There needs to be an anger management class for Lukman, at leats 3 sessions of one hour classes before the Worldcup.

Sani Kaita should also take it upon himself to look after Lukman and always remind him to chill.

All he needs is someone reminding him that he is playing well and do not need to get angry to impress anyone.

Mikel's shirt is not in danger. He can be a deep lying Playmaker who links the Defence and the attacking Midfield. Think of Xabi Alonso and you will see a role for Mikel. Haruna should be the attacking midfielder. Other players should not shy away from giving him the ball when we are trying to counter because the boy can play and he has got vision. His movement is very good and he is Very mobile.

Sani Kaita's role in the team should never be under-estimated. Some say his inclusion in the team is an excersize of Federal Character or Quota system; nothing is further from the truth. Sani Kaita is the best ball winner and very good at breaking up opponent's plays. Against teams like Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Holland . . . . .Sani Kaita will be very crucial.

I am also feeling good that my boy Dele Adeleye is beginning to come back to his best. If you re-watch the beinjing 2008 finals and pay attention to dele you will see that all the head-to-heads he went against Messi, Dele came out on top. I hope they continue to play him so that he regains his confidence because he is a good centre back. very calm.

I also hope Onyekachi Apam becomes fit again because he is also a very strong defender.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1iP8p0LUOk

Watching the game here -

http://www.justin.tv/hd_latinos_503/b/264495857

[flash=400,400]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1iP8p0LUOk&hl=en_GB&fs=1&[/flash]

Abeg, wetin finally be the score?

^^ 1-1

Lukman flares up too much.
He almost forgot the match is a friendly match, not a competition.
Such attitude will only fetch him bookings at the WC. He needs to control himself, but overall, that lad is very good.
Even my sister who doesn't watch much footie said to me ''that guy plays like Okocha. who is he?''

Lars should be very crucial in picking the final team. I see us getting past the first round hurdle if we have the ''right'' players, even if they ain't the best

im impressed by the improvement. just imagine jamming mikel,osaze, martins, haruna,etuhu and the uche bros at the same time, gonna be something good fo us. Dele Adeleye is the best defender Nigeria has at the moment. you know how we nigerians say when someone wants to block your destiny God will eliminate him on your behalf. Amodu did not allow adeleye to play at the afcon but now Dele is going to the world cup and amodu is left at home to mourn what could have been. Afolabi was solid but im not convinced that he is better than Apam. any one who can still open their niash and tell me echiejile is better than taiwo needs to quit watching football. Etuhu was great, good hustling and good passes, playin kaita out on the flank was kinda a surprise for me, either the guy is being groomed as a back up full back or lags is tryin out some formation.either way i was impressed with him. i think we still need to sort things out in the final third though. we had a lot of attacking promise but no clear cut chances. thinks can only get better from here. judging fom the shape of the two friendlies im of the opinion that we are going to see either 4-5-1 or 4-3-3
with:

Odiah Adeleye Afolabi Taiwo

Mikel Etuhu

K.Uche/L.Haruna
Odemwingie Nsofor
Anichebe/Yakubu

who scored our goal?

^ Haruna Lukman, No 19.

Kgdavid:

judging fom the shape of the two friendlies im of the opinion that we are going to see either  4-5-1 or 4-3-3
with: 

Odiah    Adeleye     Afolabi    Taiwo

           Mikel          Etuhu

                  K.Uche/L.Haruna
Odemwingie                                Nsofor
                    Anichebe/Yakubu

How can you say that we will see a 4-5-1 or a 4-3-3 in the next matches of the SE?
Lars has used the 4-4-2 twice already. He doesn't have time to experiment on formations. We have 1 more friendly before the Argentina clash. .

Lukman played very well indeed!

and why is the title on the homepage still showing 0-1.

it was not only 4-4-2 that was tried out and for a 4-4-2 the players that were used would be very unothordox particularly in the Saudi game. in the first game we played something more simlilar to


Ayila Haruna

Obasi Kanu k.Uche
Anichebe

and today it looked to me like

Kaita Etuhu Ayila

Nsofor Yakubu Odemwingie

For me the problem is evident at right back where I felt chidiah struggled at times also Taiwo did not have a brilliant game.

its unfortunate i didnt watch the match

kanu nko, didnt he play, or has he been already sent back Naija before the other droppings

Naija self,jst smdays bak, u pple were calling uncle las and his boiz,all sorts of names.2day u all are singing praises 2 him and his boiz.2moro who knws wat wil happen 2 him and his playerz

donspony:

and why is the title on the homepage still showing 0-1.

