TheSuperNerd:
So it is I who is forgetful then? Lol... abeg drop that weak shade.

When I say no.9 what do i refer to? Or you have forgotten I used "Top striker" in a discussion I had with you about Nacho? If your memory is as great as you make it, then why don't the term "No.9" lead you to recall "Top striker" in our argument? Lone forward, Top9, No.9, Top striker... we spoke on this at length concerning Nacho so why making it sound like I mean something else when I said "no.9"?

You called him useless as a top 9, no.9, Top striker... that is The truth. But he has scored 3 of his 8 international goals as a no.9 (lone forward/top striker). And also plundered 21 for Man City playing in same position upfront most times. I use most times because I remember he also paired with Bony at times (he was no lone forward in those few instances and still scored).

And I recalled also being okay with having an Ighalo lead our attack against Cameroun because he is much more physical even though he is also blessed technically. And Ighalo can comfortably play with his back to goal. There are opponents where we are expected to utilise such tactics against. Cameroon was just one.

But again you call for a big burly " back to goal" top 9 took a twist when you started supporting the call for Martins later on to lead the line as the Top 9. How funny.


And there was no need for a deep psychoanalysis of your words on Kayode that day. I saw it all Sir. You said what you said and it was all under the same cloud of Nacho being castigated left right and centre by some monikers that day. You reckoned that Kayode will score soon enough after his move to Girona while Kelechi was still struggling to come back at Leicester. You even went as far as calling Peter Olayinka a true bonafide footballer and said you don't rate Bonaventure Dennis. I still remember the patterns and waves of discussions back then Sir Goldfish.


And yes you were gloating about Tbaba's comments.... but again, both of you have it wrong. Pellegrini didn't just coach the finishing ability of Nacho because he certainly didn't see Nacho as just a finisher. I have shown that to you.


Lastly, I also have my fair share of predictions which came true dating back to the U-17s thread. We all cannot get it right all the time like how you also predicted cameroun to be our toughest battle only for it to turn out the easiest of matches... I recall stating casually that Zambia may turn out more difficult than Cameroun in the end and so it was.

But hey! I still doff my hats for how you saw that same Cameroonian team conquering Africa in 2017. Lol... that was a shocker.

goldfish80:


LOl... Let's not turn this to a pissing contest of "I said, I didn't say" . I believe our comments are cached in Google servers anyone in doubt can verify and shame me( I will be waiting for this), but for for clarity sake, I will repeat without remorse. "Kelechi is useless as a lone forward" I have seen the worst of him in that position to come to this conclusion.

Oh! you forgot I also mentioned that Man city turned him into a fox in the box... lol
You opposed me vehemently when I said this.
If you're honest with yourself, you can see clearly, I did not lie after all. ; D

By the way, I already know the country to win the world cup, but I no go talk am, YET!

TheSuperNerd:
Actually the Nacho I have seen so far is not a fox in the box.... He is a player who contributes to build up plays, have great vision, dangerous from set pieces, can shoot curlers and rockets from outside the box (and have done so comfortably too). So no, if I am being honest and truthful, I most certainly do not agree with your assessment of Nacho as a fox in the box.

And "as a lone forward" is certainly not Kelechi's best position. I have always said this but truth is I have also seen the best of him that role. It is like a student so good at maths but a little above average in physics. Nacho's best lie in the SS and AMF roles and as a false 9. But as a lone forward/Top 9 well... that is just him improvising for the most parts.


And if you no talk team wey go win World cup, then you still never talk anything oooo... this is not AFCON... And I wonder who your "Cameroun" at the mundial will be this time...

goldfish80:

I actually watched the game the other night from the 30th min or there about.
From what I saw Slimani actually contributed to the build up play more than Kelechi and Kelechi was supposed to be the SS.

The truth is that, most managers see Kelechi as a finisher and they want him close to goal as much as possible. This explains the reason why most of his touches come from within and inside the box (You can check his heat maps). This again comes back to my initial point that his previous and even current coaches under developed other aspects of his game while focusing on his finishing.

