₦airaland Forum

Aye my people, been a while. Miss y'all!!! Aye my people, been a while. Miss y'all!!!

Joebie:
That's exactly what I'm trying to say.. our first 11 always come against familiar competition. Let them see fresh faces here and there, and they won't be too comfortable. They all have to show at game time that they deserve to start in the subsequent match. Any slack, there should be a player ready to take their spot. I think that would bring out the best in the team.

Modified
I'm not particularly a Rohr critic but I think many players in the team are too comfortable..

Spot On, You couldn't have said it any better!!

congo4ka:
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My brother, you can ask anybody here about me, I make very useful contributions and tactical analysis I also speak and write fluently Russian language, which would be very useful for us here in Russia

I checked out a thread in VK site ( one of the biggest online forum for Russians, Ukrainians and basically eastern Europeans) they celebrated Victor Moses when he won Nigerian best player and the comments there was encouraging, but it was written in Russian language so you guys would not really understand here I also spy on the Croatian team and fan zone to understand there weaknesses and strength, I will be a very big assets for you guys here and I don't even ask for any form of appreciation

can't just get enough of this guy,man is a clown!!

congo4ka:
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My brother, you can ask anybody here about me, I make very useful contributions and tactical analysis I also speak and write fluently Russian language, which would be very useful for us here in Russia

I checked out a thread in VK site ( one of the biggest online forum for Russians, Ukrainians and basically eastern Europeans) they celebrated Victor Moses when he won Nigerian best player and the comments there was encouraging, but it was written in Russian language so you guys would not really understand here I also spy on the Croatian team and fan zone to understand there weaknesses and strength, I will be a very big assets for you guys here and I don't even ask for any form of appreciation

can't just get enough of this guy,man is a clown!!

maidaboi:
he is a very good crosser something we are lacking in the SE

Not only a crosser,he is also good at set peices and also packs a good shot on that his right foot.

tbaba1234:
Goal and Assist for Samuel Kalu


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ycgYliWe_8&sns=tw

what a freekick,just Imagining ndidi on the end of that freekick in GWG!

MetalJigsaw:
yeah.. If only he could improve on his team play. He's A fine player with very good dribbling ability , and energy too.

Another issue is his low scoring ability. He's not much of a goal threat as a forward that he is. Unlike the other forwards we have.

His goal scoring ability is my only concern about him, just imagine we needing a goal at the world cup and he is needed to be an impact sub,do you think he can deliver a goal like iwobi did when he came on against Zambia in Uyo?

tbaba1234:
If we are going to play the 3 CB formation then we should play Balogun in the center. He is better in the air and does not have to chase anyone. He can focus mainly on interceptions and headers.

Exactly what he knows how to do best because his reading of the game is top notch.
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Haha.....David Luiz and Caballero trolling Moses after that Zappacosta goal,just too Hilarious.

adegwurulez:
I say let him continue playing at hull. Right now moses and zapacosta are ahead of him at chelsea

Playing time is essential in a player's development but not when the club you are getting the play time is shitty and are always conceeding 5 goals in every matches.You know,it doesn't help his confidence.Agree with you though, he wont get the playing time at chelsea but he can still be loaned to a better team in January.Honestly,i just feel for the lad.

FFS! Chelsea need to get Ola Aina out of that shitty Hull City team ASAP.Thank God Ahmed Musa and Isaac Success did not move there. Aina dished out pinpoint perfect crosses but their shitty forwards still could not convert any of it.Worst of all,Aina darted into the penalty area making a meal of 2 derby players and won a penalty in the process when his team were still 1 goal behind but the player who took the penalty blasted it over the bar.Chelsea have a recall clause in his loan agreement so they should recall him ASAP before negative vibes start affecting him.

TheGoodJoe:
We should employ a coach like Emmanuel Amunike to run a supplementary Super Eagles team. Another company can support this. Invite players who are close to break into the team and play Friendlies with U23 and U21 sides of other teams, both local and foreign during the international breaks.

This will promote belonging of players who can not be invited and give the National team handlers the chance of seeing the players closely. Sometimes, the teams can camp together in Abuja just like Siasia's U23, Manu Garba's U20 and Amunike's U17 teams camped together.

