₦airaland Forum

tbaba1234:
Leon Balogun is injured... subbed after 9 minutes due to injury...

Hopefully not serious

TheGoodJoe:

It seems you want to chase Iwobi and Ikeme out of camp.

lakesidepapa:
U20 World cup: Nigeria called up 30 players to a training camp.



Nigeria have called up 30 players to a training
camp, ahead of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup
in Papua New Guinea in November.
The camp will open in Abuja next week.
The Falconets have been drawn against Japan,
Canada and Spain at the finals, which kicks off
November 13 and ends December 3.
Among those invited are goalkeeper Sandra Chichi,
defenders Ugochi Emenayo, Esther Elijah,
midfielders Joy Bokiri and Tessy Biawho and
forwards Uchenna Kalu, Yetunde Adeboyejo and
Chinaza Uchendu.


FULL LIST:
Sandra Chichi (Sunshine Queens); Patience Kalu
(Rivers Angels); Kemi Famuditi (Confluence
Queens); Chinwendu Ihezuo (BIIK Zazygurt,
Kazakhstan); Yetunde Adeboyejo (Bayelsa Queens);
Ugochi Emenayo (Nasarawa Amazons); Uchenna
Kanu (Orlando Kicks, USA); Chinaza Uchendu
(Nasarawa Amazons); Ogechi Ukwuoma (Delta
Queens).
The list also include Glory Ogbonna (Ibom Queens);
Ginika Ikeh (Nasarawa Amazons); Amarachi Ojinma
(Rivers Angels); Tessy Biahwo (Nasarawa
Amazons); Christy Ohiaeriaku (IFKO Stersund,
Sweden); Mercy Vincent (Confluence Queens); Mary
Ologbosere (Ibom Queens); Aminat Yakubu (Minsk
FC, Belarus); Ihuoma Onyebuchi (Sunshine
Queens); Esther Elijah (Osun Queens); Onyinye
Okeke (Edo Queens).
Others are Joy Bokiri (Bayelsa Queens); Valerie
Awelewa (Genk FC, Belgium); Lilian Atule (Bayelsa
Queens); Adebisi Hameevah (FC Robo); Ekaete
Akpata (Ibom Queens); Shenken Lima (Garden City
Bronc Busters, USA); Fubiana Briggs (Ibom
Queens); Opeyemi Aiyeniberu (Sunshine Queens);
Charity Chetachukwu (Ibom Queens); Bashirat
Amoo (Osun Queens).


dailypost.ng/2016/09/21/30-players-invited-falconets-camp-ahead-fifa-u-20-world-cup/

BascoVanVeli:
Why Gernot Rohr must build his Nigeria team around Kelechi Iheanacho

Kelechi Iheanacho was Manchester City's third highest goal scorer last season, despite starting less minutes than most of the team, tallying 9 goals from 13 shots. Add another two goals and one assist within the space of four days this week, and it's clear to see that the Nigeria international is chalking up some impressive numbers.

Wednesday's late Champions League goal against Borussia Moenchengladbach, coming just days after his winning goal against city rivals Manchester United, cemented his place as a genuine and proven talent.

For Nigeria, Iheanacho's two senior appearances have yielded one goal and one assist. And these are just the tangibles.

With everyday that passes, the 19-year-old continues to prove the case for why Nigeria can now boast another genuine, world class superstar.

Perhaps it is a sign of the times that the Super Eagles have been scraping the bottom of the barrel in that department since the retirements of the truly last great players with genuine stardust, Jay-Jay Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu.

In his early years, Mikel John Obi threatened to be the next big thing, especially when war broke out between Manchester United and Chelsea over his ownership. But with his career now entering its twilight, it is safe to say that -- despite his successes mopping up trophies at club and finally at international level -- the shine on his star has not quite matched the luminosity of those two.

Perhaps his absolute resistance to take advantage of a disrupted generation where stars could instantly bridge the gap with fans was a key factor. Plus the fact that in Mikel's early days, he was sold as an exciting, creative midfielder, but was turned into an unimaginative, functional workhorse at Chelsea.

Goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama came close, but in his latter years. Largely derided in his early years as an international, Enyeama worked his way to the top. Sadly, just when his star was on the rise, he cut it short.

Between Kanu and Mikel, there have been a fair few pretenders to the throne, but Iheanacho appears to finally be the genuine article, ticking every tickable box.

As a cadet international, he won the World Cup, then saw himself picked up by an emerging European football power where he has avoided the well-trodden path of being farmed out on loan.

Instead, he has not only played his way into reckoning but actually played a seasoned and experienced striker in the mound of Wilfried Bony out of the squad. He did it with better numbers in less minutes.

