The Head Coach of El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri, Ali Zubairu, has offered reasons why his team has remained unbeaten in the Nigeria Premier Football League.
Coach Zubairu revealed the reasons at an interactive session with newsmen on Monday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
He said the emphasis of the club was on building a robust and disciplined team, where regular starters and bench players receive the same intense training and tactical preparation.
According to him, this is the key to El-Kanemi Warriors being the only unbeaten team after 10 games this season.
He noted that the team’s philosophy centred around training and discipline for all players, ensuring readiness across the squad regardless of starting status.
“We don’t build players, we build structure,” Zubairu stated, highlighting that such consistency had been instrumental in maintaining the team’s performance level.
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He, however, noted that the ideal age for developing coachable players was between 15 and 22.
He praised Kwara United as a prime example of a club investing in youths and urged fans to be patient with the team as young players represent the future of the club and the league.
The coach also expressed gratitude to his mentors, including Kadir Ikhana, Abdul Maikaba, John Obuh, and Tunde Sanni.
He said their guidance shaped his coaching philosophy and approach, contributing to his career’s success.
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that Zubairu led Nigeria to emerge winners of the WAFU-B U-20 championship in Togo, beating Ghana 2-1 to book a place in the 2025 U-20 AFCON in South Africa.