NPFL: Seven defeats in 12, but Enyimba’s Deutsch rejects a crisis

Enyimba have lost seven of their 12 Euromatch NPFL games and sit 17th, but head coach Emmanuel Deutsch has rejected the idea that the former champions are in trouble, and Sunday's visit of Ikorodu City in Aba gives him the chance to prove it.

The People's Elephant were beaten 1-0 by Ranchers Bees at the Bako Kontagora Stadium in Minna last Sunday, when Chiedozie Jude Okorie's long-range strike in the 42nd minute beat goalkeeper Dede Dare. It was the same afternoon Ranchers' Tijani Kabiru reached 100 NPFL appearances against his old club.

That defeat left Enyimba on 11 points from three wins, two draws and seven losses, level with Warri Wolves and Abia Warriors and one point behind 16th-placed Ranchers.

What Deutsch said after Minna

Deutsch felt his side could have scored as many as three times in the first half, according to the league's match report, and called the game a “good but difficult contest”. He also rated the officiating “very good”, and dismissed suggestions that the club was struggling, saying the team would recover.

A home record that gives Enyimba hope

The table is harsh, but the split is clearer. Enyimba have taken 10 of their 11 points at home, beating Shooting Stars 4-2, Plateau United 2-0 and Kun Khalifat 1-0 and drawing 0-0 with Warri Wolves. Away, they have one point from six games, a goalless draw at Kano Pillars.

The worrying part is that the home form is not a fortress either. Inter Lagos won 1-0 in Aba in September, and Sporting Lagos won 3-2 there three days later.

Ikorodu City arrive 11th on 15 points but without an away win this season: three draws and three defeats on the road, the most recent a 2-2 at Doma United. Their last outing was a 2-2 home draw with Inter Lagos.

Analysis: why Ikorodu is the game Enyimba cannot drop

Every side around Enyimba has a reason to believe. Warri Wolves and Abia Warriors are on the same 11 points, Ranchers are a point ahead, and Kwara United and Kun Khalifat are within two. In a league where away wins are still rare, the points that keep a club up are the ones it takes at home.

That is what makes Sunday important. Ikorodu draw a lot, with six from 12, and have not won away, so this is as winnable a home game as Enyimba will get. A win would lift them to 14 points and, depending on results elsewhere, out of the bottom four.

A draw or worse would leave Deutsch's words looking optimistic. The answer comes at 16:00 WAT on Sunday in Aba.