₦airaland Forum

3 goals don enter already.

BascoVanVeli:
Big match

Alampasu between the sticks for Ventspils against Rosenborg. Euopa league qualification.

I am sorry, these are hard times. You may have to wait till spring. Can you defer your program till the spring semester?

Gentlerespect76:
Thanks for asking. Not yet. I have applied to the embassy but the appointment date of 6th October is too far. The school has extended the timeline to at least 21st of September as that is the tentative date of schools resumption in Turkey.

Sir any advice will be strongly appreciated. Thank you.

Kawhi may have just launched himself back into obliivon. .Next year will be brutal. Everyone is getitng back.

. 20 point lead. Kawhi and PG combine for 24, one playing over 40 minutes and the other just about 40 minutes. WOnders shall never end. Every single one of his achievements will be brought to the fore and everyone will start punching holes in them. mogbe. Kawhi fall my hand big time. This na original bricks..Perhaps, we can now call him K-bricks. Very dissapointed.

It's about time we start meting out the same treatment to some of these super stars as we do Lebron. Kawhi's place in history is on the line today.

I like your spirit. . Hopefully we will be spoilt for choices in this era. Hopefully most of these foreign-born players that decide to play for us don't do it cos their quality is just too low to get into the national teams of their countries of birth.

lloydtruth:
Not so excited about this, I prefer that Hertha Berlin guy.

As much as i want the man to succeed, i am beginning to feel this is true. He keeps calling for the Sancho deal underG, perhaps him wan cover him yansh.

nitrogen:
Must it be Sancho? There are other wingers abeg. Also, shey OGS signed James for the RW position? He should bring the best out of him na, abi which kind wahala be this?

I think I wanna agree with the person that said OGS needs expensive players to be successful because he is not tactically sound.

Normally, the transcript is very important. Endeavour to get it.

evergreen9:
Hey guys for those who are studying in Turkey, when applying for an undergraduate course in Turkey is the high school / secondary school transcript compulsory? can your original waec and testimonial be used instead of the transcript?

Na black and white TV i get. Calm down @tbaba1234. . Besides tier-4 German league matches are rarely streamed. All you get to see are highlights, which are mostly selective. I am not moved by that. Perhaps now we get to watch 90 minutes of him in action for Sparta, if he ever gets one. . You made a good point though,and i'll take your advice. I can give myself the chance of watching him now. Eredivisie dey show for my Black and White TV.

tbaba1234:
Have you watched him? You can not assume, when you have not watched him play. At least, give yourself a chance to properly assess his potential.

He is just 20 year old. What exactly are you expecting? Was Uzoho not in the B team of Depor before the world cup?

Abi P-square wan buy shares for Villarreal ni?

Edopesin:
Villarreal: @PeterPsquare
Hope you're well! You were at our first LaLigaEN game of last season, and we're about to kick off the 2020/21 campaign this weekend! How do you think the Yellows and @chukwueze will do this year?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ehi3cJMX0AEcTyd.jpg

Peter Psquare: I believe the Yellows and my bro @chukwueze_8 will do very well this season! My eyes open

_{replace "bro" with "son"}

I do. With a telescope. . I am still waiting for that proper test. Infact i need Rohr to feature him for one full match. Until then give me Ezenwa. Ezenwa i know. . I no go gree make anyone condemn our boys for one foreign born wey move from tier-4 german league to Sparta's bench. . Good move though If he starts playing regularly, i am happy to change my mind on the lad.

tbaba1234:
You doubt Maduka is a good keeper? Have you ever taken the time to watch a game?

True. But that's only on one hand. . On the other hand, you don't need to have a good record of selling players when you can maximize the talent of your players and win trophies. I would go for the latter. It seems we don't have a pay structure though. You don't just bump up wages cos some youngsters are doing well. There should be a steady climb in the wages. But again, Man Utd has the money. For an admin that's become notorious for dragging their feet, they do make make some stupi decisions. Maguire for example. . That director of football is seriously needed.

Expert17:
Chelsea sell players and make good money from them.

We don't sell well

We over pay for players

We have the 2nd highest wage bill in the world

Yeah good. I forgot that one.

eph12:
Champions league?

Man, i wasn't disagreeing with your main point. I agree, Sancho is another bust waiting to happen. That price is too much. I hope we don't buckle. Go out and get some good, solid CB and LB. I was just saying your support with the Halaand argument was kinda moot.

patrickmuf:
Messi has shone in the UCL and for Argentina...

Just so we don't digress, I am not saying Sancho is not good enough but for that price especially when we have other area in the team we need to strengthen, it's a no for me...