I remember Amokachi's Super Eagles B team played Ghana's U23 team with Rabiu Ali, Joseph Nathaniel, Mfon Udoh and Emem Eduok in the team. This exposure led to Rabiu Ali and Joseph Nathaniel getting call up to the Super Eagles main team.

This will make it less risky to try new players and also give the National team handler a bigger pool to source players.

Wow,another super suggestion from The GOODJOE.Totally agree we can do it,just imagine players like Dennis Bonaventure,Onyekuru,Olayinka even Dessers in the team.It will also help us cap some of our foreign born players who's been playing with English youth teams like Seyi Ojo,Ejaria,Tomori e.t.c.But the big question now is the company to sponsor such?

Joebie:
Somebody must have suggested Aaron to him as a physical player. It's not like his recents stats have been impressive. It's solely based on what he once did for SE.

LOL,Aaron had no business in that team,somebody that had 1 goal in 14 games in the whole of last season does not deserve a call up IMO.The only game he started this season,he was yanked off at the 42 minute because he was playing trash and the rest has been cameo appearances.I am sure he was one of those player ordering for calabar chicks in camp

Joebie:
Somebody must have suggested Aaron to him as a physical player. It's not like his recents stats have been impressive. It's solely based on what he once did for SE.

LOL,Aaron had no business in that team,somebody that had 1 goal in 14 games in the whole of last season does not deserve a call up IMO.The only game he started this season,he was yanked off at the 42 minute because he was playing trash and the rest has been cameo appearances.I am sure he and echiejile would be part of those players ordering for calabar chicks in camp if the report was true

Joebie:
Oh yes!!

Hopefully he makes his return against Algeria. Tammy, Dessers get capped as well. But the deed has to be done in Uyo for that to likely happen.

Yeah bro,I really cant wait to see him in SE colours very soon.I sure believe the deed will be done,we just need to score 2 goals in the first half as we have been doing lately then we stay compact and hit them on the counter in the second half.

Joebie:
Joel Obi makes Whoscored statistical best 11 in the top 5 leagues for the past week alongside Messi etc

Nice! The Stats will always speak for him. If he is not injured and keep churning our good performances in matches then a call up is imminent against Zambia.

