Finidi George praises Atalanta hat trick star, congratulates Boniface and Tella

[iworo]

Finidi George praises Atalanta hat trick star, congratulates Boniface and Tella

Lookman became the first player in history to score a hat-trick in the final of the UEFA Europa League.



Newly appointed Super Eagles coach, Finidi George was full of praise for Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman after his side’s UEFA Europa League triumph last night, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 26-year-old winger was at his electrifying best at the Aviva Stadium in Ireland, carving the Leverkusen defence apart like hot knife through butter, and scoring three superb goals.

Lookman was a core member of the Super Eagles team that secured second place at the AFCON 2023 tournament in Ivory Coast, scoring three goals, but didn’t feature in Finidi’s friendly games during the March International break.

While there were several reports that Finidi is not a fan of the former Everton man, the Super Eagles coach made it clear that the former RB Leipzig forward is a core part of his team.

Speaking with journalists at his Media parlay in Lagos today, Finidi George was full of praise for Lookman, and hopes the former Atalanta man will replicate the same form during Nigeria’s upcoming qualifiers.

“’I’m delighted with his performance. I sent him a message to him to congratulate him and I’m happy. I also reached out to Boniface and Tella to tell them they should be proud of what they did. This is a great time for Nigerians. It’s wonderful for me as a coach. I’m happy with what he did and looking forward to him in the qualifiers,” Finidi said in his press conference.

Lookman made history last night, becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in a UEFA Europa League final while Tella and Boniface can hold their chin up and keep their head high after an eventful season that saw Leverkusen go 51 games unbeaten, breaking Benfica’s 60 year record.

Xabi Alonso’s men won the German Bundesliga, ending Bayern Munich’s eleven year reign and are on course for a domestic double if they can defeat Kaiserslauten in the DFB Pokal final on Saturday.

Finidi George mentioned that his selection for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers will be based largely on the team that travelled with the Super Eagles to the AFCON 2023 tournament in Ivory Coast, giving Lookman another nod.

“We’ll see new faces for sure, about two to three new players. The squad should be out before the end of this weekend, we just have to sort out a few things. Some of our players are injured and we want to be sure they’ll be able to make it in time for our games, but largely, we’ll be building on our team from the AFCON,” the former Real Betis winger added.

The Super Eagles will play against South Africa in June 7th at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo by 8pm, before travelling to Ivory Coast to play against Gernot Rohr’s Benin Republic three days later.

https://soccernet.ng/2024/05/finidi-geo ... tella.html

[Schillachi]

Finidi, hope you've learned your lesson. You had Lookman in the team and inexplicably chose to start Dessrs for the first game and still didn't start him in the second game. It was these type of mind-boggling decision making that made me question your integrity. Make amends and do better..

[Cellular]

Finidi, hope you've learned your lesson. You had Lookman in the team and inexplicably chose to start Dessrs for the first game and still didn't start him in the second game. It was these type of mind-boggling decision making that made me question your integrity. Make amends and do better..

It was a freaking friendly.

You guys should let it go.

Haba

[metalalloy]

Finidi, hope you've learned your lesson. You had Lookman in the team and inexplicably chose to start Dessrs for the first game and still didn't start him in the second game. It was these type of mind-boggling decision making that made me question your integrity. Make amends and do better..

It was a freaking friendly.

You guys should let it go.

Haba

You would think you wouldn't have to state the obvious, but then again, no be CE after all?

[ohenhen1]

I saw Lookman during training before the friendlies didnt look 100 percent. So I wasnt surprised he didnt' get a lot of minutes in the two games.

[Enugu II]

Finidi, hope you've learned your lesson. You had Lookman in the team and inexplicably chose to start Dessrs for the first game and still didn't start him in the second game. It was these type of mind-boggling decision making that made me question your integrity. Make amends and do better..

Bros, so Finidi has become GOD? Lookman has played well since AFCON but it does not mean he cannot be benched if someone does better. Football is about " what have you done lately?"

[1naija]

Why should they let it go when doing so won't fit their agenda? Did you hear the. Complain when Rohr and Peseiro didn't start him?

Finidi, hope you've learned your lesson. You had Lookman in the team and inexplicably chose to start Dessrs for the first game and still didn't start him in the second game. It was these type of mind-boggling decision making that made me question your integrity. Make amends and do better..

It was a freaking friendly.

You guys should let it go.

Haba

[Bigpokey24]

Why should they let it go when doing so won't fit their agenda? Did you hear the. Complain when Rohr and Peseiro didn't start him?

Finidi, hope you've learned your lesson. You had Lookman in the team and inexplicably chose to start Dessrs for the first game and still didn't start him in the second game. It was these type of mind-boggling decision making that made me question your integrity. Make amends and do better..

It was a freaking friendly.

You guys should let it go.

Haba

I tire ooo

[ANC]

Why should they let it go when doing so won't fit their agenda? Did you hear the. Complain when Rohr and Peseiro didn't start him?

Finidi, hope you've learned your lesson. You had Lookman in the team and inexplicably chose to start Dessrs for the first game and still didn't start him in the second game. It was these type of mind-boggling decision making that made me question your integrity. Make amends and do better..

