Amodu should reserve 25% for home based Eagles - Adepoju
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- Category: Sports
- Written by David Ngobua with agency report
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Following Coach Amodu Shaibu’s declaration, that his team to Angola 2010 is 75% ready, former international Mutiu Adepoju has said it is really gratifying to hear such news but the remaining 25% should be reserved for home based players.
Speaking at a parley organized by the National team sponsors Tom Tom, the coach revealed that Nigeria’s starting line-up against Egypt is 75% ready and will be based largely on the team that played against Kenya in the final qualifying game in Nairobi.
“The character I saw in the players in that last World Cup qualifier in Nairobi, is a character to build on,” Amodu told Sports Editors at a parley organised by national team sponsors Tom Tom.
“The players showed great mental strength to come from behind in a high pressure game, and go in front.
“And even when they conceded the equaliser, they still showed great mental character to keep going forward and won the game.
“I know 75% of what my starting team will look like, and I can’t build on that in abstract, it will be built from that team in Nairobi.”
Amodu went on to say that he believes he has a good team, one capable of doing well at the Africa Cup of Nations.
“I can say categorically that we have a good team, one that is not losing games.
“As bad as people say the team is, they have been playing games without losing. That means there must be something good about the team.
“Even if we say we don’t have a good team, we have to support our own and build a mental fence around them because they need it.
“We can do well if everybody rallies around the team and supports them.
“If we do that, and they do well at the Nations Cup, confidence will return.”
Speaking to Trustsports yesterday, the former international said he was not surprised by the decision of the coach to stick with those players who qualified the country for the 2010 World Cup.
According to him, there is no time for the coach to start building an entirely new team with less than ten months to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
“It is good to know that Amodu already has his team in mind. And it is not out of place that he has chosen to keep faith with those players who qualified us for the World Cup. There may be calls in some quarters for a new team to be built but considering the fact there is no time for such programme, it is just appropriate that he sticks with those players he knows”.
Adepoju however said if it is only 75% of the team that is ready, the coach should give opportunity to other players who did not get the chance to compete for the country to vie for the remaining 25 percent.
He maintained that in the course of the Nations Cup and World Cup qualifiers, there were some good players who never got the opportunity to prove themselves and so such players should be given a chance.
The 3SC General Manager noted that the home based players deserve to be handed the remaining 25 percent so that the re-building process can start with them.
He said the domestic League is blessed with quality players who can justify their inclusion in the senior national team at any given time.
“I want Amodu to reserve the remaining 25 percent for the home based players. Time will come that the present crop of players would be replaced and we have to start re-building now. It will therefore do us a lot of good if the coach gives opportunity to some of these players who have what it takes to play at the top level in the nearest future”.
Adepoju said Eagles stand a good chance of doing well at the forth coming Africa Nations Cup but the team handlers must not over indulge in those players who qualified the country for the 2010 World Cup.
“It is not wrong to pay special attention to those players who gave us the ticket to South Africa but the door should not be closed on others who may in the end prove to be better than some of the players who prosecuted the qualifiers for us. If the right players are selected, Eagles can do us proud in Angola and South Africa” he said.
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Amodu should reserve 25% for home based Eagles - Adepoju
Category: Sports Written by David Ngobua with agency report Hits: 578
Following Coach Amodu Shaibu’s declaration, that his team to Angola 2010 is 75% ready, former international Mutiu Adepoju has said it is really gratifying to hear such news but the remaining 25% should be reserved for home based players.
Speaking at a parley organized by the National team sponsors Tom Tom, the coach revealed that Nigeria’s starting line-up against Egypt is 75% ready and will be based largely on the team that played against Kenya in the final qualifying game in Nairobi.
“The character I saw in the players in that last World Cup qualifier in Nairobi, is a character to build on,” Amodu told Sports Editors at a parley organised by national team sponsors Tom Tom.
“The players showed great mental strength to come from behind in a high pressure game, and go in front.
“And even when they conceded the equaliser, they still showed great mental character to keep going forward and won the game.
“I know 75% of what my starting team will look like, and I can’t build on that in abstract, it will be built from that team in Nairobi.”
Amodu went on to say that he believes he has a good team, one capable of doing well at the Africa Cup of Nations.
“I can say categorically that we have a good team, one that is not losing games.
“As bad as people say the team is, they have been playing games without losing. That means there must be something good about the team.
“Even if we say we don’t have a good team, we have to support our own and build a mental fence around them because they need it.
“We can do well if everybody rallies around the team and supports them.
“If we do that, and they do well at the Nations Cup, confidence will return.”
Speaking to Trustsports yesterday, the former international said he was not surprised by the decision of the coach to stick with those players who qualified the country for the 2010 World Cup.
According to him, there is no time for the coach to start building an entirely new team with less than ten months to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
“It is good to know that Amodu already has his team in mind. And it is not out of place that he has chosen to keep faith with those players who qualified us for the World Cup. There may be calls in some quarters for a new team to be built but considering the fact there is no time for such programme, it is just appropriate that he sticks with those players he knows”.
Adepoju however said if it is only 75% of the team that is ready, the coach should give opportunity to other players who did not get the chance to compete for the country to vie for the remaining 25 percent.
He maintained that in the course of the Nations Cup and World Cup qualifiers, there were some good players who never got the opportunity to prove themselves and so such players should be given a chance.
The 3SC General Manager noted that the home based players deserve to be handed the remaining 25 percent so that the re-building process can start with them.
He said the domestic League is blessed with quality players who can justify their inclusion in the senior national team at any given time.
“I want Amodu to reserve the remaining 25 percent for the home based players. Time will come that the present crop of players would be replaced and we have to start re-building now. It will therefore do us a lot of good if the coach gives opportunity to some of these players who have what it takes to play at the top level in the nearest future”.
Adepoju said Eagles stand a good chance of doing well at the forth coming Africa Nations Cup but the team handlers must not over indulge in those players who qualified the country for the 2010 World Cup.
“It is not wrong to pay special attention to those players who gave us the ticket to South Africa but the door should not be closed on others who may in the end prove to be better than some of the players who prosecuted the qualifiers for us. If the right players are selected, Eagles can do us proud in Angola and South Africa” he said.