With less than four weeks to the commencement of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Cote D’Ivoire, National U-17 coach, Nduka Ugbade has offered a panacea to what the Super Eagles need in their quest to conquer Africa for a record four times at the fast approaching competition.
According to Ugbade, the Eagles need a formidable team as you don’t enter a tournament with a bunch of 11 friends rather you must go with a formidable squad that is balanced in all departments and can stand the litmus test.
The Golden Eaglets coach, who made this assertion recently at the final of the United Elites Football Championship Super 8 in Lagos, between Box 2 Box FC and Dominion Hotspur FC, at the Legacy Pitch in Surulere, opined that Nigeria has the players to do it but winning at such competitions go beyond just having bunch of stars.
The former U-17 China ’85 world cup winning skipper, why answering questions from journalists on his thoughts on the Eagles’ chances at the AFCON, pointed out that whenever there is rancour and lack of confidence in our team, that’s when the team posts very good results.
“I cannot give you a yes or no answer on whether the Eagles will win the AFCON or not, but what I can say is that they need a formidable team to win.
“Nigeria no doubt has the players to do it but winning competitions go beyond that, as you don’t win or go to tournaments with bunch of 11 friends but with a team.
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“But I have also noticed that whenever there’s rancour in our team and a lack of confidence in the ability of the team to deliver, that’s when they post best results”, he said.
However, in his usual style Ugbade refused to admit or point any department as a weak link in the Eagles squad, saying that in modern football which he is a graduate of Sports Science himself, doesn’t harp on a problem in any department in a team but focuses on team formidability between good dynamics and individuality. “When a team is strong in these two aspects, there’s no way they can’t achieve, he said.
“I know that Nigeria has the players that are capable but we must go to the tournament with a formidable squad that will attack and defend together as a team”, he concluded.