whizola:
All hail ‘Balogunbauer’
It is in observing the simplicity of football that we appreciate its complexity.
That there are three basic departments to a team — defence (of which the goalkeeper consists), midfield and attack — is easy enough to grasp, and is essential in understanding what is unfolding. Yet, in any good football team, the interaction between these is fluid enough to create varying levels of originality. All books in the earth, after all, consist of the same letters used in an infinite order of variableness.
What was all that hot air about? Well, the Super Eagles moved one step closer to Russia 2018 with a fine performance in Yaounde, drawing 1–1. For me, it was a very meaningful result; the game in Uyo was something of a caricature, as the latent superiority of Gernot Rohr’s side was greatly exaggerated by the haplessness on the day of the African champions.
The most important thing to pick out is that it showed us the level of selfless sacrifice this team can put in toward achieving a goal. From back to front, there was a focus that has not always been familiar within the national team. As Cameroon dominated the ball, the wingers dropped in and the team was extremely compact out of possession, allowing no ingress whatsoever through the middle of the pitch.
Defensively, there has not been a better display from a Nigerian team in ages. Much praise has gone to the pair of Leon Balogun and William Troost-Ekong (more on them later), and while they were great, it would be a disservice not to acknowledge how well the rest of the side did to make their tasks easier.
Ironically, it was going forward that this team showed some worrying concerns. Averaging 2.5 goals a game, you would not think this side has a problem advancing up the pitch. It is however becoming clear that this team is not just one that counters very well, but may be one better served by employing that by default anyway.
It is well said that you can tell the identity of a team by its style of defensive midfielder. A possession-based team will almost always employ a playmaker at the back of midfield: it needs to circulate the ball and look for gaps, after all. A transition-based team will broadly want an energetic, mobile ball-winner to regain possession and transfer it forward quickly.
Who is the deepest midfielder in the Super Eagles set-up? Ogenyi Onazi, a terrier-like battler who plugs gaps and harries opposing attackers. Interestingly, he is partnered, just ahead, by Wilfred Ndidi, himself a roving ball winner who plays simple, unambitious passes.
The most comfortable the Super Eagles looked last night was when Cameroon had the ball. When the home side’s intensity dropped somewhat, and this team tried to build up, the problem with such a defensive double-pivot in midfield was clear: how to advance the ball into the attackers?
In Mikel John Obi, Victor Moses, Odion Ighalo and Moses Simon, Nigeria have a quartet that seems to riff very well together. Ighalo now offers movement (in a transformation that makes one wonder how far gene splicing has advanced in China), Simon pace, Moses dribbling and Mikel is the binder whose ability to both hold possession and play one-touch passes holds it all together.
How do you get the ball to them when neither of the two deeper midfielders is (a) capable of evading pressure, or (b) passing incisively? That was the major dilemma presented to Nigeria yesterday.
Cameroon’s best openings of the first half came when they pressed Onazi and Ndidi. It didn’t take long to figure out something had to change. The first bit of proper build-up occurred when Mikel came slightly deeper, put his foot on the ball, spun and sprayed the ball wide left. It however leaves the team with one less man in attack.
Realistically, Moses comes inside and the left-back bombs forward to maintain width in this situation. Well, our left-back is Elderson Echiejile. Suffice to say he is no marauding full-back.
So, unorthodox solution. Balogun spent much of the latter part of the first half in a role closely approximating the old-fashioned libero, running with the ball out of defence in order to transfer it forward. Having played at full-back before, and being stationed on the right of Mainz’s back three last season, it is something he definitely has in his toolbox. Problem solved, yes?
Well, no.
First of all, what then happens when the opposition cotton on to this? In the second half, Cameroon got wise to him and proceeded to block him off in the build-up, letting Troost-Ekong have the ball. Did anyone notice how often Ekong gave the ball away in the second period, trying to pass between the lines? That wasn’t his fault.
Secondly, knowing Balogun’s proneness to injury, what happens when he is unavailable? How does this team build up?
I have some solutions, but those will come in a later post. This is already a lot longer than was initially intended. Your resident Super Eagles worrywart will sign out by stating the obvious: this was an immense performance by our young national team, and we are now a point away from making the World Cup. Crazy.
P.S : I would hold off on lighting Ikechukwu Ezenwa’s funeral pyre. His rush of blood to the head is a flaw that extends beyond him to locally-based goalkeepers — judging when and how to come off the line is a frequent weakness. So I would not

What an insightful post.Thumbs Up!!

mumemma:
No na......for imm club...wan kind funny Dutch club like that.

OK.....but i think he is a good player and with time he will get his chance.I will be happy if Rohr play him against a less physical Algeria in our last group game.

mumemma:
The only clip of Tyronne ve seen was an owngoal.....make d guy wait........

You mean he has scored an owngoal in Nigeria colours?

TheSuperNerd:
It is official!!!!!!

I am sorry.... but I cannot take this anymore.... Elderson Echiejile is the worst player in our First XI.... he is the only player whose place needs serious bad-ass upgrade.. chaaaiiiiii......


How do we go about replacing this guy now? He has been our first choice left back for quite a good while....


His fullback partner on the other side, Shehu was a class act.... He made a game-high Four interceptions alongside Onazi who also had four...

Leon followed next with about 2 or 3 interceptions....


I cry for our left back position.

Yo bro,please what is our chances of getting Jordan Torunarigha?

Joebie:
Echiejile's wing was badly leaky

Too leaky,Echiejile was just shifting back whenever Bassogog tries to take him on expecting Balogun to come and bail him out when Balogun has his hands full with those giant cameroon center backs,if not for Bassogog's poor decision making we might have conceeded more goals in that second half.

TheSuperNerd:
I like the way you put it concerning Echiejile....and yes Ola did say he is much more comfortable as a RB/RWB than at LB/LWB.... he plays both roles well... but does one much better.

