Monica Iheakam
Atlanta ’96 Olympics gold medalist, Taribo West has bared his mind on the Super Eagles who begin their campaign today for honours in the FIFA World Cup, Russia 2018 urging the players to chin up, square their shoulders and challenge the likes of Argentine’s Lionel Messi and others.
In a chat with Saturday Sun Sports, the former AC Milan centre back, posited that the players should individually prepare themselves outside of the team’s preparations.
The former footballer turned Pastor, said that he has been praying for the team to succeed in Russia, but warned that the Eagles must not to dwell more on Messi alone, but follow their markers everywhere.
“The chemistry between Leon Balogun and Troost Ekong, has not been bad, I pray that they continue in that spirit and be consistent about it.
“As a defender, I learnt a formular from my coach to follow your man everywhere and when you press a man for 90 minutes, he is out of the game. For you to achieve this, you have to be strong and energetic.
“The best way to stop Messi, is not to give him breathing space, and I want to believe that we have the kind of players that can mark him for full 90 minutes. I will advise the players not to focus much on Messi alone.
“All I can advise the team is that they should not put much pressure on themselves and forget about Messi. If Argentina has Messi we have Mikel Obi, they should think towards that way and play as a team, and they would be successful.
“The difference between this team and our generation is that collectively they are very strong and they play as one. In addition, the Super Eagles have an edge which is a big boost to them because they have an experienced coach that knows what to do in a higher level of tournament like the World Cup.”
Though, West admits that the present squad does not have an exceptional player like Ronaldo or Messi who can turn things around, he points out that it could be of an advantage. “When you have a team like that, individually, they don’t have any outstanding player but the team can spring surprises in any kind of tournament or any kind of game.
“We are going to keep praying for Nigeria and Nigeria will keep moving forward.