Strengthen Slovan Uche Agbo: Believe me, we can succeed in Greece – ŠPORT.sk

On the way to the first points, or at least after the point, Uche Agbo should also help. The Nigerian midfielder came to Slovan a few weeks ago. He had only hit three matches so far, but the attentive eye immediately saw that the reinforcement was valid. Not to mention that he has experience from the Spanish La Liga.

Football-intelligent, strong enough with a good overview. Three basic characteristics that can be used to describe Uche Agbo. That is why at the beginning of September he was hired by Slovan and signed a long-term contract with him for three years. Immediately after his arrival, he joined the basic line-up and is expected to start on the PAOK pitch today.

THREE – POINT INTENT

The reigning Greek vice-champion was Slovan’s rival two years ago in the European League playoffs. After a domestic victory 1-0 on Tehelná pole, Slovan lost 2: 3 in Thessaloniki. In the sum of both results, the Slovak representative went further, ie to the group. At present, after the abolition of the rule of a higher goal weight on the opponent’s court, the same results would be followed by an extra time.

Agbo made his debut for Slovan in a duel against FC Copenhagen (1: 3) and played well. Despite starting for the first time in a white jersey and with a training deficit, he lasted a full 90 minutes at a high pace. He also dealt with complex situations in the middle of the field constructively with great clarity.

“Is that how you saw my performance? Thank you very much for the compliment, “ he told us with a wide smile as we connected with him. Agbo himself then offered his view on the match, in which Slovan lost 1: 3, but gave one of the best performances under the leadership of Valdimír Weiss st.

“The match worked out for me. I really felt good about it. It is never easy for legionnaires to assert themselves in a foreign team. I know that I will not be easy in Slovan either. I need to get to know the new teammates better at football and learn how they pass, how they move on the field. I still felt a deficit in these aspects, but otherwise I gave a good performance.

The coach was also satisfied with me, because after the meeting he praised me. I know that he took a risk when he built me, even though I was only in Slovakia for a few days and I did not have optimal summer training. It was an honor for me to join. I believe that I will play as much as possible and I will not stop improving, “ added the shield midfielder.

As a 25-year-old, Uche Agbo has an ideal football age. In addition, we dormant the potential for further improvement. He could show his qualities again in Greece today. “I have never played against a Greek team before. So it will be my premiere against PAOK. That is, if I board. I believe so. We are going there with the desire to fight for victory, “ he declared convincingly.

“I am really convinced that we can succeed in Thessaloniki. We saw a few PAOK matches in the video. Without debate, it is a good team, but we are traveling to Greece with a clear intention. There is a team spirit on our side. I understood one right after my arrival in Slovan. Our team plays better against harder opponents. It’s not about motivation, but simply, a louder opponent seems to be able to win more from the players.

You can trust me to do our best to get three points. Believe me, I have already played in several teams and I feel great quality and potential in Slovan. Yes, I know that PAOK is the favorite on paper, but that was FC Copenhagen and see how it turned out. We lost 1: 3, but if we won, no one could say even half a word. We were a balanced opponent in Copenhagen and we were able to take all three points – coincidentally and with a little more luck – “ Agbo continued.

The Nigerian midfielder did not start in Saturday’s league duel on Senice, which Slovan managed with an overview (3: 0). So there was a question about his health. Is he not limited by any injury or illness that would prevent him from playing in Thessaloniki today?

“No, everything is fine. The coach decided to save me, so I didn’t play in Senica. It is normal. We have a lot of players in the team, the staff is wide enough, the rotation is natural. I’m not sick or injured, I want to play today. I will be very grateful if I get another chance. “ clarified the reason for his non-participation in Záhorie.

Another topic we discussed with Agbo was the already mentioned confrontation of Slavs with PAOK.

“I also saw this match. I mean the one from Tehelné pole, in which Slovan won 1: 0. PAOK seemed compact in it, but Slovan was able to win with a goal in the set time thanks to his excellent performance. This is exactly the impression I have from Slovan, he does not give up, he fights until the last moment. I will not mind if such a scenario is repeated. In principle, however, it doesn’t matter how we do it just to score in Greece. “ Agbo continued, bearing in mind that if the Slovak champion wanted to think about advancing from the group, he should score in Greece.

Only the winners of the eight basic groups will advance to the eight finals of the Conference League, and the teams from the second places will share it with the third teams in the group stage of the European League. And since PAOK won on the first day of play, his next triumph would mean a six-point lead over the Slavs.

MESSI AND RONALDO FIVE TIMES

Agb’s journey to Slovan was rather winding. He started playing football as a little boy in his native Nigeria. The scouts immediately noticed his talent and left for Italy at the age of 17. Udinese Calcio, known for his excellent work with young people, looked for him.

“I only spent six months there and went on a guest visit to Granada, Spain. At first I started there for Béčko, but gradually I reworked into the first team. I finally spent more than three years in Granada and had the opportunity to try one of the best competitions in the world, La Liga. This experience moved me a lot as a player and as a person. I moved from Spain to Belgium. With Standard Liege I won the Belgian Cup and played in the European League group.

I returned to Spain for a short time and with Ray Vallecano I played again in La Liga, and then I went on a guest visit to Braga, Portugal. The last time I worked at Deportive La Coruña. The club relegated from the second league to the third, but I could not leave because I was injured. So I stayed there for a while, I was in good health and a few weeks ago I came to Slovan, “ described his European pilgrimage.

In Braga’s jersey we could also see Uche Agb in Slovakia. He played a European League duel in Tehelné pole (4: 2) against his current employer. “I remember this match very well. I especially remember the fans and the great atmosphere. Slovan kept up well with Braga, but we won then. I think that was a fair result. “ he fished in his memory and remembered the meeting of December 2019.

Uche Agbo has over 40 matches in the highest Spanish competition and over 30 starts in the Belgian league. In Spain, he also competed against the best in the world. “I played about five times against Real Madrid when Cristiano Ronaldo was still there. I also played against Barcelona five times in a line-up with Lionel Messi. In particular, the matches with Barcelona were challenging. It was very difficult for her players to take the ball.

They are even better on the field than when you see them on TV. Messi is an extra class, we don’t even have to talk about it. The same goes for Luke Modric or Toni Kroos. The good thing is that when you play against them, you can learn some moves from them. “ Agbo declared and at the end of the debate he said what impressions he has from Slovakia so far.

“I feel good in Slovan, but I also expected that. Before I came to the club, I talked to my compatriot Ezekiel Henty, he only spoke of the Slavs in a good way. The people in the club and the management are great. I feel quite a lot of pressure, I haven’t played in a club yet, where only victories are expected. It is a challenge for me,” concluded Agbo, who appeared in Slovan’s jersey in three competitive matches.