I wonder too!

Super Eagles are on fire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kgdavid:

it was not only 4-4-2 that was tried out and for a 4-4-2 the players that were used would be very unothordox particularly in the Saudi game. in the first game we played something more simlilar to

                         
                     Ayila    Haruna

Obasi                    Kanu                k.Uche
                         Anichebe

and today it looked to me like

     Kaita      Etuhu     Ayila

Nsofor       Yakubu     Odemwingie



           

No. It was a clear 4-4-2. Kaita played on the right wing. We had 2 men upfront and 2 wide midfielders.
There has NOT been any different formation used by Lars other than 4-4-2.

Vs Saudi it was:

       Ayila    Haruna
Obasi                 Anichebe

       Kanu     K. Uche


Vs Colombia it was:

       Ayila    Etuhu
Kaita             Odemwingie

      Yakubu   Nsofor

Sometimes, Odemwingie, Yak and Nsofor swapped positions.

mikeansy:

There needs to be an anger management class for Lukman, at leats 3 sessions of one hour classes before the Worldcup.

Sani Kaita should also take it upon himself to look after Lukman and always remind him to chill.

All he needs is someone reminding him that he is playing well and do not need to get angry to impress anyone.

Mikel's shirt is not in danger. He can be a deep lying Playmaker who links the Defence and the attacking Midfield. Think of Xabi Alonso and you will see a role for Mikel. Haruna should be the attacking midfielder. Other players should not shy away from giving him the ball when we are trying to counter because the boy can play and he has got vision. His movement is very good and he is Very mobile.

Sani Kaita's role in the team should never be under-estimated. Some say his inclusion in the team is an excersize of Federal Character or Quota system; nothing is further from the truth. Sani Kaita is the best ball winner and very good at breaking up opponent's plays. Against teams like Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Holland . . . . .Sani Kaita will be very crucial.

I am also feeling good that my boy Dele Adeleye is beginning to come back to his best. If you re-watch the beinjing 2008 finals and pay attention to dele you will see that all the head-to-heads he went against Messi, Dele came out on top. I hope they continue to play him so that he regains his confidence because he is a good centre back. very calm.

I also hope Onyekachi Apam becomes fit again because he is also a very strong defender.

Chop knuckle. I love your post and I'm in agreement with it 100%.

am not sure most people concentrate on watching matches, but by far,Etuhu was the best ball winner in yesterday's match, no wonder he's a regular for his club, he is by far one of the shinning lights in yesterday's training (cos there were no fans to cheer either side) with Colombia, he did a yeoman's job breaking all the balls in the midfield, get him out and NIgeria are in danger, did you watch him against Hamburg in the Europa cup?both legs, i mean, am not his apologist,but credit must go to whoever deserves it, we need him,PERIOD!.

^ I'm sorry but I'm not convinced by Etuhu. I have watched various matches he has featured in this season with Fulham. I was far from impressed. Especially against Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final. He wins balls but doesn't know what to do with them. He has ZERO clairvoyance and lacks composure. He gives away the ball too easily. Oh, and he lacks speed man. Big time. Very sluggish.

Definitely not a starter as far as I'm concerned. Probably a guy you'll need if you are trying to defend a goal advantage in the 2nd half.
I tip Mikel and Haruna pair. Kaita impressed me today. And I was one of those who didn't even want him in the 30 man list. . .

i do not understand all the talk about getting rid of mikel. believe it or not, he can be the person linking the defence to the rest of the midfieldrs like haruna lukman for example! he should stay

^ You shouldn't even pay attention to the people who always write off Mikel. It's becoming rather bland and pointless. He's one of the few who was already sure to book his ticket to SA, even without playing the 1st 2 friendlies. He has an AUTOMATIC shirt. And he has deserved it.

Haters be hatin'.

mumu super eagles

tjadeba:

am not sure most people concentrate on watching matches, but by far,Etuhu was the best ball winner in yesterday's match, no wonder he's a regular for his club, he is by far one of the shinning lights in yesterday's training (cos there were no fans to cheer either side) with Colombia, he did a yeoman's job breaking all the balls in the midfield, get him out and NIgeria are in danger, did you watch him against Hamburg in the Europa cup?both legs, i mean, am not his apologist,but credit must go to whoever deserves it, we need him,PERIOD!.

