Prior to this match between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and Colombian national team, the Eagles had earlier faced the Saudi Arabian team in what proved to be a ‘below par’ performance.

However, the game against the Colombians’ was a different story entirely. The Eagles' coach (Lars Largerback) made some changes and paraded the likes of Osaze, Yakubu, Martins, Nsofor, Enyeama, and Taiwo. These changes were not the only factors that made a difference, but with a different mentality and attitude from the players. Thank God, we are beginning to see glimpses of the quality embedded in ‘some’ of our players.

Let me quickly give you my own opinion of how the team performed in the following areas:

ATTACK: The attack looked sharper but needs more time to deliver a consistent end product. The team lacked a bit of understanding in the attack which was obvious but understandable. Osaze Odemwinge and Kalu Uche who came on as a sub in the second half was very impressive. Kalu was able to play neat one-two’s with the midfield players and co-strikers as well, thereby making space for shooting opportunities and opening up the opponent’s defense. Obafemi needs to make quick decisions in the attacking third with good first touches. He was not very comfortable with his back to the goal. His pace and aggression are still very rare assets that can be improved upon. The movement in the attack was good but could be better. The team produced affine attacking display considering the fact; they were up against South American opposition.

My verdict is a 3/5 star performance.


MIDFIELD: I rated Haruna Lukman as one of the outstanding players during the last warm-up game, and for all the tea in china, he played ever so well. He formed a formidable partnership with Dickson Etuhu in the middle of the park, and even more importantly, had the energy to go forward to support the attack and get back to help the defense. That was absolutely wonderful! His temperament has to be frowned upon and quickly change, knowing  full well that tournament officials would not condole any form of indiscipline from any player. Sanni keita also played well, even though it was an unfamiliar position. But hey? Who doesn’t. Ask Michael Essien and you probably would get an honest answer. The midfield had better possession and was sharper than the opposition. They could link up with the attack fluidly. One point worthy of note here is that, the side that wins the midfield battle rarely loses the game. Against Argentina, Nigerians would be counting on whoever plays in the midfield to be on top of their game.

My verdict is a 4/5 star performance.

DEFENCE: The last defensive pairing of Joseph Yobo and Danny Shittu could only be described as embarrassing, but Rabiu Afolabi and Dele Adeleye was much more inspiring. Rabiu was a bit unconvincing at times but was unrivaled in the air with good upper body strength. Adeleye, as far as I’m concerned would be the man to ensure the eagles keep a clean sheet or concede few goals at the World Cup. He showed class, with the way he made tackles and marked his man. He did  not lose a foot race against the opposing striker’s and has so much awareness of what goes on around the eighteen yard zone in defense. He plays a disciplined maximum of two touches and always heads the ball to the side, whether he is under pressure or not. This kind of discipline should be demanded from every player on the team, especially the starting eleven. The full backs also had an excellent game with Taiye Taiwo and Chidi Odiah both putting in good displays. My only fear is their recovery rate. Most especially, Chidi who never seemed to get back quickly after joining the attack. I personally don’t think he should be too adventurous. The goalkeeper (Vincent Enyeama) was at his usual best commanding authority in the six yard box, and responding brilliantly to threats from set pieces.

My verdict is a 4/5 star performance.


That's it folks! I know the time is short, but I believe improvements will come. The attitude is getting better and maybe, just maybe, there will be something to cheer about the Eagles when the World Cup kicks off.

I give credits to the coach and technical crew, but most especially, the players who gave a good account of themselves. I guess i may just have to buy a Nigerian jersey after all. The beauty of playing entertaining football and achieving great results seems to be gradually coming back. I just hope the team can maintain a good level of consistency.