Which segues right into the discussion about those intangibles. Beyond the goals and assists ratio, Iheanacho's brilliance, skill and intelligence stand him out as the real deal.

And that's why it is time for Nigeria's recently trotted-out, shiny new coach Gernot Rohr, to take the not-so-bold decision of making Iheanacho the centerpiece of his team and build the rest around him.

Mikel will remain as team leader, but Iheanacho should be the poster boy.

Odion Ighalo, occasionally prolific at club level, has not quite found a way to translate that to his national team. And the problem appears to be a simple one. At Watford, he is one half of an effective duo with Troy Deeney. With Nigeria, he is a lone forager.

A simple solution to the Ighalo/Iheanacho conundrum might be to play them together as a twin strikeforce.

With Victor Moses finally establishing what seems to be some sort of traction at Chelsea, and picking up his form, he could alternate the left forward position with Alex Iwobi, another promising youngster who is proving his worth at another European football club powerhouse, Arsenal.

Everybody else can fight for their place.

Nigeria have spent too many years in the wilderness out of reluctance to pick and stick with players on form and talent. The result has been three African Nations Cup misses in the space of five years.

Hard to see things getting any worse if Rohr does the necessary with Iheanacho. He may be young, but he is showing consistency at a very high level. A level where many who have played ahead of him sometimes can only dream of.



Colin Udoh is a Nigeria football correspondent for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @ColinUdoh.

PhilJames:
Not my first time. i hv reared 100 twice now. Just wanted to increase d stock to 300 wt 200k

PhilJames:
Could you Please break it down for me and what that amount can achieve

BascoVanVeli:
Penalty by Ighalo makes it 3-0 for 10 man Nigeria.

Orkpekyandega:
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Nigeria call up 5 Rio Olympics stars, Etebo snubbed but Osimhen in.
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https://africanfootball.com/bp_images/2016/08/etebo580_new.jpg
Etebo not called up by new Eagles coach

by Samm Audu

Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr has called up five players from the Rio Olympics but with top scorer Oghenekaro Etebo overlooked just as Nigeria U20 star Victor Osimhen got his first Eagles call-up for next month’s AFCON qualifier against Tanzania in Uyo.

We first told you


The players from the Olympics are goalkeeper Emmanuel Daniel, defenders William Troost-Ekong, Shehu Abdullahi and Kingsley Madu as well as captain Mikel Obi and Imoh Ezekiel.


Youngster Victor Osimhen, who will sign a professional contract in January with German Bundesliga Wolfsburg, has been handed surprise call-up as well by the new Eagles coach.


The match is a dead rubber, as both teams have been eliminated, but Rohr and the Super Eagles are using the game as rehearsal for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying series Matchday 1 clash with Zambia in Ndola in October.


The Franco-German, named Technical Adviser of the Super Eagles by the NFF two weeks ago, has called up three goalkeepers, eight defenders, four midfielders and eight forwards for the game scheduled for the Akwa Ibom International Stadium, Uyo on Saturday, 3rd September.


Captain Mikel, whose sterling leadership of the Nigeria U23 to the Bronze Medal match of the Rio 2016 Olympics has drawn global applause, is joined in the midfield by the energetic Ogenyi Onazi, Belgium –based former youth international Wilfred Ndidi and Israel –based Nosa Igiebor, who has not featured for Nigeria since missing the cut for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.


Emmanuel Daniel, who has done his reputation no harm with some breath –taking reflex saves at the Olympics, joins Carl Ikeme and Ikechukwu Ezenwa to fight for the gloves, while home –based Jamiu Alimi finds a place amongst Leon Balogun, William Troost-Ekong, Chidozie Awaziem, Abdullahi Shehu, Musa Muhammed, Elderson Echiejile and Kingsley Madu in the defence.


Rohr, a former defender, has also opted for a strong attacking line, with assistant captain Ahmed Musa leading Kelechi Iheanacho, Moses Simon, Victor Moses, Imoh Ezekiel, Odion Ighalo, Brown Ideye and youngster Victor Osimhen.

All the players have been directed to report in Uyo on Sunday, 28th August 2016.