You don't seem to get my point bro. Sancho is walking around with a cloud over his head popping out "bust" , "bust", "bust". . I think he costs too much too. I was just noting that bringing up Halland in his quest to prove Sancho would be a waste is not a good one. We could get two solid players to shore up other areas of inadequacy. Who no know say English players dey get hype way over their abilities.

Expert17:
So we should pay 108M for a player that can't bench Sterling or Rashford.....

Ok sir

Careful man, Careful. I repeat Uzoho over the rest, especially Maduka, unless he proves himself worthy. Maduka sits unless he proves himself. Uzoho is not the only one that needs to fight for a place. Maduka has to do the same. I wouldn't be surprised if he warms the bench for most of this season. Same goes for Seb Osigwe, he just joined Lugano.. Which kain yeye analysis be this, en? . Replace all the goalkeepers for what? How about introduce them one at a time. I doubt Maduka is a good goalkeeper. I hope he proves me wrong.

MetalJigsaw:
OPINION: Complete Analysis of How Super Eagles Gaffer Should Prosecute October Friendlies
Okoh.com_official Sep 13, 2020 6:44 PM
Opera News Nigeria
Get Opera News on Facebook.
JOIN NOW


The announcement of the October 9 and 13 friendlies between the Super Eagles(SE) and Côte d'Ivoire(CIV) and Tunisia respectively is one which has generated lots of excitement around the Nigerian football community which has been starved of international football and a chance to see their now darling, sweet and beautiful to watch again Eagles. The last time the Super Eagles were engaged in an international match was close to a year ago, thus the idea of the friendlies was a good one, not only for the fans but for the players alike. 1 year is a long time.A long long time in football. A lot of things can change within one year. Denmark went from not qualifying for Euro 92 to becoming champions of Euro 92 within one year. France went from winning the Confederation cup 2001 and cementing their place as the strongest team in the world at that time to not scoring a single goal at the 2002 World cup. Nigeria went from not qualifying for 2012 AFCON to becoming champions in 2013. These a snippets of what one year can do in the game of football. I cant imagine what it will feel like coming together to play soccer again with pals whom I’ve not played together with in the last 1 year. A whole lot of things would have gone amiss. And that was why these friendlies come at such an auspicious time. A closed camping was earlier scheduled for Austria but had to be called off due to COVID 19 related reluctance of clubs to release players. And with a 2021 ahead, jam-packed with qualifiers for both AFCON and the 2020 World Cup, this offers an opportunity to bring the players together for some rehearsals before the avalanche of high staked matches begin, starting from this November.

With this in mind, I have tried to put my self in the position of the SE gaffer after all, if Yobo could make it, i also have some hope too (no puns intended,laughs). I try to see how this friendly window can best be maximized with the primary objective of BRINGING BACK THE SYNERGY IN THE TEAM which I can bet must have gone out of the window due to the close to 1-year inactivity. Other objectives would be:

– to cap previously uncapped ones in other to make those who are still contemplating nationality switch see that it does truly pay to commit to Nigeria and that Nigeria carries their biggest hope of a long term international career (they can ask V.Moses and Balogun how that feels)

– to test a few new combinations, especially in defence, midfield and attack

– to widen the pool of tested and battle-ready players we have on our roll, who can be readily called upon when needed

– to strengthen our position on the FIFA rankings table.Trust me, this will help us immensely in the nearest future.To the above ends (stated above), here are some decision I would make

•Call ups; I would invite a squad of 30 players to this team bonding exercise, since everyone has been all over the place since last year. So it’s a good time to bring as many as possible back together to prepare for the storm of matches ahead.

•Goalkeeping: Akpeyi we know, Uzoho we know, Ezenwa we know. There’s nothing more to be seen from this trio, including the fact that Uzoho seems primed to be the No1 goal tender for Nigeria going into the next decade. Apart from that, lack of match fitness owing to a combination of recovery from injuries and inactivity means we can let these ones be for now. Akpeyi is in a dire situation at Kaizer chiefs as the coaches who so much believed in him and did not let nepotism becloud their sense of judgement in making him no 1 at the club have been fired for letting a 13 point gap slip and losing the league title in the last 25 minutes of the season. A new coach will be named soon who will most possibly be a local, hence Akpeyi will need all the focus he can muster to battle at club level for survival ahead of the new season, hence I will leave him out. Uzoho made a cross town move from Omonia to APOEL Nicosia this summer window, despite being on the mend for over half the whole season. But it seemed APOEL had seen enough if his qualities with his stints at Omonia and Anorthosis to want to make him one of their own. But having been out for so long, and now in a new club, Uzoho faces the biggest battle yet of his career, to nick the no 1 position in the club, if not for anything else, but for his position in the national team. A bench role at APOEL going into this new season (God forbid) will be a huge dent on his National team chances, just like at AFCON where G. Rohr was forced to relegate him to 3rd choice position after missing way to many games from bans and suspension. To this end, I will rather leave him out for now, to fight this battle of securing the no 1 gloves at his club so that he can be in position to live to fight another day the war for the no 1 gloves in the national team. As for Ezenwa, his days in the SE has always been numbered. The NPFL found a very good excuse to grind to a halt due to covid 19. That is probably the 3rd time in 3 years the league is ending without ‘ending’. No competition since March. Uncle Ekene,no apologies, you are OUT.