Until next time, have a fabulous day.

a better performance my arse i hope you are not one of those nigeria that said this after the game "wow we have never seen eagles play like this in years" the team was rubbish as usual in first half 'white amodu played with 3 defensive midfilders and fat yakubu so they were as useless as amodu team just no creativity. second half they improved but they were still not that good.

dissapointment of the match - sani keita
i hope lagerback did not take osaze,obasi just for him to play keita as a winger, but with keita as a winger it is already minus 1

positives of the match - center back pairing
afolabi and adeleye played well they did not look nervos as calamity yobo and any where belle face shittu

Hmmm, my dear friend ,12large, Take a look at the first paragraph of the post and you will find out that i made reference to the match against the Saudis. Based on that, i personally think they played better. I look at the game from a more critical angle when i write articles, and i have definitely seen the Eagles play better than this as opposed to "never seen". I also want to believe the coach played with 1 defensive midfielder(Dickson Etuhu) and 1 attacking midfielder (Haruna lukman),with two other players on either side of the midfield. LMF(Left Midfield) and RMF(Right Midfield). That seems to me to be a 4-4-2 formation.

You are right about Yakubu but thank God, we have other options. Definitely the team under Lagerback has shown signs of maturity, compared to Amodu led team,IMHO.

forgive me for saying this, but for one who has played almost his entire career in the defensive midfield region, only to be thrown on the right side of midfield? I think he did a decent job, talking about Sanni. Not inspiring on the attack but gave the right back(Chidi odiah) that extra defensive cover. Did you notice the opposition operating much from that flank?

A coach of Lagerback's pedigree would certainly know that, some players would have to play out of position for strategic reasons. Noticed how Eto made Roberto Carlos look stupid, with his performance against Barcelona in the second leg of their clash at Camp nou, after they were a man down?

Finally we both agree that Rabiu and Dele were oustanding. Cheers Mate!

Hope you agree i'm making sense, abi?
Have a nice day!

jencenyje you are talking rubbish, nigeria was still the same against saudi and colombia the difference was just the pitct,calamity yobo and shittu. also i hope you are not like lagerback oh. keita was useless as usual just kept on spoiling attack with no skill osaze should have played that position he would have done much more better

@Jencejyde. . .good write-up and I like the attitude you displayed in your response to the dull brain who is so ungracious in his responses to your rather politely articulated points! For the most part, I agree that the match was better than that against Saudi. I remember the coach said he was experimenting and what better time to do it as there was and is really no time left! (Naija fire brigade approach).

Sani Keita did quite well playing as a winger, holding the ball, winning tackles and throw-ins. Adeleye and Afolabi did well too. However, Taye Taiwo was caught too many times out of position as the teams playing at the world cup are almost certain to punish almost all defensive errors! (Watch Portugal Vs Cameroun, Ghana Vs Netherlands of today, for example). Lagerback needs to find a good solution to the left side of the team as it seems the most porous so far. The central midfield was decent, good job by Haruna and Etuhu. I hope the North Korean match shows progress for the Eagles.

Now to the scumbags who can't hold down half-a-decent job of cleaning a toilet but all they can do all the time is attack the Eagles and Lagerback: if you were so good, why did you not apply for the position?? Now, since you are NOT the coach, your abuse of others for their opinions only betray how dumb you really are. Let these people do their jobs, and if they don't succeed as much, at least they had a chance and did their best!

12large:

jencenyje you are talking rubbish, nigeria was still the same against saudi and colombia the difference was just the pitct,calamity yobo and shittu. also i hope you are not like lagerback oh. keita was useless as usual just kept on spoiling attack with no skill osaze should have played that position he would have done much more better

. "talking rubbish" haba! I guess you really aren't moved by the team's display. Well it's okay and you are entitled to your opinion, but take some time to reflect and try to bring out some other positives from the match, aside the defensive display. i beileve it would be worth the while.

@ CyberG. Thank you my dear friend , but you harsh oh, (dull brain, ungracious, scumbags!!!?### , ) I quite agree with you that, Taiye's positioning still has question marks written all over it. Frankly, i believe that is the weakest link i can see right now in the team. Good point of note!  And the time factor?, only God will deliver us.

