By Daily sports on January 4, 2021

This week, we will continue with the forthcoming crucial and critical second leg tie between host Enyimba International FC and yet another dreaded opponent, AL Merreikh FC of Sudan, that handed over 3-0 to the Nigerian representative in Sudan a fortnight ago.

It was a comprehensive conquest in what ought to have been a tight game judging from the pedigree of Enyimba International FC in CAF Champs circle in the continent. Truth is that come Wednesday, January 6, the dice will be cast as the two sides would file out to settle once and for all the scores, to know who will advance and who will revert to the second tie of African competition CAF Confederation Cup.

Take it or leave it, it would be an anticipated too tight encounter as the two former Champions square up against each other where everything is at stake.  However, any team that toys with the forthcoming football war will have itself to blame. The most affected is Enyimba who has 3-0 to cancel before starting the process of winning the make or mar game where only the fittest would survive.

To make considerable impact in the game that would guarantee ray of hope for the Nigerian representative would be for the technical crew to find an antidote that would ensure the homers start scoring if possible from the first secs of the epic game that is tagged in the continent as focus.

The purpose of giving this very game yet another space in Daily Sports shows our commitment and the kind of attachment the crew placed on this crucial and critical now or never game of wits and brawns. January 6, meet is a match where the bench would play crucial role, knowing that not much chances would be created and Enyimba bench must have perfected goal getting strategies that would take the risky and ticklish visitors to the cleaners catching them unawares, before they would get to know what hit them.

Let me sound it once again clearly here that it won’t be an easy match as the Sudanese being who they are will come along with them, bags full of different football frustrations aimed at keeping Enyimba players at bare and even to the extent of annoying them to make deep silly mistakes to their (visitors’) advantage.

These and more are the workload Lukman Osho and his crew has on hand. In those days when sound coaches are in the national team, the NFA then normally would ask teams in this kind of tight corner, if they could draft such to assist the club’s technical crew to formulate water tight match plans that would be very difficult for the visitors to master.

Nowadays things have gone awry. Everybody has gone solo. I can see what is going through the inner mind of veteran football administrator and NFF executive committee member, Felix Anyansi Agwu who no doubt is presently at the receiving end. He could not attend the NFF Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Abeokuta last week.

It showed that he, whose house is burning, cannot chase rats. Agwu understands my adage and it has dawned on him that up there, there is no long home for squirrels, therefore the hen must be home to roost come January 6, when AL Merreikh FC of Sudan file out to continue their search for the ticket for the next round of this year’s CAF Champions League summit. One prays that Anyansi Agwu led management would survive this great scare from these boys from war torn Sudan.

Enyimba team has its hands full and must ensure it put every fit and even half chance right into scoring a goal. Sudanese boys, as tough as they are will come out fighting right from the first blast of the whistle with their typical robust displays ensuring they carry the game into the host area.

Al Merreikh is no new customers to Enyimba and so the Nigerian representative must stand them head long and give them a great game that would ensure the West African country club side picks the sole ticket and advance.

Let me sound it here that it won’t be bread on anchor butter stuff as there won’t be any space to play to the gallery. Every sec will matter throughout the earthquake showdown signifying those top African teams are on parade contesting for supremacy of who carries the day. It will be a showpiece to behold, all things being equal. However, since all things can never be equal, the onus is purely on Enyimba to start early on their spirited and avowed mission to turn back their first leg spoiler.

Let me also say that with the request by Enyimba to NPFL organisers to put forward their week two league game to allow them concentrate on the second leg CAF Champs League encounter against Sudan further points a vivid picture to the level of importance the former NPFL Kings attached firmly on the match which pointer indicates the team is eager to salvage.

One prays that mother football luck be on their side because they believe and will be hell bent to turn the table against their visitors come January 6, inside the mainbow of Enyimba International Stadium Aba.

Enyimba players though peopled with mostly younger players that have not much nerve for the kind of encounter they will face on January 6, but this is where proper handling comes in, by telling them in clearer terms that their opponent does not play with their two legs at the same time. That is one game they must cool down but absolutely calculated and at red alert not to leave any kind of opening for the Sudanese boys to operate from because they can be sleekly dangerous.

Enyimba must also be educated that the players of Al Merreikh that did not feature in the first keg are fit as fiddle to play in Aba; therefore the visitors will be fortified to the teeth coming to Aba for the worst.  The Aba team must prepare themselves to brace up decisively to effectively counter their first leg conquerors paying them comprehensively back in their own coins. Nothing would be great and good enough than to pick furtherance slot in the 2021 CAF Champs League.

The Aba boys no doubt are young but you cannot deny their ball juggling ability. No player should play to the gallery or being selfish because football is a team sport and so cooperation on the field of play would not be over emphasised here. It’s the only way to go so as to achieve the most needed collective goal of stopping the Al Merreikh invaders.

Enyimba no doubt would have their hands full but with proper planning and fielding fit fighting lads against the dangerous visitors would be the best way to go too.

We in Daily Sports are behind the country’s standard bearers to come up tops in this difficult game. It looks unachievable but in football it is doable and the Enyimba FC has done it before though with different caliber of players. However, this crop of players must have in the front and back of their minds that they have a date with history if they put their feet on ground firmly against high flying Al Merreikh FC of Sudan and pick the ticket.

Our social media is open 247, so let’s trend on the obvious talk of the town in the continent for this week. Enyimba International FC can go all out and so we believe that Osho and his boys cannot afford to fail. Abia State government is equal to the task in supporting the team lavishly that would enable the boys clinch victory to give us the ticket to compete further in this very prestigious top class club football summit in the continent. Keep shooting hard till next week, as the Struggle Continues!!  

Source Daily sports

Posted January 4, 2021

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