₦airaland Forum

Jonraid:
In as far as sea ports are concerned,the Nigerians should shut it up! You should be trouncing South Africa seeing that your GDP is bigger than theirs!


This is why no one takes you seriously,Ivory Coast must have the best port in West Africa when all the stats are brought into a closer look!

Your seaport is utilised by 5 countries or thereabout.

Danielnino00:
Lol .which qualifier?
Uzoenyi made the team on the back of his impressive performance for the CHAN team in 2014 as a replacement for Echijele

So, 2013 preceded 2014? I am talking about AFCON. Uzeonyi was poor.

edi287:
He had 4 goals and 3 assists in 15 games by 26 Dec 2012. Not bad for a RW, but not on super form.
Martins was indeed in good form prior to AFCON(6 goals in 13) but like I said he didn't fit into how he wanted to play.
Osaze also had personal issues with Keshi so it's sort of understandable he got dropped.
We still had Emenike, Uche, Ideye, Vic Moses and Musa to fill in at CF and WF roles.

Odemwigie was in super form. I saw him played then.

Keshi never wanted to invite some players. It was not about not being fit into how he wanted to play. Obafemi Martins was the best Nigerian striker in Europe prior to the AFCON.

Why take Uzeonyi who was poor through out the qualifiers when we had Odemwigie and Martins?

Odemwigie had problems with him because of his bias selection. It is not acceptable.

OMANBALA1:
Every contributor here knows Aina loses concentration but you. Aina get caught ball watching on many occasions. He literally knocked Balogun into unconsciousness during world cup qualifier, because of lack of concentration. Sometimes I feel you deliberately like to sound ignorant.

There personal opinion. I don't take it seriously.

Earthquake2:
Did you watch the Cameroon game, Aina switched off and was bypassed for the goal

It is not new knowledge

That goal was largely Omeruo's fault.

edi287:
- Source please. The reason I heard Nacho didn't play CHAN was because he left to complete his move to City.
- Odemwingie wasn't in "top form". He was just ok and I think that was around the time he started beefing with Steve Clarke after his failed move to QPR. He scored only 5 goals that season(12/13.)
Martins should've played but we had Emenike in form and like I said - he didn't play well when he got the chance and wasn't actually in form at Kazan before AFCON
- Yobo got injured and Oboabona and Omeruo usurped his position and rightly so as at that time. When he dropped Yobo for Confed cup - he said Yobo would make the WC and eventually break the appearance record.
- Aluko deserved to go to WC.
Igiebor was given an opportunity but he didn't play well at AFCON and Keshi eventually found a winning midfield formula in Mikel - Onazi - Mba

Odemwigie was in top form. He scored the 5 goals with 3 assists before the AFCON. Remember, he did that as a winger. The beef was after the AFCON.


Martins received pay cut in other to join Levante prior to the AFCON. And right after he joined he scored 6 goals with assists in the La Liga prior to the AFCON. In addition, he scored another two goals in Europa League to advance Levante to the round of 16th. It was also prior to the AFCON.

Odunayaw:
Their selective amnesia has taken over. Making it look like the 2013 set were anything as bad as the Zambians of 2012

You dey mind dem. Though some big players were still dropped from the team.

darkelf:
Really

Na was ooo

Emenike better than Ighalo?

Yobo better than Omeruo??

Nosa better than Etebo??

Even the bench would give Keshi first team a run for their money

a

Brown Ideye, Enyeama, Mikel, Onazi, Victor Moses, Echiejile, Ike Ikechukwu, Ambrose etc were stars.

OMANBALA1:
The world cup qualifying group of death was not the first time we found ourselves in such group. Keshi had achieved more with way less talented group of players than Rohr. Rohr has not won anything yet. And ,yes he is tactically deficient. Rohr has been Super Eagles for over 3yrs yet we unable to play three good passes....its not impatient...its FED UP! There is no reason why we should not be playing beautiful football!

And, no! The problem with Nigeria is not impatience it's people like you who are dormant and comfortable with anything you are given. Rohr has not done anything spectacular....just few flashes here and there.

Keshi had more talented and experienced players than Rohr.

charlesemeka85:
Moses Simon has enjoyed the goodwill of coach of the Super Eagles Gernot Rohr despite the calls by many for exciting Villarreal youngster Samuel Chukwueze to start ahead of the Levante wing forward.