The North korean game should be even more interesting with the kind of momentum already generated, and just for the records, you must remember that some peeps think with the heart and act with the brain, others do the reverse and another thinks and acts exactly the same way. Try not to be offended with most of the comments you see, cos they may just fall into  any of these categories. Three gbosa for you jo!!

Once again, i thank you for the comments and feel free to drop it anytime.
Have a nice day!

12large:

cyberg is your family that is dull brain. don't come here with that super eagles played well performance again they were the same thing. and if you think keita was good in that mat amadioha should strike you immediately. i don't know where they get this two idiots like jenceyde and cyber g

Na wah oh! These are just personal opinions, why the hostility? Calling people names shows lack of mental strength. It's a pity! Maybe you should do an analysis of the game and let people know how organized or not, your thoughts are.

Like the Americans' would say "don't hate, just appreciate".

Have a nice day my broda.

jenceyde serious if you were impressed with that performance against saudi or colombia then you need to check your head mentally

12large:

jenceyde serious if you were impressed with that performance against saudi or colombia then you need to check your head mentally

Yet another ignorant folk lurking around this site,pls jenceyde just ignore him. ignorance is a disease and this 12large folk has got it.
Back to ur original post though, im still yet to be convinced by kalu uche, he just doesnt seem to play well in the natational team well compared to what he plays for his club side. i ve seen him play couple of times on tb for his club and he's most of the time very brilliant . i dnt seem to understand his phobia fo naija jersey

lets all hope they deliver, that was a brand new super eagle. up eagles

The match was a good performace by the team considering their terrible display in recent times.Here is my analysis of the players.


I will mention some players that find it difficult to warm their way into the heart of many soccer enthusiast

1.John Utaka- He showed glimpses of what he is capable of doing and despite playing in an unfamiliar position,he still held on to the ball,thereby keeping possession from the opposition's side.His time in the field was to short to fully assess him 5.5/10

2. Taiye- worst on the pitch.If he is going to be useless upfront,why does he make this a natural phenomenon?Diomansy camara exposed his shabby defense.The problem with taiye ,according to many soccer analyst is his bad recovery after going upfont.Alas that is just 50% of his weakness.The other 50 lies in the fact that Taiye is beatable at the back.Beatable = Dribbable.I dont encourage  a first team shirt for this marsielle defender.I still prefer Echiejele in that position. I will rate him 4.5/10

3 Sani Keita.The guy played in the unfamiliar position .This guy will never be a fan of soccer pundits that chant '' All we are saying give us more goals''.Though I was  also his die hard critic (like I always did Garba) but no team can be perfect.I believe his inclusion was on the basis of the quota system 5/10


In conclusion this is the closest we have had in assembling a good team with the right attitude after the patriots of USA 94.Apart from Taiye Taiwo ,I give all the other players that played in  the match against Colombia,an above average mark

This is my rating in ascending order

Haruna Odiah Enyeama 6.5/10

Rabiu Adeleye Obafemi Uche 6 /10

Osaze Nsofor Utaka 5.5 /10

Kaita 5/10

Taiye 4.5 /10

12large:

a better performance my arse i hope you are not one of those nigeria that said this after the game "wow we have never seen eagles play like this in years" the team was rubbish as usual in first half 'white amodu played with 3 defensive midfilders and fat yakubu so they were as useless as amodu team just no creativity. second half they improved but they were still not that good.

dissapointment of the match - sani keita
i hope lagerback did not take osaze,obasi just for him to play keita as a winger, but with keita as a winger it is already minus 1

positives of the match - center back pairing
afolabi and adeleye played well they did not look nervos as calamity yobo and any where belle face shittu

It either you watched a different match or watched the match in an old black and white TV that shows only curtain-line.


Let's give it to these boys, the game against Colombia was a significant improvement over their performances in recent time. In fact the last time I saw Eagles play like this was against Ireland in, I think, 2004(Martins' debut). I'm talking about holding a quality opposition like Colombia that beat Argentina in the qualifying series. If even a second-rate team, Colombia, like many other South American countries, are no pushover in world football.

