The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Oliseh

  • Oliseh: No player has a permanent shirt

    Oliseh: No player has a permanent shirt

    • Hails Onobi, other NPFL stars fielded against Swaziland
    • Praises King’s Shield team too

    Super Eagles’ head coach,Sunday Oliseh has hailed the impact of Paul Onobi who replaced John Mikel Obi in the defensive midfield position, insisting that no player has a permanent shirt in his team.

    Football enthusiasts had wanted Oliseh to start Mikel ahead of Onobi in the heart of midfield but the former Eagles’ captain during the post match press conference praised Onobi for the seamless way he carried out the task assigned him adding that all players are equal before him and that the Sunshine Stars player has not come to replace anybody.

    “I have said in my previous interviews that I don’t care where you play whether it is at home or abroad. I am glad that you saw it today that Onobi had a good game. I don’t have any player with permanent shirt. I like Onobi because he is hungry.

    “I want to also praise my boys too and I congratulate them for a very good performance. They played to instructions and all the new players introduced had a nice game.

    “We changed the tactics in the second half and it was the tonic we needed to get those goals.

    Oliseh, however, thumbed up the visitors for their brilliant performance against the Eagles adding that the King’s Shield gave his team a good run for their money and that they kept him on the edge throughout the encounter before the second goal came.

    “Beyond the bad pitch and other factors we witnessed in Lobamba, I make bold to state that the Swaziland side were a very good side and that they played very well against us.Their current FIFA ranking is not a through reflection of their ability.

    “They never sat back and they were always mobile and used every opportunity they had to attack us,””he said.

  • OLISEH TO EAGLES: Show no mercy to Swazis

    OLISEH TO EAGLES: Show no mercy to Swazis

    • Players perfect penalty kicks

    Coach how has training been going?

    Very well, thank you.

    On Saturday, we had our first training session (at the Shell Residential Area) but it was just a light one. The first real session we had was on Sunday (at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium). So far, I have been impressed with the boys and the intensity of training. Hopefully, we will get the win that we will be gunning for today.

     

    Most Nigerians expected a win on Friday in the first leg. Why was that result not achieved?

    It was a game that we went all out to win. Unfortunately, we didn’t get that but we thank God that at least we have made everything open for ourselves to just win on Tuesday and qualify.

    We want to qualify and we will be going all out to win (on Tuesday).

     

    What is the situation with Rabiu Ibrahim. He did not train on Sunday.

    Has he been ruled out of Tuesday’s game?

    Yes, he has been ruled out…..he will not play. Rabiu got onto the pitch and unfortunately hurt his knee after a few minutes. He felt some pain and I thought it wise to substitute him.

    Ordinarily, he would have finished the game. It was saddening because it destabilised our (final) push. We wanted to win the game.

     

    You drilled the boys on penalties during your last training session. Are you expecting Tuesday’s game to go right down to the wire?

    As a coach, you have to be prepared for every possible scenario and penalties are one of them. We hope to finish things off but if penalties are required, we will be prepared.

    What’s the situation with your health right now after the scare the last time around?

    The doctors have me on a regime and right now all I do is work (with the team) and sit in my room but I am steadily getting better.

     

    Any message to the fans in Port Harcourt ahead of the big game on Tuesday?

    We want to thank Port Harcourt fans for their support to the team in the past.

    They have always been here for us and gave us massive support, even during our CHAN qualifier against Burkina Faso.

    It was a similar story when the full Super Eagles team faced Niger Republic in an international friendly against Niger Republic.

     

    Thanks for your time, coach

    Any time.

  • Oliseh counts on ‘Garden City’ fans

    Oliseh counts on ‘Garden City’ fans

    Head coach of the Nigeria national team, Sunday Oliseh has insisted his charges went all out for a win in Friday’s 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Swaziland.

    The fixture ended 0-0 with Nigeria  failing to hit the underbelly of the Swazi side despite having the upperhand in possession.

    Oliseh, however, stated that he instructed his boys to go all out for the win.

    “It was a game that we went all out to win. Unfortunately, we didn’t get that but we thank God that at least we have made everything open for ourselves to just win on Tuesday and qualify. We want to qualify and we will be going all out to win (on Tuesday),” Oliseh told supersport.com.

    The Super Eagles will be looking to record a win, which should guarantee progress to the next round of qualifying for the World Cup when they face Swaziland in the second leg at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium ,Port Harcourt.

    Oliseh concluded by appealing to the fans to turn out en masse to support the side to victory.

