Eguma: Continental is over, time to face the league

Rivers United head coach Stanley Eguma has sounded a wake up call to his players, declaring that it is time for them to face reality now that their continental participation is over.

Rivers United lost 0-1 away to Warri Wolves in a Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Match Day 12 encounter decided in Ozoro, Delta State on Wednesday, three days after the team were eliminated by Enyimba from the CAF Confederation Cup on Sunday.

Eguma who won the 2001 Nigerian FA Cup with the team while they were still in the second division says the players must show professionalism in their future games.

“The players have to realise that the continental is over. Now is the league, we have to face the league squarely,” Eguma told www.aclsports.com

“No game is a pushover. Everything is very important so we have to give our best in every game we play henceforth.

“They are professionals but we will still have to psyche them up. We enter for these competitions and it’s not yet over, things have not gone out of hand. We can still pick our pieces and face the league. They have to brace up because continental is not the end of life because if you do well in the league, you can still pick another ticket in the tournament,” added the longest serving manager in the league.

On the reasons for the loss to Warri Wolves, Eguma admitted that there were real signs of tiredness among the players as he made just three changes to the team that started in Sunday’s clash with Enyimba.

“What I found out was that the game was too physical. The two teams were too physical in the game and I think by the second half, we conceded that goal because there was disorganisation in the centre back area.

“The players showed some sign of fatigue and tiredness in this game and that’s why the game became a physical game and we couldn’t play our kind of game,” added the 2011 Nigerian league winner.

Rivers United continue their double-away set of fixtures when they travel to Uyo to face in-form Akwa United on Sunday.