Abia Warriors head coach Imama Amapakabo has offered a detailed breakdown of how his side dismantled Bendel Insurance in Sunday's NPFL home fixture, crediting sharp tactical preparation for the convincing result.

Goals from Chukwuemeka Obioma — a brace — and Ettah Ikoi sealed a dominant three-goal performance for Abia Warriors, ending a run of poor form that included a 2-0 away defeat to Barau FC the previous Wednesday.

Exploiting the midfield

Amapakabo told league analyst Fisayo Dairo that prior knowledge of Bendel Insurance proved decisive. "I like it when I play against teams that we've had the opportunity to play against in friendlies during the friendly window," he said.

The coach revealed that his side had anticipated a 4-3-3 setup from the visitors, but Bendel Insurance arrived in a 4-2-4 formation instead. Rather than being caught off guard, Amapakabo turned the surprise to his team's advantage.

"They emptied their midfield and we had a formation where we had to congest our midfield — and it was a plus for us."

Amapakabo admitted the scoreline could have been far heavier, suggesting his forwards squandered enough chances to have put five or six goals past Bendel Insurance in the first half alone.

A squad rebuilt from scratch

Asked about Abia Warriors' familiar pattern of slow starts to each season before eventually finding form, the coach pointed to the scale of squad turnover as the root cause.

"Most times people don't understand that I rebuild almost every other year," Amapakabo explained. "This year I lost about 18 of my players and we have to start rebuilding again."

He acknowledged that blending new arrivals takes time, but expressed confidence that his squad was beginning to find its rhythm. "Gradually the players are beginning to gel, beginning to understand the philosophy — and we'll keep on going," he added.

Amapakabo closed with a reminder of the bigger picture, stressing that patience is essential across a full league campaign: "It's a league season — it's not a Cup game."