I see Echiejile starting too. We would be facing a huge crowd of Angry and revenge-seeking Camerounian fans who will wanna sew us lose by all means. I don't want Aina to crack under the pressure of trying to impress on his debut. Echiejile will start... unless...

Our team helped Echiejile and covered for his deficiency when it comes to pace but his experience is invaluable and he is still a fine baller... his ball controls still rock.

In the long run... I think Rohr should focus on getting/scouting more LB options... to "understudy" Echiejile (understudy is the decoy term here) but actually to be an upgrade on Echiejile in the long run...

Jordan comes to mind if we can get him.... uhmmm... Josh Debayo isn't proven yet... and Komekn's Sheyi Ojo... well... maybe he should be looked at too... since he plays LWB now I think...

Another matter is Mikel's long term replacement... Kelechi Nwakali comes to mind.... I would also add Ovie Ejaria if we can get him too.

Could say so much but lemme not leave the present and gobtoo far ahead into the future... we have a game in less than 25hrs from now. A game we must not lose.... at least for our WCQ unbeaten run's sake.

Yo bro,have you watched any of JT's game?I've only watched his youtube videos and i can deduce from those videos that dude is a baller.I think the NFF should approach him to pledge allegiance to the SE before Gemany give him a 2 minute debut.LOL

OMANBALA1:
I would think that at some point Rohr will substitute Simon Moses,move Vic Moses to the right and unleash Etebor in the Left midfield; Or sub Mikel for Etebor.

In the the match against Cameroon when Mikel was substituted I was thinking Etebor would come in and now I was like has he gone down the pecking order ??...hmm. Is Mikel Agu above Etebor in the pecking order ?

Nah,I don't think Etebo has slipped down the pecking order.I think Rohr wanted a clean sheet that was why a defensive minded player in Mikel Agu came on ahead of Etebo who is attack minded.I really would like to see him play some part in tommorow's match.

What a Perfprmance the lads put up there today!Everyone in the team played its part and contributed to the whitewashing of the ''DOMITABLE CUBS'' today.Leon 'TERMINATOR' Balogun was outstanding,showed his importance and class with his well timed tackles,off and on the ball intelligence and leadership qualities,I am suprised nobody is talking about Ekong's performace,dude nullified the overhyped and in-form Aboubakar's threat by manmarking him out of the match.One reason i like Shehu Abdullahi is the way he keeps it simple,lad knows he cant dribble so he always cut into the midfield passing to Ndidi or Onazi while dragging players with him in the process which frees Moses Simon to run up behind cameroons LB when receiving first time passes from the midfield duo.Elderson is still a suspect in our defence as Cameroons RB ran behind him times without number but Leon was always saving his ass.Midfielders were also oustanding while the attackers just simply to hot for the camerronian backline to contain.Our substitutes were also spot on and came in at the right time.Big Ups to The GOODJOE for the player reviews and ratings,just couldn't agree more with his assesments.Also a Big Hug and Welcome Back to The SuperNerd. KTGWGFFFH!!!.

zuchyblink:
One thing with west African teams is that they are technically and tactically inept. They have the players, but they don't have the tactics to utilize the rich talents.

Spot On!!. Just couldn't agree more.

Joebie:
Joel Obi makes Whoscored's best XI in Italy

Nice! Only needs consistency and a injury free season.

