₦airaland Forum

Isahalbash:
Mikel Agu scores for Bursaspor

I think this is one of the reasons Rohr keeps inviting this guy.

Probably, he will get to start in one of our friendlies.

Icon79:
My friend, go answer the question I asked you a long time ago ... and quit telling me what to do (or in this case, what not to do)

If he doesn't want me to call him a mo-ron, then he should stop acting like one. How can a mature adult come here to post something he knows nothing about? Does he think we come here to tell cock and bull stories


O pari

Take corrections bro.

The guy is just new here.

MetalJigsaw:
ROAD TO RUSSIA: Is England Friendly Ideal For Super Eagles?

The Nigeria Football Federation and England’s Football Association on Wednesday confirmed that there will be a friendly between the Super Eagles and the Three Lions in London on 2 June.

Both teams will be looking to use the Wembley match as preparation towards the Russia 2018 World Cup which starts few days after the game.

While everybody agrees that this is a high-profile friendly for the Super Eagles given the calibre of opponent and the venue, eye brows have been raised in some quarters regarding the usefulness of the match.

Those against the friendly argue that the Super Eagles need to play countries with styles similar to Russia 2018 group phase opponents Argentina, Croatia and Iceland to give the Nigerian side a sense of what they will come up against at the World Cup.

England do not play like any of these teams, but those in support of the friendly believe the Super Eagles will benefit from playing against a grade A side with top players who will give the Nigerians a tough physical battle just days before the World Cup.

Which side are you on? Is the England friendly ideal for the Super Eagles or not? Why do you hold this view?


https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/road-russia-england-friendly-ideal-super-eagles/

You never know who we will meet beyond the group stage.

TheGoodJoe:
Puel changed strategy from the dross he was playing. Praise the man for building confidence and doing the right thing than try to make it look as if Puel played this way always.

You are even saying this is the first time your seeing Ndidi averaging such stats.

Months ago under Shakespeare, I even pointed out that Ndidi was metamorphing into more creative player and Shakespeare was holding him back. Yesterday was a testament of my cries. The negative tactics is not only holding our players back but the team.

I hope Puel embraces it and continue encouraging his players to play in a brave fashion.

By the way, did anyone see Ndidi pull off the turn Mikel Obi usually makes in tight situations? Got me clapping.

Ndidi could perfect Mikel's style of play but it will take time.

He is the Super Eagles Pogba.

Tamunotonye22:
News about Ndidi mass me happy

And someone will still say Onazi is better than this guy.

But I have a question, Ogu does well with Ndidi,Agu performs well with Ndidi.

Does this in any way mean that both Onazi and Ndidi are CMFs?

Mujtahida:
Dear Super Eagles, I see your weaknesses in the goalkeeping department- Uzoho has no experience, Ezenwa is a bouncing ball, Akpeyi is a pain in our chest. I know that Balogun is slow. I know that Ekong gives away the ball sometimes and that Omeruo is error prone, I know that Echiejile lacks attacking instincts and Shehu has not faced fine wingers in the ilk of Mbappe.I know also that Idowu, Ebuehi and Aina are greenhorns as far as international football is concerned

I know also that Ndidi is said to not have good passing ability. I know that Mikel Obi and John Ogu are slow. I know that Iwobi can disappoint sometimes. I know also that Simon Moses' final balls are sometimes ineffective. I know that Vicmo is said to be selfish and Ighalo is erratic in his performances for Nigeria. I know Iheanacho and Musa are struggling with getting game time at their respective clubs. In short I know you guys are an average team and perhaps - to sate the appetite of sceptics - even less than average. I looked for you guys in Man Utd, Real, Barcelona, PSG, Inter Milan, Juve, Bayern Munich I found none. Some of una dey chill for China, some - as one of our venerable sceptics likes to say - are in the backwater leagues of Turkey, Holland and Belgium. Some are on the bench saving it from cold with their asses.

I will not speak of your strength, no I will not. Your faults, your inadequacies, your deficiencies is what I want to look at with an uncompromising eye and I have seen plenty of it to to make me play safe with my hopes and expectations of you.

But I swear that notwithstanding your faults I can't fit stop believing in you guys. It's impossicant for me. I believe because you guys have given me reason to believe even though I know I might be disappointed, yes bitterly and utterly disappointed at the end, crushed to the heart if you fail to fly beyond the second round. I do hope you work on your lapses but whether, whether not I still believe. You have stirred up wildness in my heart and your faults cannot tame it.

