₦airaland Forum

I have a theory about Nigerian national football team(s). Especially the Super Eagles.

It is not surprising, but Amaju Pinnick’s inspired ‘let’s build from outside’ culture has finally come home to roost. Under him, there was almost an intentional disregard for local football, with focus being on foreign developed players. The idea was that we could get enough players, well trained abroad, to win games for the national teams.

Did it work at the start? I don’t know. But it was good for many players, academies etc. Opportunities abound for them…all they had to do was find their way abroad and/or play for a top team abroad to get in the NTs. Also, the pathway for Nigerian-born players who had played for other countries at junior level to get into the Nigerian NTs got easier.

The consequences of that are national teams that have no identity, style, or culture; filled with players that hardly, or never played in Nigeria or for Nigerian teams (clubs or youth teams). While this is unquantifiable, I think it’s led to a reduced sense of nationality for many of our players at all levels. Many of them have made their name and career without the support of the country. We need them now, they don’t need us.

Of the 25 players in the latest squad, only 5 players played 3+ years semi-pro/pro football in Nigeria. Only 8 of those players represented Nigeria at any underage level. Our national team is ‘imported’, just like many things in the country.

Deji Faremi©

These are undisputable facts here. I've always thought something was amist with this team and the bolded kinda brings clarity.

Odunayaw:
Just look at this

Are you suggesting this lineup cannot beat Lesotho? Can any of the Lesotho players displace anyone from this lineup? Let's be serious

elyte89:
Let’s try to get barryseal point…firstly as an experienced foreign player plying ur trade in best foreign leagues week in week out shld beat a very lowly rated team even if their coach is not on the touch line ….we had no biz drawing against d likes of Lesotho 🇱🇸 and Zimbabwe 🇿🇼.these are one of the easiest games in the group

Secondly…80percent of the players in our team feels too relaxed that they knw Dey would be starting games once Dey re invited.it’s high time we involve hungry players who re ready to compete and give deir .it’s not necessary they must play in d first five best foreign leagues ,afterall those who executed the last two matches were majorly from d so called leagues dt couldn’t defeat carpenters

This is a perfect summary of what I've been saying. If Sabinus managed the team against Lesotho, I don't expect a draw.

Looking at the profile of the Lesotho coach, he's only ever managed semi professional teams called Kick4Life FC and Garankuwa United. These teams are not up to the level of Ikorodu utd.
There is no excuse for not beating this Lesotho. Nobody can convince me it was Peseiro's fault.

Kog45:
Pls what was Peseiro coaching scorecards in the last 10 years before he took over eagles job.

Boss let's not go there. Peseiro has handled all the top teams in Portugal. Sporting Lisbon, Braga, Porto, name it. Big clubs like Panathinaikos and Real Madrid. Believe it or not, by profile he's the most established coach who has ever managed Nigeria, that's a fact.

I maintain, we don't even need him to win lesotho and Zimbabwe. Kenneth Omeruo can organise the team and prosecute those games.
However, the evidence is there that these players aren't hungry enough anymore.
They are multi millionaires with choice properties and flashy cars. Nothing seems to bother them anymore. They have nobody in NFF who they fear or respect. International break is a holiday to them. They don't consider it a job.

Going forward, players like Olisa Nda, Ibrahim Olawoyin, Igho Ogbu, Akor Adams, Gift Orban, obinna Nwobodo, Arthur Okonkwo, Nwakali must be added to refresh the team. We missed doing this during the friendlies which is quite unfortunate.

Add these hungry set of players to the team and watch our fortunes change.

Kog45:
Oga Barry,pls who got the hammer at the end?Rohr…if Peseiro is damn serious with his job he would have done the needful,imagine still keeping faith with Uzoho despite poor performances and inviting Aribo who has not done anything since last season.

My point,coach takes the blame not the players at the ends.