It's not like I blame the managers anyway, they need the 3 points otherwise their heads will be on the chopping block.

tbaba1234:
Awaziem, One of the top performers against Toulouse with an amazing 9 tackles in the game.

TheSuperNerd:
IFFHS: Rivers United Best Nigerian Club, Rank Higher Than Crystal Palace, Southampton




Rivers United have been ranked the best Nigerian club in 2017 by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) , writes the organization in its latest club world ranking.

The team from Port Harcourt took joint 221st position in the ranking along with CA Boca Juniors, Al Ain FC, Hertha BSC, FK Lokomotiv Tashkent, Panionios FC, São Paulo FC and šK Slovan Bratislava.

Rivers United ranked higher than English Premier League clubs Burnley, Southampton FC, Stoke City FC and Swansea City AFC, Crystal Palace FC and AFC Bournemouth.

Real Madrid are the top team in the world, Gremio the second and Manchester United occupied third position.

Barcelona, ​​PSG, Flamengo, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Red Bull Salzburg complete the top ten in that order.

Four of the top five African clubs are based in North Africa. Al Ahly SC is first followed by Etoile du Sahel, Esperance ST, TP Mazembe and Club Africain.
The Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) is the 63rd strongest national league in the world, according to the Lausanne based organization.


**Ifeanyi Emmanuel

Source: http://www.allnigeriasoccer.com/read_news.php?nid=26217

TheSuperNerd:
When I say "the Nacho I have seen so far", I do not limit it to just Fleetwood
And he did contribute to some nice build-up plays even though he did get into scoring positions by running from just behind as the secondary/support striker (SS) in rhe 4-4-1-1 they played.

I speak of his journey from Man City to Leicester and also in Super Eagles Colors. Now that broader view of Nacho is not a fox in the box. Itz a simpu sturvs

Most managers know he is a clinical finisher hence they focused mostly on that due to having other options in AM roles but some of these managers also acknowledge the other brilliant sides to his game like his Vision and build up plays like Pellegrini and Gernot Rohr. Even Julian Nagelsmann of Hoffenheim and Leonardo Jardim of Monaco, who came for him in the last summer window before he settled for Leicester because of British passport, were not going to just utilise Nacho for his finishing but also for his other qualities like his great Vision most especially.

goldfish80:


LOl... you're being a tad presumptuous. Neither Julian Nagelsmann nor Jardim stated how they intend to use or what they thought of his Kelechi's game.
Anyway, let's leave it at that. You have made me believe that you don't know Kelechi's other assets haven't developed as much as his positioning and finishing. I saw people raving about his improved first touch the other day....

Let's see him things pan out, in the the fullness of time, you could still come around.

TheSuperNerd:

Of course, they said nothing as regards their intentions. They didn't have to. These are managers that have attacking philosophies and it is on that I base my words. Their philosophies would have suited Kelechi nicely and they would not have come for Kelechi if all they saw was his finishing.

And you have shown me that you don't know that Kelechi's Vision and Eagle-eyed passing have gotten even better aside his positioning and finishing which makes me more than a fox in the box.

And to wait to see how things pan out will only lead to your fox-in-the-box theory being destroyed because it is clear you will not admit that apart from Kelechi's finishing and sense of positioning, he has gotten better at set-pieces, his Vision is also enhanced and his Eagle-eyed passing remains as incisive as ever.





And yes Kelechi's first touch was awesome.... SSE what what Even Solace Chukwu, one of Goalnigeria's top sound critics and writers had to say about Kelechi's first touch for that first goal... (check in pic below)


So yeah, Let's see how things pan out. You could yet become a believer...

TheSuperNerd:

Of course, they said nothing as regards their intentions. They didn't have to. These are managers that have attacking philosophies and it is on that I base my words. Their philosophies would have suited Kelechi nicely and they would not have come for Kelechi if all they saw was his finishing.

And you have shown me that you don't know that Kelechi's Vision and Eagle-eyed passing have gotten even better aside his positioning and finishing which makes me more than a fox in the box.

