The Nigeria U17 team yesterday emerged champions of the U17 WAFU B Championship which took place in Ghana. They defeated Burkina Faso 2-1 in the final claim the title by winning all of their games.
OwnGoalNigeria.com senior editor Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman who was with the team from the first day of screening in Abuja till when they departed for the tournament takes a look at five not too known reasons why the team won the tournament with ease.
1. Set Piece – From the first day of screening coach Nduka Ugbade was keen on ensuring that the team makes good use of opportunity from set pieces. It paid off as the team scored 80% of their goals from set piece situations. That Emmanuel Michael proved to be a major weapon with three goals from free kicks wasn’t a fluke rather it was hard work from the training ground.
2. Attacking Full backs – Ugbade saw over twelve full backs during the period of screening. Team got decimated when three out of his first choice full backs failed the MRI test. The coach still insisted on full backs who can be a threat in the opposition half depsite the limited time to search for a replacement.
Yahaya Lawal and Emmanuel Michael were both not just solid in defence as full backs but also very potent in the other part of the pitch with as many as eight goals contributions between them.
3. Unity Among The Coaches – From the head coach to the least in the pecking order. All coaches sang one song from the start of screening to the final selection and even tactics. Their unity came handy when they needed to replace players who failed MRI test with few days to the submission of list of players for the tournament.
4. Highly Technical And Mobile Players – During camping in Abuja it was clear to all present that the Nigerian team will be one filled with energy and movements with or without the ball. Ugbade drilled mobility into the boys that even the ones who were seen as slow picked up the pace. It aided their technical ability as they appear to have a yard of fitness over all their opponents especially in latter stages of games.
5. Zero Interference Aided Honest Selection – The coaches can proudly say they were in charge of picking the final team for the tournament unlike past teams. There was zero interference from the men at the top of Nigerian football and it helped the coaches to stay honest in their selection of players for the tournament.
