MIKEL READY FOR NORTH KOREA TEST
Posted: 2010-06-04 12:14

Midfielder John Mikel Obi will be ready to play a part in Nigeria's final pre-World Cup friendly against North Korea on Sunday, Nigerian officials have said.

Mikel has been recuperating from knee surgery and coach Lars Lagerback explained after last weekend's 1-1 draw against Colombia that the Chelsea midfielder had been declared fit but was only left out as a precaution.

On Friday, Mikel trained fully with the rest of the squad and came away with no ill effects of injury.

"Mikel trained with the rest of the team today, and did everything that the other players did," Musa Amadu, NFF Deputy Secretary General told KickOffNigeria.com on Friday afternoon.

NFF Executive Committee member Taiwo Ogunjobi also told KickOffNigeria.com that there was no cause to worry about Mikel.

"The team trained for three hours yesterday and he also worked out with the physio yesterday on his own as part of the programme that our medical team agreed with the Chelsea medical team.

"Later in the evening, he went to the gym with the physio again for some additional work just before dinner."

Ogunjobi said there is no need to worry, as Mikel would be fit and available to start against Argentina.

"He is someone who is just recovering so you don’t expect him to go at the pace of the others, but from the look of things and the way he has been training, I have the belief that he is he is going to play against Korea like the coach said, and also play against Argentina.

"But of course, that is up to the coach."

Nigeria open their campaign on June 12 against Argentina.

http://www.kickoff.com/news/15864/mikel-ready-for-nkorea-test.php

semid4lyfe:

MIKEL READY FOR NORTH KOREA TEST
Posted: 2010-06-04 12:14

Midfielder John Mikel Obi will be ready to play a part in Nigeria's final pre-World Cup friendly against North Korea on Sunday, Nigerian officials have said.

Mikel has been recuperating from knee surgery and coach Lars Lagerback explained after last weekend's 1-1 draw against Colombia that the Chelsea midfielder had been declared fit but was only left out as a precaution.

On Friday, Mikel trained fully with the rest of the squad and came away with no ill effects of injury.

"Mikel trained with the rest of the team today, and did everything that the other players did," Musa Amadu, NFF Deputy Secretary General told KickOffNigeria.com on Friday afternoon.

NFF Executive Committee member Taiwo Ogunjobi also told KickOffNigeria.com that there was no cause to worry about Mikel.

"The team trained for three hours yesterday and he also worked out with the physio yesterday on his own as part of the programme that our medical team agreed with the Chelsea medical team.

"Later in the evening, he went to the gym with the physio again for some additional work just before dinner."

Ogunjobi said there is no need to worry, as Mikel would be fit and available to start against Argentina.

"He is someone who is just recovering so you don’t expect him to go at the pace of the others, but from the look of things and the way he has been training, I have the belief that he is he is going to play against Korea like the coach said, and also play against Argentina.

"But of course, that is up to the coach."

Nigeria open their campaign on June 12 against Argentina.

http://www.kickoff.com/news/15864/mikel-ready-for-nkorea-test.php

Lagerback shouldn't risk Mikel in that game. I don't trust those war-mongering Koreans. I still recall their final qualifying match with Saudi-Arabia. They were very rough and physical and even got a red card in the process. We need Mikel against Argentina.

semid4lyfe:

I won't complain if they can chop of Kanu and Utaka's legs so Lagerback can invite Anichebe and some other player  

so it's still possible to replace injured players 5 days before the start of worldcup?

mykali:

all i need from this match is for a demented Korean to dislocate Utaka's ankle  

I really support tatality I don't see any reason Y Utaka should make that team with this younger bro and Anichebe where droped

honeric01:

so it's still possible to replace injured players 5 days before the start of worldcup?

But you sef know se Kanu and Utaka's condition pass even the worst football injury

Oh. strolling chicken! in a matter of days, we will see wat u'v got 4 Aguero.

My fellow Nigerians,

abeg make una no shake! I know what truly bothers us even subconsciously is WHAT will HAPPEN when Nigeria face Argentina at the WC,

All eyes will be on the Eagles as they take on the North Koreans in their final friendly before the WC begins. I can not wait!

We all know that friendlies don't count for much. However, they help us gauge our strengths and weaknesses. Will Lagerback shock us by playing Martins as the right full back or will he start Kanu in goal? These are some of the questions we might be asking ourselves at the moment, after seeing what he did on the right wing in our last friendly,  which in my opinion was not a bad move. I do believe Sani Kaita  took a few shots at goal from not too optimistic angles! I  remember 2 of them where embarrassingly off, but on a good day who knows!!

The match is in makhulong Stadium in Thembisa Kempton Park, East of Johannesburg. Tickets are free and can be collect the at the Church in Kempton Park at 09H00 on Sunday. There is only 15 000 tickets allocated.

i dunno know whats really happening with all these stars that are dropping out of the tournament like flies

this is a showpiece events where we all want the stars to be , and they are becoming no shows!!!


hope i dunt regret my taking my annual leave

Why do we keep getting all this crappy friendlies.

The news stories of injuries all over the place is really scary

canuck:

@ Topic

Friendlies with North Korea?! A nation coming to the World Cup for the 2nd time ever, and after 44 years!!!