The scoreline did not reflect the tilt of the game. Possession was about 58-42 in Eagles' favour, even though the Colombians also showed class and you can see how coordinated they were.

This however doesn't mean Eagles have arrived. No, far from that. There is still a long way to go, especially with our attacking prowess. We did not look sharp enough in the attack, little wonder it was a midfielder that scored.

RATINGS:
Every member of that team scored at least 5 over ten, but the following deserve special mention:
1, Haruna Lukman: 7/10. I have seen his goals at Monaco and I wasn't surprised at the one he scored vs Colombia. He can do that against any team, even against the Argies. If he puts his head in check, he may be the solution to our long problematic midfield. Combining a more powerful, more hard tackling, more attack minded Lukmon with more shooting ability with a fluid but more experienced Mikel, with Etuhu at their back, we may not have a disgraceful outing in SA.

2, Martins: 6/10. Martins showed his hardworking, selfless self. He made good runs around the 18 yards and was always charging their opposition defence. He only needs to be more adventurous.

3, Etuhu 6.5/10. Etuhu also had a good display, held the holding midfield very well. Can't only remember him lose only one ball, against a no-push-over Colombians that paraded a couple of EPL players. He won many balls.

4, Rabiu Afolabi: 7/10. This guy was also outstanding and stopped the daring Colombians many times. He combined well with Adeleye, and covered well for Chidi Ordiah anytime he went forward.

5, Sani Kaita: 6/10. Although I'll not advise that Lagerback uses Kaita as a winger, rather than our natural wingers of Obasi, Osaze and Utaka, as he experimented Vs Colombia, the guy did creditably well in the strange position.

6, Chidi Ordiah 6/10. He also displayed some flashes of his 2006 ANC form that won him the tournament's 2nd MVP. Very skilful. He only needs to work on his recovery rate.

Dear Nigerians,


Not everything is a conspiracy theory, but I guess when it comes to our beloved Naija almost everything is (Anichebe injury) Yes I am new to this Forum, but like all of you my fellow Nigerians, the WC fever has infected me and this is one of the few places I feel I can connect with other Eagles fans,  EVEN the ones in DENIAL!!

I do not do PR for the NFF as some of you may want to believe. The NFF in my opinion are a bunch of grown men who do not have a clue when it comes to football management. As a Nigerian it is my duty to do all within my ability to boost morale and confidence in my fellow Eagles supporters by pointing out some things that can easily be over looked when judgments are made based on sentiments, 

I would also like to seize this opportunity to say a big I TOLD YOU SO to all the people who had doubts about Dickson Etuhu making the final cut! I strongly believe he was the coaches choice and not the NFF.

This coach is good! You guys should STUDY our last 2 matches. You will see the difference in team chemistry. Who would have thought Sani Kaita could play on the right wing? Certainly not Amodu,  Let me educate you on the implications of that move, keeping in mind that Lagerback like Clemens Westerhof and Jo Bonfrere are all believers in the 4-4-2 formation.

Our fullbacks are VERY average, so in playing Kaita on the right side of the midfield puts an extra ball winner who has the ability to play out wide on the pitch. This is to help neutralize opposing attacks coming down the flank. That may also account for Chidi Odiah on the right having less to do defensively than Taye Taiwo on the left flank during the Colombia match. Football is about balance! You can not attack all the time without having to defend at some point. Keeping in mind the 4-4-2 formation, do not be surprised if we see a scenario where Taye Taiwo is playing on the left wing and maybe Yobo or whoever playing as the left fullback… I know this is a BIG WHAT IF!!

If you have been following Lagerbacks statements from day 1 of camp, you will notice he said he was going to lay emphasis on the defense then the attack and improve the speed of the team,  THIS SOUNDS LIKE THE FORMULA FOR FAST BRAKING COUNTER ATTACKING FOOTBALL Talk to Jose Mourinho!!

My people, abeg even me sef dey a bit disappointed with some of the team selection but watin man go do? The coach has a strategy and has visualized every scenario in his head over and over again. He has watched these boys in camp. It's his backside on the line. Who tell you say he wan dey unemployed after WC? Abi you think say he no like the salary wey we dey pay am?  


