₦airaland Forum

Sarr is a waste. The guy is at the center of everything wrong in Watford's attack.

Oasis001:
A tactically sound Coach has the Tools to succeed as Super Eagles Coach.

Maduka still gonna get picked ahead of Uzoho by any Coach as GK.

Backline..... Aina, Akpoguma, Balogun and Sanusi should always be the first Choice based on Form and Clubs' pedigree.

Middle...... Onyeka and Ndidi pivot gonna be hard to break.

Attacking Midfielders...... Chukwueze, Iwobi and Aribo.

Forward.... no other choice but Osimhen.

Musa, Simon, Onuachu, Shehu, Omeruo shouldn't ever make the List again. Instead, Awoniyi for Onuachu, Ebuehi for Shehu Lukman for Simon, Moffi for Musa, and hopefully Olise or Ejaria for Omeruo (enough of packing Defenders in the Squad).

I disagree with excluding Onuachu. He offers an entirely different skillset to Osimhen that can be useful in some circumstances. Better finishing, aerial ability and static strength (Osimhen is dynamically strong, Onuachu is statically strong). There are situations where you use players like Onuachu to unlock tight games (e.g Benin) but of course Rohr doesn't know how to maximize the skillset of our players and that's why Onuachu looks poor with the SE. If not that Osimhen is the kind of player that can succeed anywhere, Rohr's tactics would have made him look like a headless chicken in the SE jersey, the way it has with players like Onuachu for example.

Amunike coached Osimhen and Chuks to win the world cup in 2015. Can he do it again at the senior level seven years later?

Well, I don't think he will win, but I am confident he will do better than what we have currently, and for me, that is enough.

Rohr wants us to give Ighalo time to adapt but he didn’t give Dennis, Moffi, Awoniyi or Dessers time to adapt.

SMH

Football is not all about winning games or playing for a result.

If you play good football, the results will come undoubtedly. Seek ye first good football, and all other things shall be added unto you.

You can only go so far playing for results, one day you will get unlucky or you will meet a good team that plays good football and they will flog you mercilessly. That is the problem we have with Rohr. His team lacks vibes, lacks energy. Our players don't play like this is international football, we play like it is club football where win or lose, you still get paid. Only Osimhen, Awaziem, Balogun (sometimes), and maybe Iwobi (based on his poor club form in contrast to his stellar country form) play like they are really representing their country. The rest put in half-hearted performances as if fearing injury. There is no competitiveness in the team, everyone knows who will start and so no one is really willing to fight for a place.

jihday:
all but Tunisia qualified from pot 1

Did anyone else notice that all the 10 teams that qualified in this year's world cup qualifiers were the top seeded teams in their groups? No surprises or shocks, all the seeded teams qualified, albeit with some difficulty and possibly match fixing (DR Congo, Ghana etc).

Samueltemi337:
We would win Ghana easily


wanna see Nigeria vs Ghana

To me, the easiest teams to meet are Dr Congo and Ghana. Egypt will be a little more difficult, then Mali, and Cameroon will be the most difficult.

safarigirl:
Who is the second less big team you don't have to worry about?

Tunisia is ranked Top 5, so, we wouldn't have to worry about them win or lose.

If Tunisia loses, Egypt enters top 5. Egypt will have to play another team from the unseeded section, taking another potentially big team (e.g Ivory Coast/Cameroon, Mali, Ghana) out of our worries.

Today's game was an easy game to win.

Firstly, Ighalo shouln't have come in for the second half. I would have had Iheanacho in since then.

Next, when Simon got injured, I would have swiched him with Aina and at the same time remove Aribo for Onyeka. Aribo was gassed.

Next, around 70 mins, I would have removed both Osimhen and Iwobi and put in Ejuke and Chukwueze to peg Cape Verde defenders back. That would have relieved most of the pressure on us in the dying minutes.

Let us hope Tunisia draws or loses to Zambia so we can have two less big teams to worry about.

JohnBullMySon:
And if he manages to win. We'll start hearing stupid comments like. Rohr has seriously improved. Rohr is the best coach in Africa.

But be honest, really. Can Rohr win AFCON with what you have watched today?