Simon have started two games since missing the first game and also played as a substitute in the 0-2 loss to Madagascar while Chukwueze since starting the first game against Burundi has played just twice as a substitutes against Guinea and Cameroon respectively.

A ‎ look at both players who are based in Spain will confirmed that they both offer contrasting style with Simon having the edge in helping out in defence while Chukwueze’s ability to glide past his markers in the final third stands him out.

However in games like the one against Cameroon, one expect the opponent to fight for the ball and deny the Nigerians space and such game require a player who can put in a defensive shift for the team as possession will be scarce and also space won’t be readily available for forward players to exploit.

To that effect Simon deserve to start ahead of Chukwueze as he helped in helping the team keep their shape defensively meaning Chidozie Awaziem didn’t have the issue of losing his man like Ola Aina who had to deal with two players running off him, no thanks to Ahmed Musa’s lack of discipline in tracking back.

Chukwueze was introduced when Cameroon were trying to hang on to their lead and decided to sit back and cede a lot of time and space to Nigeria as they defended deep in their half up until Nigeria scored the third goal.

The work ethics of Simon goes unnoticed but it’s worthy to note that he has created three goal scoring opportunities in the games he has played while Chukwueze has created just one. Simon also boast of one assist something that Chukwueze is yet to have.

In the Super Eagles next game against South Africa, the Bafana Bafana team will no doubt be less physical but very organized hence Chukwueze will likely get the nod to start with his ability to take his man out giving the Eagles a chance to disorganise the traditionally well organized South Africa team.

Worthy to note is that at Villarreal towards the end of last season with the team battling to stay in the Spanish top flight, Chukwueze was sparingly used in games the team need an outright win against direct rivals or mid table teams but started against Barcelona and Real Madrid, games which they are sure going to have space because of the attack minded set up of their illustrious opponents.

In contrast, Simon also started against Real Madrid and Barcelona and in both games he played as a wingback who tracked the runners for the opponent to deny them space to whip in balls to forward players in the box.

Overall, it’s a plus that the coach of Nigeria have two players who can offer him variation pending on the team he is playing against and system they want to play in decisive games.

Hmmm!

Arkmanbuddy:
Let me ask you: how many tribes make up the US, can yi count all of them? US is the biggest economy and is a country of several different people from different ethnic backgrounds. How many tribes make up the Koreas yet they're so divided?

The truth is, to develop a nation requires the joint effort of a people who believe its possible, regardless of tribe and tongue. That we're not developed is not due to the fact that we're made up of many tribes but because we haven't gotten leaders with the right combination of intellectual wherewithal and ownership of this great Nation. When this happens, every other thing will fall into place.

That's just the fact!

Korea is divided but they are two different countries as we speak, and both are developing at their own pace though the S.Koreans are more prosperous.

lilfreezy:
Very stupid coach and a very stupid explanation.
Since chukwueze came in for Simon, did he see the Cameroonian left back overlap? Chukwueze pegged him back as the defender was only concerned about dealing with his trickery. Simon does not do the basic thing needed from a winger which is to take-on your man and cut in for a shot or an assist , instead oga wants to be doing aimless crossings and shooting with his weaker left foot.

As for the coach, he should be dynamic like Antonio Conte. If he knows he wants to utilize Simon's defensive abilities then he should shift to three at the back and play simon in the Victor moses position. with that, our right flank will be deadly with both chukwueze and Simon attacking the opposition wingback

That statement shows you watched the back of your TV.

TheSuperNerd:
Isolated pics show nothing. Motion pics show what really happened and what led to why Awaziem had that chance. It shows initial to final positioning and that is what I watched and have rewatched. Chuks was the difference and even Rohr diplomatically admitted to it. Sorry you cannot do anything about that.

So keep posting your pic isolations. It will give you a goodnight sleep.

Even if you are shown the motion video, you will not agree.

Chukwueze did nothing there. That's the truth.

Meliforme:
I understand your love for Moses Simon. I love him too.

Dispute the facts presented.

edi287:
I can't afford to take Rohr serious if this is true.

I don't want to believe it is true. It's frightening.

BascoVanVeli:
Nigeria's show of character and Ighalo's goals secure AFCON progress


Colin Udoh ESPN

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt -- Three thoughts on Nigeria's 3-2 win against Cameroon in the Africa Cup of Nations last 16.

