Coach of the Nigeria U17 team currently campaigning at the 2019 FIFA U17 World Cup has pointed out five areas his team must work on before they take on Holland in the round of 16 clash tomorrow.
In an exclusive chat with Owngoalnigeria.com, Manu Garba pointed out the areas he want his wards who have been very poor defensively to improve on after the defeat they suffered in their last group game against Australia.
Although the loss against Australia had no effect on their final position as group winners, the coach and his boys can’t afford a similar slip against Holland as it will mean exit from the tournament.
Here are the areas listed by the coach.
1. Defence : We have to defend as a team. I understand many people are not happy with my defenders but in our style of play, we attack and defend together. We need to do that against Holland from the start.
2. Early Goals – The best we can do is to score early but in doing that we have to ensure that we don’t concede early. We have shown our ability to fight from losing positions but that can’t be the way all the time. It will be nice to start on the front foot.
3. Convert Chances – Games like this are mostly defined by little margins meaning chances will be few and far in between. We create a lot since we normally dominate possession. In a knock out round we need to take our chances when they come.
4. Pass The Ball Quicker – Against Australia we were guilty of moving the ball out of the defence in a way too slow hence our opponent regroup early. In the knockout round we have to move it faster with the pace we have in attack that shouldn’t be a problem.
5. Avoid Panic In Defence- My team have given away two penalties in three games. That’s not good enough so when we play against Holland, I will want the defenders to play with calm and be very careful of tackles in the box. That way we won’t concede spot kicks.
