safarigirl: I do not think Osimhen connived with anybody
I can give Osimhen benefit of doubt, because no be today he begin dey play for us. I cannot give Dennis same, because normal normal, I never sabi am like that
If you have been buying something from one trader for 5 years, you cannot give him the same leash as someone you only started patronising 6 months ago
Hearing him play yesterday proved there was conspiracy else he shouldn’t be available for games this early.
In my opinion, same offense must carry the same punishment. No partiality or preference
Mujtahida: As far as sports is concerned, I simply do not think the distinction between local born or foreign born should be an issue.
Alaba missed playing for Nigeria by just hair breath and even at that his heart is still with Nigeria. His sister recently on her Twitter time line said that it's sweet watching SE
Na corruption no allow the guy play for us. Where all the players that won that U17 World Cup?
I just need to address this post, if not for anything, educational reasons for people to understand the tactics behind your statement.
VERTICALLY UP THE PITCH
This is what some people mean by playing with purpose. However, it is beyond advancing the ball up the pitch but breaking the opposition defense. Now, if you just move the ball up the pitch with passes, you run the risk of giving up possession. Not just that, you will lose possession. So, there is a need for back passes to: 1. Retain possession. You need to keep possession if you intend to break down the defense. You control the ball to cleverly break an organized side.
2. Exploit gaps. With clever retention of the ball, you get to exploit gaps finally created from it.
So a midfield conductor's role is to make this happen. He plays a big part in retaining possession, keeping the team's passing organized, and spotting gaps for the team to exploit.
Note, spotting gaps have to do with finding his own players in space.
Watch the masterpiece below by Barcelona and watch the art of keeping possession in practice and how they broke down a very organized Liverpool with clever play and patience.
It is a democracy which means people will vote because of influence on them. Yes, Kelechi Iheanacho and Onuachu were brilliant. However, remember Osimhen is the one flying the Green White Green ahead of other strikers.
So his brilliance playing for the National team will influence a lot of people voting for I think the top goal scorer for the National team last year. Coupled with the fact he had a fairly good year with Napoli. It is no brainer why the voting public chose Osimhen.
Influence of his goals in the National team on the decision for choosing Osimhen ahead of others. I see.
Danielnino00: I'm sorry for not responding to your mention before.. I actually can't modify the post again..that's why... Here's an edited version of the post.
Super eagles and SSC Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has won the fourth edition of the annual Nairaland Nigerian Football Fans Player of the year award for the second time in a row. The former Lille hitman beat fellow super eagles forwards Kelechi Iheanacho and Emmanuel Dennis to win the award in a poll conducted by football fans on Nairaland. A committee made up of 5 members of the largest Nigeria football discussion thread on Africa's largest forum, Nairaland came up with the award categories and deliberated on the names to be considered in each category, and the final nomination list was released for voting by members of the forum.
In the female category, Asisat Oshoala beat off competition from Chiamka Nnadozie and Rasheedat Ajibade to emerge the woman player of the year, while former Enyimba forward, Anayo Iwuala won the NPFL player of the year award for his exploits in the league which earned him a famous call up to the super eagles before his move to Tunisian giants Esperance. Osimhen also emerged winner of the attacker of the year, while Torino fullback, Ola Aina won the defender of the year and Wilfred Ndidi was voted as midfielder of the year. Akwa United were also voted the team of the year ahead of the super eagles and Enyimba FC.
Bow is the full list of the winners:
1. Nigeria player of the year Victor Osimhen 63 votes
2. Nigerian female player of the year Asisat Oshoala- 70 votes
3. NPFL player of the year Anayo Iwuala
4. Most impactful new inclusion (2021) Frank Onyeka
5. Best Ogedengbe goalkeeper of the year Maduka Okoye
6. Stephen Keshi defender of the year Ola Aina
7. Samuel Okwaraji midfielder of the year Wilfred Ndidi
8. Rasheed Yekini attacker of the year Victor Osimhen
9. Most improved player Taiwo Awoniyi
10. Super eagles goal of the year Alex Iwobi goal Vs Sierra Leone
11. Best assist of the year Alex Iwobi assist for Iheanacho's second goal vs. Liberia
12. Team of the year Akwa United
CC: jubilantagida
Na wa oooo. How can Osimhen win best player of the year and best attacker of the year ahead of Paul Onuachu who had 29 goals (in the league), 4 assists and 7 motm last year?
