William Troost-Ekong has provided a detailed explanation of the coaching philosophy of Nigeria’s head coach, Jose Peseiro.
The Super Eagles had their first outing under the Portuguese against the El Tri of Mexico last Sunday.
The three-time African champions struggled to get going in the first half but produced a superb attacking display after the break despite going down to a 2-1 defeat.
Peseiro expressed his love for attacking football after the game, and Troost-Ekong has corroborated former Venezuela’s style of play.
“He (Peseiro) wants attacking football from us. We played two different systems against Mexico. 3-5-2 in the first half, and then we switched to 4-4-2 in the second half. I think it suited the game better,” Troost-Ekong told NFF TV.
“What he wanted was for us to take initiative. We are a big team and have to take the game to the opponent, irrespective of the opponent we are up against.
“I think it was exciting to see. I’m really happy to get going in this new chapter. I’m looking forward to spending more time, to understand what he wants from us and improve.”
One positive from the defeat to Mexico was the involvement of home-based players.
Four of them featured as second-half substitutes in the game.
Faisal Sanni took the place of Innocent Bonke after the break, while Enyimba forward Victor Mbaoma replaced Terem Moffi in the 73rd minute.
Rivers United duo, Chiamaka Madu and Ishaq Rafiu also came in Cyriel Dessers and Moses Simon.
Troost-Ekong heaped plaudits on the players for performance in the game.
“I’m happy to see them have game time. They have been working hard in training. They all did well when they came on. They fit in nicely,” added Troost-Ekong.
“That’s a great compliment to the NPFL. The boys worked so hard to be here. That’s my key message to the boys.
“I know we are missing some of our regular players, but everyone who is here deserves to be here.
“To play for the Super Eagles, they have to take the opportunity, and they did just that.”
Troost-Ekong also reflected on adapting to change in the environment and the upcoming friendly against Ecuador
“We have adapted to the time zone. There is less problem now and we are looking forward to building on the performance against Mexico,” he stated.
“Ecuador is a dynamic team, difficult opponent. They play good football. It is a great chance for us to end things here with a win before we head back to Africa.”
