₦airaland Forum

nairalandankrah:
Meanwhile, Senegal star Sadio Mane says helping Liverpool win the Champions Leaguewas special, but his “absolute dream” is parading the Africa Cup of Nations trophy
through the streets of Dakar.
The west African team known as the Teranga Lions are two victories away from fulfilling the dream of their 27-year-old talisman, starting with a semi-final against
Tunisia in Egypt Sunday.
“Going to Dakar with the trophy would be extraordinary,” said Mane, who shared the
Premier League Golden Boot award last season with fellow Africans Mohamed Salah
and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
“My absolute dream is to help Senegal win the Africa Cup of Nations -- that would
surpass even what I achieved with Liverpool in the Champions League.
“We have to accept being among the favourites and many people are assuming we will
play Algeria in the final,” said the scorer of three goals so far in the tournament.

The Major reason is so that he will have an edge to the other guys (Salah and Auba) come awards time (whether CAF or Ballon D'or)

He shouldn't deceive us with his trophy parade bullshit.I'm sure he is going to try to hard tomorrow and make mistakes. Tuniia might end up winning

From John Obuh:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF0bCNNqQrI&t=9s

ernneyce:
If their thinking is as bad as your sentence.. I'm sure Nigeria will win..

LOCAL MAN IS IN SIFIA PAIN

The comment he read started the onset of chest pain

Earthquake2:
Feghouli will be available for Nigeria match according to Colin Udoh

I said it

Bring it on

We better win this. I have already boasted to my Algerian friends on Facebook.

NB: We became friends just now

olu98:
+ boundjah is very low on confidence. guy was just crying until Algeria won d game after he missed a penalty against civ.

Don't bank on this

That match is history now and they won

krattoss:
those guys have seen and touched higher hard currencies.

You think a meagre 50k$ will move them..

That's not up to what some of their weekly wages

Ezenwa, Akpeyi and co...

Anyay, you have a pint but it just feels like the team may be Jinxed by all these media brouhaha...

I may be wrong sha

nairalandankrah:
“We have nine strikers in the team, played seven but we cannot play all of them at the same time. The young are also here to learn.
“Out of 23 players, 20 players have played already which is a lot and I hope we can see the other two [Osimhen & Onyekuru]. The moment has come to bring the best team against Algeria.” ROHR.......
brace up guys... Something big is about to happen

Do you think he would start one of them against Algeria?

Please those business mogul should let the team concentrate oo biko. After we win, then our boys can reap their full rewards

This promises here and there is like a double-edged sword. It can bring about the motivation or make them complacent

tbaba1234:
I believe the captain who is actually on the ground has more information on what is going on.

OK sir. Noted

ChrisKels:
Hahaha fear dun catch my man oo

No oooo

Na gentleman office him be

andrew444:
All 4 teams remaining have letter A and 7 letters

Hahahahahahahaha. I didn't think it through

Silly me

Joebie:
RIDDLE RIDDLE RIDDLE
I predict that a country with seven letters would win the AFCON. That country will also have the letter A in it.

It could be either of Nigeria or Algeria.

Bad guy

CaptainStephen:
you know nothing on the contrary and it is the height of insensitivity to speak on that.

People have sacrificed their lives.

Bros, I apologize if I spoke insensitively.

See, I have lost friends too.

Trust me when I say that every time I hear of Insurgent attack on army formations, I get angry at the Government that has allowed corruption to go on unchecked among your generals and/or ministry of defence and I wonder where the money for arms went to. I don't blame the soldiers at all. They give it their all so that we can live in comfort but I blame the government that seems insensitive despite media reports and international agencies calling for probes into how the money is being spent to fight terror. I have heard several stories from soldiers on the front and they have been heart wrenching.

May Got keep you all safe. I will stop here so as not to detail further. Once again, I appreciate your sacrifice. Gos bless

lakesidepapa:
Make I give u bulhala sir?

Na so. Why you no give am gun join?

timay:
Forget this edited YouTube video of Mikel obi moments, we played nonsense that day.

Mikel actually tried in that match. Our strikers were wasteful and our bench was useless.

CaptainStephen:
i suggest you stay off this.