    “We want to thank Port Harcourt fans for their support to the team  like they have done in the past. They have always been here for us and gave us massive support, even during our CHAN qualifier against Burkina Faso. It was a similar story when the full Super Eagles team faced Niger Republic in an international friendly against Niger Republic.

    The trainer also took the time to speak about the situation with his health which saw him fly to Belgium recently to receive medical attention.

    “The doctors have me on a regime and right now all I do is work (with the team) and sit in my room but I am steadily getting better,” he said.

  • Oliseh drops ‘injured’ Ibrahim

    Oliseh drops ‘injured’ Ibrahim

    Rabiu Ibrahim is likely to miss out on Tuesday’s 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Swaziland.

    The midfielder was substituted less than 30 minutes after he was introduced in the second half of the 0-0 draw with Swaziland on Friday.

    Head coach of the Super Eagles, Sunday Oliseh has revealed that the decision to hook the Trencín man was not tactical.

    “Rabiu got onto the pitch and unfortunately hurt his knee after only a few minutes. He felt some pain and I thought it wise to substitute him. Ordinarily, he would have finished the game,” Oliseh told supersport.com.

    The Eagles’ trainer added that the injury to the midfielder affected his game plan and revealed that it was highly unlikely he will be fit to play on Tuesday.

    “It was saddening because it destabilised our (final) push. We wanted to win the game. I don’t think he will play on Tuesday. He will work with the doctors on Sunday, see what the problem is and we will eventually find out what happened,” he said.

    The 25-year-old has been capped five times by Nigeria at senior level.

  • Fall out of Swaziland, Nigeria tie – Oliseh, doctor blast Rabiu Ibrahim

    Fall out of Swaziland, Nigeria tie – Oliseh, doctor blast Rabiu Ibrahim

    •AS Trencín star blames injury for poor game

    Super Eagles’ Head coach,Sunday Oliseh got angry with AS Trencin midfielder,Rabiu Ibrahim after last Friday’s 2018 World Cup qualifier against Swaziland,SportingLife can reveal authoritatively.

    The ex-Eaglets’ star came in for Sylvester Igbonu at the start of the second half only to be replaced again by Oliseh in the 65th minute in a manner  that Oliseh substituted Ibrahim because he was deemed not to be playing according to instruction and the coach felt leaving him to continue the match was too risky considering that the Eagles were under severe pressure from the rampaging Swazis.

    After the game,it was gathered that when Oliseh enquired from the player why he played so woefully in the dressing room, the Slovakia based player responded by saying he was nursing an injury he sustained while playing for his club in Europe.

    “Oliseh was very angry with Ibrahim’s excuse because the player has been training with the national team since  lastTuesday and neither complained nor showed any sign of injury.

    “I think the coach just wanted the player to admit he performed below expectation and show remorse by apologising to his teammates and the coaches for letting them down in such a crucial stage in the game.”

    The team doctor and the physiotherapist were also livid at the excuse given by the diminutive midfielder because they felt the player was being economical with the truth.

    “Ibrahim did not reckon that what he said amounted to a huge indictment on the medics of the team who felt that there was no iota of truth in his explanation.

    “The medical crew argued that how can a player undergo rigorous training for almost a week without complaining of any pain, only to turn around to blame a mysterious injury for his poor outing against Swaziland,”the source disclosed.

  • FIRST LEG: I fielded second team, SAYS OLISEH

    FIRST LEG: I fielded second team, SAYS OLISEH

    Coach Sunday Oliseh has claimed that the Super Eagles struggled against Swaziland because he fielded a second – string team, adding that the team wasted several scoring opportunities.

    The former Ajax Amsterdam and Juventus defensive midfielder is hopeful that the national team will advance to the last round of qualifiers when they face the Sihlangu again on Tuesday.

    “We need to prepare ourselves for the second leg, as we brought the second team for this game but we still should have done well.

    “We are going out for a kill in Port Harcourt,” said Sunday Oliseh in his post -match comments.

    In Sunday Oliseh’s first five games as coach, the Super Eagles have failed to score in three matches played; against Tanzania , Democratic Republic of Congo and Swaziland.

  • Oliseh raises concerns over artificial turf

    Oliseh raises concerns over artificial turf

    Super Eagles Coach, Sunday Oliseh has expressed concerns over the conditions at the Somhlolo National stadium that is billed to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Swaziland and Nigeria.