So here's my heart, it beats for you. Here's my heart - if you like shatter it into a thousand pieces but what I cannot do is to stop believing in you.
See you in Russia.
From yours faithfully
mujtahid on behalf of all believers in this team.

Nice write-up.

Teekim:
Am not good with knowing the Nigerian players, but in our game against France, a certain Ramom Azeez came on for Onazi when he got the ankel knock. We lost the the game some minutes later and most Nigerian fans attributed the lose to onazi not being on the pitch but if the truth be told; Enyaema gifted France the win on that day and it had nothing much to do with Onazi's absence. Well, I loved the holding of the ball and the passes in center of the pitch when Ramon Azeez came in, but I don't know if his current form is good enough for SE.

John Ogu and Ramon Azeez will be a good add up to Mikel and Onazi in the center of the pitch. That's if Ramon's current form is good enough.

Is like you are not getting this.No matter how good a goal-keeper or defence is , a poor mid-field will expose them and make them look average or even poor.

The game is won and lost in the middle.

France identified Onazi's input to super Eagles mid-field and sought to eliminate him.Even after the match their coach even said"I watched the Eagles previous matches and observed that Onazi contributes more than Mikel, I told my players, if we are to win this match you must pay special attention to Onazi"He also said he never told them to maim Onazi.

krattoss:
lol .. u have come again with this una ajagunle talk ...

I suggest we make due with what we presently have...
when worst comes to worst,we can drift in iwobi, or better still, change tactics where instead of playing mikels holding AM, a SUPPRTING STRIKER kinda formation will be deployed where either of nacho,iwobi, or vic Moses gets to fit in.. (this is if when worst comes to worst)

but if a mikel kinda holding AM must be played, i will suggest a certain JOHN OGU to fill in the gaps and space cos he has similar kinda play like mikel...

please where those ajagun kum lawal plies their thread?

I don't think your suggestion will work, we need a good AM who like Mikel is a good ball holder and can create for the young forwards to score.

Ogu was present against Algeria, were we able to boss the mid-field with him?We only exposed our defence which in turn exposed Ezenwa.

A team which lacks a good AM will get their defence exposed, no matter how good the CM and DM may be.Keep in mind that the best way to defend has always been to attack.

Will it be over for the Super Eagles should Mikel get injured?

Whenever we play without Mikel we either lose or draw.

I suggest we find a good back-up for Mikel.

Etebo has failed,Agu has failed.It's time to try Raheem lawal and Abdul Ajagun.I would have preferred Joel Obi but he is currently injured.

You can suggest other players who can play Mikel's role should he get injured in one of our pre-WC or WC matches.

Some teams might take us unawares by deliberately injuring Mikel knowing that we have no one as good as him on the bench.We should recall what happened to the team when Onazi got injured against France in 2014 WC.

junnyjake:
Under the new coach, Aina has consistently been playing at LB. And has been winning MOTM awards from that position too.

I pray he improves on his game so he can make that position his in the GWG shirt.

Aina,Echiejile and Idowu for LB.

Can one of the 3 fill the remaining CB slot?

Humility017:
we already have some players too...
bazee, oshimen, kayode...success isaac if he starts playing
though one of orji, yinka and kalu inclusion won't be bad

I would love to see your 30-man provisional squad.

chimzyblack:
EVERTON DOCTORS SAYS ONYEKURU'S INJURY NOT SERIOUS

Everton doctors have determined that Henry Onyekuru’s knee injury is not grievous as was widely reported. The young striker will be out for only six weeks and not six months.
Onyekuru
The player was reportedly examined by Everton doctors and the MRI scans of the injury have revealed that he may not be needing surgery but minor treatment. Onyekuru has been allowed to return to Belgium to recuperate.
Onyekuru hurt his knee at the weekend during a league game with Anderlecht at former club KAS Eupen.
Initial media reports suggested his season was effectively over and that could also mean his hopes of playing at the World Cup in Russia.

This boy's future is bright.

He now needs to play with more caution.

@Chimzy Thanks for the update.

bengine:
We have a world cup in 6months bro..he needs to play actively!!! If there was no WC, I would have suggested he stay there..