I am going to listen to you because this isn't the thread for it but not because I am wrong.

Danielnino00:
According to whoscored.com, Omeruo has a 100% tackle rate at the AFCON (10/10)

That's efficient from him.

But I'm sure Ndidi has more tackles (in number)

Earthquake2:
The a thing that the government is handling that is partly functional is the army

Remove NPFL from the government and watch it flourish

Wrong

Nigerian Army that is constantly on the defensive against Boko haram, never on the offensive against a terrorist group.

andrew444:
Dem no tell you say na current glory nah, him talk say na one of mikel best game

u no just like anything mikel

chai

Start reading from the start of the Argument first before jumping to conclusion. You'll understand

Odunayaw:
I didn't even question the points raised or unraised.
There are hosts of "pointing outs" and "pointing to" all over the internet & we're still here today, I am just musing on its timing... from experience I reckon its to gather attention.

That said, we sooner or later need to find sense & shame in this country

Yea, I agree.

The timing was quite poor especially calling for Rohr's head during the tournament

elyte89:
Yea, just letting u knw aw good he was den

Yes, that was then. Now, he looks like 2018 Onazi

elyte89:
One of Mikels best match


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M17SGuhMglc

This is past glory. The 2013 confed cup match against Spain if I'm not mistaken

Odunayaw:
Still...we're overfamiliar with the topic, It naturally will not garner eyes if it came out pre-tournament.

The truth is:

We need to stop disgracing ourselves at tourneys. That gimmick of refusing to train or play or board plane is as old as ASUU endless strikes.

The president needs to stop playing politics with who he appoints as sports minister. The right person for the Job who is selfless and really has the good of our sports at heart should be chosen. I hope the past mistakes would be corrected with this incoming ministerial list. The same criteria should be applied to the NFF chairman and board members.

The writer also raised a food point about disciplining ring leaders of protest especially after the President had given his word of having released the funds and the NFF chairman confirming it in person

Odunayaw:
I trust Nigerian journalism, blasé at best. What better time to start releasing Articles that will naturally not get a sniffle

The second article I posted was released last weekend. Only the first one was released today.

Ajoboss:
wen last did Mikel display DAT ability?

They are living on past glory

MetalJigsaw:
you're certainly not. But inconsistency is what is hindering him.

He has actually been consistent in this tournament

MetalJigsaw:
What Is all this for goodness sake. this is not a history or politics thread

Go and meet those that started it please. Not me. I gave just 3 mentions.

Humble pie for Eagles

by Ade Ojeikere

I’m not a seer. But, I always strive to look dispassionately at trends in our sports. My submissions most times are spot on. At other times, they go haywire; I’m only human. Only our Creator is infallible. It is, however, easy to predict what is possible with the Super Eagles, especially when there is a needless tussle between the Sports Minister and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).. Why ministers stoop to hijack the functions of a lower-body still beats pundits hollow. I feel strongly that if the government can remove the NFF – and other sports bodies – from the ministry, football will blossom.

Ministers sustain their meddlesomeness in football administration because we are experts in looking at problems from their effects instead of identifying the causes. These ministers hide under the obnoxious Decree 101 to ensure that our soccer totters, putting their primary assignment of developing sports generally in abeyance. Other sports are in limbo while football, which should serve as the pivot to lift others financially ,is perpetually enmeshed in crises subtly sponsored by idle ministers seeking to annex the NFF for selfish reasons.

Appoint a minister today, next week, he visits the NFF. An itinerary, which are to visit players in Europe, irrespective of what happens in the domestic league is drawn up. Thereafter, the minister confronts the NFF, insisting on knowing how government’s cash is spent. Not done, he despatches letters to FIFA – with fifth columnists suggesting visits to Zurich – to find out if the global soccer body could compel the federation to tell the government how FIFA cash should be accounted for.

But such information is available on FIFA website at the press of the computer buttons. In the ministers’ entourage are former NFF members and those seeking to be members, having lost in the last elections. Why ministers fall into this trap remains a mystery. One of such ministers was caught on camera sitting down like a palace chief . He is watching as the Super Falcons players kneel down to count cash due to them. Is the minister saying that the ministry doesn’t have accounts department staff for this? What has happened to the bank transfer system? Is anyone, therefore, shocked that Super Falcons have the temerity to hold the country hostage all the time?

