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