It was a freaking friendly.

You guys should let it go.

Haba

I tire ooo

Even if na late Pele, no one should be above benching.
Ademola is tops in my book, but as per SE, Finidi should only play those that he deems fit for his system.

[Schillachi]

Finidi, hope you've learned your lesson. You had Lookman in the team and inexplicably chose to start Dessrs for the first game and still didn't start him in the second game. It was these type of mind-boggling decision making that made me question your integrity. Make amends and do better..

It was a freaking friendly.

You guys should let it go.

Haba

This is one of the problems with Nigeria. You see something that's inexplicable, you make silly excuses and unlook only to start crying later when it grows into something substantial.

I was Finidi's biggest supporter before the friendly. It was a chance for him solidly perform and take the job without questions. For someone who hadn't gotten the job to choose to start a subpar team shows either a very foolish individual or a corrupt individual working hand-in-hand with NFF. Shikena. Like I said, I hope he's learned his lesson!

[mcal]

Finidi, hope you've learned your lesson. You had Lookman in the team and inexplicably chose to start Dessrs for the first game and still didn't start him in the second game. It was these type of mind-boggling decision making that made me question your integrity. Make amends and do better..

It was a freaking friendly.

You guys should let it go.

Haba

...fingers crossed he replicate his heroics from yesterday next month, and don't get frozen like Osihmen who was banging in goals at club then got squeezed at the afcon.

[Schillachi]

Finidi, hope you've learned your lesson. You had Lookman in the team and inexplicably chose to start Dessrs for the first game and still didn't start him in the second game. It was these type of mind-boggling decision making that made me question your integrity. Make amends and do better..

Bros, so Finidi has become GOD? Lookman has played well since AFCON but it does not mean he cannot be benched if someone does better. Football is about " what have you done lately?"

So Dessrs and Iheanacho were doing better at the time Finidi started him against Lookman and others? The "what have you done lately" mantra is exactly what made me question Finidi. The people he started had done nothing lately

[Enugu II]

Finidi, hope you've learned your lesson. You had Lookman in the team and inexplicably chose to start Dessrs for the first game and still didn't start him in the second game. It was these type of mind-boggling decision making that made me question your integrity. Make amends and do better..

Bros, so Finidi has become GOD? Lookman has played well since AFCON but it does not mean he cannot be benched if someone does better. Football is about " what have you done lately?"

So Dessrs and Iheanacho were doing better at the time Finidi started him against Lookman and others? The "what have you done lately" mantra is exactly what made me question Finidi. The people he started had done nothing lately

? Surprised by your point here, tbh. Did you forget that those were international friendlies? For me, that Lookman did not start there means diddly. I am more concerned that new players were not given a run out by Finidi than concerned about Lookman or other prominent players featuring for reduced minutes.

[1naija]

Not only that, the fact is, Lookman can only start in the Super Eagles in a 3-4-3 formation. He will not start in a 4-4-2 system. Rohr hardly started him. It wasn't until the AFCON that he became a starter, and that's only because the 3 forward positions made available a spot for him. In a 4-4-2, all our midfielders are better in their positions than him, and if all our strikers are healthy, he won't get a nod above any of them. It's a matter of the personell on the team. We are stacked in his position.

Finidi, hope you've learned your lesson. You had Lookman in the team and inexplicably chose to start Dessrs for the first game and still didn't start him in the second game. It was these type of mind-boggling decision making that made me question your integrity. Make amends and do better..

Bros, so Finidi has become GOD? Lookman has played well since AFCON but it does not mean he cannot be benched if someone does better. Football is about " what have you done lately?"

So Dessrs and Iheanacho were doing better at the time Finidi started him against Lookman and others? The "what have you done lately" mantra is exactly what made me question Finidi. The people he started had done nothing lately

? Surprised by your point here, tbh. Did you forget that those were international friendlies? For me, that Lookman did not start there means diddly. I am more concerned that new players were not given a run out by Finidi than concerned about Lookman or other prominent players featuring for reduced minutes.

[Schillachi]

Finidi, hope you've learned your lesson. You had Lookman in the team and inexplicably chose to start Dessrs for the first game and still didn't start him in the second game. It was these type of mind-boggling decision making that made me question your integrity. Make amends and do better..

Bros, so Finidi has become GOD? Lookman has played well since AFCON but it does not mean he cannot be benched if someone does better. Football is about " what have you done lately?"

So Dessrs and Iheanacho were doing better at the time Finidi started him against Lookman and others? The "what have you done lately" mantra is exactly what made me question Finidi. The people he started had done nothing lately

? Surprised by your point here, tbh. Did you forget that those were international friendlies? For me, that Lookman did not start there means diddly. I am more concerned that new players were not given a run out by Finidi than concerned about Lookman or other prominent players featuring for reduced minutes.

International friendly being overseen by someone that was auditioning for the job. How do you start an obviously inferior team when you are auditioning for the job? Not just once but twice! Again, there are two options: He is either an incredibly stupid individual or he was acting at the behest of or in cahoots with the NFF.

My concern is not the results of the friendlies but his decision making. Anyways, I hope he does better going forward.