Ministers start their romance with the players during the qualification series, by lampooning the NFF chiefs publicly, if they err in the eyes of the minister. Did I hear you ask where the ministers and the players meet? No prize for getting it right. Our ministers are so busy that they always accompany the team to all trips no matter how inconsequential such matches are. We have witnessed instances where a minister caused a scene outside the country simply because NFF chiefs were not around to receive him. Such scenes where the ministers assert their powers, invariably, diminish the NFF men’s authority . With time, the players know where the authority lies, even as indiscipline sets in.

What our players dare not do in their European clubs, they do with swagger here, knowing that they have a chummy relationship with the ministers, who don’t flinch in reversing decisions taken by the NFF. This minister/Eagles’ stars’ relationship got to a ridiculous level ahead of the France ’98 World Cup, where key players were junketing around the country and Europe in presidential jets, while other countries were in training.

Things started going awry for the Eagles in France when a certain minister directed the NFA, as it was then known to sack Phillipe Troussier, even when he got us the ticket for the Mundial, with a game to spare. Troussier’s sack arose from complaints from key players of the Atlanta 96 gold winning team who lost their places in the ‘’White Witch Doctor’s’’ 3-5-2 tactical formation. For that minister, it didn’t matter if the Olympic gold medallists lost their form or were injured. All that Nigeria needed to win the World Cup was to appear in France and announce to others that they were the defending Olympic Games winners, take a bow and the referee will signal the end of the game. Really! What about the defending champions, Brazil , what would they do? They won’t just come to France.

With Troussier out, the players chose who they wanted to such an extent that even before the first ball was kicked, we knew certain players (permit me not to mention them) won’t kick the ball. Why we left them in the squad underscores how powerless the NFA men were before the players. This indiscipline got to a head when players insisted that they be paid $15,000 up front before the round of 16 game against Denmark, which ended in a 4-1 trouncing in favour of the Danes. In France, the then minister had to return to Nigeria for funds; the dark goggled Head of State, the late Sani Abacha, died shortly before the Mundial began.

We learned no lessons from the 1998 misadventure, hence the fiasco in 2002. In fact, matters got to a head that players were ready to exchange blows with ministry officials. The coaches and players were at daggers drawn against the ministry chiefs, who insisted on dealing with the team directly and not through a ‘’corrupt’’ NFA. Had Nigeria gone to the Japan/Korea 2002 World Cup with the players we had then, we would have done well.

The ministry tigers tore the squad apart under the guise of instilling discipline, leaving the veteran coach deployed to take charge of the team in a precarious position in Japan/Korea. Some of the banned players were our best. The Mundial in Asia threw up Osaze Odemwingie, Vincent Enyeama, Femi Opabunmi and Julius Aghahowa. Nigeria would have done better, if Austin Okocha had played with some of the absentees, such as Sunday Oliseh, Finidi George et al. Taribo West, sarcastically described the Eagles squad to Asia as ‘’junk.’’ -Whatever that meant. The ministers and the ministry chiefs render NFF men otiose, hence the difficulty in instilling discipline. If these three groups just forget their interest, football will be the best for it.

The intrigues of 2002 dovetailed into the new NFF and remained unabated until we failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup held in Germany. The 2010 World Cup wasn’t any different; in fact it was worse. The coach who secured the World Cup ticket, like in 2002, wasn’t allowed to handle the team at the Mundial in South Africa. In fact, the contraption called Presidential Task Force, in like other crises times took charge. So ridiculous was it that at the Mundial in South Africa, Nigeria had two presidential committees. Laughable, isn’t it? Don’t ask me about the NFF chiefs, who were hounded to face the court. These NFF men are free today, but the trauma of that exercise, especially spending Christmas and New year in Kuje Prison, contributed largely to the death of one of them (Ma soro ju).

