₦airaland Forum

lexyman:
you know quite well that we lack strikers , infact the world as a whole lack strikers . a lot of them were been given an opportunity but they ve failed . if we must do well , we must respect the decision of the present coach of the super eagles . dont be suprise to see the line up against Poland as our starting line up in the world cup proper .... the only addition you will see is mikel , and probably some addition to the bench . its too late to start introducing untested strikers with no SPECIAL TALENT or EXCEPTIONAL ACHIEVEMENT the world cup is around the corner , if you think of a better striker , think of the time to blend well into the team .... the IGHALO OF today is better than the Nwakeme you can be clamouring for .

But Obafemi Martins is a special talent.

TheSuperNerd:
In truth, I agree with the writer on this point.... against Serbia, Ndidi was indeed the most advanced of the three MFs (meaning Ndidi played no.10 surprisingly) and he did impress with his footwork and ball holding but nothing came out with respect to creativity and dictating play. Joel played CM (sometimes CDM) while Onazi played DM. This again may have restricted Joel's offensive shine.... not making excuses for Joel oooo... he was even abysmal with the throws and still failed to connect to the attacking third even as a CM playing somewhat behind or alongside Ndidi and ahead of Onazi in that triangle (more like scalene triangle) but his defensive duties were okay (against Poland he did his defensive job pretty good but could not exert himself offensively in a two man central midfield combo with Ndidi with Nacho playing further forward behind Ighalo) but I want him to be "properly" tried in the no.10 role primarily so that we know for sure. Else, we got Iwobi for Mikel 2.0..... enjoy the article

Did Joel Obi make the most of his Super Eagles opportunity?

https://images.performgroup.com/di/library/GOAL/95/8/joel-obi_1fmpqhlwycg1o1mht09bwsgk9f.jpg

The Torino man was given ample gametime to impress by Gernot Rohr, but did he make a case for World Cup inclusion?


There won’t have been too many Nigeria players who were under greater pressure to impress during this international break than Joel Obi .

The midfielder has endured a frustrating international career, failing to build on the promise he showed as a youngster—when he was once considered alongside John Obi Mikel—with a series of injuries and fitness problems undermining his progress.
He failed to establish himself at Internazionale as the club appeared to gradually lose faith in his consistency, and missed out on both the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and 2014 World Cup.

Now, however, enjoying a renaissance of sorts at Torino, and with the 2018 tournament in Russia fast approaching, Gernot Rohr offered Obi an invaluable opportunity to showcase his qualities in the green of Nigeria.

The 26-year-old was given ample time to impress during both friendlies—the victory over Poland and the defeat by Serbia—but did he do enough with his minutes to ensure he makes the cut for Russia?

In truth, the jury’s out.

https://images.performgroup.com/di/library/GOAL/ee/ae/joel-obi-luka-milivojevic_ysg96u1fpn0h1m10r3xtldyus.jpg



Assuming Obi stays fit between now and the tournament—a big ‘if’ considering his record—it remains to be seen whether he’ll take his place within Rohr’s 23.

First of all, beyond fitness issues, there is considerable competition for a spot in the midfield, and player with a dubious injury record may resemble an un-necessary risk unless he offers something that no one else can.

Ogenyi Onazi, John Obi Mikel and Wilfred Ndidi are essentially settled as Rohr’s first-choice three, with John Ogu and Oghenekaro Etebo likely to fill up two more spots.

Mikel Agu has enjoyed the faith of Rohr in the past, while Henry Uche Agbo and Chidiebere Nwakali are other options, but Obi ostensibly appears to be battling with this trio for any potential sixth midfield spot.

To climb in the pecking order, he surely needs a injury to one of the aforementioned players, or needed to have made an indisputable case for himself during the international break.

He didn't succeed.

https://images.performgroup.com/di/library/Goal_Nigeria/6a/8c/joel-obi-of-nigeria_1tkuk7uumqres1s0wvzsp0qc9x.jpg


In the first match, against Poland, his ability to express himself was largely denied him by Rohr’s conservative tactics, which saw Obi handed a more defensive brief as Onazi began the game on the bench.
This was a consequence of Rohr’s decision to switch to a central-midfield two in order to give Kelechi Iheanacho the opportunity to impress just off Odion Ighalo.

Obi may have done his duties effectively, demonstrating his energy and discipline, but this was hardly the opportunity to showcase his offensive qualities.
In the second game, with the midfield three restored and Mikel still absent, the stage appeared to be set for Obi to come into his own.

In the event, however, the Turin-based midfielder was again utilised in a deeper role—this time alongside captain-for-the-day Onazi—with Ndidi perplexingly used as the most advanced of the triangle.

It was another missed opportunity by Rohr, with Obi not allowed to prove whether he could effectively be Mikel’s understudy after ahead being handed a more restrictive brief.