How did our English Premiership Eagles do at club level last season?

Anichebe featured in 11 out of 38 EPL games for Everton playing 45 minutes or more in 6 and 90 minutes in just 1. He featured in 4 of Everton's last 5 games. With an overall total of 4 shot on target out of 7, 3 chances created, 1 goal and 2 assists. He also saw 481 minutes of Premiership action all season. He would have added another dimension to our game, similar to how Fabio Capello dropped 24 goal scoring Darren Bent for a 3 goal scoring Heskey in his final 23.

Mikel featured in 25 out of 38 EPL games for Chelsea playing 45 minutes or more in 21 and 90 minutes in 11. He featured in 7 of Chelsea's last 10 games. With an overall total of 46 tackles won out of 62, 17 chances created and 1740 minutes of Premiership action all season. He played in a holding role and not attacking midfielder for Chelsea last term. It’s the same Chelsea medics that ruled Essien out of the WC, why would they lie about Mikel not being fit if he was only out for 4 weeks, not 7 months.

Utaka featured in 18 out of 38 EPL games for Pompey playing 45 minutes or more in 12 and 90 minutes in 8. He featured in 6 of Pompey's last 10 games. With an overall total of 6 shots on target out of 24, 18 chances created, 1 goal and 3 assists. He also saw 1054 minutes of Premiership action all season. He was also used mostly as a wide midfielder and not a striker much of last season by Pompey!

Papilo featured in 23 out of 38 EPL games for Pompey playing 45 minutes or more in just 7 and 90 minutes in only 3. He also featured in 5 of Pompey's last 10 games. With an overall total of 3 shots on target out of 10, 14 chances created, 2 goals and 3 assists. He also saw 840 minutes of Premiership action all season. Note that he played less than 30 minutes in 12 of the 23 matches he was involved in… Old age

Etuhu featured in 20 out of 38 EPL games for Fulham playing 45 minutes or more in 14 and 90 minutes in 12. He also featured in 5 of Fulham's last 10 games. With an overall total of 34 tackles won out of 47 and 1336 minutes of Premiership action all season. He was ever present in the midfield for Fulham during the Europa Cup.

Yobo featured in 17 out of 38 EPL games for Everton playing 45 minutes or more in 13 and 90 minutes in 12. He featured in 4 of Evertons's last 10 games. With an overall total of 19 tackles won out of 25 and 1183 minutes of Premiership action all season. He played the full 90 minutes in all but 2 of Everton’s first 13 games. However of the 4 games in their last 10 he played less than 5 minutes in 3.

Yak featured in 25 out of 38 EPL games for Everton playing 45 minutes or more in 10 and 90 minutes in only 4. He also featured in 9 of Everton's last 10 games. With an overall total of 16 shots on target out of 32, 21 chances created, 5 goals and 4 assists. He also saw 1095 minutes of Premiership action all season… Maybe with his future at Everton hanging in the balance, he may decide to show his true potential at the WC.

Oh well, stats don’t win games but Anichebe looks to me like he did more with his limited playing time than most others though, injury prone. Hopefully he can stay fit through next season.

One more thing before I forget, Chief Taiwo Ogunjobi please STOP lying to your father. There is a huge difference between a cracked shin and a bruised shin!


Thank you for reading. Most of these stats can be found at the Official Barclays Premiership website.


Not pro Lagerback Not pro NFF Just pro Super EAGLES!!

hollandis:

The match was a good performace by the team considering their terrible display in recent times.Here is my analysis of the players.


