Interview with Nigeria head coach, Amodu Shaibu - 2010

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Interview with Nigeria head coach, Amodu Shaibu

09-05-2009

Interview with Nigeria head coach, Amodu Shaibu

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Cafonline.com :Nigeria – Tunisia shall probably be the key match in the group. If you win, after your drawn game in Tunis, then you would have taken a lead over your main rival. How important is this game to you?

Shuaibu Amodu :It is a very important game for us, no doubt. But all the games in the group is important and all the three other teams are important. Ever since the draw was made, we knew we had to play six top games and give our best in each in order to qualify for the World Cup. It is an important game but every of our three remaining games has relevance and importance. The truth is there are no longer minnows in international football and the so –called top teams can only under –rate the other teams at their peril.

Seriously speaking, we know that a win would give us advantage as we would go top of the group and be looking at a World Cup ticket no far away. We have the capacity and the players to achieve that.

Cafonline.com :Where do you situate Nigeria in the qualifiers at this stage? Most of the teams in the race benefited from the mid –August international break to play friendly matches. You were not involved; don’t you think that would be a disadvantage?

Shuaibu Amodu :It is not a disadvantage. On the contrary, it is an advantage for us. We had our reason for not playing, which was to help our players settle down with their Clubs at the beginning of the season and try to win first team places. Most of them grabbed that opportunity with both hands and are playing for their teams. So, they are quite fit and ready. Also, they will want to show appreciation for that opportunity and that will be seen in this match.

Cafonline.com :Nigeria has been one of top teams in Africa since the beginning of the 1980s, but the past years have seen the country dip in form as evident in the failure to reach the 2006 World Cup in Germany. What do you think is the problem?

Shuaibu Amodu :There is no problem, and sincerely I don’t see any decline. Football is a phenomenon everywhere and all the countries of the world try to prepare their team better for every competition. I said earlier that there are no longer minnows in the game. You will get good result if you prepare very well for a match or for a tournament.

We didn’t go to the 2006 World Cup perhaps because we didn’t prepare enough. Our not being at the 2006 World Cup does not represent a decline. However, I think that failure to be in Germany was an eye –opener and it is one of the reasons why every hand is now on deck to ensure we get to South Africa.

Now, we are not under –rating any team and that is a good way to go.

Cafonline.com :What do you think should be done if Nigeria must beat the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia, who sometimes have difficulties in dictating the pace during crucial games?

Shuaibu Amodu :We have our game plan and we don’t have to go to the public domain to discuss our strategies. That is for us; it is not for public consumption.

Cafonline.com :Would you use the wait –and –see method against your opponents or would you put pressure on the opponents’ defence from start to the end of the encounter?

Shuaibu Amodu :Again, that is an issue that should not be discussed. What is important is that we have our gameplan and we know what to do at every particular point in time during the match. We respect the Tunisians, no doubt, as a team that has qualified for the past three World Cup finals. They have pedigree and a young team with plenty of skill.

For us, the important thing is to play for 90 minutes and keep at it. The goals may be early or come half-way into the game or towards the end. We cannot determine that now. But we will play for 90 minutes and go for three points.

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