Morning all.
It is the morning after last night’s gruelling schedule against Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC). The People’s Elephant really dug deep to eke out a point at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan.
For starters, I must really commend Enyimba head coach, Yemi ‘Yema’ Olanrewaju, for pulling off a kind of surprise with his starters. No Eze Ekwutoziam. No Joseph Atule. No Unwana Asuquo. These trio started on the bench. Apparently, Yema’s game-plan was to foil the diamond midfield tactics of 3SC head coach, Gbenga Ogunbote in the absence of two of his most trusted personnel, Clinton Jephtha and Daniel Daga, who have returned to international assignment with the Nigerian Under-20s.
While I penned this article, I kept wondering if Yema plays the game of chess because last night’s game showed lots of input from the dugout. The game management was spot on. No disrespect to Ogunbote, I guess he learned a few things from last season’s defeat and this time decided to keep it tight – drafting Otakho Aghahowa to the heart of defence and shoring up the middle with more men. He surely did not go gung ho!
Quite right, I know many will say Yema’s men did not do much in the final third but they simply stuck to the plan of keeping their shape and keeping a clean sheet. The team just had to adapt without the man who has more goals contribution so far this season than anyone in the team – Clinton.
I won’t also forget two dicey moments in Enyimba’s goal area. First, midway into the first half goalkeeper Ani Ozoemena inadvertently picked up a back pass instead of using his feet. Surely that must have been a heart in mouth moment for Enyimba faithful. Fortunately, nothing came out of the free kick inside the box. And then there was the hour mark when Samuel Ayanrinde’s effort rattled Enyimba’s woodwork. I am sure Enyimba fans must have watched with their hearts beating faster than normal.
Nonetheless, if you ask me, the one point from last night’s game in Ibadan should be viewed as important because at some point the Lekan Salami Stadium might become a difficult ground for visiting sides. Good thing for the People’s Elephant is that they have made Ibadan a good grassland to inhabit in – two games this year without losing (W1 D1).
Now the next focus is certainly Thursday’s home game versus Niger Tornadoes.
