OLIHA: MEXICO GAME WILL HELP EAGLES AGAINST KENYA

OLIHA: MEXICO GAME WILL HELP EAGLES AGAINST KENYA

Posted: May 30, 2013

Ex-International, Thompson Oliha, insists in this interview with JAMES AGBEREBI that tomorrow’s friendly game with Mexico will help Eagles to prepare well for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Kenya and Namibia.

How would you rate Nigerian players as leagues all over Europe are winding down?

They’ve all done well for their different clubs which is very good. But one player who I feel should up his game is John Mikel Obi, he tends to play backward most times. But when you watch David Luiz play in that same position, he is always moving forward. I believe Mikel can do it because he is a good player, a great player. So for me, they’ve all done well and I rate them very high because I believe if they qualify for the 2014 World Cup, they will do very well.

A lot of the players who won the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa went on to win trophies for their respective clubs. Mikel Obi and Victor Moses won the Europa Cup with Chelsea, Joseph Yobo won the Turkish Cup for Fenerbahce, Efe Ambrose won double with Celtic and Elderson Echiejile won the Portuguese Cup with FC Braga. How would you react to this?

We are all happy that they were able to win trophies for their various club sides after the Cup of Nations success. The truth is they should maintain this level of performance because they’ve given Nigeria a good image. I will urge them to keep it up.

How do you think this will impact on the team as they look ahead to the World Cup qualifiers and the FIFA Confederations Cup?

If they could give 70 percent to their club sides, this time it should be 100 percent or more than that. I think the success they were able to get in their clubs will go a long way in motivating them to approach the qualifiers and the Confederations Cup with all the seriousness it deserves.

The Eagles have a friendly match against Mexico on Friday, what are your expectations in the match?

Well, I expect a good game from both countries. Mexico is not a small country when it comes to world football and their victory against Brazil at last year’s Olympics Games gives credence to that. I believe it’s going to impact positively on the Eagles’ preparations as they look forward to the qualifiers.

The Kenyans, aside missing their first choice keeper Arnold Origi and their captain Dennis Oliech will be without another key player Macdonald Mariga who has been ruled out due to injury; do you see this as an advantage to the Eagles?

Yes... it is going to be an advantage to us because these are key members of the team. The Kenyans were not a threat to us before but in our last encounter, they almost surprised us and now that they will be missing these players, I think it will affect them. Yes, we will miss some of our top players, but I believe there are capable replacements for them.

What’s your view on the increase in bonus by the Kenyan Football Federation for their players ahead of the clash against the Eagles?

I believe they decided to increase their bonus in order to boost the players’ morale. But the thing is that Nigeria is a team to beat in Africa. Everybody wants to beat Nigeria because of our exploits and also now as African champions. Even in other sports, every country always up their games whenever they come face-to-face with Nigeria.

How would you react to coach Stephen Keshi’s recent declaration that the World Cup is more important than the Confederations Cup?

That maybe true and also it may not be true. Football is all about confidence, so it’s for us to give them the confidence because the Confederations Cup will boost their morale and gives them an idea of what to expect when the World Cup proper starts.

How would you react to Sydney Sam’s decision to turn his back at Nigeria?

There’s nothing bad about it, he has made his choice. The truth is we have better players here, so there is no point disturbing ourselves over someone who is not interested in playing for us. After all we’ve seen Nigerians who were brought up in England, and after coming to play for Nigeria, they could not live up to expectations.

What’s your view about the Flying Eagles who will be taking part in an Invitational Tournament in France before the World Cup in Turkey?

It’s a good thing that they will be playing in that tournament; at least, it will prepare them well before they head to Turkey. The only problem I have with the team is the decision of the coach to drop some players especially now that it is almost time for the tournament. He should have kept them with the team even if he is not going to use them.

Finally, how far do you think they can go at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey?

I wish them well and hope they surpass the performance of their last outing. I think with good preparation, they will not disappoint us.  ---------------------- Complete Sports