Super Eagles’ captain Mikel Obi has been put under intense pressure to lead the team to a resounding victory against Iceland on Friday, as well as fulfill his promise to President Muhammad Buhari that he (Mikel) is a man of his words.
NationSport
confirmed that President Buhari spoke with Captain of the three-time
African Champions few hours before Nigeria tackled Croatia in their
first World Cup fixture in Russia, where Mikel reassured the President
that the team would not disappoint.
“If you can see
that after the defeat, Mikel was down and withdrew more than his
teammates, to the extent that he could not explain the defeat in a
post-match interview. He knew the weight of disappointment.
“I can tell you for free that Mr President spoke with him(Mikel) on behalf of the team before the Croatia match.
Odediran
Ogunsanya, a sport psychologist/analyst who shared views on the
development said: “Super Eagles would have ordinarily won the match
because the Croats were not at their best, but they could not because of
the pressure they shouldered.
“The president’s
call few hours to the kick off of the Croatia match should have been
done days earlier. The timing for the call apparently pull up weight on
the team.
“Was there any
need for that? For me, I do not think so. The team psychologist should
not have allowed these big shots from the Presidency to have access to
the team. The team did not get the right inspiration from them. Their
presence was a direct pressure which should not have happened.
“See, this is psychology, I can tell you that Eagles would beat
Iceland with less pressure from government and from the team officials.
Nigeria fans should please let the boys enjoy the game and with ease
they will score and secure the much needed victory against Iceland.”
Mikel’s promise to President Buhari even though it fell flat in the face of the 0-2 loss inflicted by Croatia on Saturday, still hold hope as the Nigerian captain is now ready to make Nigerians smile in the next game against Iceland on Friday.
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