I am happy to be back – Echiejile

Posted by admin Headlines, Soccer, Sports Monday, July 7th, 2014

Super Eagles defender Elderson Echiejile has said he has put the disappointment of missing out on the 2014 World Cup in Brazil behind him and is focused on club duties, africanfootball.com reports.

The former FC Porto player, who has been training in Austria with his French club AS Monaco teammates ahead of next season, says he is happy to be back.

Last month, Elderson suffered a muscle injury during a World Cup warm-up against Greece in the USA, which effectively ruled him out of Brazil 2014.

“I am very happy that I’m fit again after my injury before the World Cup,” the player said on his official website www.elderson3.com.

“I would have loved to be at the World Cup, but it was not meant to be.

“I have put the disappointment of missing out on the World Cup behind me and my focus is now on establishing myself at my club.

“All the same, the Super Eagles did well without me to reach the last 16 in Brazil. It was an encouraging performance.”

Meanwhile, former Nigeria coach Christian Chukwu has said there is no need for a total overhaul of the national team.

Nigeria crashed out of the 2014 World Cup after losing 2-0 to France and there has been calls by some Nigerians for changes in the side.

But Chukwu, who managed the team between 2003 and 2005, believes that what the team need is strengthening.

“The team did well in Brazil but it was just unfortunate that they lost in the round of 16. The changes in a team depend solely on the coach, but the Eagles I saw in Brazil do not need a complete change of players,” Chukwu told our correspondent on the telephone on Sunday.

The former Enugu Rangers defender also says that there is no perfect team in the world, adding that what the big teams do is to examine their approach to competitions.

The former Kenya coach said the Eagles should not be criticised for conceding goals from set-pieces in the tournament, saying the big teams had also found wanting.

“Conceding goals from set-pieces in matches is not a problem for the Eagles, why can’t we score from set-pieces when we have a chance to do so?” he said.

“The big teams in the World Cup also conceded goals from set-pieces because there is no perfect team in the world and what they do is just to look inwards and strengthen their teams. So with adequate strengthening, we can successfully defend set-pieces in the future.”wp_posts