₦airaland Forum

M7even:
Could a landlock country like Rwanda be colder than Nigeria. I don't understand why many of our players are putting on hand gloves unlike the Rwandese

They are in Morocco.

I am impressed.

Brazil of Africa.

Rabiu Ali missed an open net.

Faleye came close twice. The first hit the bar and the second was one on one with keeper but he saved it.

So far, they are dominating the game.

Ali na real baller.

MetalJigsaw:
Akanji Shuns Manchester United To Sign €21.5m Deal With Borussia Dortmund

Switzerland international defender Manuel Obafemi Akanji has signed a four and half year contract worth about €21.5 million with Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.

The 22-year old was a reported transfer target for Manchester United but Dortmund made him their first signing of the January transfer window and he’s contracted until June 2022.

The player, of Nigerian parentage, was in Dortmund on Sunday to witness the club’s goalless draw with Wolfsburg and a day later put pen to paper on his contract.

“With his performances, Manuel appeared on the radar of several European top clubs,” Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc said on the club’s official website. “We are delighted that he opted to join us.

“He’s shown for his national team and in Champions League that he can play at the highest European level. At the same time, we believe he’s a defender with still a lot of potential for development.”

He said: “I felt good in the talks with the BVB hierarchy. And thus, my heart decided. I have always liked the football played by Dortmund. I am looking forward to my time here, and will give it my all.”

The four-cap Swiss International who impressed during Basel’s Champions League campaign this season is expected to help bolster Dortmund’s leaky defence which shipped 22 goals in just 10 league games until the winter break.



https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/akanji-shuns-manchester-united-sign-e21-5m-deal-borussia-dortmund/

Lack of foresight made us lose him.

TheGoodJoe:
Do you know how many parked bus play Manchester City have conquered this season. You also make it look as if Newcastle beat us.

Newcastle dominated Manchester city in the second half and that was why Manchester city parked the bus too.

safarigirl:
Newcastle? You mean Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace copied Newcastle.

TheGoodJoe:
I do not understand. Can you explain?

Man city doesn't have players that can unlock mourinho type of parking the bus and they can't cope with rapid counters. This was what Banitez used to dominate Manchester city and others have seen it all.

Newcastle exposed Man City.

jihday:
lol, bros you go still drop Amokachi's name, this ibe's first goal for them since he joined last Jan, I'm sure musa can do better

Is Amokachi still active in football?

Yes! Musa can do better but as it stands, Rohr said he doesn't want to take unfit average players to the WC.

For now, Ibe has a goal, 4 assists and enough game time.

Ibeeeeeeee.......

If Ahmed Musa is not making game time Jordan Ibe can perfectly replace him.

Nigerdeltaboi:
I think Bazee is back from injury, his team is easing him in gradually.

Yeah.

jihday:
I see you trying to create an excuse for permanently injured players, I'm not an advocate for any player o, but if any of our players need to be dropped you need to mention a worthy replacement. Aluko 2 goals and 3 assist? in the second tier of English football even Ajagun has better stats, and people will not let us hear word because of him. mtcheew

Isaac and Bazee are not permanently injured players. Once they are fit they will play.


Rohr said he doesn't want to take unfit average players to the WC. Therefore, Sone Aluko can easily and perfectly replace Iheanacho who is in a worst condition.

Playing in the championship is better than sitting on the bench with a middle table club.

Olanrewaju Yet To Return To Girona After Christmas Break, Misses Las Palmas Clash

10 hours ago

By Johnny Edward:
Nigerian striker, Kayode Olanrewaju, is yet to return to his LaLiga Santander side Girona after the Christmas break, and will miss club’s League clash with Las Palmas in Montilivi today (Saturday) as he Completesportsnigeria.com (CSN) reports.

The game is the second straight game the 24 year old Nigerian forward will be missing after he failed to report back to the club from the Christmas break.

He was also not in the matchday squad for Girona, in their 4-2 away defeat to Valencia at the Mestalla stadium last week.

