Heartland head coach, Fidelis Ilechukwu insists his new club is not yet perfect as they gear up towards the commencement of the season.
Ilechukwu who spoke to dasportainment247.com after his boys thrashed ambitious non-league side ASJ of Owerri 3-0 in a friendly game in Okigwe revealed that more work still needs to be done to bring Heartland to a perfect shape.
He also noted that working in a new environment, with new sets of players is getting interesting, but that there are still a few challenges which they are hoping to surmount in due course.
“Working with a new team, I am getting what I expected but we are still a work in progress and there are still a few challenges,” Ilechukwu told Johnpaul Nnamdi of Dasportstainment247.com.
“The combination from our midfield to attack is very poor. We really need to work on that and make sure we make it perfect.
“In most of our test games, we would have been scoring more if we had a very good transition. That’s the area we will keep working on.”
With a completely new structure and leadership on the ground, Heartland have acquired some key additions which include Super Eagles goalkeeper, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Ilechukwu believes that he will definitely find a solution to his combination problem before the league commences.
Hear him: “We have a lot of players on the ground, but we can still add one or two who will make the job very easy. The philosophy is all about people who will concentrate and understand the instructions. It is not all that easy but we will do everything possible to make them understand.”
Ilechukwu took the league by surprise when he led MFM to the topflight from scratch.
He in the following season qualified them to play in the CAF Champions League after the Olukoya Boys finished second behind Plateau United in 2017.
The Nnewi born handler admitted a lot would be expected of him on his new job by way of replicating such feat in Heartland.
“I already know the expectations and I am ready to work and do everything possible to make sure we get a continental ticket,” he continued.
With what we have on ground we really need to work to be able to meet up with that. I think we can do it. It’s possible.”