1. Ighalo leads Nigeria's show of character

As two-goal Odion Ighalo walked off the pitch after being substituted, he took a moment to hit one fist against his palm, indicating to his Nigeria teammates that they must continue to fight. He had done the same thing just before kickoff and again when the Super Eagles went 2-1 down. It was a sign of how far the forward has come and the leadership he brings.

Tapping into reserves of character is something past Nigeria teams have done, but the current group had yet to come back from adversity under Gernot Rohr. That changed on a thrilling Saturday night in Alexandria, when Ighalo scored twice before Alex Iwobi added the winner to see off Cameroon and seal a place in the quarterfinal, where they will face South Africa.

Six days after a shock defeat against Madagascar cost his side top spot in Group B, Rohr restored his regular starters to the line-up and it appeared the instruction was to press high early. Nigeria began with energy, pushing Cameroon back into their half and forcing early errors. After 19 minutes, a free kick led to pandemonium in the Cameroon penalty area and Ighalo pounced.

In the five minutes before half-time, though, two easy goals were gifted to the holders, which meant a gut check was required by the men in green and white. They showed the character required after the break, first withstanding multiple attacks and then, when Ighalo took a chested Ahmed Musa ball in stride and stroked home from close range, drawing level.

Three minutes later, the same combination led to Iwobi slotting under Andre Onana. The remainder of the game brought more examinations, but Nigeria stood resolute, repelling waves of Cameroon pressure to claim victory.

It was a personal triumph for Ighalo, who scored seven times in qualifying, but has since taken plenty of flak from fans, not least for his role in the Madagascar defeat. There were calls for Victor Osimhen to start, but Rohr did not waver from his belief in the abilities of the forward who turned 30 just last week.

And on one of the biggest nights of his career, Ighalo showed why. After an early miss attracted the critics' ire again, he showed a poacher's instinct with both of his goals, first when he reacted quickly to stab past Onana and then, on his second, when he stayed composed to volley home despite Cameroon's claims of offside.

"He is a great striker and I trust him because he scores goals and today, he showed us again what he can do for the team. I like him for his professionalism," Rohr told ESPN after a game in which his faith was rewarded.


Having failed to qualify for the last two Cup of Nations tournaments, NIgeria are two games away from this year's final. Getty
2. Defensive errors persist but Etebo stars again

That the game came close to being lost, despite the fact that the Nigerians controlled it for long periods, was due to a fragility in defence that meant fans could not relax.

Both Cameroon goals were avoidable, but panicked and uncertain play meant pressure was invited from early in the game. Just before the holders equalised through Stephane Bahoken, Kenneth Omeruo mishit a high ball that led to chaos in the penalty area.

Ola Aina looked unsure as he tried to come to grips with the pace and trickery of Christian Bassogog and Clinton Njie, the latter of whom got the better of Aina to score Cameroon's second. There were more hearts-in-mouth moments after Iwobi made it 3-2 -- William Troost-Ekong's hurried clearances did little to bring calm -- and Cameroon will kick themselves for not making more of their chances.

"Like I have said before, we are human beings and we make mistakes," Leon Balogun told ESPN. "Nobody goes out there to play and make mistakes, but we keep doing our best and we work hard to make sure that those mistakes do not happen again."

One player who did much to ensure Nigeria closed the game out was Oghenekaro Etebo. There was concern when the midfielder took a knock midway through the first half, but he had his hip strapped and returned to continue the good work that has made him Nigeria's most influential player -- by some distance -- at this African Cup of Nations.

Ighalo's goals might have won him man of the match, but Etebo's uncompromising attitude and ability to control the tempo of the game was again vital is one they have rode on to three victories. It was evident even when they lost and will be needed if Nigeria are to go beyond the last eight.

3. Rohr's substitutions worthy of questioning?

The Nigeria manager usually leaves his changes until late in games and very often makes switches with which supporters do not agree. His actions in this department during this game were a mixed bag.



He got the first one correct on two counts, bringing on fan favourite Samuel Chukwueze -- sacrificing the defensive attributes of Moses Simon -- with just under an hour played. The impact was immediate; Chukwueze is a harbinger of chaos, with quick feet and an ability to take on defenders that causes constant worry in opponents.