I will mention some players that find it difficult to warm their way into the heart of many soccer enthusiast

1.John Utaka- He showed glimpses of what he is capable of doing and despite playing in an unfamiliar position,he still held on to the ball,thereby keeping possession from the opposition's side.His time in the field was to short to fully assess him 5.5/10

2. Taiye- worst on the pitch.If he is going to be useless upfront,why does he make this a natural phenomenon?Diomansy camara exposed his shabby defense.The problem with taiye ,according to many soccer analyst is his bad recovery after going upfont.Alas that is just 50% of his weakness.The other 50 lies in the fact that Taiye is beatable at the back.Beatable = Dribbable.I dont encourage  a first team shirt for this marsielle defender.I still prefer Echiejele in that position. I will rate him 4.5/10

3 Sani Keita.The guy played in the unfamiliar position .This guy will never be a fan of soccer pundits that chant '' All we are saying give us more goals''.Though I was  also his die hard critic (like I always did Garba) but no team can be perfect. I believe his inclusion was on the basis of the quota system 5/10


In conclusion this is the closest we have had in assembling a good team with the right attitude after the patriots of USA 94.Apart from Taiye Taiwo ,I give all the other players that played in  the match against Colombia,an above average mark

This is my rating in ascending order

Haruna Odiah Enyeama 6.5/10

Rabiu Adeleye Obafemi Uche 6 /10

Osaze Nsofor Utaka 5.5 /10

Kaita 5/10

Taiye 4.5 /10

Sanni Kaita's inclusion is on quota system? Better leave that thing you're smoking.

I think dey r geting to know each other well. u know dis guys r always been coached by news coaches all d time so d way dey played against columbia gave some hope of better tins to come.

lets watch d korea friendly and den finalise our comments.

@poster, I cannot fault your analysis and i can't agree with you entirely, Yes they played better than their previous friendly and warm-up matches, but is their performance enough to keep them in the campaign long enough to get past the group stages? I doubt so

Those elderly men should be sent home jare!! Which kin yeye super eagles?

12large:

jarus i think you are a big idiot. please get the hell out of here with that fake comment, what do you mean that this is the best you have seen eagles play since 2004.
did you watch nigeria vs france
nigeria vs sieraleone

i don't know why idiots like jarus is coming here with all that fake non-sence for me super eagles is still the same from amodu time till now no difference what so ever.
and for you jarus please stay with "american football" because real football is int for idiots

You need not insult me bros. Try to be civil a bit.
Sierra Leone is not a quality opposition. Against Mozambique at ANC 2010 too, they played well and won convincingly, but I deliberately left taht out because Mozambique is also not a quality opposition. France? I agree they played well against France, but not better than their performance against Colombia, only that they won the former and drew the latter.

semid4lyfe:

Sanni Kaita's inclusion is on quota system? Better leave that thing you're smoking.

I wan't hallucinating the day i saw him play against colombia.His thinking faculty is as slow as taiye

certainly better than the saudi match & not good enough considering the calibre of our opponents in the 1st round & the quality of football that used to be obtainable from the Eagles of Old.  .  .  .   .   .

the supa-chickens should just go & grace the occasion of the World Cup SA2010 & come back after the First -round so that we can concentrate on other more serious teams that came with a definite purpose of winning the converted trophy.

when the supa-chickens stop playing insipid, lack-lustre, purposeless, de-moralising football, then we'd start taking them more seriously.  .  .   .   .

jarus abeg shut up. how was nigeria performance against colombia better than the won against france all these fake people should just leave this forum 1 thing i hate in life is when someone is being to fake. i wanted amodu to get sacked, but if i knew that his replacement was going to be another idiot he should have just stayed

^^ my friend are you ok? Try and be less emotional and insulting please. The anonymity provided by forums like this is no excuse to be rude. Vitimini and Jencejyde have done some good analysis, better than what  I have seen from some paid "analysts" I dont agree with all the've said but its good quality nonetheless.

@12large
If you have nothing to offer why not stay away from this thread rather than attack personalities. Do your own analysis and leave others with their own opinion. We are bound to differ but just focus on the issues and NOT on persons.

Be warned!!!