You need to remember, no matter how much you learn, you need exam or a test to see how far you have learned...exams are like game time..the more game the better he gets at correcting some of his weakness, that doesn't mean he doesn't work on those weakness on the training ground. He needs game to give him confidence that he is perfecting some of his perceived weakness..

Who even gave that pass that resulted to Idowu's goal which KC failed to trap?

It's obvious the "bench" is not doing him any good.

tbaba1234:
Onyekuru scored a consolation goal for Anderlecht

Why should the coach sub-in Lukasz Teordocyzk for Adrien Trebel who is a CM?

tbaba1234:
Onyekuru scored a consolation goal for Anderlecht

Nice,but we need more goals.

FabioPeter:
If you lose these matches you will demoralized the players, it’s better to play beatable team or teams that will allow us develop/showcase our strength. It’s good to go to the World Cup in high spirit.

We beat Togo 3-0, and fell to SA 0-2 in "Uyo".Have you forgotten?

forgiveness:
Yeah, you are right but it is important forhim to note that you could only create one opportunity in competitive tournament like the WC hence the need to take our chances. That could change our fortune if utilized ultimately. We saw what happened against Argentina. Few chances but we utilized all.

Utilized all?

Iheanacho should have passed to Iwobi twice but was selfish with the ball.

He was wrong to have done that twice.If we ignore the first, what of the second?

Mickael2:
I will explain why I am trying to fit Onyekuru in and not Ahmed Musa or anybody else.

There are teams you come up against and quick passes will not work, Iceland is a perfect example. You can stand infront of their backline and make 20 quick passes but those guys won't move until you come closer and you see that they will double up on each of your players what do you then do? You need quick dribblers. When you have a player who can just beat his immediate marker that creates room instantly and serious panic through the opposing teams rank(this is why I believe Iceland will be mincemeat for Argentina precisely). Now we don't have Messi but we have Onyekuru and Iwobi two guys who are nice(not great) dribblers and under normal circumstances we will place a CF who can pass the ball well and engage in your one-touch-two-go football, in that same way Onyekuru or Iwobi(depending on who is well-placed) can make those Alli-esque runs when the CF falls back and joins the passing triangles in the middle.

Against Croatia though is another thing entirely. We will have to adopt a system similar to Barcelona 2015. These guys midfield will kill us if we engage them so here we sacrifice midfield play for outright direct football. Rakitic is a briliant DMF when he plays there and someone said Kovacic hardly plays for Madrid, well that is because he is out injured, he recently returned and has already played a game for them, pure quality, no need saying much about Modric. There is another problem too, their midfielders all have wonderful shots so they should not be allowed to even come so close to our post which is why I wouldn't play Onazi. In this type of game we need direct players, once we get the ball we should take a maximum of 3-4 touches and get the ball to the forward players without dwelling on midfield play

Nice analysis.

Your formation requires good "wing plays", meaning that we need V.Moses at the LWB role and Ebuehi at RWB.

Napoleon55:
when i said few months ago shortly after ONYEKURU switched to Anderletch,that he could score up to 30 goals to gate crash WORLD CUP team list,someone tried to mock me.

for all the SE players going to WC,ONYEKURU is the one i want to shine more than the others,i just a new and unlikely star from NIGERIA
to emerge from in the WC

From the way he talks, you can tell he's confident of making the WC list.

I won't be surprise if he scores more than 30 just to make the list.

sontoly:
watched first half, his defensive abilities needs more work cos he is not as efficient defensively so he may not be really suitable for a wing back, but his attacking is more efficient than vic mo.

He really needs to work on that aspect of his game.

Kog45:
Starter when WC is not even sure though the guy is good but not all good players make WC,so don't be disappointed if he failed to make the cut.

Make him just score 30 goals first.

Joebie:
He looked very lively the period I watched it

Yes.. wing-back 3-4-3

Ok.Thanks.

Joebie:
Bout to watch the Anderlecht vs Lokeren match
Onyekuru start of course.

Did he play as a wing-back or as a wing-forward?

How was his performance "defensively"?

Mujtahida:
I will be a wee bit sad if this guy doesn't make it to Russia.

If he is able to score 30 goals this season, I see no reason why he shouldn't be a starter for the Eagles at WC.

safarigirl:
It's a fair group

I personally think Argentina will crash out at the Group Stage this time.

Nigeria and Croatia to go through from this group.

