Beach Eagles’ Defence Worries Coach

Beach Eagles’ Assistant Coach, Chukwuma Agbo, has expressed dissatisfaction with the defence of the World Cup-bound national team.

In an assessment of the team after a friendly match with Badagry United FC on Wednesday at the Aivoji beach in Badagry, Lagos, Agbo said “in spite of our 18-3 victory, the defence is still suspect.

“I am not sure of the ability of the defence and the goalkeeper to withstand pressure from top teams when the competition commences,” he said.

The Beach Eagles are going for their fourth World Cup in Italy and are drawn in Group C with Russia, Tahiti and Venezuela.

The assistant coach said that the occasional slips in defence could be dangerous when playing an experienced side like Russia.

“This is why the coaching crew, led by Adamu Ejo, is working hard to correct the lapses before leaving the country,” he said.

Commenting on the goalkeeping department, Agbo said that a situation where only Abdul Isa, the number one keeper, was okay was not healthy for the team.

“For instance, the situation that occurred in Morocco during the African qualifiers when Goalkeeper Isa was injured and we had no good replacement was a minus for us,” he said.

The coach said that the technical crew and the Nigeria Football Association were already taking steps to correct the lapse.

The Nigerian team finished as runners up behind Senegal at the African championship in Morocco in June.