“What he wanted was for us to take initiative. We are a big team and have to take the game to the opponent, irrespective of the opponent we are up against.
“I think it was exciting to see. I’m really happy to get going in this new chapter. I’m looking forward to spending more time, to understand what he want from us and improve.”
One positive from the defeat to Mexico was the involvement of home-based players.
Read Also:Balogun Ruled Out Of Ecuador friendly, To Join Super Eagles For AFCON Qualifiers
Four of them featured as second half substitutes in the game.
Faisal Sanni took the place of Innocent Bonke after the break, while Enyimba forward Victor Mbaoma replaced Terem Moffi in the 73rd minute.
Rivers United duo ,Chiamaka Madu and Ishaq Rafiu also came in Cyriel Dessers and Moses Simon.
Troost-Ekong heaped plaudits on the players for performance in the game.
“I’m happy to see them have game time. They have been working hard in training. They all did well when they came on. They fit in nicely,” added Troost-Ekong.
“That’s a great compliment to the NPFL. The boys worked so hard to be here. That’s my key message to the boys.
“I know we are missing some of our regular players, but everyone who is here deserves to be here.
Read Also:‘Nigerian FA Cup Needs Revival, From States To National Finals’ –Former Rangers Midfielder, Nwimo
“To play for the Super Eagles, they have to take the opportunity, and they did just that.”
Troost-Ekong also reflected on adapting to change in environment and the upcoming friendly against Ecuador
“We have adapted to the time zone. There is less problem now and we are looking forward to building on the performance against Mexico,”he stated.
“Ecuador is a dynamic team, difficult opponent. They play good football. It is a great chance for us to end things here with a win before we head back to Africa.”
Copyright © 2024 Completesports.com All rights reserved. The information contained in Completesports.com may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the prior written authority of Completesports.com.
COMMENTS
That’s the spirit.
God bless you guys.
With this guy, he made it possible for Mexico to beat Nigeria. He talks the Talk, but he doesn’t work the Work. The same way he did for his Club. Nigeria will be better off without Ekong.
why do you like criticising our players? Please lets encourage them, The future is bright
Not a word of apology for his own goal. Taking us for a ride? I know such mistakes happen in soccer, but at least he should apologise.
Apologize for what? Like, was it intentional? And was the game a tournament or some qualifier? Ekong is not SE’s problem and you guys should stop saying shit of you know nothing about this game. He is one of the few guys that are very dedicated and passionate in the team. He doesn’t choose games he plays or rarely complain about anything. Is he the best at CB for now? Definitely not, but I like his work rate, dedication and commitment. So, e kosi danu. God bless Nigeria.
@Abdul, whilst i agree Ekong does not need to apologise because it is a test game with no consequences attached, you will agree that Ekong needs to up his game or risk losing his place. It is not enough to keep someone on the job because he is dedicated despite causing costly mistakes. I like Ekong also, i believe he is one of those guys who are good to have in the team but he must match that with top performances on the field.
To keep a player in the lineup just because he is dedicated tantamount to being sentimental. It is a competitive sport and everyone must earn their shirts. I liken it to an Employer who has a dedicated employee, he always comes to work on time, never complains with the work assigned to him, he just gets on with it. However, he is prone to mistakes that cost the Employer financial losses. I tell you that Employer would relieve him of his duties at a stage because despite all the good that the employer does, it is outweighed by the losses he caused.
Mention a better central defender right now
God bless you Abdul. You spoke well
Well, maybe “apology” is too strong a word (I have admitted my error), but it would have been better if he had even tangentially alluded to the mistake and expressed his resolve to be more careful. I already described what happened as a mistake. All international games are important, competitive or not. The cumulative points can propel you to jump from one pot to another.
And then there is the question of whether a candidate possesses the knowledge for self-appraisal. Not only company executives but also club administrators and coaches do follow these fine points. What of Total Quality Improvement which is now being applied from cooking to gardening to house decoration to the design of precision weapons and to the performance of professionals, to which Ekong is one? There is always the last question, no matter how good the performance or product is: How could we have done better? Not to talk of when there was a shortcoming in performance, even if was a genuine mistake. Those attempting to shield these players from expressing their humanity are not contributing to their career advancement.
I was definitely not casting the first stone.
By protecting him blindly you are not doing Ekong any good. Not only the national coach, but his club coach is watching and taking note.
Abdul,
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. Its just saddening to see how dense and unintelligent a lot of Nigerians have become. Eh, he needs to apologize…he is taking ‘us’ for a ride. Seriously? Are people this dumb?
I mean, you have some lazy arse person, whose never accomplished anything in their miserable lives, hiding behind a computer feeling the need to lord over these players who burst their lungs, limbs and energy playing for the country. Yet, this is the thanks they get?
It is little wonder why the country never accomplishes anything good (and will continue to fail abjectly) with the moronic comments from some Nigerians.
In all the last four matches played by the Eagles, has the team missed Musa by the figment of imagination? Has anybody in this forum by a keyboard error mentioned the absence of Musa? If the answer is no, then Musa pack your load and GO.
Superb I must say
Indeed, Peseiro started the Mexico game with 3-5-2. Then as the game progressed, he switched to 4-4-2. In that formation, we had Iwobi and Aribo in the middle, and although they both did well, I thought the midfield center was a bit “soft” because we missed a natural DM. Peseiro likely saw the same thing, because he switched again to 4-5-1, bringing in Madu to play the DM role, and leaving Mbaoma to lead the line upfront, with Faisal on the left wing and the exciting Ishaq Kayode on the right wing. When he switched to 4-5-1, I noticed that Nigeria completely seized control of the game. Mexico couldn’t get a sniff of the ball. Nigeria also created several chances, but profligate finishing was our undoing.
I look forward to the Osimhen/Dessers combo in the attack. Osimhen’s all-action style and Dessers’ predatory instincts will be a handful for most defenses. With Iwobi and Aribo providing creativity from the midfield, and Bassey whipping in the crosses, our attack is beginning to look quite decent.
Absolutely I love your objective analysis, good comment guy’
@Pompei you’re correct 100 percent. Peseiro predominantly likes a 4-5-1 formation with switches when necessary. I see Osimehn and Dessers partnership soon.
You shouting he should apologize
Did you even watch the Interview video
He talked about the own goal and….
If you don’t know about something you just keep quiet and stop criticizing players like you can do any better
How do I watch the match I want to watch it online