Posted by By MADUABUCHI KALU on
The former Super Eagles' Technical Adviser, Clemens Westerhof, has urged Super Eagles manager, Berti Vogts, not to build his team on defensive tactics. Westerhof was of the view that the defensive tactics adopted by the current Eagles' manager was not the best for a big team like the Eagles.
The former Super Eagles' Technical Adviser, Clemens Westerhof, has urged Super Eagles manager, Berti Vogts, not to build his team on defensive tactics. Westerhof was of the view that the defensive tactics adopted by the current Eagles' manager was not the best for a big team like the Eagles.
He said when he was there as the technical adviser of the team, every team used to dread the Eagles on the continent because they were playing attacking football. Westerhof said attacking football does not allow opponents the opportunity to settle down and plan on their own attack on the team.
"You see, Berti Vogts should do something very urgently in order to improve the fortunes of the Eagles.
"I don't like the way things are going on in the team. Look, the adoption of defensive type of play can not solve the problems of the team as it is now. Defensive football don't make winning of matches easy, because it is only goals that decide matches.
"During my time, our brand of football does not give our opponents room to settle down and plan how to attack us. Like I used to say, the best defense is attack. Therefore, I would love to see the team reverse to attacking football."
The director general of Football College of Excellence said it was a bad idea to rely on a player to score goals for a team. He was of the view that the German manager relied on Nwankwo Kanu to score goals for the Eagles at their last Africa Nations Cup qualifier against the Cranes in Abeokuta. Westerhof said it was only attacking football that create room for players to score goals.
"During my tenure as Eagles manager, we never relied on a single player to score goals.
"A team does not rely on a player for goals. During my time, despite the fact that Rasheed Yekini was our point man, other players such as Amuneke, Finidi George, Samson Siasia including defenders like Ben Iroha were scoring goals for the team.
"That feat was possible because of the attacking football were playing at that time. I, therefore, advice Vogts to reverse to attacking football to enable the team rediscover herself because it is only goals that win matches.
"The pride of the team must be restored because any time I see Eagles play the way they did of late, I get pissed off because I know that the team can do better than they are currently doing."