Since 1994, every minister has visited FIFA’s headquarters, asking the same questions to underscore how busy they are. We wasted two World Cup appearances in 2014 (Brazil) and 2018 (Russia), bickering over leadership at the Glasshouse, leaving undone the task of assembling a good team for the future. Isn’t it striking that it is only in football that we are talking about a decree as an instrument to govern the game? Ministers who should be worried about this development and call for its change, would rather it stays for them to have unhindered intervention in how the game is governed. But for the FIFA Statutes, we would have been changing NFF personnel faster than light.


The Nation Newspaper
Humble pie for Eagles
Ade Ojeikere by Ade Ojeikere July 6, 2019
Super Eagles
FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedInWhatsAppEmail
I’m not a seer. But, I always strive to look dispassionately at trends in our sports. My submissions most times are spot on. At other times, they go haywire; I’m only human. Only our Creator is infallible. It is, however, easy to predict what is possible with the Super Eagles, especially when there is a needless tussle between the Sports Minister and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).. Why ministers stoop to hijack the functions of a lower-body still beats pundits hollow. I feel strongly that if the government can remove the NFF – and other sports bodies – from the ministry, football will blossom.

Ministers sustain their meddlesomeness in football administration because we are experts in looking at problems from their effects instead of identifying the causes. These ministers hide under the obnoxious Decree 101 to ensure that our soccer totters, putting their primary assignment of developing sports generally in abeyance. Other sports are in limbo while football, which should serve as the pivot to lift others financially ,is perpetually enmeshed in crises subtly sponsored by idle ministers seeking to annex the NFF for selfish reasons.

Appoint a minister today, next week, he visits the NFF. An itinerary, which are to visit players in Europe, irrespective of what happens in the domestic league is drawn up. Thereafter, the minister confronts the NFF, insisting on knowing how government’s cash is spent. Not done, he despatches letters to FIFA – with fifth columnists suggesting visits to Zurich – to find out if the global soccer body could compel the federation to tell the government how FIFA cash should be accounted for.

But such information is available on FIFA website at the press of the computer buttons. In the ministers’ entourage are former NFF members and those seeking to be members, having lost in the last elections. Why ministers fall into this trap remains a mystery. One of such ministers was caught on camera sitting down like a palace chief . He is watching as the Super Falcons players kneel down to count cash due to them. Is the minister saying that the ministry doesn’t have accounts department staff for this? What has happened to the bank transfer system? Is anyone, therefore, shocked that Super Falcons have the temerity to hold the country hostage all the time?


Ministers start their romance with the players during the qualification series, by lampooning the NFF chiefs publicly, if they err in the eyes of the minister. Did I hear you ask where the ministers and the players meet? No prize for getting it right. Our ministers are so busy that they always accompany the team to all trips no matter how inconsequential such matches are. We have witnessed instances where a minister caused a scene outside the country simply because NFF chiefs were not around to receive him. Such scenes where the ministers assert their powers, invariably, diminish the NFF men’s authority . With time, the players know where the authority lies, even as indiscipline sets in.

What our players dare not do in their European clubs, they do with swagger here, knowing that they have a chummy relationship with the ministers, who don’t flinch in reversing decisions taken by the NFF. This minister/Eagles’ stars’ relationship got to a ridiculous level ahead of the France ’98 World Cup, where key players were junketing around the country and Europe in presidential jets, while other countries were in training.

Things started going awry for the Eagles in France when a certain minister directed the NFA, as it was then known to sack Phillipe Troussier, even when he got us the ticket for the Mundial, with a game to spare. Troussier’s sack arose from complaints from key players of the Atlanta 96 gold winning team who lost their places in the ‘’White Witch Doctor’s’’ 3-5-2 tactical formation. For that minister, it didn’t matter if the Olympic gold medallists lost their form or were injured. All that Nigeria needed to win the World Cup was to appear in France and announce to others that they were the defending Olympic Games winners, take a bow and the referee will signal the end of the game. Really! What about the defending champions, Brazil , what would they do? They won’t just come to France.

With Troussier out, the players chose who they wanted to such an extent that even before the first ball was kicked, we knew certain players (permit me not to mention them) won’t kick the ball. Why we left them in the squad underscores how powerless the NFA men were before the players. This indiscipline got to a head when players insisted that they be paid $15,000 up front before the round of 16 game against Denmark, which ended in a 4-1 trouncing in favour of the Danes. In France, the then minister had to return to Nigeria for funds; the dark goggled Head of State, the late Sani Abacha, died shortly before the Mundial began.