Or ahead of Kelechi Iheanacho who scored 19 goals, 8 assists and with more than 2 motms?
Was it by the 10 goals, 4 assists and 2 Motm Osimhen had last that made him win those categories or na by pure undiluted sentiment?
Meliforme: Peter Olayinka is the dude i even wished would start against Egypt.
Why?
Because no winger in S.E is better defensively plus he is also creative.
Why didn't he start?
It is an important game and i think he is a newbie, his teammates will get to understand him with time, team cohesion and chemistry is paramount.
You will always reason along ethnic lines, i will not tell you to stop, it is your life, it is your decision. I refused to reply to kog45 when he asked for my lineup, because he is navigating the same route.
And let me tell you something, Moses Simon is a good player, you can tell from his exploits at Nantes, MOTM performance shouldn't even be far from a player like Simon, but as far as the LW is concerned, he is not the best we have got. There is Ejuke, there is Onyekuru.
The best is what i will always clamour for, irrespective of ethnic affiliations, not minding if i am the only one calling for it.
Did you see Olayinka in my post?
If not, who is reasoning along ethnic lines between you and I?
You are definitely the bigot and tribalist here. A confirmed one for that matter else tell me where you saw Olayinka in my post.
Besides, you are living on past glory else you wouldn’t be mentioning Onyekuru that has done Zelcheeeeee for the past two seasons.
Another confirmation you are an ethnic Champion.
Now, explain how Ejuke is better than Olayinka with facts.
In addition, how is Ejuke and Onyekuru better than Simon on the LW?
minfelix: That their mumu Arab cup wey Dem play, I swear aside the African contingent in that tournament, all those mumu Jordan,Syria,Qatar Saudi Arabia, non them go see one single win against all these our mad mad African teams I dey watch for AFCON
TheSuperNerd: Aribo to Awo was only one of the rare occasions we broke forward through the middle in the final third in that half. It wasn't even recorded as a chance created. And it didn't come as a result of tight spaces passing. It came via Aribo's individual brilliance. He beat a man to create that.
Most of our attack in that half came from the wings. Anything you are saying does not change that simple fact. Even the stats show that. But I don't wanna talk much. Check whoscored for yourself and see the areas of attack for all 90. The bulk of it was even seen in the first half.
Let it rest.
Thank God you agreed it was more than once. Hahahaha!
My man, keep deceiving yourself.
I watched the match with my eyes hence no need for whoscored.
Pass recycles was part of maintaining Midfield control. That was the idea.
And no, Forgiveness. Eguavoen’s instructions were clear in that first half. To play from the back to the wings. This is why our CBs recorded more long balls in that first half. Our build up came majorly through the wings than through the middle.
Those tight spaces passing didn't work out at all. We lost the ball several times trying that. That was simply at the MFs' discretion but the major plan remained Omeruo and Ekong feeding it long to either wings.
This explains why Ekong and Omeruo recorded the highest number of attempted long balls in the game.
In the second half, watch. It was no longer them sending long balls. The ball distribution responsibility fell to Nwakali who dropped deeper and allowed Ndidi even venture forward a few times.
Finito. Now can we rest this? I could write a text book on our tactics that day but this is enough abeg.
In summary, just know that Eguavoen’s gen gen press and Long balls to the wings through the CB approach is a tactical way of bypassing our midfield passing/conduction deficiencies in the middle with our first XI.
We have found a way to dominate teams even without having much of the ball. That is a plus considering the short time Eguavoen had but in the long run, we would have to address the deficiency in the middle.
Now let it rest. We go again on Wednesday.
From where did Aribo passed to Awoniyi come from? On two occasions.
Where did we create most of all the chances in the first half from?
My man, rest. You lied when you claimed “those passes through tight spaces were not working” when we evidently saw those passes through tight spaces that created chances.
komekn: The narrative here is mind boggling, we are literally turning black to white and red to blue to in trying to justify what cannot be justified.