According to a report on Spanish daily, L’Esportiu, the former Austria Wein striker has his head turned on after receiving offers from several teams during the January transfer window and he is also concerned about his chances of making Nigeria’s Russia 2018 World Cup Squad.‎

But Girona are not willing to allow the striker leave until the end of the season despite, the Nigerian failing to score a goal in 12 LaLiga Santander games because they believe he is still capable of regaining his scoring form for Pablo Machin’s team.

Olanrewaju has three international caps for the Super Eagles of Nigeria since he made his debut against South Africa in an African Nations Cup qualifier in June last year.

Girona are 13th in the Spanish La Liga Santander table with 23 points from 18 games played so far.


https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/olanrewaju-yet-return-girona-christmas-break-misses-las-palmas-clash/amp/

jihday:
three of the names you put up there are in worst situations, Success and Bazee have hardly trained this season talkless of playing, Aluko has lots of playing time but his statistics are nothing to be excited about. Joel Obi? please just by typing his name dude will get injured.

Isaac Success and Noah Bazee have not been frozen out of the team. They are out due to injury.

Noah is a starter if fit and he has already played this season.

Sone Aluko is in a far better situation than the unfit player he is up against. He has scored two goals and assisted 3 times this season.

Joel Obi can be second choice.

SHOULD KELECHI IHEANACHO LEAVE LEICESTER AFTER FOUSSENI DIABATE ARRIVAL?

Kelechi Iheanacho
The forward hasn't been getting games for the Foxes, and risks being pushed further down the pecking order with Fousseni Diabate signing
Article continues below

When Kelechi Iheanacho made the £25 million switch to Leicester City last summer, most wouldn’t have predicted the forward would be in dire straits a few months later.

In truth, however, it's beginning to look like he was set up to fail from the off.Craig Shakespeare already had Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki as his primary starters, not to mention Islam Slimani and Leonardo Ulloa waiting in the wings.

The forward always faced a tough task in displacing the Foxes starters, and considering the tactic frequently relied upon by Leicester, it made things all the more difficult.

Kelechi isn’t blessed with Vardy’s blisering pace, neither does he have the legs of Okazaki to be a nuisance to the opposition. Alarm bells should have been ringing as there seemed to be no method to Leicester’s madness, and no specific plan to include the Nigerian.

Kelechi Iheanacho

Fast forward six months and the forward seems to be worse off than he was in Manchester under Pep Guardiola. Seemingly unable to get games under Shakespeare before he was jettisoned, his situation hasn’t in any way improved under Claude Puel.

To put it in perspective, the forward played 180 minutes of league football under the Frenchman’s predecessor.

Kelechi Iheanacho | 2017-18 stats

Under Puel though, the Nigeria International has seen only 55 minutes of action. If there were doubts he wasn’t fancied in East Midlands, being left on the bench for Leicester’s FA Cup Third Round tie at Fleetwood Town might have been the final nail in the coffin for the attacker.

He was eventually brought on in the final 10 minutes as the Foxes chased a win to no avail as the game finished goalless.

Kelechi Iheanacho Leicester City

Definitely, Iheanacho wouldn’t have envisaged a bit-part role at Leicester when he switched clubs, and the fact that it’s in a World Cup year is definitely worrying.

The purchase of Fousseni Diabate from Gazelec Ajaccio is certain to raise eyebrows concerning Iheanacho’s future.

Having recently admitted he’d need to sell a couple of attackers in the January window, going out to buy another forward, just days after insisting Iheanacho still had to “improve in all areas” may not sit well with the former City graduate.

The Malian youngster has got pace to worry defenders, is an incisive dribbler and also capable of playing across the forward line. He isn’t expected to be thrown straight into first-team action, rather gradually eased in from the under-23s.

Critics could imply that the signs are ominous for Kelechi, considering Diabate suits Leicester in more ways than one, while he looks out of place. Yet when you consider the ages of the club’s other forwards, Vardy (31), Slimani (29), Okazaki (31), Ulloa (31), perhaps this signing isn’t as fatal as some might think.