We need to top this group to avoid France and in case we somehow meet them, PLEASE break a French player's leg.

Onazi will be ready this time around.

Icon79:
All the clowns on Fox Sports are picking Argentina and Croatia to advance out of the group. About 6 people on the panel and none of them picked Nigeria to go thru.

Clowns on TV



O pari

No mind them.None of those teams have the quality to beat us.

We will qualify from that group unbeaten just like our qualifiers.

A fair draw with Eagles in the Weak group D, just like the weak group F of 2014 WC.

We should top that group.

Go Super Eagles!

Mickael2:
I disagree. The main CB in a 3-man backline is the one that needs the pace the most, when you adopt an attack-minded 3-4-3 formation that means a high-line and guess who is more concerned with that high-line? The middle CB. If you play a conservative 3-man backline the middle CB is still the one that will be playing the ball out of the back or carrying the ball forward which means he needs his pace. Who is the middle CB for Chelsea? Compare the person's speed with Azpi and you will understand. When Barcelona plays a 3man backline who plays the RCB? Masch and he is not fast, as in not at all. Our backline was okay, I'd only replace Awaziem with Omeruo and that would be all.


Ps: I dont think Idowu is the best we have though

Nice, but I was shocked when I saw " replace Awaziem with Omeruo".

Do u know about two of our goals came from Awaziem?

That guy for me, is the best among the 3 CB's that played that day.His poor performance against SA didn't even affect his play, he was comfortable and confident with the ball.

krattoss:
I wonder how some peeps here worries more than nacho who is seating on the bench...believe u me,i think he himself should be worried of himself because od he eventually looses form and playing time,i believe the position is wide open ...

So whether he plays or not, it is in no way going to affect the super eagles..

Some are crying over Nacho's playing time, If Nacho were to be in Girona and puts-up the same performance that Kayode does and still be left on the bench, I wonder what this thread will look like.

It is more justifiable to cry over Kayode's playing time than Nacho's because the few times Kayode has played he never failed to impress.

Icon4s:
First off, for the national team if you don't have players of certain qualities you don't go and purchase like clubs do. If you don't have you don't have.
If you have a left footed CB that can replace Balogun please recommend to us.

Secondly, our attack can also be effective from the left. Players like V. Moses, Iwobi, and Simon alternate between left and Right of the attack.

We have found more joy from the right of our attack due to a seeming lack of quality in the left of the teams we have faced.

Any team that chooses to concentrate their attacks from their left just to foil our attack from our right would have themselves to blame as we have what it takes to also sting them from our left.

Talking about the technical competency of Argentina there are not more than 2 or 3 countries in the world above them. So we have tested ourselves against one of the best technically and we came out tops.

In a 3-man CB, the RCB and LCB should be players who are fast not slow.

Balogun should have played in the middle of them.

Do u mean we shouldn't work on our left-side?

And we still want our team to reach the Quarter-final of the WC.

Icon4s:
Which kine a more technical team will punish who?
That is what we have always been hearing "a more technical team will punish us".

Name the footballing teams in the world that are more technical than Argentina.

Ha ha ha, it's not like Argentina used to dash us 3-0 and above in our previous meetings.

They have been lucky, the last two times we met them, always escaping with just a goal.

In 2010 WC,it was 1-0 and In 2014 WC, it was 3-2.

We should admit that we have a very weak left-side for the 3-5-2 formation.

Did you not say "most of our goals came from the right?"

What if a team decides to pay special attention to our right side,shutting down our attacks and attacking our right just to stop us from attacking?

What then will be the reaction of our weak left-side if they decide to "defend" at the left and wait for the right to initiate both attacks and counter-attacks?

We should work on our left-side starting from the LCB.Balogun is slow and right-footed(I stand to be corrected) and shouldn't have played in that position.

I've already talked about that of Idowu.

If we could get a good left-footed player.We can play him in the LCB and probably draft V.Moses to the LWB.

Doing the above means bossing the both flanks.The opposing team might have no choice but to try the middle where they will meet both Onazi and Ndidi.



With this, even Germany go confirm say Nigeria sabi ball.

We can now say go!!! Super Eagles.

And who says we no fit win world cup with this formation and the right players?

Mujtahida:
Idowu is naturally left footed but still good with his right foot just as Ebuehi is naturally right footed but still uses his left foot.

How come is not comfortable going forward with the ball?