In the places of the above trio, I will bring in the trio of Maduka Okoye, Seb Osigwe and Mathew Yakubu (the new 19yr old sensation in Slovakia). Maduka is no stranger to the Super Eagles, He has been there since after 2019 AFCON and showed some flashes on his debut vs Brazil.But to be honest, his 1st 25 minutes as Super Eagles goalkeeper wasn’t convincing enough, but it was still convincing enough though for us to have hope that this 20 years old will be in the Eagles for many years to come. These friendlies provide a perfect opportunity to give him his test and see if he truly is worthy of the mark. I will start him and give him 60 minutes each in both games. This is the time for him to show us the stuff he is made of, without the added pressure of having 2 senior goalkeepers around him. Sebastine has long being on the fringes, having first burst into the scene as far back as 2013 with John Obuh’s U20 team to the Toulon tournament, where he distinguished himself, alongside Semi Ajayi.But quite quite shockingly, in typical Nigerian local coaches fashion, these 2 were dropped from the WC itself (quite fishy). Its even worse that Obuh rather went to that world cup with one shortingo like that Samuel Okani or so, whom I last heard of even within the NPFL scene at that tournament. But the sterling 19 yr old Sebastine who was dropped at that time for him has now matured and blossomed into a 26 old shot stopper whose talents has taken him through the 3rd and 2nd divisions in Switzerland with SC Kriens and now to the top division with FC Lugano. Sebastian has played the last 3 to 4 seasons on a trot as the 1st choice goalkeeper for SC Kriens and has shown that he indeed deserves a shout out for Super Eagles places. I will give him 30 minutes in both friendlies. And that leaves me with Yakubu, the 19-year-old goalkeeper from Aigbogun’s Sambisa XI who has within 6 months of his transfer to Slovenia tied down the No1 spot at his club. The young lad took over after SKF Sered’s main goal keeper conceded 6 goals in one game and has gone on to keep 4 clean sheets in 4 straight games after tha.Now that is how to grab your chance when it comes. Of course, I am inviting him to come and interact with the national team at close quarters with a view to further invitation in future. Let me see if he is as good as his 4 straight clean sheets in Slovenia make him look. I am sorry, 2 friendlies are not enough to test 1 goalkeeper, talk more of 3 goalkeepers. But if he shows me in camp that he is the Amalinze-the-cat whom Chinua Achebe described in his epic novel ‘things fall apart’, then he might just earn himself 30 minutes in any of both games. But the truth for now is that what we are looking for at the moment is the one chap who will be the immediate competition/back up to Francis Uzoho and displace either or both of Akpeyi and Ezenwa from our faces for good. Others will surely get their chances with time particularly in the nearest future, based on form, competitiveness and performance. But for now, it may just be Francis Uzoho and the rest.

So in the Goalkeeping Department:

Vs CIV – Okoye/Osigwe

Vs TUN – Okoye/Osigwe (or Yakubu)

Notable mentions though – Dele Alampasu, Adeleke Adebayo

•Defence:

At right and left back: Aina, Ebuehi, Ehizube, Collins and Zaidu nicks it for obvious reasons.

Aina has been our Mr versatility in the full back positions, very comfortable on both sides and give the team plenty of width especially when going forward. He has been very influential since AFCON and has been contributing to build ups leading to goals. His delightful flick against Burundi to set up Ighalo comes to mind. So also are his one-two with Iwobi against Benin republic to earn a penalty as well as his perfect left footed delivery to Osimhen against Lesotho for Osimhen’s first ever goal in open play for the Super Eagles. He was a constant feature for Torino last season in the seria A and he just nicked a move to Fulham recently. Ebuehi is back after injuries robbed him of 2 seasons of football at Benfica. A loan move back home to the Netherlands was a very much welcome idea. Ebuehi’s talent is never in doubt. A delightful full back anyday. Ehizube is a new entrant from FC Koln in the Bundesliga.one of the fastest full backs in Germany, he combines his physical prowess with plenty of technical ability, galloping down the right byline. It will be nice to see what the kid has got to offer.

