Today I would be analyzing a game of football in which the Super Eagles of Nigeria was in a class of their own against their opponents from North Korea. The Eagles had earlier put up an impressive performance against Colombia, but put up an even more inspiring display against the North Koreans.

Please note that this is my own personal analysis, which is not to be regarded as a general or conclusive judgment of the game.

The starting lineup of for the Nigerian team was made of the following players;
• Vincent Enyeama   GK
• Taiye Taiwo   LB
• Chidi Odiah   RB
• Joseph Yobo   CB
• Danny Shittu   CB
• Dickson Etuhu   DMF
• Haruna Lukman   AMF/CMF
• Obinna Nsofor   LMF
• Sanni Keita   RMF
• Osaze Odemwingie   CF/SS
• Yakubu Aiyegbeni   CF

I will begin my analysis from the attack, then move on to the midfield and end with the defense.

ATTACK:  The attacking line in this game was similar to the one against the Colombians’. Yakubu and Osaze played as strikers while Obinna and Sanni provided ammunition and support from either side of the flanks. In my previous article on the match between Nigeria and Colombia, I mentioned the attack looked sharper and needs more time to perfect its finishing. Alas! I was right, or so I think. The attack is gradually blending and the attackers realizing what is expected of them in the attacking third.

Obinna made good runs down the left flank but made poor decisions in and outside the box. There were also occasions where he beat his marker but could not find teammates in dangerous positions to give a pass or cross the ball. I would have expected one of the strikers darting towards the near post while the other goes to the penalty spot. The man coming in from the other flank should also be aiming for the far post. Yakubu was guilty for poor positioning. Osaze on the other hand, was lively as ever and was always determined to get back to make up numbers in the midfield when the Eagles were not in possession. Osaze took a few weak shots that never really troubled the North Korean goal. It must also be noted that the attack created a good number of scoring chances. It was a brilliant wall pass between Osaze and Yakubu that led to the latter finding the back of the net on 17 minutes. Another fine move was capped off with a bad miss after a series of passes involving Haruna, Osaze, Yakubu, and Sanni. Keita eventually made a telling cross to the far post, only for Yakubu to head wide form 6 yards.

Kalu, kanu and Obafemi were introduced in the second half to replace the trio of Yakubu, Sanni and Osaze.  A virtuoso display from kalu resulted into more goals for the West African side. I am of the opinion that this man (Kalu) is the secret weapon of the Coach Lars Largerback led team. The first move he made, put the opposition defense under pressure as the defender handled the ball in the box. The resulting spot kick was dispatched with ease by Obinna. The second was even better as he turned his marker inside out and still had the presence of mind to pick out a teammate with a delightful cross. An unmarked Obafemi was in the right place to head the ball into an empty net from 4 yards out.
Kanu offered very little, except for the through pass he gave to Osaze, who could not pick out a un marked Haruna in the 6 yard box. The attitude is getting better and the one touch football philosophy being exhibited in their style of play. However,  there is still much to be done, especially in the
area of awareness and positioning around in the 18 yard box.

My verdict is a 4/5 star performance.

MIDFIELD:  Haruna and Dickson did a fantastic job in the middle of the park. I mentioned the ability of Haruna to go forward to support the attack and get back to help the defense in previous articles. Simply fantastic! He was all over the park receiving and distributing passes. Defensively, he got into the mix and made good tackles. He was full of confidence and displayed skillful touches, which were second to none in this match. The Nigerian team could make between 10 and 15 passes in tight corners without an interception for most of the game. Well done to the coaching crew.
Sanni’s role has come under heavy criticism, even though his manager rates him very high. Let’s look at it this way. This is a tournament and not a league. A team needs to win 6 matches to lift the trophy. There are strong and weak teams, and any coach in his right mind would approach each game based on the strengths of his opponents. That being said, every manager would target the weaker teams in their aim to get maximum points while embracing a conservative approach towards the stronger teams. A lesson to learn from Jose Mourinho is how he plays certain players out of position, in order to achieve his objective of frustrating the opposition. It’s all about the strategy. A good coach must know his team very well and respect the opposition. Maybe I will shed more light on this issue of Sanni’s midfield role some other time. For now, let’s get on with the analysis.
Yusuf replaced Dickson in the second half, maintaining the balance in the midfield. I believe he (Yusuf) still needs to work on his fitness as he seems to be easily beaten for pace most times. With this kind of display from the midfield players, it’s bold to say that the midfield will be a keenly contested area between Nigeria and Argentina.

The set pieces taken by the eagles were very poor,and they also seemed to lower the tempo after scoring the opener. The handlers need to be on top of this situation very quickly. The disciplined, maximum of two touches displays as exhibited by West African side not only gladdened my heart but reminded me of the Nigerian team described as the most entertaining side at the USA ‘94’ World cup finals. It’s not just about wining, but achieving success in style. Football fans want to come out and enjoy the game, be entertained and ultimately see their team come out victorious. The midfield looks ready to take on the Diego Armando Maradona led side, but needs some finishing touches.

My verdict is a 4.5/5 star performance.

