The new season of the Glo Nigerian Premier League kicks off this weekend and after three months of no League football, the new season could not have come any sooner. Fixtures drawn up few weeks ago has offered us quite an interesting line up of matches but none will be more anticipated than the only derby served up this match day- Enyimba International vs. Akwa United.
A tale of two managers
No time in recent history has this clash been devoid of significance either on or off the pitch and this year's did not disappoint either, it is the clash of two managers Kadiri Ikhana and Zachary Baraje. About this time last year, Baraje had signed with Enyimba after guiding El Kanemi Warriors to a fourth placed finish and he and his new charges were dreaming of what they would achieve in the new season. Kadiri Ikhana on the other hand was sizing up his newly promoted Giwa FC, neither men aware of how things would open up in the new season. Well, in a strange turn of events, Kadiri Ikhana led his team to Aba in June and not only outwitted Baraje but took over his office in the process.
Squeezing Water out of the Rock:
Is managing Enyimba the toughest job in the Glo Nigerian Premier League? The answer is, which is tougher? What makes Enyimba different from every other side is the fact that have the resources to attract better players but honestly there are few better players at a higher technical ability than what can be found at every other club. So what you have is a congregation of players who are slightly better than a lot of others, a healthy monthly pay package and a huge pressure to get not only a Continental ticket but to get a trophy every year.
The main rival is Kano Pillars who are the most organized and best run club in the Championship. With the recent stories of owed payments and player strikes, an Enyimba manager now has an even heavier job of keeping unhappy players motivated; a task equivalent to squeezing water out of a rock. Enyimba's pedigree means that regardless of the problems within the team, fans are already penning down the three points before a football is kicked.
What they have to prove:
As far as Sunday is concerned, all at matters Is the three points. Kadiri Ikhana will want to teach the man in the opposite dugout from his manual, Coaching Enyimba 101. Of course he turned the fortunes of the team around last season but Sunday is about outwitting Baraje one more time to prove to the Enyimba management and fans that they made the right choice picking him.
Ikhana- Mr. Reliable
For Baraje, there is a different kind of pressure. Returning to the grounds were he suffered what could be termed the lowest point in his managerial CV, the prospect of beating Enyimba in Aba will be one he would so relish. His team, Akwa United themselves have barely oozed good news except perhaps the fact that they will play their games this season at the Nest of Champions, Nigeria's current best footballing edifice. His team have lost players who left in search of greener pastures, one of which is Ezekiel Bassey now tutored by Kadiri Ikhana and will be lining up against Akwa United on Sunday.
The Bigger Picture:
Beyond Sunday however, what lies ahead for both coaches is a big big season. Kadiri Ikhana made history with Enyimba 13 years ago and his successor Kano Pillar's handler Okey Emordi used his template and reproduced the feat for Enyimba. Since then, no other Nigerian club has been able to work the magic again. Ikhana wants to do it again and even if he wouldn't, he wants a good run in the Continent. He also knows that his employers want that Premier League title that has eluded the People's elephant for five years now. If any manager can wrench it from Pillars, it is Kadiri Ikhana.
Coach Baraje - looking for revenge or just play spoiler?
For Baraje Akwa United is his first managerial appointment since his dismissal at Enyimba; he is a man seeking redemption. He wants to remind everyone of his almost forgotten exploits with El Kanemi warriors before his sad stint at Enyimba. If he needed a moral boosting appointment, this is it. If he needed a quiet, low pressure job that can give him resources and personnel to show what he is capable of, it is right here before him. Akwa United themselves are in search of answers too especially with myriads of gifted players leaving every season, they believe Baraje can turn things around again. Talk about a marriage made in heaven.
So as each man steps toward his dugout on Sunday, both realize the magnitude of the respective tasks facing them and getting maximum points will be a huge leap in the right direction.
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