We learned no lessons from the 1998 misadventure, hence the fiasco in 2002. In fact, matters got to a head that players were ready to exchange blows with ministry officials. The coaches and players were at daggers drawn against the ministry chiefs, who insisted on dealing with the team directly and not through a ‘’corrupt’’ NFA. Had Nigeria gone to the Japan/Korea 2002 World Cup with the players we had then, we would have done well.

The ministry tigers tore the squad apart under the guise of instilling discipline, leaving the veteran coach deployed to take charge of the team in a precarious position in Japan/Korea. Some of the banned players were our best. The Mundial in Asia threw up Osaze Odemwingie, Vincent Enyeama, Femi Opabunmi and Julius Aghahowa. Nigeria would have done better, if Austin Okocha had played with some of the absentees, such as Sunday Oliseh, Finidi George et al. Taribo West, sarcastically described the Eagles squad to Asia as ‘’junk.’’ -Whatever that meant. The ministers and the ministry chiefs render NFF men otiose, hence the difficulty in instilling discipline. If these three groups just forget their interest, football will be the best for it.

The intrigues of 2002 dovetailed into the new NFF and remained unabated until we failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup held in Germany. The 2010 World Cup wasn’t any different; in fact it was worse. The coach who secured the World Cup ticket, like in 2002, wasn’t allowed to handle the team at the Mundial in South Africa. In fact, the contraption called Presidential Task Force, in like other crises times took charge. So ridiculous was it that at the Mundial in South Africa, Nigeria had two presidential committees. Laughable, isn’t it? Don’t ask me about the NFF chiefs, who were hounded to face the court. These NFF men are free today, but the trauma of that exercise, especially spending Christmas and New year in Kuje Prison, contributed largely to the death of one of them (Ma soro ju).

Since 1994, every minister has visited FIFA’s headquarters, asking the same questions to underscore how busy they are. We wasted two World Cup appearances in 2014 (Brazil) and 2018 (Russia), bickering over leadership at the Glasshouse, leaving undone the task of assembling a good team for the future. Isn’t it striking that it is only in football that we are talking about a decree as an instrument to govern the game? Ministers who should be worried about this development and call for its change, would rather it stays for them to have unhindered intervention in how the game is governed. But for the FIFA Statutes, we would have been changing NFF personnel faster than light.


No one is shocked by the Eagles’ refusal to attend the press conference before the game against Guinea. Our players don’t enjoy peaceful settings in camp. They enjoy rocking the boat to show their importance. Such instances when there is a crisis in camp increases the cash they take home. When they are not crying about the quality of jerseys, they are rejecting hotels or are insisting on sitting with the authorities to decide what they will earn in the latter stages of the competition.

Rather than call their bluff, we stoop to get them to play on their terms, which most times are ridiculous, compared to what other countries pay their players in the same competition. Nigeria is the only country where the President talks to the players to boost their morale. This writer won’t blame the NFF chiefs who bend over backwards to get the President to speak with them. Such gestures lessen the tension in the camp.

Unfortunately, this set of players overstepped their welcome with their protest, even after speaking with the President before the opening game against Burundi. The President is said to have assured them that he had signed all their requests. If the players couldn’t believe Mr President, who then can they trust?

We should stop this show of shame by our footballers. Our players ought to apologise to the nation for their disgraceful action despite Mr. President’s assurance.

This writer is tempted to suggest a code of conduct for the players, but won’t because they are adults. Instead, the ring leaders should be eased out. Manager Gernot Rohr should live in Nigeria, where he can watch the domestic game to pick younger players.

Enough of this nonsense from our footballers (both sexes) playing overseas. Nigeria won’t cease to be a sovereign nation if we don’t participate in soccer competitions.

https://thenationonlineng.net/humble-pie-for-eagles/

barackodam:
All I can see is a man trying hard to stay relevant.