@12Large: You sound quite frustrated. I read all the posts and find out that u are the only one that uses foul words on people. i cud have just pastby but i feel some sense should be talked into u. Your use of the English language leaves much 2 be desired and yet u just use words like idiot, fool and what have u at will. u can use these words in a beer parlour or a brothel not in a civilised forum like this. Please be warned. One more of it and u will be shown the way out!

hollandis:

I wan't hallucinating the day i saw him play against colombia.His thinking faculty is as slow as taiye

At times I doubt if you've watched Kaita from '2005 up till now. As per the Colombia game, he was played in an unfamiliar outside-right position and he still did credibly well. Even Lagerback admitted as much.

http://www.kickoff.com/news/15757/kaita-wins-lagerback-praise.php
Kaita wins Lagerback praise

Posted: 2010-05-31 11:30

Sani Kaita earned glowing praise from Nigeria boss Lars Lagerback after excelling in an unusual right wing position in the Super Eagles 1-1 draw against Colombia on Sunday night.

Kaita was deployed on the right wing by and was largely instrumental in maintaining team shape and balance despite being a natural defensive midfielder.

It was a display that left Lagerback impressed.

"He was my man of the match," the Swede said. "He was absolutely outstanding and I think he was miles ahead of everybody."
Lars, was however, less pleased with the manner of the Super Eagles giving up a 12th minute goal to Carlos Valdes.

"It is a calamity when a player loses a 1v1. I was not happy with the goal, but we have to work harder on that."

Overall though, the Swede was happy to see improvements.

"This is a big improvement from the last game. I have only trained this team for seven times, and they have shown good quality.

"I think they will improve more, and the team will do better when they play more."

Lagerback will name his final 23-man squad later on Monday.
[center]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .THE END. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[/center]

Though I disagree with Lagerback on Kaita's performance been outstanding (the outstanding players were Odiah and Haruna IMO), Kaita definitely had an above average performance against Colombia. People like you and 12large should stick to discussing soccer at the vendor's stand. Rubbish!

_{Leaves the thread wondering if peeps really expect Kaita to transform overnight into an explosive winger like Arjen Robben.}

Jencejyde , wat a quality analysis,i am very proud of you, please keep it up.
For u to observe the changes in coordination by the eagles shows how good u are in analysing football, if we wish to be sincere, the fact is that, Lagerback is far far better than Amodu in all ramification. Agreed our first game against saudi arabia was not that good but still after watching the game between saudi and spain,one will still give it to the coach. And one thing i want us to remember is that through out Amodu's time, Nigeria was playing without a clear partern,even osaze attest to that, Meaning Amodu just scammed nigerians for two mighty years without anything.One thing i want us to understand again is the fact that the performance against saudi was lagerback's first week with the eagles in training,there was an improvement in the second game against columbia,that again was as a result of lagerback's second week with eagles.Wat wiil be our expectation had lagerback being our coach for two years? for christ sake lest give it to the man. PLEASE DONT MINE 12large.THAT GUY DONT KNOW FOOTBALL

Jarus:

It either you watched a different match or watched the match in an old black and white TV that shows only curtain-line.


Let's give it to these boys, the game against Colombia was a significant improvement over their performances in recent time. In fact the last time I saw Eagles play like this was against Ireland in, I think, 2004(Martins' debut). I'm talking about holding a quality opposition like Colombia that beat Argentina in the qualifying series. If even a second-rate team, Colombia, like many other South American countries, are no pushover in world football.

Jeez, when last did you watch the SE play? 2004 right?

you mean the SE have never played better than the game against Colombia since 2004? man, you fall my hand big time, so you mean in 6yrs, the Colombia match was the best performance you have watched so far? i sorry oo

Kaita is a decent player, lags saying he was "way ahead of the others" may refer to playing to a plan and staying tactically disciplined.

Kaita is a decent player, lags saying he was "way ahead of the others" may refer to playing to a plan and staying tactically disciplined.

honeric01:

Jeez, when last did you watch the SE play? 2004 right?

you mean the SE have never played better than the game against Colombia since 2004? man, you fall my hand big time, so you mean in 6yrs, the Colombia match was the best performance you have watched so far? i sorry oo

Well, that may be a little exaggeration but I think if SE had won 3-1 or so, many people will agree that SE did well in that match.
I watched virutally every SE match since 2004 till Vs Colombia except not televised. From less fancied ones like Vs Macedonia to Vs Jamaica etc to Vs big teams like France to all the ANC matches between 2004 and 2010, to all the qualifying series against the Nigers, S/Leones, E/Guineas of this world.