It's always the easy way out to blame the coach. Truth be told, these set of players will disappoint any coach the federation hires.
Nothing was wrong with Peseiro's lineup over the 2 legs. Most coaches will go for 98% of that same line up if the same set of players were available.
Let's be real, these set of players are the supposed best we have in those top leagues we love so much.
I blame Peseiro for not working on the GK dpt that's all.

Kog45:
Just check out Peseiro scorecard as at march 2023.

Fast forward he played additional 6 matches won three against Sierra Leone,São Tomé and Mozambique and drew Saudi Arabia,Lesotho and Zimbabwe,meaning he played 15 matches,won 6,drew 3 and lost 6 as at date.

We had this same issue in the last years of Rohr. Recall we went a calender year without a win in 2021. We have changed coaches 3times since and still we can't consistently win matches.
We may choose to ignore this but I'm seriously looking at the players now. I don't see seriousness on their part. It's time to open up the space for the not so big name players to come in and have a stake. The present crop of players are far too comfortable for their own good.

Joebie:
Awoniyi miss is not debatable. Iheanacho hit the woodworks. That’s a chance well taken. Lookman had a fine attempt that was well saved. You have only counted one real chance (everybody knows about) we can blame our forwards for.

Look at the match stats. The % of dangers attacks, shots etc. For the record, Morroco and Nigeria have the highest number of Xg on the continent. The players should come out and apologise for this nonsense.

Joebie:
I’m still waiting for someone to tell me how many big chances we really had versus Lesotho. Because many are buying JP’s lies. .

You didn't see the AWONIYI miss? Lookman doing shakara in the penalty box? Even Iheanacho missed a sitter in the first half which I watched.

No disrespect to Lesotho, but judging from the profile of their players, some of whom I understand are prison warders. I stand to be corrected, their players cannot make bottom placed Heartland FC's first 11.
We don't even need a coach to beat these guys. I blame the players 100% on this, we have let these players off the hook for a long time now.

I saw Peseiro play Iwobi in Jorginho styled midfield anchor man. Every man and his dog knows Nwakali is the best guy to play this role. Something he's done all his career. No way on God's green earth is Iwobi better than him in that role.
For me, that's the only criticism I have for the coach. However, regardless personnel, we should beat Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
The players are to blame 98%. They have no justification for not putting chances away. Any Nigerian 11 assembled even if Dr Rafiu Oladipo was the coach should beat these teams.

Amedino99:
just like the economy, the future of the team based on their current performance is not looking good. the faith in the country is running dry. Even this thread sef dey feel am. People are not contributing as much as before. If something is giving you way less much joy, you will drop it.

I shudder to think what the future holds. It may become a future where only old people support Super Eagles like you have with Shooting Stars presently.

mank1234:
It's a reflection of the mood in the nation.
Players, fans, nff lackadaisical. Nothing matters anymore.
In addition, no TV station televised the match. Relied on Facebook to watch it live.

It wasn't shown on national TV? There was a generation who used to watch the match on TV and listen on radio simultaneously.

I think we need to talk about how the passion for Super Eagles have died out in our lifetime. I've been active in a social circle in the last few days and not one person mentioned anything about Super Eagles.
Down the years it wasn't like this. You will know the result after the game just by watching the countance on the faces of newscasters after a game. If not for this thread I wouldn't have known we were playing world cup qualifiers.
What could have informed this apathy? Is it the economic hardship?
This apathy may have been responsible for the lack of seriousness on the players. Their attitude is not giving of a team desperate to have a meaningful impact at the global stage.

minfelix:
Nigeria beat saotome 16-0 with peseiro as the coach and osimhen on the 2legged affairs.
Forget no striker cam be compared to Osimhen in the super eagles…
Awoniyi carelessness in front of goal, Lookman selfishness to release pass…this is where osimhen trump over these guys..:osimhen will create chances and still convert his own chances.
Against Lesotho home and away 2021 Afcon qualifiers
Les 2-4 Nig away match
osimhen scored two goals and assisted one
We just need osimhen against all these minnows and see how we go pound them

If we really need Oshimen to beat Lesotho then we have to agree we don't have a team.
This is like saying Mancity failure to beat Sony Sugar FC was because Halaand didn't play. You get?

komekn:
Dude 😎 your joking 😃 you must be .