Rohr's second sub -- Paul Onuachu for Ighalo -- fell into the exasperated "oh no, not again" category. The feeling among fans is that Osimhen, or even Henry Onyekuru, would have been better choices to harass a tired Cameroon defence. As if to make that point, Onuachu struggled and there were audible groans each time he gave the ball away.

It was also instructive to see Ahmed Musa screaming to the touchline for Leon Balogun to brought on as the Nigerians tried to see the game out. The defender eventually replaced Iwobi during injury time, which left a feeling that, maybe, Rohr just does not know the right time to change things.

Ahmed Musa instructed the bench to bring Balogun!

timay:
I as a person acknowledge the contributions of Simon and Ighalo in the game. But some people just came out of nowhere to start saying Chukwueze had no impact in the game, that our scoring and winning was just a coincidence , that happened when he came in. We just wanted the notion.

Chukwueze had very much impact in the game but not before the two goals.

darkelf:
Simon has been disappointing in this AFCON

Attack threat is zero

Defense threat: Overrated as hell. We have conceded 4 goals in two matches. His primary responsibility as a winger is to attack. Yet he has not been able to instill fear into opponents (bar his assist to Omeruo). I never thought i would ever say this but Musa has been a better winger than Moses so far

Go and watch all the matches he started. If he didn't create one chance for players or for himself come back and tell me.

In fact, he is far better on LW.

timay:
This is what happened when Chukwueze came in

Georges Makanjes was on a yellow card. When Chukwueze was introduced, it caused real concern on Seedorf's face. Watch the clip again and see how he went to talk to Kluivert about it on the bench. As a result of that substitution, see what happened:
a) Makanjes was substituted because Seedorf knew the chances of him being turned by Chukwueze was high. Makanjes would have had to tackle and he most likely would have been sent off. He was subbed for Aguissi who was a less effective marker.
b) Knowing that Aguissi was going to have problems marking a quicker, faster and more masterful dribbler in Chukwueze, an extra player was drafted to help Aguissi mark Chukwueze, unlike having just one defender in Makanjes who clearly marked off Moses Simon. Deploying an extra defender meant a distortion of the original defensive formation of Cameroon and this is what opened the spaces for Musa, Iwobi and Ighalo to start incursions from the middle. Led to our 3rd goal.
Seedorf showed clearly that he is still an apprentice coach. Gernot Rohr outsmarted him tactically.

So yes, chuks was definitely the game changer. Before his introduction, we had little or no space for ighalo, Iwobi and Musa to operate

Look at our equalising goal. The two guys were definitely on to Chukwueze, they were expecting Awaziem to pass to him so that he can do his trademark dribbles, unfortunately, they left an acre of space for Awaziem to patiently doing a beautiful cross into the box for Musa and Ighalo which led to our 2nd goal.

Bolded is false

The two guys weren't on to him.

ChrisKels:
Another excuse

Neither of Awaziem and Ola is playing in their primary positions, yet neither has been as disappointing as Simon

Oya look for another excuse bkus the defensive excuse is already stale

Awaziem without Simon..... hehehe!

If not that I am not sure of Collins. I don't want him to continue in that position. Aina too has been limited.

Eleniyan15:
To be honest first time I'll be quoting you on this thread but iono go lie you bro, e b lyk say na back of TV you watch ooooo

The moment chuks was on 2 or 3 players were shadow marking him, influence really matters in football.
The moment he came in, Musa had space to fvking run

Go watch the match again. I have not denied anything you said.

TheSuperNerd:
Your snapshots show nothing Egbon. Moments taken and isolated does not give a true picture of the tactical truth I dropped. Finish. I am done with this but obviously you wanna keep talking just to knock down Chuks' impact. Not fair and not truthful.

To you.

The pictures showed the positioning of all the players. Chukwueze didn't draw two players to create space for Awaziem. That's the truth captured in pictures.

Chukwueze impact was felt after we scored the two goals. That I admitted.

TheSuperNerd:
Where you both accused each other of having another intention behind Chris preferring Chuks over Simon on one hand and You, preferring Simon over Chuks on the other hand. You also said Chris just wanna run another player down to talk up Chuks. See... please, let's just end this. I have been here long enough to know where such discussion is heading. For me, the team comes first always.

That was a closed case.

