Good morning All
Sunday’s draw fades into the Sunset and attention focuses on what is ahead. It has been a less than stellar Continental showing for us, and although we still have that slim chance of making it out of the Group, I am one of the few people who think that “it is the hope that kills you”.
Probably I am faithless. Or maybe reality is dawning on me that this team isn’t the World Beaters we’ve come to expect them to be. I mean from the onset, we have criticized the recruitment and quality of players – from the days of Coach Yema to where this team is right now.
This premise leads us to the Question of the Day – “What characterizes success from an Enyimba point of view, this season?” Otherwise, “what should be viewed at Enyimba as minimum results to characterize this season as a success?” Especially in light of the results posted earlier this season.
I did speak earlier regarding recruitment and I have it on good authority that Coach Eguma is bringing in a few new/or old faces to join the party. Who these are and what they will bring will only be seen and evaluated in the process of time. However, here’s hoping that we have learnt a lesson from the abysmal recruiting of the start of the season.
On the Continental front, I believe we’ve made a respectable showing. Despite our sad recent results, it’s clear that we’ve achieved more than any other Nigerian team on the Continent. That’s definitely something to be proud of – we have not won the Competition and may not even make it out of our Group but, we are still the best among our peers.
On the League front, we are not too far behind from the leading pack. Those home draws will hurt unless Stanley Eguma engineers a couple of away wins. In fact, two away wins plus winning all our home games will surely land us back in the driving seat. Question is, Can we pull off such wins on hostile territory? In Uyo? Lafia? Enugu? Maybe?
The season isn’t over by any stretch and although we had high hopes of a decent run in the Continent, reality is that is done for now. Or well, technically it is not but even the Enyimba legends of old couldn’t get a result in Egypt. I don’t think this lot will break that jinx. The League has to be the next focus.
The NPFL is a strange beast. This time last season, Enugu Rangers were barely scraping the top half of the table, and yet they ended up champions. So, there’s hope— although you know it will take some serious wrestling to knock off Remo and Rangers and Rivers United off the perch. The big question: Can Eguma and the boys deliver when it matters most?
Then there’s the Federation Cup—the forgotten child of Nigerian football, treated like an afterthought, but it is a route to the Continent and should be taken seriously – as soon as the organizers decide to. A top-four league finish paired with a Federation Cup trophy could salvage a season teetering of the brink of mediocrity.
Back tomorrow,
Enyimba Enyi!