DEFENSE; Let me quickly mention that I’m very uncomfortable with the defensive pair of Yobo and Shittu. I sincerely hope this would not be Eagles first choice pair to face Lionel Messi and company. The defense was woeful, but for the display of the midfielders. The North Koreans never really threatened our rear guard except for one or two half chances. Even so, the back line lacked communication and co-ordination. If the Koreans had pressed high up on the pitch, maybe the score line would not have been so flattering.

Chidi was the only person in the back four, who was confident of the ball, albeit exaggerating at times. I suspect that’s the reason why the coach has decided to play Sanni on the right side. This way, Chidi would get extra defensive cover to save his blushes. The left back (Taiwo) was not at his best, but I want to believe he still doesn’t get enough cover from the LMF (Left Side Midfielder) based on his exploits with his club, (Olympic Marseille) this past football season. If the man who plays on the left hand side can always get back in time to help, there won’t be too many gaps on that side of the defense. Elderson Echiejile, who is a natural replacement for Taiwo came on as a sub in the second half. He (Elderson) had a woeful outing on the day. His misplaced pass led to a goal for the North Koreans. It was an undeserved goal against the run of play. If the first error was pardonable, then obviously the second one was unforgivable. He made another terrible pass some minutes later  but luckily for the team, their opponents couldn’t make the most of it.

They (Eagles) simply cannot afford to play carelessly, especially in the defense. I have doubts as to whether Echiejile is capable of replacing Taiwo during the competition. Yobo and Shittu were unconvincing and had their blushes covered by Enyeama who stood between the sticks. They could not play the offside tactics very well due to lack of communication. I expected the duo to have performed better than their last outing, but unfortunately failed to impress. The defense is the key to any team’s title ambition and as football pundits’ say, “attacks win games but defense wins titles”.

I would love to see Dele Adeleye pairing any other defender in the heart of the defense, as well as being in the starting eleven if he has no injury concerns. The technical crew needs to address the deficiencies in the defense very urgently and make necessary adjustments before the team’s opening group game.

My verdict is a 2/5 star performance.

Overall, there was an  improvement in the Eagles’ performance from the last game. One can only hope that between now and the 12th of June 7, 2010, they would be well prepared to tackle their Argentine counterparts.
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nice attempt. but too long. need to be summarized

snowdrops:

nice attempt. but too long. need to be summarized

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll definitely work on that.

good job.
i think if we have a good defence we ll go fa rin the tournament. a bad defence will simply make us an average team. our midfield is practically as good as any other in the world. attack is ok, defence is abysymally poor

simmy:

good job.
i think if we have a good defence we ll go fa rin the tournament. a bad defence will simply make us an average team. our midfield is practically as good as any other in the world. attack is ok, defence is abysymally poor

Thank you! And you are right about your comments as well.

Nice work, jencejyde.

Here's how I'd have rated the team:

- Attack: 6.5/10
Started very well but after the 1st goal slowed play, too laid back, almost toothless at the end of the 1st half and beginning of the 2nd.

- Midfield: 7/10
Haruna and Etuhu did a good job, especially defensively, which gave the central defence less work to do; but our midfield lacked enough juice to go forward and some passes were too inaccurate.

- Defence: 4/10
Not the most reassuring area in this team. Very shaky and undecisive (Yobo). Seemed to lack pace (Shittu). Afolabi gave a bit of hope in the 2nd part of the 2nd half.

Overall performance was just satisfactory. Not more, not less. I saw more signs of a strong team in the match against Colombia. Lars should build on that dynamic.


My prefered formation and lineup against Argentina:


                  Enyeama
         
           Yobo          Shittu
Odiah                                 Taiwo

             Etuhu  Haruna
  Kaita                             Nsofor

             Osaze  Yakubu



My prefered formation and lineup against Greece & South Korea:

                  Enyeama
         
           Yobo          Shittu
Odiah                                 Taiwo

             Etuhu  Haruna
Osaze                             Nsofor

            Martins  Yakubu

Eagles won North Korea. But not brilliantly.

I washed this match. And saw that your analysis are okay.

However, that performance was not brilliant.

The result is to me Nig. 3- North Korea 2.

Remember the ref denied them a penalty.

The two teams still needed to beef up in many areas.

Or else, they will be swallowed up by their opponents.

@ Iyineda. Why would you want a yobo/Shittu pairing at the herat of defense. Just curious.

Olaolufred:

Eagles won North Korea. But not brilliantly.

I washed this match. And saw that your analysis are okay.

However, that performance was not brilliant.

The result is to me Nig. 3- North Korea 2.

Remember the ref denied them a penalty.

The two teams still needed to beef up in many areas.

Or else, they will be swallowed up by their opponents.

You are very correct sir! Especially the penalty not awarded the koreans, i think the game could have ended Nig 4 - N.Korea 2.
Considering the far post header Yakubu missed after a cross from Sanni. And why i used the word 'brilliant" is to describe how the team have progressed from their first game under the new coach till now in a metaphorical manner. Of course, you will agree with me that the team's perfomance was just okay compared to how Nigerian team's of the past usually play. But, we should give credit to how they have begun to show a little bit of maturity in a short time. Once again, good observations from you.