http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/soccerstar/2009/dec/21/soccerstar-21-12-2009-002.htm
















Taiwo better than Echiejile – Okpala
BY EPHRAIM NWOSU
Monday, December 21, 2009



Olympic Marseille strongman, Taye Taiwo, is a better player than Rennes defender, Elderson Echiejile. This is the verdict of the former Nigerian captain, Sylvanus Okpala (MON).

“So long as I am concern, Taye Taiwo and Echiejile are incomparable,” began the erstwhile Enyimba and Rangers International Chief Coach.

“When it comes to the left wing back, Taiwo is the best player to man the position. The Olympic Marseille boy is better than the youngman playing there at the moment. That is my personal opinion.”

Echiejile stole the heart of Super Eagles coach, Shaibu Amodu, after posting a five-star performance in the international friendlygame between Nigeria and France which Taiwo failed to honour. Ever since then, the rising youngster is now ahead of Taiwo in the national team pecking order and football pundits believe he has what it takes to pocket the shirt ahead of his more experienced rival for a long time to come but Okpala who helped Nigeria to win the 1980 African Cup of Nations insisted: “Taiwo defends better, make use of the ball better. He also overlap better.

In football he has a lot of characteristics that can earn him goals. For instance, he crosses the ball well, he is a free kick and penalty specialist and above all his legs are loaded with bullets. Such a player should be the dream defender of any coach in the world and it beats my imagination why Amodu is keeping him on the bench. I’ve watched the other guy play so many times and there is no doubt he is a good player. He is a great defender in the making, but for now, Taiwo is far better than him.”

Both of them are wan.k!

Who are those?

mama-gee:

Who are those?

They are super eagles left full backs.
Both play in France, Marseilles and Renees.

Andre Uweh:

They are super eagles left full backs.
Both play in France, Marseilles and Renees.

@ Andre Uweh, you dey mind those 2 people? They know nuffing about Nigerian footie. They are not Nigerians.

@topic, who is better? I think the answer lies here. . .

Andre Uweh:

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/soccerstar/2009/dec/21/soccerstar-21-12-2009-002.htm
In football he has a lot of characteristics that can earn him goals. For instance, he crosses the ball well, he is a free kick and penalty specialist and above all his legs are loaded with bullets. Such a player should be the dream defender of any coach in the world and it beats my imagination why Amodu is keeping him on the bench. I’ve watched the other guy play so many times and there is no doubt he is a good player. He is a great defender in the making, but for now, Taiwo is far better than him.”

@FBS, YOU ARE RIGHT.
How about deploying Chidi Odiah in that position?. My question is as a result of what I watched live last may at Craven Cottage. In the match Rep of Ireland vs Nigeria, Amodu drafted Odiah to that position when Taiwo was red carded and Chidi gave a decent performance.

Chidi as LB? Nah I think that RB is his natural position. He plays that same position for his club.

Echiejile hands down!!! Taye Taiwo, for most of the game, runs like a pregnant woman. He is either unfit, or way too heavy to be effective at full back.

Taiye is a calamity in defence.He is also not smart when he has the ball.Highly predictible.Slow recovery time.In the underpopulated world of left footies,Taiye happens to be a local champion

Echiejele has a potential,he needs to be well nutured and if thoroughly worked on,he could step in the shoes of Amuneke

Remember Taiwo was voted third best most valuable player in 2005 edition of U20 World youth championship. Michael Obi was second and L. Messi was first. 4 years later, Messi becomes MVP in the world.
Something is wrong along the line.

Damn, Taye Taiwo is the best LB in France by far, he is excellent in defence and great at positioning, you really must not watch a lot of Ligue 1 games. That said he has been slightly off form this season, but he won the title of Best LB two years running.

Personally, I believe Taiwo has more experience. He has been performing with Marseille and he's improving on his focus. He has Champions League experience. He has tremendous pace, a powerful left leg strike and is good in the air.

Echiejile has raw talent but is still too frivolous for my liking. Besides, he doesn't even have 1st team shirt with Rennes. Rennes. . . (9th of the domestic league at the moment)

My SE starting 11 for Afcon:

ENYEAMA

ODIAH YOBO(c) APAM TAIWO

AYILA MIKEL OLOFINJANA

OSAZE MARTINS OBINNA

None

Since Nigeria has no left winger and Amodu has not unearthed any from the local league, why not play Echiejile has the left back and Taiwo has the left winger. Taiwo is suspect at the back I think but can be lethal going forward - Crossing, freekicks, and a wicked left-footed shot.

Damn, Taiwo suspect at the back? You really must watch more Ligue 1 football, he is the best tackling LB in the world.

marutimon:

Damn, Taiwo suspect at the back? You really must watch more Ligue 1 football, he is the best tackling LB in the world.

