Admin l Sunday, January 22, 2017
UYO, Nigeria – Akwa United head coach, Abdul Maikaba has refused to be drawn on the popular-held belief that his vast knowledge of the inner-workings of Wikki Tourists will give his current employers the advantage ahead of Sunday’s Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) clash at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi
Maikaba coached Wikki with distinction, leading the Bauchi club to a third place finish in last season’s NPFL campaign.
The experienced coach has endured a difficult start to life as coach of United and with a trip to Bauchi around the horizon, he has refused to be drawn on whether his time as head of Wikki’s technical crew will give the Promise Keepers any advantage on Sunday as both sides clash in one of the glamour fixtures on match day three.
“I will keep it (the advantages of being a former Wikki coach) to myself because it is purely tactical.
“Besides, if I talk about it now, it will be all over the media and I do not want that,” Maikaba told the rivers united official website, www.riversunitedfc.com.ng.
Maikaba’s start to life as Akwa United’s coach has been anything but straightforward as he has failed to mastermind a victory in his first two attempts.
United lost 1-3 away from home to newly-promoted ABS FC before dropping two pints at home in a 1-1 draw with Rivers United in midweek.
Some sections of the home support visibly expressed their frustrations at the result and performance of their side on Wednesday with a few claiming that their beloved team was ‘playing to the gallery’.
Maikaba says the fans must be patient and believes the players will soon embrace his philosophy of intricately building up attacks with purposeful play from the rear.
“We did not play to the gallery against Rivers United. We cannot just lump balls forward in the name of trying to attack our opponents.
“It is important to keep possession because the ball is the weapon.If you do not have the ball, you do not have the chance to do anything positive and that is why I always encourage my players to always try to have possession of the ball.
“I will never be an apostle of the kind of football that sees a team lump balls aimlessly forward.
“I will keep preaching my philosophy to my players because I believe that with time, they will catch up with it,” he said. Akwa United currently occupies 18th place on the NPFL standings with a solitary point from their first two matches.