We have two proven and tested EPL players who play Midfield at a far higher Quality, skill and technical level as well as work rate and tempo than what you will find in the moi moi Segunda Division.
Yet they are on the bench for somebody to come and play long ball. That's arrant nonsense.
It seems the shenanigans that happen with our indeginous coaches seem to have come up once again.
I don’t have problem with Nwakali playing but not seeing Onyeka playing is.......you know what I mean.
TheSuperNerd: I knew this one was gonna return and reply this way.
Forgiveness, the point is simple. Very simple. Eguavoen had a plan to keep control of the middle game with a big lead at 3-0. Control was priority before adding to the scoreline. But I need not repeat myself on this.
Besides, what took you so long? Ushering work Sunday? Or na you preach today?
Oya go rest you hear. I can see you had a very busy day at the pulpit. Take care man
That was not what you said. You said the midfielders were suppose to recycle the ball instead of passing through tight spaces when it was glaring Eguavoen instructed them to play that way in the first half.
Besides, I didn’t say anything about how we played in the second half so far.
My point is you were very wrong to blame the players for passing through tight spaces because that was actually Eguavoen’s game play.
Hanibal: How else are we supposed to explain that Nwakali and onyeka are different players and one cannot do the other's job? Nwakali is playing ahead of onyeka because we needed someone to stabilize the midfield. Eguavon is not Rohr that will play Ndidi and onyeka (both pure DMs) together against an inferior team. In the current set up onyeka is not competing with Nwakali, his competition is Ndidi ! And Nwakali has no competition (at what he does) in this AFCON squad. How else are we to explain this? TheSuperNerd and TheGoodjoe have explained this over and over again. And I find it surprising that Komekn with all his supposed involvement in football at the highest level still find it difficult to understand the simple point: Frank the TANK Nwakali the Ferrari (maybe Aba made Ferrari at present but a Ferrari all the same) you don see where Dem replace Ferrari with Tank before? .... They serve different purposes my man.
It seems you are talking about another Onyeka because the one I know can play CM.
Abi, is it not the same Onyeka that dominated against Mancity?
TheSuperNerd: And you make me laugh saying Forgiveness was balanced. He wasn't!!! He lied about where our goals came from. He credited the midfield. And it was all a lie.
Oga Kog dey talk true abeg. What was balanced in what Egbon Forgiveness said? We lost possession in the first half too much. We couldn't string good sequences of plays in the middle unlike what we saw when Nwakali stepped in. That is the truth. Passing recycling was important yet your egbon said it wasn't.
Possession dropped to 55-45 before Nwakali stepped in and he brought it back up to 58-42 after his introduction with the way he conducted our Middle plays.
Let us be honest in this thread abeg.
Even you seeing everything concluded it is Pro Aribo vs Pro Nwakali. Na wa.
Lied we were playing through the tight spaces and as a result got a free kick and a throw in that resulted to goals, right?
Through the same passes through the tight spaces we created goals that were either saved by the keeper or hit the goal post, na lie?
My man, you are the obvious liar here.
Eguavoen instructed the players to move forward and play through tight spaces which led to many goal scoring chances but you are here trying to give a different and false narrative to what actually happened.
Accusing and condemning the players for playing that way when it was actually how the coach wanted them to play.
You better pass Eguavoen?
But it is very easy for you to believe Nwakali and Iwobi played to the same instruction of the same coach that instructed those players to push forward, huh? Double standard.
Omanambala: You always make things look more complicated than they are. The midfield was weak and porous in most of first half. The early goal sort of masked the alarming rate at which our midfield was overran. You can still praise Aribo and still be objective.
How many attempts at goals did the Sudanese have in the first half if our midfield was actually porous?
How many attempts at goals did we have in the first half?
I am not praising or pulling down any individual here, rather, I am telling you our game plan today.
TheSuperNerd: No you are not and you still don't understand. But leave it.
It’s you that don’t understand anything about the game played else you wouldn’t have been talking about stats that said nothing about the game plan today.
We saw Eguavoen instructing Aina to move forward to support the Chuks. Why?
Did your stats tell us about that? Mbanu!
Please, don’t come here to start confusing the gullible with “they suppose to recycle the ball” when we saw Eguavoen barking at the players to press forward. Abi! You wan deny say you no see am!?
