Goals, Goal Scoring and unearthing the gems if any exists.

The week is longer after defeats. It’s almost like Nature wants you to stew a little bit over your performance, in hopes that it inspires you to do better next term. This is even made worse by the fact that there isn’t a midweek game this week – you can say, it’s all conspiring to teach you that post defeat lesson you must learn.

Looking at the League table, there isn’t alot of cause for concern. We are still within touching distance of the pacesetters. On another day, I wouldn’t call Rivers United pacesetters- just tagging them that here, in terms of their early good start to the season. Are they the best side in the League right now? I’ll grudgingly say Yes.

Which puts that performance in Port Harcourt into perspective. No doubt about it, the Nigerian League is cruel. There’s no reward for defeat on the road, even if you put up a good away performance. In that game in Port Harcourt, we played better, we created more chances than the hosts but this goalscoring problem came back to bite us.

Recently, it was in the news that they were signing ex Super Eagle Brown Ideye, in the same breath as Kano Pillars signing Ahmed Musa. Don’t we have a currently unemployed former Enyimba International who can come in and add something to our attack mix? Mfon Udoh? Sibi Gwar? Peter Onyekachi? Anayo Iwuala? The more i think about this, the more comical the idea gets especially from an Enyimba point of view.

Clearly, the goalscoring issue is an area where we must improve as a team. Not trying to exhume last week’s pain, but we did have enough chances to win three games against Tornadoes. But like they say, “when it rains, it pours”. We just couldn’t find the decisive touch in the key moments.  And that cost us. It also cost us in Maidugiri as it did in Port Harcourt. Gradually you can see how losing your key strikers every season is never a good thing. 

It is often said, that “You don’t rehearse on stage”. In the Nigerian League that statement couldn’t be truer. I’ll tell you why. Coaches are judged quickly in the League. A bunch of bad results and you’re fearing for your job. This season, a couple of coaches have already been fired – we havent even played a third of the matches yet.

I learnt that Enyimba currently has over 40 players at different phases of the team. First teamers, the bench chairmen, those outside looking in and those with near zero chances of getting into the squad. And I’m thinking – 40 players? I don’t envy Coach Yema. If I was in his shoes, I’ll quickly have my main core and then provide friendly matches to sample who else can get in.

The other question then becomes- who recruited these players? Who gave the green light that these ones are able to “move the team’s needle”? Quality is always better preferred to Quantity. We can surely learn for the future but right now, the gaffer must find a way to unearth the gems that will keep Enyimba on course this season. There also is the small matter of the CAF Confederation Cup. Of course when we get to that bridge we will cross it. But we need to start finding goalscoring solutions ourselves and very fast too.

Back tomorrow

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