Collins earns another call-up, on the back of having been the only left back in the Super Eagles before Zaidu Sanusi emerged last season with Santa clara with performances which earned him a move to giants Porto. Collins has been blowing hot and cold and has refused to seize the opportunities given to him as a monopoly to make that no 3 shirts his own before anyone else comes. Enters Zaidu Sanusi and now, lets see how Collins handles the competition. And for Zaidu, enough said about him already.Speed, strength, belief, technique, he’s got it all and at 24 seems to be at the peak of his powers. It will be nice to see how this “battle of the North” for the no 3 shirt in the Super Eagles hots up. In the 1st game on the right Aina gets 60 minutes and Ehizube makes is bow in the last 30 mins. On the left its Zaidu all the way. In the 2nd game Ebuehi gets 60 mins and Ehizube once again wraps it up. On the left Collins gets 60 and Aina gets the remaining 30mins

•At Centre Back: Balogun, Ekong, Ajayi, Omeruo, Awaziem

Call them the regulars and you wouldn’t be mistaken. By now, these 5 must know the PIN to one another’s ATM or credit cards. That’s how regular they have been over the last 2 years or so. But of course, we can never forget our Oyinbo Wall in such a hurry, and it will be nice to see if the wall still stands (after Balogun’s B&H misadventures) or whether the wall now needs reinforcement. For the first match I will give Ekong and Balogun 60 minutes and bring on Omeruo or Awaziem for the final 30mins. For the 2nd match I will start Ekong and Ajayi and bring on Balogun or Omeruo for the final 30 mins. I might as well play a 3 man defence of Ekong, Awaziem and Ajayi in the first and then Ekong, Balogun and Omeruo in the 2nd. But as much as possible, I want to see how my Central defensive partnerships are faring. That is the foundation of the team. As much as I am trying to test my GKs, I also do not want them terribly exposed to the point of losing confidence in themselves.

So in the Defence:

Vs CIV – Aina, Balogun, Ekong, Zaidu (Ehizube, Omeruo)

or

Aina, Awaziem, Ekong, Ajayi, Zaidu (Ehizube, Omeruo)

Vs TUN – Ebuehi, Ekong, Ajayi, Collins (Omeruo, Aina)

Or Ebuehi, Omeruo, Balogun, Ekong, Collins (Ehizube, Aina, Ajayi).

Midfield:

The news of Joe Aribo being out for 6 weeks comes as a big set-back for the Super Eagles which is currently lean on dependable, tested and trusted resources at the moment. Aribo is one who has shown, from the very day he first stepped into the Super Eagles camp to be one very dependable midfield all rounder. With a style of play and athleticism similar . Aribo has shown it would be him and the rest in the Eagles midfield for years to come except something unfortunate happens (God forbid). With abilities to play as a DM, a CM an AM or a playmaker Aribo has so far shown he holds the ace in the Super Eagles midfield at the moment. This is couple with his ability to arrive late in the box for finish off moves in a Lampard-esque manner. However, when the desirable is not available, then the available surely becomes the desirable, hence the need to focus on the rest of the options we have while we await Aribo’s recovery.

In defensive midfield, Ndidi and Mikel Agu are my best bets at the moment, and this is for obvious reasons too. In central midfield, Etebo, Azeez and Nwakali will try each other for size. The trio are very comfortable with the ball at their feet, can dictate play from the middle of the park and can weigh in a fair share of forward passes with appreciable accuracy. In the attacking midfield position, Iwobi and new entrant Ejaria will be my creative options who will seek to link the midfield to the attack with the deft and incisiveness that the no 10 position requires. Keeping my objectives going into these encounters in mind, for the first match. I will start with the usuals, Ndidi, Etebo and Iwobi, and thereafter Ejaria will have his turn for the last half hour of the game. For the 2nd match it will be Agu, Ndidi and Nwakali starting for the first hour or thereabout and Azeez and Iwobi rounding things up.So in the Midfield:

Vs CIV – Ndidi, Etebo, Iwobi (Ejaria)

Vs TUN – Agu, Ndidi, Nwakali (Azeez, Iwobi)

Attack:

This is by far the position where we have the largest amount of overloads at the moment. As many as nine capable No 9s are currently available in the pool at the moment, not to talk of the 6 other wing forwards who can contribute their fair share of attacking impetus. Unfortunately, all 15 cannot be called up to a 30-man squad.

