SPORTS
Believe in the process, Pochettino tells fans after Chelsea’s defeat
Mauricio Pochettino called on Chelsea fans to “believe in the process” after his side slumped to a 3-1 defeat away to West Ham United in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Argentine former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris St Germain manager has taken on a big challenge at Stamford Bridge, trying to fashion a new identity for an expensively-assembled squad.
Eight players have been signed for around 325 million pounds (414 million dollars) since he arrived in the summer as Chelsea try to re-invent themselves after finishing 12th last season.
One of them, Moises Caicedo, whose fee from Brighton could break the British record, was given a debut off the bench.
But his impact rather summed up Chelsea’s day as they remained on just one point from their opening two games.
His rash tackle inside the penalty area on Emerson in stoppage time gave Lucas Paqueta the opportunity to wrap up the points for West Ham from the spot and he made no mistake.
Chelsea have won just one of their last 14 Premier League games and have now lost four London derbies in a row, but Pochettino is certainly not about to start panicking.
“That’s football. Teams like us, we need to get the right balance. I think today there were a few actions we didn’t manage well and we concede.
“Overall it is this type of game that is difficult to explain. You had the possession, you create and maybe you were the better side but in the end you lose,” Pochettino told reporters.
Chelsea had 75 per cent of the possession at the London Stadium, had 17 attempts at goal and 706 passes compared to West Ham’s 225.
But apart from a very well taken goal by Carney Chukwuemeka they had nothing to show for it with Enzo Fernandez, still the British record signing, missing a penalty to make it 2-1.
“It was the frustration when we miss the penalty. We were playing well and we didn’t get the reward.
“Disappointed but this is only the beginning. We need to believe in the process. I think we are going to be stronger and for sure be really competitive,” Pochettino said.
For West Ham it was a massively encouraging afternoon and a result that suggested they could avoid a season spent looking over their shoulders at the relegation places as they did last time.
James Ward-Prowse made an instant impact on his debut, setting up the opening two goals for Nayef Aguerd and Michail Antonio.
Even after Aguerd was sent off midway through the second half, West Ham’s resilience shone through.
“We hung in there at times, were resolute. Even at 10 men we stuck in and got another goal.
“We stuck at it, did the basics well and got the three points,” manager David Moyes said.
Nasarawa United Football Club of Lafia on Saturday defeated Lobi Stars of Makurdi 1-0 in a pulsating North Central derby.
The matchday 16 fixture of the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premiere Football League (NPFL) was played at the Lafia Township Stadium, Nasarawa State capital.
The Makurdi side had adopted the Lafia Township Stadium as their home ground for the 2024/2025 NPFL season.
The only goal of the match was scored by Qamar Adegoke in the 12th minute of the match to give all three points to the Lafia side.
Adegoke’s goal, who joined the Lafia team recently, was his second in four matches.
The Nasarawa attacker capitalised on a defensive error by the opponent’s backline and hit the back of the net to give Nasarawa United the advantage.
In a post-match interview, Kabir Dogo, Technical Adviser of Nasarawa United, hailed his players for taking all three points.
He explained that his team had improved by scoring five goals in their last three matches and expressed optimism that they would do better in subsequent games.
“We had a problem in the area of goal scoring in the past, but this has changed in our last three games,” he said.
With the win, Nasarawa United climbed to 14th on the NPFL table, while Lobi Stars remain on 17th position. (NAN)
The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) is organising a two-day National Coaching Seminar, with the theme: “Leadership and Management Skills”.
The event will take place from Dec. 17 to Dec. 18, at the Additional Sports and Entertainment (ASEP) Pro Limited, in Mowe, Ogun State.
The seminar will enhance the capabilities of Nigerian table tennis coaches, with a particular emphasis on female coaches, aligning with the International Table Tennis Federation’s (ITTF) Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (GEDI) Initiative.
A statement issued by the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation, on Tuesday, said that the seminar was part of the one-week sports and leadership boot camp titled “Awaken the Giant, She Can 4.
0,” proudly supported by NTTF.“This seminar will also represent the third stage of the 2024 “My Gender, My Strength” programme, which has table tennis star Abosede Akinsete, as a beneficiary.
“NTTF President,Tikon Ishaku, Vice President, Adesoji Tayo, and other board members are dedicated to initiatives that support the development of coaches.
“Wahid Enitan-Oshodi, ITTF Executive Vice President, and President of ITTF-Africa, reaffirms his commitment to empowering women in sports, in line with the GEDI Initiative.
He explained that the seminar would feature people, who would speak on leadership and management skills, to enhance the abilities of coaches to identify and develop talents, as well as encourage the development of high-performance table tennis players capable of competing globally. (NAN)
Rivers United Football Club of Port Harcourt on Sunday returned to the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) summit as strong rivals Remo Stars FC faltered on Match Day 13.
Report says that Rivers United beat visiting Abia Warriors of Umuahia 1-0 after an Ndifreke Effiong 58th minute goal from the penalty kick spot.
Effiong’s goal in the match at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium helped them to move to 25 points from 13 matches, after seven wins, four draws and two losses.
Former leaders Remo Stars dropped to second with 23 points from 13 matches after seven wins, two draws and four losses, following a 0-2 loss to hosts Katsina United.
Plateau United of Jos beat visiting Nasarawa United of Lafia 2-0 to bolster their position.
Shooting Stars Sports Club also struggled to a 1-0 win over visiting Bayelsa United of Yenago.
A 15th minute goal by Anthony Okachi at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan gave them the win.
El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri had on Saturday beaten Akwa United of Uyo 1-0 to move into third place on the table with 22 points from 13 games.
Enyimba International of Aba remained in fourth place with 20 points from 12 matches, with their week 13 game against Sunshine Stars of Akure on hold.
Rangers International of Enugu are in fifth place with 20 points also, after a goalless draw with hosts Heartland FC ain Owerri on Saturday.
Bendel Insurance of Benin had also beaten Kwara United of Ilorin 3-1, while Lobi Stars of Makurdi drew 2-2 with visiting Kano Pillars in Lafia.
NAN reports that the league will enter Match Day 14 on Wednesday.(NAN)
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