Friday, January 11, 2008

"The future is very bright for the Super Eagles." Vogts

Super Eagles coach Berti Vogts says his players will continue to intersperse volleyball and other sports into their training regime in the build-up to the African Nations Cup later this month.

There have been pockets of criticism from certain quarters about the players playing volleyball in camp and a bemused Vogts told Kick Off that those criticising the method were living in the past.


"We try to build team spirit and we will play basketball, volleyball, soccer tennis," Vogts maintained. "I hear some people ask 'why play volleyball' but I think they are old fashioned.

"You cannot play football, football all the time. The players have to relax and they have to take their minds away from football but still exercise to make the muscles work.

"We train hard now, but when we get to Ghana, we have some time to rest before we train again for the competition. But the players have to be relaxed in their mind and then they can focus when it is time." Meanwhile, despite seeing his largely experimental squad come away with a 2-0 victory over Sudan, Super Eagles coach Berti Vogts is not putting much stock on the result, preferring instead to focus on the positives from the team play."I am always happy when I win, but this was not important. It was just a training match; the boys were tired because two times they trained the day before the match and trained again the day of the match.

"But what is important for me was the passing, the movement and the spirit in the team. It was a chance for me to give some of the players from Bulgaria, from Switzerland, from Russia, from Ukraine some match fitness."

And Vogts pointed out that he was happy with what he saw, including from the youngsters. "They did well and I believe the future is very bright for the players and for the Super Eagles."

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