SE has had frustrating and embarrassing shows between 2004 and 2010, and the few games I can count out are Unity Cup in London in 2004(against Ireland and Jamaica), Vs Cameroun in 2004 ANC QF, Vs France in friendly 2009, Vs Zimbabwe(both legs) October 2005 in 06 WC qualifying series, vs Mozambique in last ANC, and Vs Colombia last week. I will not count a performance against Zimbabwe or Moz as splendid. Ditto for Vs Jamaica. So I'm left with vs France and Colombia( vs Cameroun was in January, hence predated the 'since vs Ireland' assertion )

Anyway, I agree it's debatable but I'm convinced they had a decent show vs Colombia, far better than 95% of their pgames since 2004.

Jarus:

Well, that may be a little exaggeration but I think if SE had won 3-1 or so, many people will agree that SE did well in that match.
I watched virutally every SE match since 2004 till Vs Colombia except not televised. From less fancied ones like Vs Macedonia to Vs Jamaica etc to Vs big teams like France to all the ANC matches between 2004 and 2010, to all the qualifying series against the Nigers, S/Leones, E/Guineas of this world.

SE has had frustrating and embarrassing shows between 2004 and 2010, and the few games I can count out are Unity Cup in London in 2004(against Ireland and Jamaica), Vs Cameroun in 2004 ANC QF, Vs France in friendly 2009, Vs Zimbabwe(both legs) October 2005 in 06 WC qualifying series, vs Mozambique in last ANC, and Vs Colombia last week. I will not count a performance against Zimbabwe or Moz as splendid. Ditto for Vs Jamaica. So I'm left with vs France and Colombia( vs Cameroun was in January, hence predated the 'since vs Ireland' assertion )

Anyway, I agree it's debatable but I'm convinced they had a decent show vs Colombia, far better than 95% of their pgames since 2004.

Macedonia? when did we play that?
why would you leave out Mozambique that drew with Egypt, Beat Tunisia, Kenya and even drew with CIV, and the only scoreline CIV was able to get against was a 1: 0 at home (not that it was not away).

prior to Amodu's reign as coach, we have never been disgraced, the only scoreline we had that was bad was against Egypt and the players are 70% to be blamed for that loss.

All the same, Amodu didn't concede much goals throughout his stay as our coach and he used this same team of our that's finding it hard to score now to achieve all that he achieved from 2008 till he was sacked. his goal tally is one of the best we have ever had and it's still with these same crops of players (mediocre).

we have played beautiful football until the draw against Mozambique/Tunisia and Egypt.

The game against France/ South Africa and Ghana was once of the best i have watched so far and you can't tell me they didn't perform well in these matches.

honeric01:

Macedonia? when did we play that?
why would you leave out Mozambique that drew with Egypt, Beat Tunisia, Kenya and even drew with CIV, and the only scoreline CIV was able to get against was a 1: 0 at home (not that it was not away).

prior to Amodu's reign as coach, we have never been disgraced, the only scoreline we had that was bad was against Egypt and the players are 70% to be blamed for that loss.

All the same, Amodu didn't concede much goals throughout his stay as our coach and he used this same team of our that's finding it hard to score now to achieve all that he achieved from 2008 till he was sacked. his goal tally is one of the best we have ever had and it's still with these same crops of players (mediocre).

we have played beautiful football until the draw against Mozambique/Tunisia and Egypt.

The game against France/ South Africa and Ghana was once of the best i have watched so far and you can't tell me they didn't perform well in these matches.

August 2007. Goaless
http://www.footballepl.com/match/statistics?gameid=C0A8AE020000011DCD535FC00E9EF158