“It’s going to be a different ball game from the semifinal, regardless of the tournament being a platform for clubs to fine-tune their squads. We’ll do our best, to know where our capacity takes us.”
These were the words of Gbenga Ogunbote as he prepares to lead Shooting Stars against Sunshine Stars in Thursday’s semifinal derby of the preseason tournament.
He continued: “Facing Sunshine Stars in the semifinals makes the Optima Energy Gold Cup interesting for us. There is no big deal about the fixture, we’ll be at our best like we have always been in the matches we have played.
“It’s not about us claiming the bragging rights as regards the game by proving any point but playing well. If we win, there will be one or two loopholes in the squad that needs a quick fix.”
Regarding his team not taking the maximum 12 points from the group, Ogunbote blamed it on his team’s sloppy defending after they shared the spoils with Sporting Lagos in the last match.
“We were a bit careless despite creating a lot of goal-scoring chances. A four or five goals scoreline should have been the true reflection of how played against Sporting Lagos.
“Sometimes, I think it’s good for the team, as we did learn one or two lessons from the game and one of such, is converting half chances.
“Sporting Lagos are the toughest we have played, they are a quality side and are disciplined tactically.”
Rated among the two top teams that have scored many goals, nine in total in the group phase of the Optima Energy Gold Cup, the ‘Oracle’ says Shooting Stars are not there yet, but there’s room for improvement.
“With the new season not certain to kick off anytime soon, we will continue to build on what we have and make it formidable.”