And to wait to see how things pan out will only lead to your fox-in-the-box theory being destroyed because it is clear you will not admit that apart from Kelechi's finishing and sense of positioning, he has gotten better at set-pieces, his Vision is also enhanced and his Eagle-eyed passing remains as incisive as ever.





And yes Kelechi's first touch was awesome.... SSE what what Even Solace Chukwu, one of Goalnigeria's top sound critics and writers had to say about Kelechi's first touch for that first goal... (check in pic below)


So yeah, Let's see how things pan out. You could yet become a believer...

goldfish80:


Kelechi always had the potential to strike good free kicks from his time with the U-17s
Against Mexico in their first game, he scored a curler from way out of the box.
In the game vs Swaziland, he scored almost an identical goal too... The potential to score from free kicks should not be alien to anyone who saw him from 2013.

Again, you cannot say you know how Nagelsmann or Jardim will instruct him (we are speaking hypothetically because neither of them confirmed they wanted him).
Pep Guardiola is famed for tiki taka but Kelechi's heat maps showed he played very close to goal without offering much in build up play.

My hypothesis is simple. If Kelechi must play as a lone CF, he won't be anything more than a fox in the box who will wait for the perfect pass to tap in but if he is deployed as a SS in a twin attack, he could develop further other parts of his game.
Gernot Rohr figured this out for himself after the SA game and promptly recalled an almost forgotten Ighalo.

krattoss:
lmao
what criteria did they use in the rankings??

nelszx:


And on TheNFF website they are considering playing Morocco / Chile on the 9th though subject to the coaches approval.

Humility017:

we should replace that Dr Congo wit Morocco and let's forget about playing another team...
too much of this friendlies have disadavatges too

Humility017:

probably rivers United pre-season outing in Spain influenced their ratings....

TheSuperNerd:
Good, but Kelechi actually never scored a freekick at UAE or at the African U-17 championship did he?

And against Swaziland, it was not Kelechi who came close to scoring from a freekick, it was Moses Simon. Kelechi came in late in that game.

So you do admit then that he can hit curlers, rockets and belters. Very good. So you now admit to not being blind to Kelechi's attributes abi all because you want to show that it is not something he improved on but has always had abi. Well, newsflash, Kelechi has also always been a fantastic finisher. #Fact

And his Vision and incisive passing have grown in leaps too. So you see it is not just his sense of positioning and finishing. After all, he has always been a fantastic finisher too from the U-17s.



And don't even go there. Monaco tabled an actual offer for Kelechi which Was turned down by the player because of British passport. Same as Nagelsmann's hoffenheim who were among the first to indicate keen interest in Kelechi. So what is hypothetical about those biko? na wa for you.... playing the hypothetical card too. hian!

And now you are getting more specific, if Nacho played as lone CF, he would ne nothing more than a fox in the box.... loolll... but you said that he has been reduced basically to a fox in the box and cannot execute the other of his abilities coz only finishing and Positioning, according to you, was developed in Kelechi. I can sense a subtle goal post shift here Sir Goldfish. Your fox-in-the-box call on Kelechi was to tag him as an all round player but never to state how he will operate as a lone CF.

Haven't I already said that lone CF is not his strongest role? And that Kelechi improvises when he executes that role?

You said Kelechi right now is nothing more than a fox in the box and you were even gloating about how right you turned out only to be proven wrong time and again based on his performances across time even in that game against Argentina.

He had scored curlers, rockets, freekicks, and come up with sumptuous assists. How can a player who is just a fox in the box do all that?

When speaking fox-in-the-box, you never limited it to how he executes the lone CF role, you said it to mean the kind of player that Kelechi is now. You said it to mean his other abilities were lost except finishing and positioning. So stop shifting your stand.

I have always been the one to say that the SS and AM roles are Kelechi's best positions and his beast-mode roles, the roles from which you will always see Kelechi at His fullest best. But again, I also admit that I have seen the best of him too in the Top 9 or lone CF role. His finishing in those situations are top notch. A lone CF is not meant to contribute much to build up plays ehen his job is to bury changes created just like Inzaghi was doing.