That was an inconsequential friendly game.

Tell me where the vast majority of those players who played in that game are now please ❓

Imagine the midfield had Nwakali brothers, Chidiebere and Kelechi.

The Super Eagles have played inconsequential friendlies since then moreso recently against Saudi and Mozambique which they failed to live up to expectations.
I don't want to compare the quality of Athletico as against Mozambique and Saudi but do you reckon that team as it was would have failed to beat the likes of Lesotho and Guinea Conakry who recently got results against us in Nigeria?

Amedino99:
their bantu fc players are the reason they have never qualified for the world cup nor the afcon. Their banku fc players is the reason they are currently ranked 153 out of 207 countries. Freak results like this happens. It's football. No dey gas below mid players abeg.

That's not the point. Togo and Angola qualified for the world cup with division 4 players. Lesotho haven't qualified because they simply haven't raised a formidable team.

You call it a freak result but it's not. The Super Eagles have failed to get results against smaller teams over the least few years. Few pages back some posters were expressing how disenchanted they have been watching the Super Eagles, have they been doing so well and people are disconnecting from the team? It wasn't a one-off bad game.

The national team managers have been calling up every player who plays in the big leagues. Mix them together to have starting eleven and hope they win. Of course, they will win some games, but this process will leave you with an unbalanced team who can't hack it at crucial moments especially against lowblock teams. This is where we are.

Amedino99:
if that match can not help them to get their career on track nothing else will.

Lesotho rolled into town with players from Bantu FC and here you are thinking you need Real Madrid players to defeat them.

Icon79:
Some of you are so CLUELESS about football that you ought to be BANNED from posting. You do nothing but reduce the quality of the discussion on this forum. So because that team drew with Athletic Madrid, in a MEANINGLESS friendly game, that one performance suddenly made them the best crops of players to represent Nigeria?

Have you ever been anywhere near the four walls of a soccer pitch? Do you even understand the difference between a real game and a meaningless scrimmage

Dumber plus dumber 🙄


O pari

Shun that silly talk of meaningless friendlies. We've been playing scrimmage and meaningless friendlies ever since. The last was against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique and this same team huffed and puffed all the way.

You keep getting embarrassed every now and then by little African countries but Big-time Charly like you think it's beneath us having a balanced team with players in playing in smaller leagues.

Come and play world cup make I see na.

Amedino99:
the players have not been relevant enough in their career to even force the national team's handler to look at their case. Apart from nwakali who else in that squad is playing in a top league that you can vouch for to come and play for us.

They weren't playing in top leagues in the first place, yet they played the best football any Nigeria team have played since 94.
The national team platform should have helped them get there.

At the risk of being called a revisionist, I believe that team which played Athletico Madrid in Uyo should have formed the bedrock of the national team going forward.

Had we built on that team we would have become the best team in Africa.
I had this revelation immediately after tonight's game and decided to put it out.

Who is Uzoho's god father?

BCISLTD:
Come pay money ooo

Post pictures

charlesemeka85:
he didn’t play for Standard Liege first team but their youth team where he got signed by Chelsea and was loaned to Ado Den Haag. Ado was his first taste of men’s football/professional football in europe

His good performance for Ado where he played mostly as a right back made keshi to invite him to the super eagles. After a season with the then Eiredivisie club chelsea recalled him and loaned him to Middlesborough where he did well in his first stint, got recalled but wasn’t spectacular like previous stint with the championship club then

His sojourn to Turkey was after he was recalled from his loan in the championship by Chelsea

