When Rivers United edged out Enyimba in a tight 1-0 preseason clash at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, it was more than just another victory on the board.
For head coach Finidi George, the hard-fought result over the Aba Elephants provided clear evidence that his tactical transformation of the Pride of Rivers is well under way ahead of the new campaign.
A late curling finish from substitute Iyounna Douglas—off a slick pass from Abdurrashidi Dabai—sealed the 1-0 win for the Garden City side.
Beyond the scoreline, it was Rivers United’s dominant ball possession and sharper tactical movement that stole the show.
Reflecting on his side’s performance and structural progress during his post-match interview, Finidi highlighted the visible strides his team has taken physically and tactically.
“There’s big progress. We are still working on the team, physically and tactically. You can see in the first half, there were some lapses when we were pressing. But we still created a couple of chances that we didn’t take. In the second half, we didn’t see those lapses, but we didn’t create much.”
Finidi added:
“We just have to have that balance every now and then. But we are still watching and see building. Hopefully, by the time we go to ValueJet tournament, we’ll be able to see those that we feel can start the league for us.
After the first league match, we are going into the continent, so we have to check properly so that we have the right balance in the midfield, defence line and the attack. Not a bad one. When you play grade A games and you dominate this way, I think we are quite happy, but it’s not enough.”
The shift in playing style is unmistakable. Unlike the patterns seen in previous campaigns, Rivers United are now dictating the tempo, keeping control of the ball, and executing quick transitions.
Having now recorded back-to-back friendly victories over Abia Warriors and Enyimba, the squad is quickly building momentum.
When asked about the noticeable contrast in possession and squad performance compared to the last two seasons, the former Super Eagles gaffer praised the football IQ of his current squad while emphasising that the work is far from finished.
“The quality of the players, the IQ of the players this season is quite different from the last two seasons. We hope they keep this standard.
We have to keep working on what we feel we are lacking. Hopefully, we’ll have the best of the season. It’s not always easy, but we will not relent.
We will keep working. Like I said earlier, we have a few things, a few areas that we have to work on and make sure that we start the league on a high note,” Finidi said.