The only time he can contribute us if he is asked to play a kind of False 9 role or False CF role. Finito.

Isahalbash:
I saw somewhere according to Gernot Rohr.. Musa is going back to Russia( Cska Moskow).

Isahalbash:
I saw somewhere according to Gernot Rohr.. Musa is going back to Russia( Cska Moskow).

goldfish80:


You're deliberately paraphrasing my points,because I know youre intelligent enough to understand my point. I dont want to believe otherwise.

First of all, I talked about his goal at the U17s which highlights the potential to be good in free kicks. If a guy can score a curler outside the box, it is pretty much academical that he could develop into a good free kick taker.
He demonstrated this same shooting prowess against Swaziland in the Cnn goal of the week. I don't know where you came up with him being a substitute in that game.

Talking about changing goalposts? What goal post if I may? My argument from day 1 was that Man city did a poor job developing Kelechi.

1) His take on ability seems to have been coached out of him there.
2) They developed only his finishing, shooting prowess and positioning thereby sacrificing the general development of his game.
3) The deficiency in 1 & 2 have turned him into a fox in the box.

Which of the 3 stated facts I'm shifting the goal posts?

Finally, being a lone striker requires a player who can play with his back to goal because he could be isolated from the supporting midfield, hence the ability to hold the ball up amd wait for support is very vital. Inzaghi never was a lone striker like that. He always had Kaka playing very close to him as a SS and Shevshenko on his outside right.

If I may ask, what areas of Kelechi's game do you think he needs to improve the most? Or do you think he is the finished product yet?
Answer this so I can understand where you stand, exactly.

Edopesin:

Locomotive Moscow Actually

TheSuperNerd:

Typical. You have never one day spoken about his abilities to hit a freekick but she he did against Argentina, it is nothing to you because he has always had the ability abi. lol... Taking that stand just to make it look like he didn't surprise you with his freekick goal abi. kwantinue.

I recall one day speaking of Nacho's potential to hit a good freekick long before his foal against Argentina and I said that based on the accuracy of his strikes which I have studied closely. But you have never for one day noticed that fact until now. Just because you want to show that he is not improving. That freekick have been in hia locker all along... Freekicks on the biggest stage ooo against a team like Argentina. Wehdone.


AND HE DID NOT SCORE AGAINST Swaziland. He did so against Tanzania. Sebi I corrected you once on that with Moses Simon. First leg No goal but Simon hit the post from a freekick. Second leg, Simon scored a beauty of a freekick.



And my narrative is plain simple. You say he has been turned into a fox in the box and I ask you, "All his goals and beautiful plays for Nigeria and even some for Man City and Leicester, does it show only the attributes of a fox in the box? All those long range strikes, belters, curlers, visionary passing leading to sweet assists, ability to catch up with the speed of an attack, and more sebi na fox in the box dey do all that abi??

You make it sound as if Nacho's Vision and techniques were coached out of him only because City for the most parts focused on his finishing as a striker since they had other options in the AM roles. But his displays overtime against Tanzania, Zambia, Southampton, Leeds, Man Utd, Crystal palace (under Pellegrini), and even Argentina of late have debunked your "Nacho is a fox-in-the-box" hypothesis.

A fox-in-the-box will be lost when it comes to contributing to build up plays and when it comes to using his Vision to loacte the most intelligent of passes thus creating chances for others. Sadly this is lost on you because you only see Nacho as a fox in rhe box with no other abilities besides Finishing and positioning.

And no I don't think... I know he is not there yet (thanks Chief Icon4s ).

I know he has a lot to still improve but it also cannot be denied that he has improved and stepped up further in other aspects like his ability to hit a good freekick, and his Vision is even better at this moment and can only keep getting better.

He still needs to perfect his first touch but his show against Fleetwood was a good start considering he has not been getting enough playing time. Finished product? Lol... Ofcos he is not but he certainly have shown improvements. His reading of a game is also fantastic.

Edopesin:

Locomotive Moscow Actually