Captain of Nigeria’s Super Eagles William Troost-Ekong admits that the team is under pressure ahead of the World Cup qualifier against Rwanda.
However, he believes that the pressure is a good thing for the team, a privilege to help prepare the team better for the task ahead.
The 31-year-old also revealed that coach Eric Chelle has given the team new instructions and has clearly defined what he wants from them when they step up on to the pitch.
He also spoke about what it means to put on the Super Eagles shirt as captain of the team.
Troost-Ekong shared his thoughts with the Super Eagles media team after Wednesday’s training session.
So everything’s been good. First training session, all the boys in camp, we fired up. Of course, you know, we have a big job ahead. You know, it comes with the pressure, but I keep saying to everyone that this pressure is a privilege. So all the boys are feeling that. We’re very happy to work with a new coach.
He’s given us a lot of new instructions. So for us, it’s just to make sure that we understand what he wants from us on Friday. But we’re working towards that now. These are the key moments where you have to stand up, but none of us are afraid of that. And like I said, this pressure is a privilege for all of us.
You know, it’s always special when I’m here.
Whenever I have to have this badge on my chest, I’m very, very happy. So being with a new coach, we try the best to welcome him as quick as possible.He’s been very clear and yeah, what he wants from us, what he’s expecting. And now it’s just for us to understand it and then do the job. So like I said, I’m very happy that he’s here and he’s given us a lot of information already.
Troost-Ekong says the match against the Amavubi will be tough but the Super Eagles are prepared and have a clear objective ahead of the fixture.
He also alluded to the support of the fans who will be rooting for the team to secure maximum points and also criticize as well.
And we’re looking forward to the game on Friday.
We try to break it down into things that we can actually achieve, objectives. And I think if you just play them. If you miss the occasion, you’re going to get lost in it.So we’re trying to prepare for the game and be very objective in how we approach it. What we need to do to focus on Rwanda. Of course, we have to respect them for their position in the table.
And I think we understand what they want to do.
Of course, they have a new coach as well. So it’s going to be a very loaded match. But we just try to break it down and focus on the things that we can control.We have 230 million plus Nigerians that are going to be our biggest fans or our biggest critics.
And yeah, it’s part of the game. I think all of us understand that. And most of the players have been here long enough to be able to handle that.
Willam Troost-Ekong will lead the lead in defense on Friday as they look to revive their chances of qualifying for the World Cup with a win on Friday.
The Amahoro Stadium in Kigali is the venue of the fixture and kick off is 5 p.m. Nigerian time.