EEGA:
There’s More To Cameroon Than Just Brute Strength
completesportsnigeria.com Aug 28, 2017 11:16 AM
The focus as the key Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers approach seems to be all on Cameroon’s physical attributes.
Pretty much every Nigerian football expert who has spoken or written about the double header between the Super Eagles and the Indomitable Lions has highlighted Cameroon’s power and the need for Nigeria to match them physically.
But there is more to these current Lions than just their bulging muscles and ‘jam body’ football’. There’s a whole lot more.
Of course, the Cameroonians are physical specimens to behold, bulging biceps peeking out of their too tight shirts and their intimidating six-packs straining against the tops.
But, beyond their raw strength, these Cameroonians can play. Dem sabi football.
They were not even remotely the favourites to win the last Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon but they defied the odds, in spite of a squad shorn of almost all their big-name stars, to win the continent’s biggest football trophy.
And they did not rely on their much-vaunted physicality alone.
The Lions AFCON team played vibrant, sometimes exhilarating football. They were quick, incisive, skilful, clinical. They had power, but it was not one of their chief attributes.
They had a coach, the Belgian Hugo Broos, who trusted in youth and kept faith with the 21-year-old Fabrice Ondoa in goal along with several young players in key positions.
They had searing pace down the flanks, especially in Christian Bassogog, the left-footed right winger who was voted Player of the Tournament.
They had guile and aerial threat in attack in Vincent Aboubakar, who is extremely comfortable on the ball for one so big, and captain Benjamin Moukandjo.
They also had composure and penetration in midfield in Sebastian Siani and Arnaud Djoum.
Cameroon still have all these players – and Broos, of course – as well as all these qualities.
So, the Super Eagles should be concerned about much more than the Lions’ power.
How does Gernot Rohr deal with Bassogog’s electric pace? Can Elderson Echiejile stop the speedstar? Who will mark Aboubakar without giving away silly fouls in dangerous positions? Do Rohr and his men know if Cameroun are dangerous at set-pieces?
How do the Eagles win the midfield battle? Should Rohr go with the combination of Mikel Obi and Ogenyi Onazi that offers experience and power but little else? Or should Oghenekaro Etebo be included for his direct running and eye for goal that can unsettle the Lions? What about Wilfred Ndidi and his calm approach?
These are some of the things we should be worried about, other than just Cameroon’s raw power. ‘Power for power’ is not always the answer, even if we insist that Cameroon are all about brute strength (they are not).
Not too many years ago, we all watched in awe as a Barcelona team made up mostly of magical gnomes ran rings around giants. Lionel Messi, Andrea Iniesta and Xavi standing on each other would probably not be taller than Rio Ferdinand alone, but it was Messi who scored a header against Rio and another giant centre-back Nemanja Vidic in the 2009 Champions League final.
Messi did not need to outjump them or outmuscle them – he could not anyway. All he needed was the perfect delivery and to be clever in his movement to find space.
That Barca side that won almost everything on offer between 2008 and 2012, and again between 2013 and 2015, showed that a team should most of the time play to its own strengths.
The top scorer in the Nigeria Professional Football League is a wee fella up against Iroko tree-like defenders week in, week out but their superior power hasn’t stopped the MFM FC striker from scoring 17 goals. Mfon Udoh scored 23 in the same league in one season. He is not exactly a hulk too.
By all means scout the opposition to know their strengths, but counter them by pitting your best attributes against theirs.
If the Super Eagles’ best players are Victor Moses with his speed and dribbling skills, Kelechi Iheanacho with his clever movement and clinical finishing, and Moses Simon with his darting runs, then they should all start against Cameroon.
We should not all be caught up in the ‘brute strength’ talk because Cameroon are much more than that.
A team of lightweights with skills, guile, organisation and confidence will anyway be a match for a team of giants who only rely on their power to bully the opposition.
Didn’t David defeat Goliath? David certainly didn’t have to have Terry Crews’ chest to win that battle.

Nice Post!!

Joebie:
That's faulty reasoning. You call that an insult Why am I even wasting my time responding to you?

Yeah,i call it an insult, but i quit responding to you as i wont get myself drawn into this.

Joebie:
I concede to your points. But don't get overly emotional by telling me I was rubbishing Kayode because I made that statement. Read over my statements, that's not belittling. How una dey reason sef?

Hey,you know you dont have to say that because its an insult but i will turn a blind eye to that because i believe in healthy arguments.However,your statement saying Nwaekeme has proved his mettle on a higher level and Kayode hasn't because you probably prefer Nwaekeme to Kayode is belittling.

Joebie:
It is for the same reason I'm calling for a future call up for Adegbenro -- Europa League. He did not only play at that level, but almost single handedly knocked out Ajax. That's not a feat to be ignored.