    The Eagles tackle Swaziland’s Sihlangu Semnikati over two-legs in the second round of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers and while he expects to face a tough host, Oliseh believes the artificial turf is a disadvantage to his side.

    ”Swaziland is a difficult team, and it is not going to be easy playing them, especially on an artificial turf in their home.”

     

  • WCQ: Swaziland will be difficult – Oliseh

    WCQ: Swaziland will be difficult – Oliseh

    Nigeria coach, Sunday Oliseh, has warned Swaziland will be a tough nut to crack when both teams meet in Friday’s 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Lobambo.

    “It won’t be easy playing against the Swazis especially on their artificial pitch,” africanFootball.com quoted Oliseh as saying on the Super Eagles’ opponent in Friday’s match.

    The ex-Eagles captain also admitted he has not fully recovered from a viral infection which kept him away from his post for several weeks.

    “They shocked Guinea and we got our wake-up call with Tanzania during the AFCON qualifier in Dar es Salaam,” he added.

    Oliseh has also had to grapple with the delayed arrival of his overseas-based players due to flight hitches, but he said the team’s recent friendlies against DR Congo and Cameroon should stand the team in good stead in Swaziland.

    “Our recent tour in Belgium should be good enough preparation for us,” he said.

  • I am not 100% fit- Oliseh

    I am not 100% fit- Oliseh

    • Says Swaziland will be difficult   • Blame flight hitches for Martins, Onazi, Abdullahi’s absence

    Super Eagles’ Chief Coach Sunday Oliseh has confessed that he has not fully recovered from the sickness he suffered recently but had to risk his health situation for  Nigeria.

    He said he has to tinker the team since the assignment is huge because it bothers on the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

    “I have lost some weight because I am still not 100 per cent fit but it is a crucial encounter for us and we will try to give it the best we can.

    Oliseh said without mincing words that playing against Swaziland won’t be easy at all.

    “As regards Swaziland they are a difficult team. They are a team that shocked Guinea and it is not going to be easy playing them, especially when we are playing them on artificial turf at their home.  So we know what is waiting for us. We have had our wake-up call when we played against Tanzania. Hopefully by God’s grace we will try our best. But the boys are in good spirit so I am optimistic,” he disclosed.

    On the late arrival of Obafemi Martins, Onazi Ogenyi and Shehu Abdullahi to the Eagles camp in Abuja,  Oliseh cited flight hitches for their absence in camp. “We have missed them as the players are not here because of flight problems. It is Lufthansa, I don’t know if anybody knows about the flight.

    “The ones that are here now just flew in. Team Captain Ahmed Musa just arrived camp this afternoon and is training. So I am not really worried about their absence now because I think that we had a very good training tour in Belgium,” Oliseh disclosed.

    The Eagles coach also said that his team won’t treat Swaziland with kids gloves since the team eliminated a strong side like Guinea.“We always have every reason to entertain fears while playing against any opponent because if you don’t respect them we will get kicked out. This is a world cup qualifier so we have to be respect them and take them as very worthy opponents” Oliseh warned.

    He also assured all the  invited players that if they play well in the training camp such players will make his team. “Everybody has a chance of playing. We didn’t invite anybody here to be on holiday. As far as I am concerned it doesn’t matter where you are playing. If a home star proves to be better in form in what I have seen today and will also see tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thursday then he would start the game against Swaziland that is as far as I am concerned.

  • Swaziland, Nigeria World Cup Qualifier: Oliseh arrives Sunday with five pros

    Swaziland, Nigeria World Cup Qualifier: Oliseh arrives Sunday with five pros

    • As Eagles depart Swaziland 7am next Thursday

    Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh is expected to arrive Nigeria from Belgium on Sunday (November 8) where he has been recuperating from a viral infection. The Eagles coach will fly in with five of the  foreign-based players invited for the 2018 World Cup qualifier against the Sihlangu Semnikati Swaziland on November 13, an official of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has said.

    The official who refused to disclose the names of the players hinted that the six home-based players invited by the coach will also hit the team’s Abuja camp on the same day.

    “Let us forget who the players are for now and focus on the match,” said the official.

    Oliseh will take charge of the team’s training after a two-week compulsory rest in Belgium as advised by his doctors.

    Meanwhile, Eagles will travel next Thursday aboard a chartered Arik aircraft to Swaziland for the encounter that will be played at 7pm at the Somhlolo Stadium.

    The team will fly straight from the FCT capital at 7am. 24 players were invited for the double header by Oliseh.