Thank God it’s Friday!
Another weekend of football awaits us across the globe as it is international week. Club football takes the back seat but in Nigeria the case will be different. This weekend the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) will have another full cast of fixtures and our eyes will be on the ancient city of Ibadan where Enyimba will be odds-on favourites for me to repeat last season’s win over Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC).
Surely my friends in Ibadan will not like this. There is no doubt Shooting Stars will have revenge on their minds after the People’s Elephant did a double on them last season and to cap it up winning 2-1 at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan with that worldie of a strike by Chibueze Izuogu. Today makes it exactly 265 days since the People’s Elephant pulled off that win in Ibadan on January 21 this year.
However, a lot has changed in both teams’ playing personnel. Izuogu and Chijioke Mbaoma who scored for Enyimba on that day have moved abroad to clubs in Moldova and Libya respectively. Yemi ‘Yema’ Olarenwaju is now fully in charge as Enyimba head coach after he masterminded that 2-1 win in Ibadan last time out as a stand-in head coach for his former boss, Finidi George. Shooting Stars likewise have had a few players depart their fold.
Aside talking about changes, here is a little expo for Yema and his backroom staff to work with as per how Shooting Stars have set up this season. Shooting Stars head coach, Gbenga Ogunbote, have set up his XI at home this season either playing a 4-3-3 attacking style with two advanced midfielders, or a 4-4-2 diamond tactics that allows a lot of attacking activities to come through the middle like they did against Heartland in their 1-0 win on Matchday 4. Then the, at times, also switch to a 4-4-2 double 6 style of play with two defensive midfielders.
Now that is where Daniel Daga will come into play for Enyimba this season. I still remember vividly how Daga fended off almost every midfield battle last season when this same fixture took place. He was key and I expect a lot of activities in the middle of the pack when Enyimba face them this Sunday.
So, where will the pendulum swing this time? The People’s Elephant are on a good run in seven matches in all competitions (W4 D2 L1). When you look at their four head-to-head league meetings with Shooting Stars, I think Yema and his team are in a good place ahead of this matchup, and the odds will surely be in their favour. The People’s Elephant have enjoyed three wins out of those four meetings (W3 D1). Yes, I know, some will say lightning or thunder doesn’t strike twice in the same place, but mind you that is just a popular phrase I consider a myth if you do your home work well in time before the D-day. For me, Yema and his men look equipped to face Shooting Stars this weekend and I am sure they will come out with a result to hold their heads high.
See you after the exertions of the weekend fixtures when this game would have been done and dusted!
