Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi has begged the press and fans not to begin to hype the home based team he is putting together to an extent that will make their heads swell with pride.
He said he is still rebuilding so the team mainly from the domestic league is not yet ripe.???
The admonition is coming at the heels of Keshi’s ‘B’ team impressive outing against the Africa Nations Cup-bound Angola to a goalless draw in Abuja on Wednesday. Most people scored the home Eagles very high. But the Eagles coach was quick to warn that his team of three weeks still has a lot of work ahead. “I commend the boys for their good showing.
They did very well against the Angolans. But I want to warn that they are not ripe yet.
So, please don’t flatter them. They still have a long way to go. We have only been in camp for three weeks or thereabouts and there is a lot of work to be done. So, please do not tell them that they have arrived.”
The former Eagles captain revealed that he relied on the experience he garnered when he led Mali against Angola at the 2010 Nations Cup. “I know the Angolans very well. If you give them a chance to play, they will over run you. That is exactly what they did when I led Mali against them. They went four goals up but we eventually came back to draw. So, that experience informed some of my decisions on Wednesday.”
Keshi played an unfamiliar formation that saw the Eagles attack on 3-5-2 and defend on 4-4-2 formation. The team will tackle Liberia this weekend in another friendly in Monrovia as Nigeria steps up preparations for next month’s 2013 Nations Cup qualifier in Rwanda.