He didn't say it after we lost, but after we won against the Cameroonians, and days after we won the South Africans, all was well?

like seriously??

smh

He did add that we need a new coach for 2022 though

Eagles should raise their game

by Ade Ojeikere

Soccer is very exciting, especially when your team is winning. Not many can stand the twists and turns associated with watching matches, largely because of the emotion they attach to their teams. People may differ in the choice of clubs they support, but the rank of supporters swell when it comes to support for national teams – Consider Nigeria, where everyone is a coach.

This all-knowing trait of Nigerian soccer fans makes it very difficult for Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to pick coaches for our national teams, particularly the Super Eagles. Eagles’ coaches are subjected to all manner of scrutiny, which invariably affects the composition of the team, which are condemned to win every game. But this isn’t where our soccer differs from others.

The intrigues arising from needless power tussle between NFF chiefs and Sports ministers polarise the players, officials and coaches. Every game becomes a gamble, with the players getting jittery. What motivates the players is cash. If it isn’t coming, events of the past are brought to the fore. We are specialists in creating crisis, knowing that hurriedly provided cash aren’t accounted for, especially if the team wins the trophy.

So, what happened in Alexandria before the Madagascar game wasn’t new. Our players were simply living up to their distasteful reputation. It was a familiar script, with Nigeria losing the game – humble pie for them, if they really care. Can the players change? No, I dare say. Not with the kind of structures in our sports, where the minister dictates how things should be done without having the cognate know-how for the industry. Had funds been released early, perhaps, we would have watched some scintillating soccer from our boys instead of the convulsive outings.

Eighty per cent of a soccer side’s ability to win matches rests with the players’ mentality, physical fitness and their willingness to play according to the manager’s pre-match plans. The manager’s theatrics on the sidelines count for nothing, if the players are needlessly defensive. No team wins games when players lack the initiative to score goals.

So, when a team loses a game, it becomes baffling how the coaches carry the can, not the players. Yet, when the team win, the players are applauded, leaving the coaches in the lurch. Have the players have no role in the defeat as much as they do in victory? Super Eagles have been uninspiring in all their games – forget how they fought to beat Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions.

The players’ nervy display from the opening game against Burundi and even the hypertensive 1-0 victory over Guinea raised questions about the technical savvy of the manager, Gernot Rohr. Rohr had his flaws in both games but our players ought to have raised their game. Eagles’ soulless displays against Madagascar confirms the players’ absence from their European sides’ squad.

Goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi, has been a jelly fish. He has not inspired the players. He appears lost in our matches, except that he was lucky not to have conceded a goal in our first two games. Not many have recovered from the near howler Akpeyi would have committed against Burundi, if the Burundian striker had been prolific. Arguments about Akpeyi’s replacement are divided, with the poor display by goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa, who was in awe as the Madagascar striker left him sprawling on the turf, having snatched the ball off the feet of a wobbly Leon Balogun. Ezenwa was awful in the way he responded to Madagascar’s second goal. He set the defensive wall to ward off the ball. Rather than cover the remaining part of the goalpost, Ezenwa stood behind the wall. Unfortunately, the ball deflected on the wall and ricocheted into the net. If Ezenwa had been there, the defected ball would have either been pushed away or caught by him.

With the players having plenty cash in Egypt, many would have thought that they will give their best. Only a few of them have done so. The statistics confirm their sluggishness, so much so that we had 38 per cent possession to South Africa’s 62. It is easy to say that it is good to play ugly football and win than the one in which fans get full value for their money, with the losing team being the better side. With a fumbling goalkeeper such as Akpeyi, the players should dominate our matches. It is the only way to win with wide margins, irrespective of the opponents.

It should dawn on our players that as they progress in the competition, certain players, such as Odion Ighalo, Ahmed Musa, Alex Iwobi and Oghenekaro Etebo, will be marked. In fact, teams playing against Nigeria in Egypt will be racking their brains to see how they can short-circuit Wilfred Ndidi’s domineering presence in our midfield. Ndidi is easily Nigeria’s best player in the tournament.