I don't care what he does in Ligue 1; I care about his performances for the Eagles. Was he not the player responsible for almost throwing our WC ticket away against Tunisia. He was ball-watching as the Tunisian player jugged past him.

Hello nairalanders, From your Nations cup observations, I still ask, Taiye Taiwo and Uwa Echiejile who do you think is better?.

Taye Taiwo. He gives so much more to his side. You just have to know how to use him. He is one of the few world class players Nigeria have at the moment.

marutimon:

Damn, Taye Taiwo is the best LB in France by far, he is excellent in defence and great at positioning, you really must not watch a lot of Ligue 1 games. That said he has been slightly off form this season, but he won the title of Best LB two years running.

My brother football is not about past record but your present form the likes of Ronaldo,Ronaldho are all formal world footballers who are presently not playing regular football for Brazil based on their current form.Taiwo for now is not fit for the LB in the super Eagle because he is does not return fast after overlap, his level of alertness is also suspicious i believe you when say his good but for now he is not in his best and since the LB is not his birth right nigeria more than 40 equally good LB playing in the different club side in nigeria who can replace him.sometimes we the fans create this problem using super subs in europe in our national teams.

Taiwo a supersub? He is a first team regular and arguably the best LB in Ligue 1. CURRENTLY. Not in the past.

Taiwo is more talented player, if properly use he is world class and the best we have now.

In football he has a lot of characteristics that can earn him goals. For instance, he crosses the ball well, he is a free kick and penalty specialist and above all his legs are loaded with bullets. Such a player should be the dream defender of any coach in the world and it beats my imagination why Amodu is keeping him on the bench. I’ve watched the other guy play so many times and there is no doubt he is a good player. He is a great defender in the making, but for now, Taiwo is far better than him.”

true talk.

Echiejile is a better left back for the SE. Taiwo's two games showed disgraceful positioning and lack of awareness doing his main duty, DEFENDING!!!

You guys do remember that Taiwo almost allowed Nigeria to score against Algeria through a free kick bullet, that he played out a ball to Kalu Uche in the EGypt game that should have made it 2:0 and that he was the only player actually trying (with some successes) to level up with Egypt in the second half?

Without Taiwo Nigeria has no idea what to do with freekicks, Taiwo does not score a lot of goals, but all he needs to do is thrash it at the keeper and more often than not the keeper will spill and allow for a rebound.

Taiwo may not be a good defender but I will prefer him to Echijile.

However a more practical approach to a game would be to defend with Echejile
and attack with Taiwo.Taiwo gives you options.
B4 the match against algeria,we all saw how Mikel was wasting the set piece we had.
Taiwo can give u crackers that will draw rebounds for a sharp attacker to shine.

.,?

.-?

Taiwo is better.
FAR FAR BETTER!
Indiscipline is a major bane of his messed up displays like so many of the eagles players.

fan site for taye in progress at http://www.tayetaiwo.com/ , suggestions are welcomed.

of course its taiwo! do any of you watch this guys club games?? you dont know what you are saying i assure you! this guy is a very good player

Taiwo the better LB in the eagles? nah, i don't think so, when it comes to defending, you can count on Echiejile and not Taiwo except you want what happened between Ghana vs Nigeria (2008 nations cup quarter final) the goal Agogo scored was caused by Taiwo when he watched Agogo go pass him to score that winning goal after Nwaneri failed to stop the ball from being crossed into the eighteen yard box.

Not Taiwo except you want what happened in the match between Nigeria vs Tunisia at Abuja.

Not Taiwo except you want what happened in the match between Egypt vs Nigeria in the first match of 2010 nations cup (1 and 3th goal), he was no where to be found when the ball got to the LB area.

I watch ligue 1 almost every weekend and whenever they air Marseilles matches, i see him play and what he does mostly is to go forward while the rest defenders cover for him (their 4, forgot his name), and now that Heinze is with them, it has made it easy for him to go all out to attack while heinze sit back to defend.

Largerbeer should wake up, shift TAIWO to the position of LW or LFB, he's good going forward but a disaster coming back after losing the ball to the opponent.


Echiejile is good when it comes to just defending, but other than that, he's not as creative as Taiwo and not as useful as Taiwo going forward.

the fact of the matter is that the super eagles do not play well together but these are all good individual players. an attacking fullback is the reality of the modern game. typical example would be evra. it is the job of the other players to cover him depending on the team strategy.

as of d nations cup i think echiejile was better, taiwo is a gud player, bt he overlaps 2 much and dere are defense lapses. luk at the first match of the eagles in d nations cup, why did u think taiwo was dropped, wel he is more of a left winger dan a full back