TheSuperNerd: You are talking too much and saying nothing of note Egbon. That's why I said e do abeg. You are making a funny case for a Midfield that couldn't string more than five passes together consistently in the first half. Abeg just leave it. You don't understand.
I am telling you our game plan which worked out perfectly for us today but you are talking about stats.
Well, how can you know that when you are only looking at stats instead of reading the game plan?
My man, stick to you stats and stop trying to force what you don’t understand at all.
TheSuperNerd: Kicked the ball out of play all the way from Midfield Forgiveness??!!! Heeeeiiii... Habamana naa... We obviously won the throw in through wing play and not through some unsuccessful bits of tight space passing anything. Kaaaiiii.... Egbon e do abeg. Lol
And recycling does not amount to nothing unless ofcos you only say this to avoid seeing the truth in the need to keep possession tidy unlike what we had in the first half.
Aribo was possibly the only reason we broke through the middle when he drove forward to the box and beat a man with a fine piece of skill to help set up a chance. But deeper in midfield we struggled to keep control and that is why the CBs remained our best bet for getting the ball upfield in that first half to the Wingers.
Nwakali and Iwobi came in and they were the ones getting the ball upfield through tidy build up plays.
Anyway, Egbon e do abeg. It's okay. Lol
Rewatch the match then read the game.
At the initial stage of the game, we were just recycling the ball. True or false?
Why? Because our wingers were double marked which forced them to pass the ball backward and continued the recycling. True or false?
What did Eguavoen do? He told the wing backs to push forward to support the wingers and Aribo also drifted towards the wings to add more support? True or false?
What was their aim? To pass in between those tight spaces and at the same time force fouls or get set pieces closer to the box 18? True or false?
Did they practice for set pieces? Yes! We saw how Ekong kept getting the ball through set pieces which led to both goals. True or false?
This was a well orchestrated game plan from the coach because they envisaged the Sudanese might park the ball and get us through counter attacks.
Recycling the ball is only good when you are leading or you want to settle the game.
TheSuperNerd: At first bolded.... you are wrong. They made the wrong choice and lost the ball too many times. We could always recycle and rebuild through other channels. There was no way the Sudanese were gonna keep us out all game. We needed to be patient in our buildups to open them up even more. But we rushed it and rushed away out of possession countless times in that first half.
Our goals came from a throw-in Oga, a freekick Oga and a third from the left side thru Awo and Simon combo. So how did the tight space passes that were majorly unsuccessful pay off please?
Egbon, admit it. We were not tidy in our possession in that first half. We lost the ball a lot. This is not about Nwakali now.. This is about us playing better going forward.
Exactly! Our goals came through throw in and free kick due to those passes through thigh spaces that forced the Sudanese to commit foul and kick the ball out of play.
Recycling the ball would have amounted to nothing. Or why would they have to commit fouls or kick the ball out of play if they didn’t panic?
TheSuperNerd: Aribo was good going forward. Aribo attacked the box very well and could have had a goal or assist if he was more aware in the box.
The only thing is while in the middle, Aribo and Ndidi tried to pass their way through tight spaces and closed markings. They should have avoided the press by spreading play a bit more and even going backwards to recycle and rebuild again. They failed to do this and this explains why we lost possession much more in that first half. But Aribo had a good game overall.
He was even more hardworking than Ndidi today up until when he was replaced. Ndidi stat-padded the rest after Aribo left.
Nwakali brought calm to the middle and kept things tidy. We lost possession less with him in the middle. That's for sure. Iwobi also helped in dictating plays alongside Nwakali.
But Aribo remains my starter. That's non-negotiable.
First of all, Ndidi and Aribo did the right thing by passing the ball through tight spaces instead of to keep recycling the ball because the Sudanese game plan was to keep us away from their box 18.
That was why they played deep into their half when they didn’t have the ball.
Recycling the ball was actually what they wanted to run down the game or at least win through counter attack through long balls.
We needed to score by creating chances through those tight spaces and it actually paid out.
Sports › Re: "The Super Eagles Thread: The Road To AFCON 2027, 2028 And 2030 World Cup by forgiveness: 2:06pm On Jan 18, 2022