JohnBullMySon:
I like being realistic and have nothing for or against Rohr. I just want to correct the high level of cluelessness here.

The level of result we're demanding from Rohr, can our team's quality match it?

Using other top African teams as a yardstick are we really underperforming?

You can't expect to Nigeria to have a smooth and clinical gameplay like Man City when we don't have the quality to match.

Don't be surprised if Rohr gets a bigger African team if sacked. Algeria were ready to employ him after world cup if he had been sacked.

Rohr has been given realistic objectives by the NFF. Win AFCON and qualify for World cup. So far he hasn't fumbled. So what's the fuss about sacking him because we drew Cape Verde.

Rohr cannot win AFCON. It is not a curse. He just isn't good enough to win AFCON. Forget 2019, a lot of teams have improved since then.

bengine:
A tired Osimhen is better than Onauchu, Osimhen ran himself to the ground due to Ighalos laziness, that guy is not needed anymore, he is too heavy, can barely move...if coach wan say experience, let him be playing in a top league where he would be sharp.

Onauchu is one hell of a slow motion player...he can't really fit the patterns we are playing...you need to hussle has a forward based on the way Rohr plays..

Onuachu should never have come in for Osimhen... He shoul have started with Osimhen instead of Ighalo.

JohnBullMySon:
Let me ask you a little question?

Who are going to meet at the playoffs?

Germany, Spain and France ahbi?

Let's put things into perspective.

Algeria ranked 4th just drew 2-2 with Burkina Faso ranked 11th

Nigeria ranked 5th drew 1-1 with Cape Verde ranked 14th

Tunisia ranked 2nd will play Zambia ranked 18th, I will quote you after the game, let's see what the difference will be in scoreline.

Morocco ranked 3rd will play Guniea ranked 15th. Let's see what the scoreline will be as well.

Senegal ranked Ist beat Congo ranked 20th with just 2 nil after drawing with Togo ranked 39th

Egypt ranked 6th beat Gabon ranked 19th just 2-1.

Should we say that all those Coaches are clueless?

Now what exactly makes it sure that Nigeria can never get through the playoffs as you said?

Difference is in quality of play. Forget Burkina Faso drew Algeria, Algeria's goals were pure class and Burkina Faso were relentless.

We are playing poorly, to put it mildly. Invitations are wrong, starting lineup is wrong, subs are wrong and made at the wrong times. For, example, I saw an Italian on Twitter today fantasizing about an Osimhen/ Okereke combination in attack, and I just laughed. The irony is that even Okereke is better than some of our invited players e.g Musa and co. Other countries are looking at our talent and seeing our potential, but our coach doesn't even know who his best players are. How do you want to compete with smaller teams maximizing every talent at their disposal then?

cromz:
Good game from the Super Eagles the Cape Verdean keeper was outstanding. Our defense was good. How ever we need to work better on transitioning from defense to attack and no one is even talking about our wastefulness.
The game was a tough one but thank God we scaled through. God bless Nigeria

Not OUR wastefulness, please be specific. Ighalo's wastefulness.

Kog45:
Nigeria vs Burkina Faso wetin for don be the results....Thank God we have team like Liberia,CAR and Cape Verde in our group.

A team that still having Simeon,Collins and Ekong as a starter is not a team.

I wish eagle well in the play off.

Imagine taking Simon out to bring in Shehu. I was thinking the coach will finally use his head for once and bring in Aina to provide energy down that wing.

We held on to qualify today. We can't keep holding on, if you do get to the world cup, will you hold on for your three group games?

Parrot69:
I wonder what f this is how he plays in Leicester ?

Nacho was actually very good in this game. He was lively, but he was slipping and losing the ball too much. It felt like he hadn't trained on that particular pitch.

Oasis001:
Oh.... I forget Osimehn missed the previous Matches where we couldn't get a single shot on target.

No... He was more like a CF in those games, having to wait for other guys to create the chances. In this game, he is the one creating the chances.

Oasis001:
How many chances did he miss? Guess you missed the chance(s) he created as well? Iheanacho partnered Osimhen few days ago, did we have any attempt on Target?

His Presence adds vibe to the team play. His holdup play and energy are immense.