Our defenders are clay-footed; tackle late and hardly jump from set-pieces. Such flaws create panicky moments in our defence. Perhaps, Rohr needs to play a defender in front of the defensive pair of Kenneth Omeruo and Troost Ekong. Our defenders should be taught how to anticipate passes instead of laying back for the opposition to launch its onslaught.

Rohr should emphasise shooting from the distance. This was missing in our four matches. If we play against a team with equally talented and exposed midfielders as ours, we will be in trouble because our attacking options will be pegged back a bit. If we play against Algeria, it will be a battle royale between Ndidi and Mahrez, former team mates at Leicester, even though the latter now plays for Manchester City. Will Rohr mark out Mahrez? Sunday will tell when both countries play for the ticket of the final game, which is slated to hold on July 19.

Eagles’ flank defenders are tentative in their offensive onslaughts, leaving gaps behind when they lose the ball. They should be instructed to finish off their moves with good penetrating passes or they should be challenged to belt home the ball beyond the goalkeeper, if they can sight him. So far, Ekong and Omeruo have stuck like glue in the central defence. Our flank players upfront should be directed to track back after any unsuccessful attacking foray.

One isn’t surprised that Ighalo and Musa are carrying injury knocks as a result of crunchy tackles from the South Africans. Ighalo spent time with the doctors treating the knock on his calf. Musa has issues with his adductor. As for Awaziem, the brutal tackle from the bullish Bafana Bafana defender on his ankle was unsportsmanlike. But the Bafana Bafana defender, surprisingly didn’t get the red card from the Moroccan referee.

But Rohr is optimistic that the trio will be fit for the semi-finals clash. After all, Awaziem continued the game against Bafana Bafana, having been treated on the sidelines by the doctors.

“We have a very young team and we tried to play very good football,” Rohr told journalists in a post-match conference in Cairo Thursday morning.

“We changed our game a little bit with two left-footed players coming in. One of them, Chukwueze, was even the man of the match and the other one, Jamilu Collins, played very well on the left side position. We are happy because it was in this wonderful stadium. We know that Egypt is a little bit sad and disappointed, but I hope that we can give them good football to play and in a spectacular way.”

Rohr expressed caution regarding the feeling back home in Nigeria that the Eagles are now good for the title after they muscled their way into the last four.

“I hope so, but we must win the semi-final first before dreaming of winning the cup. It will be a tough game against Algeria.

“Our target was to go get to the semi-final stage because we are number three in Africa so we have to be in this position also to be on that level. But it was so difficult because the game was very close.

“We had to wait until the last minute to score a second goal. We didn’t score the second goal in the first half but in the second half; we were punished. We are looking forward to the next game and are very happy about this victory.

“It was not easy to pull out two players from the winning team against Cameroon,” he added.

“I decided to do that even though it was a risk, but I think in a team we need a left-footed player, but against Cameroon, we didn’t have. It was logical to start the game with Chukwueze. I took a risk to start with Collins because it was his first game after his injury a day before our first game with Burundi.

“He told me he was fit and he did a good job against Percy Tau. The loss to Madagascar was our joker. We could lose it because we had already qualified for the next round.“

The Algerians won’t be cheap meat for the Nigerians. They don’t look like the team to last beyond 90 minutes, given the way they struggled against Cote d’ Ivoire on Thursday night. Had the Ivoriens converted the goal-scoring chances they created, the Algerians would have been home sulking.

The Algerians were bullied by the stronger Ivoriens; they have issues dealing with crunchy tackle. But, are the Eagles hard tacklers? Not at all. The Nigerians like the flair style of play. They may be curtailed from showboating by the Franco-German tactician, who prefers the direct approach during matches.

One thing is sure, the Nigerians know that victory on Sunday over Algeria guarantees them the final ticket and a place in history – if they win the trophy on July 19. Good luck, Super Eagles. Up Nigeria!

https://thenationonlineng.net/eagles-should-raise-their-game/

edi287:
If Mikel didn't choose AFCON to underperform, we would've been playing a proper 4-3-3 with a midfield 3 of Mikel as Regista with Etebo and Ndidi further forward.
Etebo would wreck so much havoc if he played as a b2b mid.
We need to find a deep lying CM after AFCON.

I know its late but I don't think Mikel should've been invited in the first place