FULL LIST:

Goalkeepers: Carl Ikeme (Wolverhampton Wanderers, England); Emmanuel Daniel (Enugu Rangers); Ikechukwu Ezenwa (FC IfeanyiUbah)


Defenders: Leon Balogun (FSV Mainz 05, Germany); William Troost-Ekong (Haugesund FC, Norway); Chidozie Awaziem (FC Porto, Portugal); Jamiu Alimi (Kano Pillars); Abdullahi Shehu (Uniao da Madeira, Portugal); Musa Muhammed (Istanbul Basaksehir, Turkey); Elderson Echiejile (AS Monaco, France), Kingsley Madu (AS Trencin, Slovakia)


Midfielders: Mikel John Obi (Chelsea FC, England); Ogenyi Onazi (Trabzonspor, Turkey); Wilfred Ndidi (KRC Genk, Belgium); Nosa Igiebor (Maccabi Tel Aviv, Israel)


Forwards: Ahmed Musa (Leicester City, England); Kelechi Iheanacho (Manchester City, England); Moses Simon (KAA Gent, Belgium); Victor Moses (Chelsea FC, England); Imoh Ezekiel (Al-Arabi Sporting Club, Qatar), Odion Ighalo (Watford FC, England); Brown Ideye (Olympiacos FC, Greece); Victor Osimhen (Wolfsburg FC, Germany)

http://africanfootball.com/news/639357/Nigeria-call-up-5-Rio-Olympics-stars-Etebo-snubbed-but-Osimhen-in
[/b]

Orkpekyandega:
[b][size=14pt]
Nigeria line up Mikel, Ahmed Musa, Iheanacho for AFCON dead-rubber
[/size]
https://africanfootball.com/bp_images/2016/08/mikeljoy580.jpg
Mikel, at the Rio Olympics

by Samm Audu


Nigeria will line up their top Europe-based stars led by skipper Mikel Obi for next month’s dead-rubber AFCON qualifier against Tanzania in Uyo as a dress rehearsal for the country’s World Cup qualifying campaign.

The Super Eagles begin their Russia 2018 qualifier in Zambia on October 3.


AfricanFootball.com gathered that an earlier proposal to parade only players from the domestic league for the Tanzania game to save costs has been jettisoned.

A bulk of the call-ups for the Tanzania will come from the squad who played the friendlies against Mali and Luxembourg in May.


Mikel and Ahmed Musa were excused for these matches, but will now join up with the likes of Leon Balogun, William Troost-Ekong, Musa Mohammed, Brown Ideye, Ogenyi Onazi and Kelechi Iheanacho for the match against Tanzania.


However, Arsenal youngster Alex Iwobi has been ruled out of the encounter after he suffered an injury in his team’s opening game of the season against Liverpool.


Iwobi, who impressed with the Eagles in May, is out for four weeks after a hip injury.

Last September, Nigeria held Tanzania to a goalless draw in the reverse fixture of this AFCON qualifier.

http://africanfootball.com/news/639300/Nigeria-line-up-Mikel-Ahmed-Musa-Iheanacho-for-AFCON-dead-rubber
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forgiveness:
I didn't have the opportunity to see the match but I knew we will have problems in the midfield without Azubuike Okechukwu and if the Germans decided to press us the same way the Colombians did. And just as TheGoodJoe just wrote they unsettled us by pressing and forcing us to play against our plans.


Siasia should have known that after the Colombia game. He should have made the Germans tired by passing the ball quickly and made them chase the ball. In such situations you must think about keeping possession of the ball. And once you don't have the ball all the players should have fallen behind the ball with expectation of hitting them with fast counter attacks.

I also knew they will try as much as possible to frustrate Mikel because he was the engine of the team. Once he is unsettled and marked out then forget about the strikers doing the damage.

tbaba1234:
In other news, I got married this weekend. Friday and Saturday. I barely watched the match. Saw highlights though.

Who has watched the Germans play? How good are they?

ChrisKels:
[color=#006600][/color]so funny to read sir forgiveness sounding like an ardent supporter of SIASIA, forgetting he was never or better yet, at a point not on the same page with SIA1 for failing to extend calls to Olaitan, Ajagun, Solanke and Co, hence accusing him of favoritism and at some point, taking bribe to settle for mediocrity.

xprezboy:
not a big thing , nairalanders will be quick in condemning dz, Is aisha buhari not the defacto vp in ng?
mariam babangida was equally powerful and unofficial vp
mariam abacha was equally the defacto vp
Stella obasanjo was not left out

in all the 36 states in Nigeria today, all the 1st ladies are the defacto deputy governors.
we are quick to condemn the Nicaragua couples but we are the most repressed people on earth.
It also extend to the churches, We now have daddy and mummy GOs.

semid4lyfe:
The lads did not perform on the day, Simple!

Abi no be this same NFF dey when them go win for Sudan?

Blame NFF not!

Icon4s:
I remember the "Kelechi Nwakali to me is not.." line vividly well.

This whole argument started with Nwakali vs Awoniyi, then Awoniyi vs Yahaya.
Before u know it became Taye Taiwo vs Babayaro, Awoniyi vs Success, Ibrahim Alhassan vs Iheanacho. At a pt he did nt even know what he was argueing abt