So, you're saying that being lined up on final 14 mile out, on a 3 degree glide, and slow enough to a) throw out the gear, and b) start throwing out flaps, is a "challenge"?
That's exactly what I'm saying, in this case. It probably wouldn't be a challenge for a 737, but a new 777 pilot doing it in an aircraft weighing 200-odd tonnes probably would find it a challenge, especially without strong direction from the training captain, and if a breakdown in situational awareness got them to that point in the first place.
I'm not saying this was the cause of the accident, simply that it COULD have been a contributing factor. It's fairly obvious they should have been monitoring the speed and thrust more closely, and gone around much earlier in the approach when it was obvious they were unstable. I guess we'll have to wait for the NTSB report to find out why that didn't happen.