No sane country risks its key players in a friendly match just before the real thing.

Injuries are inevitable in sports and can happen even in training like we saw with Rio Ferdinand, Diego Milito and others. FIFA allows the team to substitute any injured player not less than 24 hours before the team's opening match. However, they can only do this with a player that was on the provisional list sent to FIFA, ie the 30 man list in the case of Nigeria. Rio Ferdinand has just been replaced with Michael Dawson. SO THIS FRIENDLY IS NOT UNNECESSARY.

I wish the super eagles victory ,  i just hope those karate playing n-koreans boys will not break, and injure the legs of our strategic players    b4 the real world cup starts

The North Koreans may want to help their neighbours, South Korea by taking out our star players. Lagerback should use his brain o! The last thing we need is a depleted squad

@honeric01, even a day to the W.C u can replace any injured player.

North Korea

The eagles shld be careful ooo!

Let them remember what happened to the S.Korean ship ooo!

nigerians would definitely win.

North Korea

The eagles shld be careful ooo!

Let them remember what happened to the S.Korean ship ooo!

guys, if nigeria wins this match, then there is a real possibilty of us matching argentina to have at least a point.

davidif:

Why do we keep getting all this crappy friendlies.

yeh, it would have been good to see nigeria vs brazil but its a matter of them(brazil) accepting the friendly match.
years back, when we were ranked 5th in the world, we were begged for friendly matches u know.

john obi mikel is out of the world cup.check goal.com

Nigeria needs to raise the level of their game against, because this is more a like the first real test for Lager back and his team since becoming coach of the national team.
Good Luck Boys, i support you guys full time!

erith:

john obi mikel is out of the world cup.check goal.com

True! He's to be replaced by Ideye Brown. Peeps like Onyekachi Okonkwo and Femi Ajilore should have been in the 30-man provisional list. Those two are better than Ideye Brown any of them would have made better and more suitable replacements. Brown Ideye jazz don catch Mikel

http://www.goal.com/en/news/article?contentId=1959901
Nigeria's John Obi Mikel Out Of World Cup 2010 With Knee Injury. Chelsea star not prepared to risk 'long term' career,
By James Daly
Jun 5, 2010 10:12:00 AM
John Obi Mikel has ruled himself out of the World Cup amidst fears over his long-term recovery from knee surgery.

In what is starting to be seen as a World Cup hoodoo for Chelsea players he joins Germany and Ghana internationals Michael Ballack and Michael Essien on the sidelines for this tournament.

Didier Drogba’s participation in the tournament is also in doubt after he fractured his arm in a 2-0 victory for the Ivory Coast in a warm-up match over Japan.

Teammate Kolo Toure initially said the striker told him his World Cup was over, although a team official later played down the comments.

Such is Chelsea’s strength in depth that the Blues were able to clinch the Premier League and FA Cup double without the 23-year-old Mikel in the finishing stages of last season.

The player hoped that surgery on a knee injury would grant him a clean bill of health in time for the World Cup but despite being named in Nigeria’s 23-man squad it was announced this morning that he won’t play.

Team official Emmanuel Attah said this morning: "We have dropped Mikel from the World Cup squad after he told the team he did not want to put his career at risk as his knee injury has yet to fully heal after a recent surgery."

The only consolation for Nigeria is that – like England with the Rio Ferdinand injury situation – Mikel can still be replaced by one of the seven players dropped from Lars Lagerback's initial 30-man World Cup squad.

http://kickoffnigeria.com/news/15883/mikel-out-of-world-cup.php
Mikel out of World Cup
John Mikel Obi out, Brown Ideye in
Posted: 2010-06-05 12:14

Sochaux midfielder Brown Ideye has been called up to replace John Mikel Obi, who has been ruled out of the World Cup with an ankle problem

"Mikel suffered a bruise to his ankle and a scan showed that he will not recover on time," Media Officer Idah Peterside told KickOffNigeria.com.

"The coach has now decided to call up Brown Ideye to replace him."

Mikel had knee surgery last month to repair a torn meniscus and was expected to be out for two weeks.

He was left out of Nigeria's friendly match against Colombia by coach Lars Lagerback, who explained that the move was only precautionary and trained with the rest of the squad on Friday.

the SE will triumph. Let them play safely so they wont have more injury casualty

as for me the world cup is just going to be another failed misadventure. amodu was paid #3m, now we are paying lagerbag #50m for the same job and he is essentially using the same players. God deliver us

South Korea’s a worrying team not only in my heart but literally: they worry oppositions all over the pitch, they are tireless. If North Korea is of similar ability, Nigeria is in for a torrid time.

nobody seems to be talking of our players getting injured trying to impress us. Abeg make they relax for that match ooo

I really dont seem to understand myself this football season, previous times there is always these excitement and believe that I always carry for Nigeria (Super Eagles), but now I dont seem to care much, I never even watch any of our friendly games, but I dont think I don miss anything yet, we are not prepared at all, I beg lets stop this thing of I Pray We Win mentality, its just a friendly match.

Its just a friendly; i hope we start loosing from tomorrow.

our guys should be careful so as 2 avoid injuries.

where can i watch nigeria vs s korea tommorow? i live in UK