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Nairaland Forum / Entertainment / Sports / Do Eagles Have enough fire power To drop Osaze,martins? (605 Views)
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Do Eagles Have enough fire power To drop Osaze,martins? by Johnnoah1st: 9:46am On Dec 26, 2012 |
Samm Audu asks whether the Super Eagles could really afford to be without two of the country’s most prolific strikers, Osaze Odemwingie and Obafemi Martins, at the 2013 AFCON. Between Osaze and Martins, they have netted 27 international goals, but coach Stephen Keshi has said he will be fine without these two strikers who have proved themselves in the top flight in Europe. Keshi has considered the likes of Sunday Mba, Ejike Uzoenyi, Bright Dike, Uche Kalu and the desperately inconsistent Emmanuel Emenike ahead of these players for his preliminary squad. Mba is best remembered for his brace against Liberia in a February friendly in Monrovia and ever since then his goals have dried up. Uzoenyi has struggled to impress after the huge promise he showed early in Keshi’s year-long reign, while US-based Dike may just have done enough in the recent friendly against Venezuela to get another recall, but no more. Uche Kalu has done well in his first season in the Turkish second division from Enyimba, but Kalu Uche has done even more at the higher Super Ligi but was not considered. Emenike has proved he knows his way to goal in both Turkey and Russia, but in more than a dozen appearances he has only scored a goal in a green- white-green shirt. So, what do Osaze and Martins bring to a team that they ought to be on the flight to South Africa next month? Osaze has for a third season running proved his class in the English Premier League, one of the top leagues in world football. He has shown versatility upfront as he could play as top striker, behind the top man or even on the flanks, while putting in a decent defensive shift. Officials have been most uncomfortable with his outspokenness, which again came to fore this past weekend via his Twitter handle. Keshi has insisted that his bust-up with the West Bromwich striker in Rwanda in February is in the past, but like the player said on Twitter it does not seem so because if it were for football reason, he would be in South Africa. ‘Obagoal’, on the other hand, has rediscovered his killer instincts after he seemed all washed up while at Russian club Rubin Kazan. But after he took a huge pay cut to move to Spain, Martins is again banging in the goals on a regular basis. He failed to take his chance in last month’s friendly against Venezuela, but after what he has produced for the country, he ought to have been at least called up to Faro for him to either bomb again or be on his way to his fourth AFCON. In a year in charge of the Eagles, Keshi has recorded six wins, six draws and two losses even though half of his victories were in friendlies. His team have scored 21 goals in 14 matches, while a further breakdown shows that 12 of these goals were from competitive games including the 6-1 routing of Liberia in Calabar. This clearly showed that before the big win against the Lone Star, Keshi’s team have struggled to score goals in competitive matches. And it is most likely that in South Africa against stronger opposition the goals may be more difficult to come by. Nigeria have struggled to score goals at their last two Nations Cups. In 2008, they managed only three goals in four matches, while two years later in Angola, they scored six goals in as many matches in open play. With the array of attacking options at their disposal, Nigeria ought not to struggle in front of goal not just at the AFCON but at any major competition. Keshi has made it very clear that he picked his Eagles on his own terms and so it would be in his best interest that he flies high with them in South Africa. The Eagles under Keshi: P W D L GF GA GD 14 6 6 2 21 9 +12 Nov 12 2011 Friendly Nigeria 0 Botswana 0 Nov 15 2011 Friendly Nigeria 2 Zambia 0 Jan 11 2012 Friendly Nigeria 0 Angola 0 Feb 15 2012 Friendly Liberia 0 Nigeria 2 Feb 29 2012 2013 AFCON Qualifier Rwanda 0 Nigeria 0 April 12 2012 Friendly Egypt 3 Nigeria 2 May 23 2012 Friendly Peru 1 Nigeria 0 June 3 2012 2014 World Cup Qualifier Nigeria 1 Namibia 0 June 14 2012 2014 World Cup Qualifier Malawi 1 Nigeria 1 June 16 2012 2013 Africa Cup of Nations Nigeria 2 Rwanda 0 Aug 14 2012 Friendly Niger 0 Nigeria 0 Sept 8 2012 2013 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier Liberia 2 Nigeria 2 Oct 13 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier Nigeria 6 Liberia 1 Nov 14 2012 Friendly Venezuela 1 Nigeria 3 |
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