Mavlon FC’s coach, Muyiwa Showole has revealed the tactical approach that helped his squad of young players stop the highly experienced ‘big boys’ of First Bank FC from defeating them.
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Their match on Friday in Lagos zone of the Nationwide League One (NLO) surprisingly ended goalless at Maracana Stadium, Ajegunle, and Coach Muyiwa gave his youngsters a pat on the back for a job well done, as he admitted they played against highly exposed players.
He expatiated that the simple tactic he employed was to ensure that their opponents could not use physical advantage on his younger array of players, which ultimately left the ‘big boys’ frustrated.
With Mavlon’s kids maintaining a stronghold of ball possession and blocking their defence, First Bank’s highly experienced players could not penetrate the opponents’ backline to score.
It meant the bankers’ team from Satellite Town that had won five straight matches dropped points only for the second time this season, and Showole was beaming with delight afterwards.
“Actually, we didn’t do anything essentially different, but that the boys played according to tactical discipline,” he disclosed.
“My players tried to keep the ball as much as possible, and we did not allow the opponents to come at us. They are bigger than us, so we had to keep the ball more than them.
“Another thing that worked for us is that we are basically an academy, and we have a lot of young boys who play with energy. We did not rush up to them because they were more physical. We decided to knock the ball and frustrate them.
“We know them, and they’ve won almost all their matches. So, we know how to handle them. Just make them chase the ball. That’s all.”
Showole went further with a verdict that the tactics he has marshalled for his side this season have helped the youngsters defy all odds, such that they are holding firmly unto sixth position in the NLO table and the gaffer is praising them for making him proud.
He added: “From the start, we decided to play with a log of communication in our team, which helps the defence and goalkeeper to block our post.
“Another thing is that every player has to be tactically disciplined. We also made sure we blocked the ball and stopped them from getting it. That’s basically our pattern. It’s difficult for the opponent to get near our post.
“If you don’t break the block, you can’t get a goal. There’s nothing they can bring in that can make us shake.
“Our tactics are working. We take every match the way they come … one after the other. That’s what helped us against First Bank. We know them. They are Big Boys, ex-league players, but we kept the ball away from them.”