This topic was not brought up by Chris. I think dark.., something brought it up.

I just focused on analyzing the tactics we used.

TheSuperNerd:
You mentioned it in your discussion with Chris. So saying me is laughable. Look Egbon... It doesn't bitr to admit Chuks brought a new wind to the team's attack. We won... And that is what matters.

The snapshots I posted up there are in contrast to what you said. Chukwueze didn't do anything before the two goals were scored.


After? He did. So, there is nothing from those pictures that he created space or whatever before the goals were scored.

TheSuperNerd:
You mentioned it in your discussion with Chris. So saying me is laughable. Look Egbon... It doesn't bitr to admit Chuks brought a new wind to the team's attack. We won... And that is what matters.

Which discussion? Show me.

chrisooblog:
for me personally I think Moses Simon was one of our better players before he got substituted on many occasions he had the beating of the cameroonian left back but unfortunately his final balls weather shots or crosses were off the Mark.

Samuel when he came on was also very good put the cameroonian defenders on edge like super nerd said his excellent movement created space 4 Awaziem to deliver that excellent Cross which resulted in the equaliser.

Sometimes we don't need to knock somebody else to appreciate someone else's game for me Simon had a good game it's just that Samuel was better and carried more threat

Simon didn't play on his best position which is the LW. He would had scored if he used his right foot.

komekn:
A good defender would have blocked that cross or seen him off to the touchline.

But Awaziem gave him too much space he kept backtracking as opposed to closing him down and the space down. A reflection of a player with limited pace up against a much faster player.

That's why Awaziem was the WEAKEST LINK in thay team.

Awaziem has tried so far though he has some weak points as a RB.

If only Collins was not injured.

But at this stage, I don't think we should change him because I don't know what Collins can bring to the table.

Starboytwo:
And you people should try not to paint one player bad to praise another.....I didn't see a bad player yesterday, well except for the 2 goals which I would blame omeruo for...

Simon Moses has been one of our strongest performer in this Afcon, saying anything contrary is blasphemous....he has continually put up a very brave defensive display for the Super Eagles, I don't know if any of you guys ever play football, but if you wanna know how valuable Simon is, kindly call awaziem and ask him about Simon.....that guy is any right backs dream.....

But like I said yesterday, in that match, we don't need to defend much and as such chukwueze was clearly needed, infact if it was onyekuru that came on, we would have still scored because that Cameroon team was not a team to DEFEND against but ATTACK at every opportunity....

Moses Simon great game, Peter Etebo great game, all the super eagles players gave a great fight yesterday....I had a good night sleep....unto South Africa....

You are right on point. Gbam.

komekn:
The way objectivity and rational are thrown to the dogs anytime a favoured player is mentioned, has become a trend here.

And we begin to give accolades for nothing.

And when you don't join the emotive hallelujah praise singers for thier favoured player you are labelled a HATER.

Say the truth whenever you have the opportunity to do that. It will set you free.

ChrisKels:
From the first paragraph, what was needed to stop Onyongo from coming forward was a daring winger not a defensive one. Chuks came in and Onyongo stopped the forward movements, the the threat Onyongo was posing got nullified instantly. With a defensive winger, Onyongo was always in our own half hence, taking the fight to our dormot, but Chucks came in, and sent him back to his own half, and that gave us the Victory. KPOM

The coach of the year.

Oasis007:
''The question is easy to answer, you know when you have some offensive players like Oyongo, the left-back from Cameroon, who is coming forward all the time and you have an offensive strong player like Chukwueze but defensively not so good like Simon Moses, who plays in his club a more defensive position because they play 3-5-2.

''He's playing on the right or the left side, so we decided to start like this to have stability in the team and to bring in Chukwueze in the good moment. He came in after 16 minutes in the second half.

'"I don't believe that it changed the result but it helped us to win and to score the two goals.''

- Gernot Rohr

Cc ChrisKels, SuperNerd, Humility017, Forgiveness, Charlesemeka85.

The last statement says it all. EOD

TheSuperNerd:
Lol... That's basically our front three naa.... Haba!

How Humility go want make all of them out naa.... No naa... I think it is only Ighalo he even bitterly wanted dropped... Egbon... You are funny ooo... take am easy naa... See as you just cancel out the whole front three just to pin it on Humility... Cool down ooo....

He can't deny it.