If the Tianjin TEDA man cannot make it to Russia—for whatever reason—then could Obi replace him effectively?
We still don’t know…and neither does Rohr.

https://images.performgroup.com/di/library/GOAL/5f/6f/john-obi-mikel_1glg8rcq8hm5a1xsc0vipshl8o.jpg


Certainly, at this stage, the left-footer cannot realistically hope
to have convinced the manager that he offers more thrust than Etebo or is a better passer than Ogu.

In principle, his dynamism, dribbling and technical class could have made him the ideal candidate to link the midfield and the attack—the great failing the Eagles demonstrated in London—but the opportunity was missed acquire more evidence.

What does count in Obi’s favour, however, is his versatility.

While he’s established himself as a central midfield, his ability to play through the middle in a more advanced or withdrawn role, or in various positions out wide, could make him a valuable asset in a tournament environment.
Taking a player with Obi’s dexterity to Russia would ensure that the Eagles are covered for any series of potential injuries or suspensions, with the midfielder representing something of a security blanket in the case of a crisis of personnel.


https://images.performgroup.com/di/library/Goal_Nigeria/a3/a7/joel-obi_1ntnsb0tgmx9o1hach3v9mzlm2.jpg

He’s not exactly the Nigerian James Milner, but it’s an attribute that will certainly count in his favour when Rohr comes to draw up his squad.

In conclusion, Obi’s case hasn’t been advanced as much as it might have been during this international break.
He kept fit and he proved that he can do a job in a deeper midfield role—both representing successes—but he didn’t make himself invaluable and hasn’t demonstrated that he can take the creative reins should Mikel miss out.

If he can stay fit, we’re tipping him to sneak into the squad on the basis of his versatility and his poise, but heartbreak only ever feels a whisker away.

Will this be another false dawn for everyone’s favourite midfielder Nigeria almost had?


Source: http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/did-joel-obi-make-the-most-of-his-super-eagles-opportunity/myqywfn7xyzy1r59yoztio9vf


Russia 2018 WC Countdown: 77 days 2 hours 22 mins to go

MetalJigsaw are you seeing what I am sawing?

Joel Obi is an asset because he is versatile. Kphom

fucklikant101:
SERBIAN Match: VITAL LESSONS!

Must Read: Gernot Rohr.

This is my humble reaction and submission to those in the Nff, admistrative authorities, concerned high stakeholders and friends who called to demand for a critical explanation for SE woeful showing & loss to Serbia.
First, I will explain that these matches are WC preparatory, or test matches and results would vary. Only a bad Coach would insist on fielding his strongest side, and not experiment to determine his best materials leading to the main event.
I salute the courage & focus of Coach Gernot Rohr for always cleverly shielding his plans from the prying eyes of rival Spies & paid Hawks.
I respect his tactics & strategies.
He is a very good tactician! I applaud the Coach.
SE have nothing else to prove.
The Coach could have won still, if he wanted to, he knew what to do, trust me. But to what purpose? Nigerians must know that football is a strategic game of cons, intrigues & delusions. It demands knowledge, intrigues & intelligence to execute a strategic winning plan.
Gernot Rohr told the world that he wasn’t desperate to win the Serbian game. Implying that he was going to experiment and explore other tactics and formation that might not outrightly yeild positive result.
I was spot on in my preview of this match warning against the danger of under performance, or under estimating the Serbians.
We also presented that Serbia would die to win and they brought their A game.
I was also spot on informing Nigerians of a ‘burst’ outcome, if our midfield fail to take charge and control, and shred-off the challenge in the middle of the pack.
GR matchday-list for the occasion was telling because he threw the game open when he handed Captain’s Arm Band to Onazi, and named him in his starting 11.
Furthermore, GR gave Ahmed Musa a rare chance to prove himself a better man than Ighalo as Top 9.
Awaziem, Idowu, Ekong & Ebuehi were re-tested together. It was good experimentation, one you would not risk without a trial. Uzoho is still coming up.
Ubuehi must not aggravate his fragile health; his quality is not in doubt.
Ekong, Idowu & Awaziem are all of good quality. Why risk injury & all with the WC next door.
Now, Nigerians have seen the boys and everyone is entitled to an opinion, whether such opinions are technical, or unfounded and pedestrian. Popular or unpopular the media are dishing out all sorts of analyses.
I have read comments about the match and most of them are dry and sentimental.
This is not only a Nigerian problem, even in Argentina, La Albiceleste had succumbed 1- 6 to Spain, in Madrid, fans will take to the streets.
Portugal had also suffered a 0-3 defeat with CR7 in the mix. Some are calling for a sack.
Such is the extent fans could go.
Many of these so-called hardline followers (fans) are football illiterates & quacks.
They lack deep knowledge of the game and only believe their team must WIN in every match, even in mock games.
We need a lot of education on this.

