Merry Christmas, Enyimba Lovers.
Today is special for Christians all over the world. A day set aside to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. As we gather with family, friends and loved ones, it is important we do not lose sight of the true reason for the season. Gratitude. Love. Hope.
Thankfully, the festivities are not limited to food and family alone. Football has also shown up in full force. AFCON, EPL and of course the NPFL are all serving us a generous Christmas buffet.
It is no longer news that we returned from Borno without points after that exhausting journey to Maiduguri. What is news however, and deserves to be highlighted, is that we scored twice in Maiduguri.
That has not happened in over two decades. In fact, those two goals equal our total goals scored on that ground across the same period. Progress does not always wear a win badge, but it still counts.
The renewed goal scoring drive in the team is encouraging. It tells us something is clicking going forward. However, the goals we are conceding at the other end in recent games are becoming increasingly worrying.
So how did the coin flip.
At the start of the season, our defensive solidity was the foundation of everything. It was rightly praised as the bedrock of our early title push. We conceded just two goals in our first five matches, with four straight clean sheets to open the campaign. Back then, the criticism was clear. We were not scoring enough to turn draws into wins.
Fast forward to now and the script has flipped. In our last five matches, the attackers have stepped up with ten goals. Unfortunately, we have also conceded ten in the same run. We have let in at least one goal in our last six matches. A complete reversal of our early season defensive identity.
Football is often a game of philosophy. Some coaches build from the back and trust structure above all else. Others believe that goals win games and are willing to trade defensive security for attacking freedom. Wherever our technical crew stands on that spectrum, balance is now non negotiable. We cannot afford to lose our edge at either end if we truly intend to make progress in the second half of the season.
Next up is Shooting Stars Sports Club in Aba. A proper NPFL heavyweight. They sit sixth on the table, three places and six points above us. On the road this season, they have been solid, with two wins and three draws. This will be a different test altogether and a serious examination of our resurging home form.
As we celebrate this festive period, our hope is that it becomes even merrier with another Enyimba win in Aba on Monday.
Enyimba Enyi.