I guess you are comparing Etuhu with his midfield pair Yusuf Ayila in which Etuhu can only be the clear winner since everyone are unanimously in agreement that Ayila did not play well today like in the previous friendly.

You can not also compare Etuhu's ball winning ability with that of Kaita based on this match alone because Kaita was played out of position in the flanks. If you know Etuhu you will not make the comment above. The guy switches off regularly and goes to sleep most times during matches. He may have a regular shirt at Fulham because he is the best Fulham can afford but in Super Eagles right now we have better players. He is going to spend most times on the Bench.

Sani Kaita is the best ball winner in the country. And he also does it cleanly without committing too many fouls or taking too many cards.

Iyineda:

^ You shouldn't even pay attention to the people who always write off Mikel. It's becoming rather bland and pointless. He's one of the few who was already sure to book his ticket to SA, even without playing the 1st 2 friendlies. He has an AUTOMATIC shirt. And he has deserved it.

Haters be hatin'.

thank you iyenda. i cudnt have said it any better than you just did
mikel is a vital player to our team in his own way

Isnt this the same Columbia that bafana bafan beat? And we only managed a draw. Things are rough for the super eagles indeed

Hello all, I have just joined his forum and I’m quite excited to put some of my thought down here for the first time.

Excuse me for asking, but why are most of us Nigerians so fickle? Let me clarify; this time last week after the Saudi match 75-90% of you out there where either questioning our manager, the NFF or the players in camp. After today’s game those same people seems to have started singing a different song!!! However, there are some of you out there that have been quite mature and articulate with their opinions… Thank God for some sensible Nigerians.

The Nigerian National Football team is one of the most envied teams in Africa with an abundance of talent but no discipline. Lars Lagerback coming to our shores is the best thing that could have happened to our football in the past 10 years or more. I will not bore you with his credentials because I know that any serious Super Eagles fan would have already looked him up on google or Wikipedia. He may not be the most decorated coach out there, but what he brings to our team is structure and balance. Sweden as a country is one of the 10 best places to live in this world according to world experts. This has all to do with their ability to be organized and on time. Even England as a football nation can attest to this known fact.

As a football lover I know this Oyibo man will DO HIS POSSIBLE BEST to make naija shine at the WC not withstanding the tools which he has been handed to work with. All you so called coaching experts out there did not even see what he was trying to do in our first game against Saudi… My people abeg make you realize say IGNORANCE IS NOT BLISS!!!

I have read a few of you’re posts today and noticed most people were not TOO anxious with our defense. This can partly be attributed to a good understanding of our defenders but also Dickson Etuhu in that holding role was SOLID. I know not too many of you out there will agree with me on the bases that he does not really posses twinkle toes and is not flamboyant enough but please know this my fellow football loving family, he is strong, he sticks to his assignment (discipline), he is NOT slow, he does not play himself or team mates into trouble and generally keeps it SIMPLE (ask Roy Hodgson). Most great teams have a good strong simple player like him in there midfield even Barcelona and Man U. This is a good example of having balance in your team. If you get a chance to watch this game again, this time without any tension, please notice how the Colombians found it difficult to get past him (Yusuf Ayila was not very useful) before even bothering the central defenders and also how Haruna Lukman had the confidence to go forward without braking the structure of our attack to compromise our defense. Our defensive worries today were more down the wings that central. Any of you out there that followed the EPL and Europa Cup this past league campaign can attest to the confidence Etuhu gives Fulham in midfield to allow more creative players do there thing. This guy will start alongside Mikel in the midfield… Lukman will be one of the few aces Lars Lagerback has up his sleeves!

Do you really think this Swede will show the whole world his hand before the WC? My football loving family out there, I want you all to realize that there are 2 or 3 payers that will be in the final list who did not feature in any of the friendlies but have already impressed the coach in training…

Let us ALL wake up and smell the ogbono soap, All you non believers out the will soon come down with a serious case of STOCKOLM SYNDROME!!!

Hey VitiMini, u sound like a publicist, I won't be shocked if we find out u happen to be one.

Taiwo is a suicide at the back.WE NEED A MORE COMPETENT LEFT FULL BACK

We played well yesterday as a team but we are still having problem after problems at the left back position.

Most people that posted on this thread believe Haruna is a good player. I wonder if it is thesame match i saw. That guy is not a professional by any standard. His tackles were too bad as if he was in a Judo contest and why does he want to fight? He has got a bad temper!