So in hindsight, he's played in Spain, England, Turkey, Belgium. Why then did you ask

charlesemeka85:
if he was good atleast midtable teams in top leagues would hv signed him

Even at that age then he is ripe enough to start for mid tables clubs in France, Belgium n Germany

Abi you think players move easily like you're playing career mode on your console?

komekn:
By the way, legit question, why didn't Karanka break the bank 🏦 to get Kenneth if he was so good and outstanding ❓

And if he was so good, (Legit question) why didn't several other Championship clubs try to buy him and or indeed ANY Premier League club try to sign him please.❓❓

With regards to Chelsea John Terry was 17 When he started playing for Chelsea first team.Tim Cahill was bought from Bolton Wanderers if they can do it why not Kenneth Omeruo ❓


The odds are stacked against you when you are not exceptional , consistently outstanding and top quality.

How old was Levi Colwill , Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah when they started playing for Chelsea. So that proposition that if your 20 you cannot make it into Chelsea is codswallop and balderdash.

You've proven yourself to be a hatchet man. Just like a used car sales man, you highlighted the part to suit your narrative that makes Omeruo look like a bum, when he's had 100x better career than the likes of Onyedima, Ovie Ejahire, Josh Onuoma and other useful junks you've tried to flush down our throats these past few years. Omeruo is there daddy.

After his performances at the world cup and nations cup, Omeruo was a beautiful bride especially with the manner he handled the likes of Drogba, Dzeko, Messi and Aguero.
You need to do your due deligence because I strongly doubt you've been following Nigerian football or you're derive satisfaction from playing the devil's advocate.

charlesemeka85:
if he was good atleast midtable teams in top leagues would hv signed him

Even at that age then he is ripe enough to start for mid tables clubs in France, Belgium n Germany

What are you talking about? Kenneth played in Belgium with Standard Liege, played in Netherlands with Adobe den hag, at Middlesbrough, in La Liga with Leganese.
Are sure you really know the profile of Omeruo or you're a just a kid who started watching ball during Covid?
He was never a bench warmer in any of the clubs he's played. Go and verify

You guys almost ate me alive when I proped up Jude Bellingham before the season started.
Those of you who claimed he was all British hype. Oya come outside!
You know yourselves. Abi I should start mentioning handles?

TheSuperNerd:
Yet Musa would likely be at the Afcon. Nigeria, my country.

As controversial as it sounds, it will be near impossible to leave Musa out of the team. He fulfills the Northern quota.
It's just Nigeria things

Marjoribanks:
It's quiet shocking! Why can't we like both players? As much as I like Bassey, I have more confidence whenever Omeruo plays in defense. The same Omeruo pocketed Drogba and led us to our third AFCON.

I was quite shocked to read such bad presser for Omeruo. So wildly off the mark and uncalled for.
He's even a regular for Kassimpasa in Turkey it's not like he's a finished player like Musa.

Napoleon55:
Facts

The Omeruo slander just to prop up Bassey is nauseating. Imagine someone pondering if Omeruo has ever had a good game for Nigeria. The same guy Nigerians where shitting their pants when he got a knock before the World Cup in Brazil.

komekn:
Those young players at least played games for the first team. Omeruo did not play one game, that in itself tells you something.

He was in the Championship with Middlesbrough for two seasons without a single accolade he was anonymous. He has never been in a top team and spent any decent time in a top League. He has been at best very average or in reality below average.

He has been at fault for several goals and poor performances, both in AFCON and the works cup. He has huge stretch of games that has been used to cover mediocrity.

The question ❓ should be how much better would the have been if we had used other CB of theybhsd been given a chance.

The odds are stacked against a 20yr Old defender getting a break from Mourinho if you want to be honest, especially in a Chelsea settled backline then with John Terry, Ivanovich, Azperculter, Gary cahil Etc

By the way, legit question, If Kenneth was so bad for Middlesbrough why did Karanka beg to have him back on loan?