CHUKWU ADVISES DREAM TEAM VI NOT TO BE COMPLACENT AGAINST GERMANY

Christian Chukwu, former Super Eagles Coach, has advised the Dream Team VI not to be complacent in their semi-finals game against Germany. Chukwu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos that the U-23 team should not rest on their oars against their German counterparts. NAN reports that the
Dream Team defeated Denmark 2-0 in the quarter-finals to qualify for the semi-finals stage of the ongoing Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The team will take on Germany in the semi-finals the football event. The former Green Eagles Captain said that the team should be wary of the Germans and should play with the same tempo as they did with Danish team. ``The German team is very quick with the ball and they tend to keep the ball in play always. ``The coach should make sure that the midfield is intact and players should hold their opponents close. ``The defence line should be more firm because in their last game, there were loopholes that made their opponents to penetrate. ``And finally, they should always play like a team,’’ he said. Chukwu hailed the team as they showed determination to win their last game with so much focus on scoring. ``I commend the team spirit with which they played. It was an impressive win; they showed lot of determination and focus. ``It was clear that they listened to the coach and his technical crew. ``They played with ease and dictated the tune of the game even when they felt a little threatened by their opponents. ``I hope that they will put in more of these against the Germans match,’’ he said. Contributing, Friday Ekpo, a former Super Eagles player, urged the Dream Team to remain resolute ahead of the semi-finals encounter. Ekpo told NAN that the players had performed excellently in spite of all the challenges they encountered in their build up to the Olympics. ``First and foremost, I must commend the team and the technical crew for taking the country this far in the Games. ``We are all aware that it has not been a smooth journey for the team but above all odds, they got this far,’’ he said. He added that the match against Germany would not be an easy task and urged the players to approach it with determination. Also, Falade Oyekan, a board member of the Lagos State Football Association, lauded the team for their performance so far. Oyekan urged the players to shun anything that would distract their quest to qualify for the final. ``The team has done very well and we are proud of them and they should not be disturbed or distracted with happenings around them,’’ he said.