Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle took a very bold decision by deciding to drop captain of the team William Troost Ekong in yesterday’s 1-0 win over Rwanda at the Godswill Akpabio stadium in Uyo.
Chelle picked on loan Brentford defender Benjamin Fredrick ahead of the experienced defender. A decision which was not just bold, but also a huge risk considering the fact that the 20 year old hasn’t played a competitive game for Nigeria yet.
Fredrick made his debut in the Unity Cup after being drafted in to make up for the departure of some players, before the game against Jamaica in the final of the tournament.
Yesterday he however didn’t show any signs of a player making his competitive debut as he paired seamlessly with Calvin Bassey in the heart of the Super Eagles defence.
Explaining the decision, a source close to the coach said Chelle took the decision after three games with Ekong at the heart of a back four didn’t go as planned. He feels Ekong’s lack of pace has become the target of most opposing teams.
However he would have started if the coach had played with a back three. The formation he switched to in the second half upon Ekong’s introduction as they look to see off the game.
Nantes defender Chidozie Awaziem would have been the next option, but his similarities with Bassey meant both can’t be played at the heart of the defence.
The coach braved all odds to pick Fredrick after a 15 minutes speech to the players, who were largely stunned when Fredrick was announced as the one to start alongside Bassey.
A decision which Chelle made fully convinced that Fredrick will produce a better performance than he did at the Unity Cup, after playing top level football for Belgium side FC Dender where he is on loan from Brentford.
He was proved right afterwards, and will now stick with the defender on Tuesday away to South Africa in a key game, hoping he keeps up his performance against the group leaders.