Say na vibe

The main reason we are having so many chances is because Osimhen is coming all the way back to get the ball and create chances. He is almost playing like a AM/RW in this game. He is using his strength to win the ball in the middle, then using his pace on the wings to create chances.

charlesemeka85:
oga that goal wasn’t his fault but ekong’s

U Dey watch the match at all abi u Dey post for the sake of posting?

It is partly Maduka's fault too. When the ball was shot, my guy was already behind the goalline. Even if he saved it, the goal would still have counted because he was already inside his goal. Poor positioning.

Danielnino00:
I hope Osimhen won't get tired with the way he's been running... especially drifting to the wing...

He played 90 mins on Saturday too... How won't he get tired?

Oasis001:
Ighalo did great in the first half.

Does "great" has another definition I am not aware of? Osimhen has been a warrior this first half. He is doing all the work. At least, Ighalo should be on hand to finish and reward Osimhen for the hard work. On the contrary, guy has missed two clear cut chances. He looks heavy and sluggish, and he is not pressing.

Omanambala:
Midfield is still flat footed.

On the contrary, our midfield has been much better today. Aribo had at least two shots on target this half. Iwobi's link up play has been excellent, and Ndidi is winning all loose balls.

codemaniacs:
Osimhen, Sadiq, Ihenacho, Onuachu, Awoniyi, Moffi, Olayinka, Dessers.. these are the strikers that should always receive call-up letter until they lose form...

After watching Onuachu against West Ham, I would prefer Osimhen Sadiq or Osimhen Dessers or Osimhen Moffi or Osimhen Ihenacho or Osimhen Olayinka.

Onuachu can finish but his slow and doesn't close down players..

At least he is better than Ighalo. Which player has Ighalo closed down today? No press, static, now wasting chances on top. At least, even if Onuachu doesn't press and is static, he won't miss chances and he is strong and dangerous in the air.

Can we try an Osimhen and Onuachu combo like we did against Benin? onuachu as the static man like Ighalo is in this game, the Osimhen as the mobile guy? Onuachu will not miss the chances Ighalo has missed so far, that I am sure of.

Subzero047:
Ighalo has been playing better than Iheanacho as a support striker tho

Osimhen is the supporting striker in this match.

I love the way Ighalo is smelling the ball in this match.

At least Awoniyi's own was saved. That was an absolute blunder.

Ighalo is but a spectator in this game.

Sportilitica:
So Ighalo was called back?
I am not sure he might be the solution.
Either change formation or seek wingers that can cross the ball. I have been monitoring the african WCQs and I can tell you that even so called minors have a plan but might not have the players to execute it.
There are issues

Imagine Dennis who is our best player in the EPL this season with 3 goals and 3 assists in 9 games not getting invited. Collins getting invites from the German second division when Awoniyi who is part of Bundesliga’s top scorers is not getting invites.

Even among the invited players, Rohr doesn’t even know his best players. Akpoguma warming bench for Ekong. Aina, a natural wingback warming bench for Simon who is a winger playing makeshift wingback. Zaidu, a UCL starter warming bench for Collins, a German second division player.

It just feels like the man has a select group of players he chooses to play everyday without consideration for club form or even country form (Ekong for example has been poor for at least 5 games now).

I don’t want to be pessimistic, but we will find it very difficult to not lose to Cape Verde with their current form. I predict a hard-fought 1:1 draw, or a 2:1 loss to Cape Verde, because I honestly don’t see us even winning that game knowing Rohr’s defensive mentality.

samtol4:
Mali played Uganda and Rwanda. These are weak teams

Then we are even worse than Mali because we lost to CAR that is an even smaller team.

samtol4:
Congo is leading 2:0 against Benin. Congo tops the group. Mali tops the group.... These two teams may be the weaker team compared to Ghana /SA. Ivory Coast / Cameroon

DR Congo will be the weakest team to qualify to the playoffs. The second weakest would be Egypt. On the other hand, Mali will be one of the strongest outside the top 5.

We should hope not to face Mali or Ivory Coast. Those teams have the talent and coaching to beat anyone on a good day.

I think Ejuke was given instructions not to dribble in yesterday’s game. Another evidence of Rohr’s conservative coaching. Coaching players out of their talents instead of coaching players on how to maximize their talents.