It doesn’t change the fact that Iheanacho’s current position needs to change pretty quickly.

It’s a World Cup year, and with Gernot Rohr recently implying players will be picked for the Super Eagles squad based on merit, shivers should have been sent down the forward’s spine.

Electing to leave the club he signed for barely seven months ago may be shortsighted, but with the extravaganza in Russia only months away, a short-term move away from East Midlands should be in sight.

If Iheanacho doesn't escape the King Power Stadium, then he may pay with his World Cup place.

http://www.goal.com/en-ng/amp/news/should-kelechi-iheanacho-leave-leicester-after-fousseni/1f8ue2v7n6vh71hm5k45dtz3j5

Leicester City Coach Disagrees With Rohr: Iheanacho Is Staying Put
Published: January 13, 2018

Leicester City Coach Disagrees With Rohr: Iheanacho Is Staying Put
Leicester City manager Claude Puel has disagreed with his country man, Nigeria manager Gernot Rohr, regarding the future of Super Eagles star Kelechi Iheanacho.

Rohr earlier stated that he expects the Foxes number eight to leave the club before the end of the transfer window, with the World Cup approaching but this has been dismissed by Puel.

''We don't know about what the national trainer said. We will see. We have discussions with different players. For example Iheanacho is a young player, arrived this season, and he will stay with us,'' Puel told reporters

"I cannot talk about details about players. It is important to have a good balance in the team and have a good game time for the players.

"Iheanacho is a young player, he signed this season with us and we have to develop him. I hope he can have more game time in the second half of the season.''

Iheanacho joined Leicester City from Manchester City for £25m last summer, but he has scored only one goal from 12 appearances and his game time has been very inconsistent.

Igho Kingsley

http://www.allnigeriasoccer.com/read_news.php?nid=26157

2018 World Cup: Why Musa, Iheanacho may not make my squad – Rohr

John Owen Nwachukwu
2 mins ago

Coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, Gernot Rohr has told Kelechi Iheanacho and Ahmed Musa to move away from Leicester City.

The Nigerian forwards have struggled for regular playing time since joining the Foxes from Manchester City and CSKA Moscow respectively.


With less than six months to the World Cup in Russia, the Super Eagles technical adviser has warned that players struggling for form and regular playing time at their various clubs are not likely to make his World Cup squad.

The Franco-German coach told SuperSport, “My plan is to execute the World Cup with the players who are playing regularly with their respective clubs.

“How do you expect a coach to jet out to Russia with average players who lack playing time?


“I do take my time to visit various club sides in Europe to beg the coaches to build my players’ mind towards a great competition like the FIFA World Cup.


“I’m sad the likes of Kelechi Iheanacho and Ahmed Musa lack playing time at Leicester City. I and my scouts took time to pay their coach a visit, but we realised their case are getting worse.


“I hope they keep fighting for shirts to get a playing time or quit the club for a better team willing to give them playing time to showcase their talent,” he concluded.


http://dailypost.ng/2018/01/09/2018-world-cup-musa-iheanacho-may-not-make-squad-rohr/amp/

Rohr said his plan is to execute the WC with players who are playing regularly in their clubs and we should not expect him to go to the WC with AVERAGE players lacking playing time.

Did Rohr really say that?

Who are those players?

Ahmed Musa
Kelechi Iheanacho
Elderson Echiejile
Ezenwa

Who can replace these players then?

What role do they play?

Ahmed Musa can be replaced by Onyekuru or Isaac Success (if fit)

Kelechi Iheanacho can be replaced comfortably by Noah Bazee or Sone Aluko. They can both play the SS role.

Elderson Echiejile can be replaced perfectly by Bryan Idowu or Joel Obi ( as a LWB)

Ezenwa can be easily replaced by Ajiboye, Aiyenugba or the two youngies. Gbam!

What do you think.