Yesterday the senior national team of Nigeria had their second training in Abuja ahead of the start of the qualifiers for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where they will take on Sierra Leone in Abuja.
Head coach of the Nigerian team Jose Peseiro had the full compliment of 24 players in training although two players trained separately from the rest of the squad as they bid to return to full fitness. They are the duo of Innocent Bonke and Emmanuel Dennis.
OwnGoalNigeria noticed the training methods of the coach is entirely different from that of his former foreign predecessor Gernot Rohr from the way the team warm up to how the session as a whole unfolds.
Rohr usually have the boys run laps and do drills with cone before stretching and playing against each other but that is not the same with Peseiro usually have them do the warm up drills with balls.
His drills are mostly with the ball and more tactical. It’s easy to tell that he wants his team to be dominant on the ball hence always ensuring that in training they are comfortable with the ball at all times.
Also it’s not the usual playing of games between themselves like it was during the tenure of Rohr. Peseiro yesterday had them play a mini round robin game in a tight space where he divided them into four separate teams.
We later gathered from one of the players that the essence of the drill in such a tight space is to help them break down teams that will sit back to defend. A scenario they expect will happen against Sierra Leone on Thursday.
His drills are more tactical and intense right from the warm up to the games the players had among themselves. He pays more attention to details and individual trainings than Rohr who was at the helm for six years.
