₦airaland Forum

Samueltemi337:
It's how the coach played with only ndidi in the midfield for me

This was the major problem we had.

Why did Onyeka not have more gametime? Our midfield was clearly overrun.

Aribo was almost playing as a defensive midfielder today. Someone that plays as a winger sometimes for his club.

Irrespective of the result I think we should keep Eguavoen. He looks like someone that can learn from mistakes and the football was good despite the costly mistakes we made here and there.

All of you guys bashing Sadiq... Was he not the only player today that offered anything in the attack?

somehow:
He would have done what?

Nigerians!

Analyze the game.

Chuks has been out of form. If you remove Chuks, who do you put in? Olayinka and Onyekuru are unproved. Musa is done. Iwobi is a better AM than he is a winger. The only winger we had that could put in the same intensity and offer the same creativity was Ejuke.

klexycole:
No be Kazri wen dey say get covid be this?

Na idea football bro

The moment I saw Ejuke was not in matchday squad was when I sensed something would go sour today.

Funny enough, the game no one turned up is the game Sadiq turned into prime Benzema.

First shot Okoye gets in the tournament, he totally fluffs it. That wasn't going to the corner. Not top corner, not bottom corner. Center ball.

drDoom3:
Tactics.

The major problem we are having: Tunisia know our game plan, Ekong/Omeruo play long ball to Simon. They have blocked it using two ways: 3 men on Simon at all times, choke midfield forcing us to not play the ball on the ground and be forced to go long.

How do we solve the problem?

1) Chuks need to leave this game. Ejuke should have come in for Chuks at half-time and do what Simon was trying at the left. They had 3 men on Simon, such a change would force them to put men on Ejuke leaving the middle ripe for picking. I wonder why the coach didn't see this coming.

2) Iheanacho needs to leave this game. Put Onyeka in for him, move Aribo closer to the goal. This will choke the midfield, allowing us to play through instead of playing long.

3) Have our full-backs overlap. Simon is too isolated, Aina sitting back is leaving our right wing dead attack-wise.

Eguavoen really only needs two things to win this game.

Get his wingers to drag defenders sideways. Then, release the ball through the space left in the middle.

Tactics.

The major problem we are having: Tunisia know our game plan, Ekong/Omeruo play long ball to Simon. They have blocked it using two ways: 3 men on Simon at all times, choke midfield forcing us to not play the ball on the ground and be forced to go long.

How do we solve the problem?

1) Chuks need to leave this game. Ejuke should have come in for Chuks at half-time and do what Simon was trying at the left. They had 3 men on Simon, such a change would force them to put men on Ejuke leaving the middle ripe for picking. I wonder why the coach didn't see this coming.

2) Iheanacho needs to leave this game. Put Onyeka in for him, move Aribo closer to the goal. This will choke the midfield, allowing us to play through instead of playing long.

3) Have our full-backs overlap. Simon is too isolated, Aina sitting back is leaving our right wing dead attack-wise.

Very good news for us. Burkina and Gabon have played extra time, less energy to face us when we meet in the quarters.

I would have preferred Ejuke to be in matchday squad than Musa. Ejuke is a player that can unlock a game, a player that can come in with his dribbles and win a penalty for instance in a tight situation. I hope we get to see him feature in coming games and this is not the end of his tournament.

TheSuperNerd:
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Lineup is here

Are you ready?

Ejuke and Ndah not in matchday squad? Weird.

PurpleHouse:
This looks like clear ojoro.

So if we mistakenly meet them now they'll say Simon, Ekong, Ndidi, Aribo, Nacho, Okoye, Uzohor, and Aina don catch Coro?

Thunder fire them.

Leave that thing abeg. Why will Cameroon do ojoro against Comoros? Ojoro they didn't use against Burkina? Abeg leave that thing. Comoro started having COVID scaress before they were officially paired with Cameroon self.

drDoom3:
I feel the same way about Ghana as I do about Tunisia (and I did about Egypt too before our first game).

Two top teams with good history, but currently pretenders. Teams like that are overhyped and easy to beat, and when you beat them it will boost your confidence, add to your momentum, increase your rankings and make you more feared.

In contrast, teams like Mali and Burkina Faso are the teams I fear the most.

Very low profile, but they can give you a run for your money. They don't look the strongest on paper, but on a good day they will beat you silly.

komekn:
Umar Sadiq is an embarrassment to the SE that's what's wrong.

Are Eguavon hands tied, l wonder. He has enough game time and training to be know he is too poor for the SE.

He cannot produce what he does not have.

It creates disharmony in the camp when players can see merit is not the over riding consideration. Sadiq has had enough time, let Olayinka, Onyekuru show what they have

Thankfully we have Awoniyi who has done well enough.

You just want to bash the guy.

This is a simple conundrum. You have a player who performs well at club level but is struggling with confidence issues at national level. There is nothing like he is a disgrace bla bla bla, you are one of the people contributing to the downfall of the player.

We saw the same thing happen with Nacho at Leicester, the talent was there but lack of confidence made him look like he doesn't know how to play football. Look at what a little confidence from Rodgers two seasons ago did to his career.

The only thing we can do for the guy is encourage him to help him get his confidence back. We went to this tournament with 2 CFs, Olayinka and Onyekuru are wingers traditionally. If Sadiq regains confidence, it will be for the good of the team. If he doesn't, then Awoniyi is our only natural CF and if anything happens to him injury wise we are finished.