Watched this guy few hours ago and i can tell you that this dude is technically astute and he is a two footed assasin.Cant stay long in Rosenborg if he keeps up his performance in the Europa league by being decisive in matches as he did over the two legs against Ajax that were Europa League Finalist which even makes it more sweeter.

Joebie:
take note.. I said proved his mettle at a higher stage than Kayode -- Champions League qualification. He did not just play at a higher stage. but proved his mettle as well. That's an advantage over Kayode. And that is a fact.

Did you know that Kayode played Europa last season and even scored two(2) goals against Roma which has top quality defenders like Rudiger and Manolas?And i am sure you know Roma is a far better opponent than Maribor whom Nwaekeme was playing against in the champions league qualifiers?.So Maribor is the higher stage that Nwaekeme is playing?. You see i wont mind even if Nwaekeme is played ahead of Ighalo against Cameroon because he is a team player in addition to him being physical which will allow Nacho to thrive as an SS or AM but you trying to Belittle or Rubbish Kayode because Nwaekeme is one of your favourites is not acceptable and it is sentimental.

pyrex23:
me to just close eye on dat1
he better as a lwf nd i would pick him ahead of musa nd iwobi(sub)....
I still av d feeling rohr would start musa.......

Rohr does not see Etebo as a LWF and he will always use him in the midfield.However,Musa starting is not a problem and me myself will start him ahead of Moses Simon because Musa is a goal threat and we need goals in the game and not needless dribbling with no good final balls.According to respected journalist Colin Udoh,Moses Simon started ahead of Musa in the S.A game because Musa was fasting and might get tired easily because he is always running.

edi287:
My 11

Akpeyi, Echiejile - Ekong - Balogun - Awaziem, Ndidi - Ogu - Mikel, Vic Moses - Iheanacho - Etebo/Iwobi

Best lineup to prosecute the match,Aina should replace Awaziem while Alampasu or even Ezenwa will have my nod over Akpeyi who is now the third choice goalkeeper in his club and he as not even kept goal this season.I just dont know why people are sleeping on Ogu,i am not a fan of his before the senegal match but with the way he and Ndidi dominated that physical Senegalese midfield 3 that consisted of Gueye,Ndoye and Ndiaye without Mikel in the side,they both won me over.The duo covered for eachother very well when ever one of them ventures forward with the ball which helped relieve the pressure on our backline.Ndidi and Ogu will make us more defensively disciplined and will liberate Mikel to create for Iheanacho.Another part of Ogu's game that caught my attention is his throughballs and we very much know it is one of cameroon's weakness which we can effectively exploit with the right players and not hoofing longballs to our opponets half.

Mickael2:
there is no point there. so what if we have two super dribbles on the same team? forget about the dribbling for a minute, Kayode is the best we have in the forward position when it comes pressing the opposing defenders, I see you understand that Mikel has to start as the AMF, we agree on that but that means we will need a CF WHO CAN PRESS ALONE AND A CMF WHO CAN PRESS FOR TWO. we saw just how well nacho pressed in the last game, forget the golden boy tag when Renato Sanchez stopped performing, Portugal quickly changed him, that's the thing about football, if you are relevant you come, if not you go.

back to the primary matter though, playing Onazi as the CMF will not work. let me just leave it there.

Then talking about the list. remove our starting eleven, do we still have another threat on the bench? if Musa plays like I know he will, is it Moses Simon that will come on when you are looking for a goal? or will Iwobi be brought on when we need a goal? why is Onyekuru on standby? look at that list of midfielders again, we have four DMFs vying for one spot, only two bona fide CMFs(Etebo and Mikel) and factually no authentic AMF just some strikers and wingers who can play that position on a good day(Iwobi and Iheanacho, both not really that good in that position, I guess you know this and that is why you want Mikel to start there) so now we only have three wingers, one of them will just continue dribbling without any end product and these are the players we are taking to a double header, one injury and this team is gone. I understand that this is a top match but balance should be maintained, we have young wingers everywhere who could at least make up the number of wingers to about four or five(since we are playing a formation that depends a lot on our movement on the wings)

My best comment since the list has been realeased devoid of any sentiment or bias.Thumbs up to you Sir.