Wing Forwards: Chukwueze, Kalu, Ejuke, Simon and Onyekuru are as assured as the October 9th and 13th friendlies itself. What may not be assured is who starts and who doesn’t. But whoever earns a starting shirt of the quintet, be rest assured the opposition full backs are going to be having the longest 90minutes of their careers.

For all the money’s worth, Kalu and Chuwukueze get a starting berth vs CIV and Ejuke will wrap things up (depending on the need or not, for a twin strike force). Vs Tunisia Onyekuru will commence proceedings with Ejuke wrapping things up.

Upfront, fortunately or unfortunately, its Osimhen and the rest. So Dessers, Umar, Simy and Dennis will have a lot to fight for. Between the 4 of them one can count close to 60 goals in all competitions in Europe last season, so their abilities, individually and collectively is not in doubt. Osimhen definitely starts as a lone striker vs CIV and then gets some assistance from Dessers anytime from the 55th minute for between 15 and 20 minutes before making way for another mobile CF in the mould of Sadiq Umar. Both guys kick things off vs Tunisia with Dessers making way for Simy anytime from 50 minutes and Osimhen replacing Umar for the last quarter of an hour of the game.So in the Attack:

Vs CIV – Kalu, Chuwukueze, Osimhen (Dessers, Umar)

Vs TUN – Onyekuru, Dessers, Umar (Simy, Osimhen)

Based on the my overall objectives for these friendlies stated in above of this preview, My overall hypothetical 30 man list of callups, starting and finishing line ups for both games will therefore be:

Maduka Okoye, Sebastine Osigwe, Mathew Yakubu.

Ola Aina, Kingsley Ehizube, Zaidu Sanusi, Jamilu Collins, Tyronne Ebuehi, Leon Balogun, Semi Ajayi, W.Troost Ekong, Chidozie Awaziem, Kenneth Omeruo.

Wilfred Ndidi, Mikel Agu, Ramon Azeez, Kelechi Nwakali, Peter O. Etebor, Ovie Ejaria, Alex Iwobi

Sam Chukwueze, Sam Kalu, Henry Onyekuru, Chidera Ejuke, Simon Moses, Simy Nwankwo, Umar Sadiq, Dennis Bonaventure, Cyriel Dessers, Victor Osimhen .

https://news-af.feednews.com/news/detail/8c2f904058cb8b58865caea6c64b2ced?client=news

Your argument is not quite good, honestly, man. Some would also say, what has Messi done outside La Liga. . The Norwegian national team is quite different from the English National team. The latter has a larger pool of talented players, it's therefore not easy to get in. A better argument borders on the fact that players that were deemed sensational in the bundesliga, Dortmund especially, have not done well in our colours.

patrickmuf:
Tell us what Sancho has done outside that league...At least we have seen Haaland in Austria, now Germany, we have seen him play in the UCL and for the Norwegian national team...

Mbappe was signed after a record breaking season...

There's such a thing called luck, friend. Talent can only get you so far, unless it's uniquely unprecedented. Attaining success at a high level requires a dose of luck no matter how minimal. I do think you can force luck though by making the right decisions that triggers some sort of reinforcement. That initial dose that just comes to you without asking is required for a take off though. May we be favoured.

Omanambala:
What kills me is how players with inferior abilities get to play in top flight but bundle of talents like Nwakali , Ejuke , Ozonwafor had to settle for lower grade leagues and clubs. Its not fair and they will walk in dorning GWG yet they never cared for the country

Dem say make you people no pass to Nwakali ni? He was almost all alone on that counter.

Villarreal lucky there. Huesca almost stole it. Offside.

Men, Emery fno too try ooo. Chukwueze should be coming in through the flanks. You can't have him only drift out wide when the area is choked. Nonsense formation.

Unai makes three changes without taking Chukwueze out. Emery is a good student of football. . He saw what i saw. Good.

Chukwueze has been making the right decisions for most of this match. Good. The lad is definitely growing up.

Nwakali, Nwakali, Nwakali. How many times did i call you? Do something. . Stars live for these moments.

Penarity for Villarreal. Which kain bad luck be this en.

Nwakali sympathizers, keep watch, carry pen and paper dey jot down everything wey him dey contribute. Throw ins self. . Nwakali haters food don done. Just relax fold your arms.

Control your emotions bro. . My granny can control that.

timay:
You people sef A oneoff miscontrolled ball, he's now a Lukaku. Even the control master himself , Dimitar Berbatov also make ball control mistakes once in a while

Chukwueze don turn Lukaku, which kain control be dat?

Nice ball into the box from Chukwueze. That guy come spoil ball, ah.

After being lackluster for the first 30 minutes or so Huesca finally come alive.

Why dem dey put camera for Chukwueze top now. Na him cause the goal ni.