Former Olympic Eagles head coach Imama Amapakabo has backed the thinking behind Nigeria’s experimental squad for the international friendly against Russia, insisting coaches should be given room to execute their plans before being judged.
Super Eagles head coach Éric Chelle has selected a dramatically altered 24-man squad for the October 6 encounter in Nizhny Novgorod, handing opportunities to several emerging and uncapped players while leaving out established stars including Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Alex Iwobi.
Speaking after Abia Warriors’ 2-0 victory over Sporting Lagos, Amapakabo said he would rather understand the objective behind a coach’s selection than criticise it from outside.
“I always try to look at these things from the perspective of a coach,” Amapakabo said.
The former Nigeria U-23 handler believes the technical crew will have identified what it wants to achieve from the Russia encounter and should therefore be trusted to implement that programme.
“You have to trust the coach to execute his plan,” he added, stressing that he avoids judging another coach’s decisions without knowing the thinking behind them.
Nigeria’s squad includes experienced internationals such as Wilfred Ndidi, Stanley Nwabali, Moses Simon, Raphael Onyedika and Bright Osayi-Samuel, but it also opens the door to a significant number of players trying to establish themselves internationally.
Reports have linked the youthful selection with Chelle’s wider assessment of players who could feature in Nigeria’s next U-23 cycle, although the NFF has clarified that the October fixture itself remains a senior international against Russia’s senior national team.
For Amapakabo, however, the principle remains the same.
Rather than condemn an unusual selection before a ball is kicked, he believes Chelle should be allowed to reveal exactly what he has planned for Russia on the pitch.
