Posted by By Abodunrin Morakinyo on
Flying Eagles chief tactician, Ladan Bosso, has mapped out strategies to cage the adventurous Scotland as both teams clash in the second group game in the ongoing World Youth Championship in Canada.
Flying Eagles chief tactician, Ladan Bosso, has mapped out strategies to cage the adventurous Scotland as both teams clash in the second group game in the ongoing World Youth Championship in Canada.
Determined to qualify from the group stage of the championship, Bosso revealed that he was going to play total attacking football against their opponents on Wednesday.
"Our strategy is to put the opponents in the defensive throughout the duration of the 90 minutes. We have also instructed our players to turn offensive to counter-attack. I 'm assuring Nigerians that there will be no escape route for Scotland today," he boasted.
Commenting on the defensive formation, Bosso hinted that his players had been duly instructed on what to do. "Our last training was actually centred on perfecting the match strategies and correcting our last mistakes," he hinted.
It will be recalled that Nigeria defeated Costa Rica 1-0 in their first match, while Scotland lost 3-1 to Japan. Excerpts...
After the victory over Costa Rica, what should Nigerians expect against Scotland?
Without any doubt, the win over Costa Rica is a major boost to us and I've always believed that we can do well in this competition if the players apply themselves so well. So, we thank God that battle is won … but we are looking for the second game against Scotland. It's a match we can't afford to lose and we are going to do our best.
What about the morale of the players … they did not really play well in the first match.
We are back in training and we are looking at areas where we didn't do well against Costa Rica. Don't forget that the game against Costa Rica was our first, but the most important thing is that we won and you'll agree with me that has given us a lot of confidence about our chances.
What's the condition of your first choice keeper, Moses Ocheje, who was injured against Costa Rica?
He's fine now … and actually, I'm just coming from his room. Nothing serious and we thank God for that. We have no injury worries … so, we are battle-ready for Scotland.
Are we going to see any slight change from the team that played against Costa Rica?
We are looking at all the players and I think we can count on any member of the squad to do his best for Nigeria. We have received messages from Nigerians far and wide and this will surely motivate us to do well in our subsequent games.
Looking at Scotland, they have a number of players in the Scottish top league. Don't you think they are more experienced than the Flying Eagles?
I have implicit confidence in our squad … I agree that Scotland are technically good, but a team is as good as their last result. Winning our first match means that we are the team to beat. We are not, however, taking anything for granted.
Your strikers wasted many scoring chances against Costa Rica. How are you correcting the lapses?
We have watched the tape against Costa Rica and we've seen areas where we need to effect some changes. So, we are working on these lapses as it were.
What strategy are you going to deploy against Scotland?
I'm keeping that close to my chest, but Nigerians should keep praying for us. We plan to go as far as possible in this competition.
Do you have any worry or fear bearing in mind how you were appointed as the coach?
No. This team belong to Nigeria and I think with the support of everyone, everything is well on course. The NFA led by the leader of delegation, Chief Amanze Uchegbulam, have been so wonderful to us. Everyone here has given us so much joy and we are all proud to represent our country. We shall do our best.