I feel the same way about Ghana as I do about Tunisia (and I did about Egypt too before our first game).

Two top teams with good history, but currently pretenders. Teams like that are overhyped and easy to beat, and when you beat them it will boost your confidence, add to your momentum, increase your rankings and make you more feared.

Kog45:
Even Ndidi,Osimehn,Amuneke,Siasia,Odionn Ighalo sabi Yoruba pass Awoniyi.

Awoniyi grew up in Ilorin with pure thick unadulterated Yoruba. Yoruba so deep even Lagosians struggled to understand.

Icon4s:
It is very hard to see a Yoruba man born and raised in Nigeria that cannot speak Yoruba. Infact I have never seen one.

Indigenous languages are dying, but Yoruba will last the longest.

Tunisia and Mali are forming a Nigeria-Argentina relationship. Mauritania too.

All drawn together in 2019 AFCON.

All drawn together in 2021 AFCON.

All drawn together in 2022 World Cup Qualifiers.

PurpleHouse:
But how and why do Ghana have such a staggering record over us?

Games from the 60s and 70s. We haven't played Ghana in 10 years since their 2010 world cup squad. So much has changed since then.

If Ghana want to avoid a thrashing (not even get a win, that is nigh impossible) what they have to do is:

1) Appoint a local coach that will not be influenced by their FA in player selections
2) Scout extensively in europe. Get all their eligible players together. Get Salisu, get Afena-Gyan, get Duncan, get Schlupp, get Gyasi, get Kamal Sowah. Finalize Hudson Odoi switch.
3) Kick out all the dead legs from their squad. All those home based players they carried to AFCON that couldn't kick a ball because they were not good enough, get them out.
4) Organize at least two friendlies to make the squad gel together before their games against us.

If even one out of these four conditions is not met, we will flog them mercilessly home and away.

If they are able to make all four, maybe they could draw us in Ghana but they are not beating us in Abuja.

We got the second easiest team to play, Ghana.

I love this draw. Mali will get to go to the World Cup for the first time, this generation deserve it.

Senegal and Algeria will have to prove why they are the best two teams in Africa currently, it is a wake-up call for both.

Morocco are also doing well for themselves, they will represent Africa well.

For us, well everyone knows we always go to world cups. If Eguavoen is at the helm, forget it. We will beat them home and away especially with the crisis they have right now. Forget all those talk of Ghana always play good against us, that’s not how football works nowadays. In our times, the team with the better tactics and/or better players win, we have both.

TheLoneCitizen:
Emmanuel Dennis is class, man.

World Cup weapon.

He loses the ball too much though. Needs to work on that in his game.

Mujtahida:
A secondary school mate of Emmanuel Denis told me that Denis is from Kogi State. Even said Denis was not known for football when they were in secondary school.

Abeg o. Dennis that everybody knew in Kwara state then?

Even Awoniyi said it self then that just before his U-17 days, Dennis was the hottest prospect in Ilorin then.

Karlovych:
We shouldn't underestimate any team in this tournament, there's been a lot of surprising results and any little mistake or error you're out of the competition. The team need to remain focused and treat the rest of the upcoming games as a final.

There is no way we are underestimating any team. We have a team that is grounded, a solid coach who knows what he's doing, no star player stealing the show, and no COVID scares so far. We will go far.

Ppogbae:
Cape Verde will stun Senegal with a late winner in added extra time.

Save this!!!

Senegal will survive Cape Verde, but it will go to extra time and end 1-0 or on pk.

Mali will beat them QF though.

We will beat Burkina 2-1 and Mali 1-0 to get to finals.

TheLoneCitizen:
Dictates midfield? Go watch Ivory Coast midfield (Seri and Kessie) versus Algeria.

You forgot Sangare. Kessie, Seri and Sangare.

Curtisaxel10:
The Tunisia I watched today will be beaten by a well-coached home based Nigerian team. Their carpentry is peerless. Only Hannibal Mejbri played like someone with a bit of sense in that Tunisian midfield.......and he bagged himself a red card suspension so.....

They will be very lucky to escape us with a 2-0 loss.

Mejbri wasn't suspended... It was their coach and their number 1 goalkeeper, Ben Mustapha.

Samueltemi337:
Even Rohr don defeat Tunisia before

Almost twice self, if not that we were without Osimhen and co. for the second game.

drDoom3:
We need two subs. Onyeka in for Nwakali or Nacho. Olayinka in for Sadiq.

If there is one thing Eguavoen as a coach is better than Rohr in, it is making the right substitutions at the right time.

Samueltemi337:
Them get red card already

To backup goalkeeper on the bench.

humility33:
Oshimen return will put both of them out then we'll have Awoniyi and Oshimen wish Dessers was invited at least he would make the final third

Our strike team going into the world cup should be Osimhen, Awoniyi and Onuachu in that order. They all are different in their own way and bring different qualities to the table.

Osimhen is the best, obviously. Dogged, strong, amazing pace, wonderful press, decent finishing, good aerially, gives his all.

Awoniyi is the most technical. Good hold up play, most unselfish, best link up play, very strong, decent pace, good finishing.

Onuachu is the best finisher and most eccentric. Best hold up play, strongest of the three, not as mobile as the other two but can score from anywhere, best aerially.