SUPER EAGLES’ CAPTAINCY:
A captain is a manager & coordinator of his team, also during play. It is critical to how a team performs. The team Captain combines his duties wit supervision of his colleagues. It is a dual function & not everyone can handle it.
Ordinarilly, the oldest team player should claim it but it must not be automatic if the player lacks the qualities to lead.
Onazi Ogenyi has failed again leading SE. Against South Africa, last year, and now Serbia.
So, GR knew why he switched the Band (C) from Troost-Ekong, CB to Onazi in 4 days.
Onazi lost direction again & failed to coordinate his midfield, he allowed the Serbians to dictate the Midfield rhythm and take the initiative. These lapses clearly have shown what level GR can commit to him..
MIDFIELD:
A match is won and lost in the midfield department, a good Coach will tell u.
SE had no midfield play against the hardworking Serbians. Joel was lost, Ndidi suffered & Onazi was at sea, completely overwhelmed & confused. The duty & initiative to shred the Serbians was lost. It was a below par outing.
No feeds to out strikers. This was a show of shame. It was a disaster!
ATTACK:
Ahmed Musa’s deficiency was clearly revealed without Iheanacho’s presence. Musa has by far past his best, just like Uwa Elderson Echiejele who watched from the bench. These are “Aged” players under illusion as boys.
We all know them; they can’t give what they don’t have.
Ighalo is fighting for a 2nd choice top 9 spot with Musa, but the man had failed himself again to take half chances, even the rear gift chance in the box, he frittered away.
Victor Moses & Iwobi showed commitment and their class even in the drab encounter.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT:
The match served its purpose very well. Kudos to the technical Man, GR for using these matches to expose the deficiencies of our “Big Players”.
Heads can now start rolling.
Nigerians must not be surprised to see NEW faces in the SE next invitation.
The clock is ticking fast and SE are getting set to fly.
NEW CALL UPS:
Our striking role is our current major headache & concerns of fans.
We expect the Crew to source for proven goals-machine to be invited no matter the Division in which they play for quick assessment.

Suggested Names:
1) Cyriel Dessers
2) Paul Unuachu
3) Fernando Adi
4) Obafemi Martins..

Critics speaking against seeing these eligible Nigerias get called up are either nursing a clandestine motive, or clearly know nothing about this game, and are enemies of SE & Nigeria.
There are more ‘battles’ ahead to be fought to hammer the team into good shape before the WC, and GR have proved very decisive with his Master stroke in Serbian Match by not showing his full hand but only his intent.
The ‘Oyinbo Man’ knows his starting 11 for the WC. Don’t be deceived.
SE will be the team to beat at the Mundial.
I stand by them, 100%.

Is Ighalo fighting for the 2nd striker position?

Besides, I agree with him to some extent, especially the bolded.

Farzat:
I didnt watch d match against Serbia live, so I was not under any pressure when i watched d replay and my observations are as follows;
1. Serbians has size and physical fitness advantage over us. (You will always struggle when challenging someone bigger than you. E.G d disallowed goal. Awazie was struggling to stop d player from heading d ball but d player was taller and stronger than him)
Advise- We shud not go into physical battle with a team physically stronger than us. Imagine playing 3 DM/Tacklers (Ndidi, Onazi n joel) in such match, u dont expect such match to be free flowing and entertaining. Winning such match can only be by a slim chance as d case of Poland. We must approach such game with a different formation n tactics to outsmart them like our 2nd half approach against Argentina.
2. The Selection. I think d choice of Onazi in front of Awazie is wrong. Onazi is a kind of tackler that moves to wherever ball is available thereby leaving lots of space behind, In any case he misplaces passing, the opponent utilizes d space he left thereby exposing Awazie who is not experienced enough to handle such pressure.
Advise- We should have a commanding CBs that would always call d DM to order or shout on another player to fall back whenever d DM is caught out of position. As for Onazi I think he should be coming in as a late subtitute for maybe a striker whenever we are defending a goal.
3. There are many areas to improve in this team before WC, so i wont be surprised to see any of these players gatecrash d team. 1-Sareren bazee. GR will like to use d NT success of these German breeds to lure others. 2-
Isaac Success. GR likes him. If his form picks, he has edge over Musa and Simon. He can be another version of VM on d left. 3-Austin Ejide. He is d best option to fall back on. He has d experience. No issue with NFF like Enyeama and he has no terrible past working against him like DeleAyenugba. 4-Chinedu Obasi. His move to Bolton is simply to showcase his quality to avoid criticism when invited. He is eager to start playing and we all know what he can do. So dont be surprises that after 2 matches d call for his invitation will start (maybe Mikel's Connection). 5-Onyekuru. This guy wants this WC more than others, its d easiest way for him to return to Everton and so he can do anything to prove himself. If he recovers on time, he will definitely work harder than ever n increase d fan's call for his inclusion.
This remaining 2 months will be very intense for players fighting to be recorgnized and others fighting to retain their place in d team. My prayer is that non of them will be injured and d injured ones would recover quickly.

Do you mean Austin Ejide who was clubless for almost 2-3 seasons before he got a club in the second division of Isreali league is better than Dele Aiyenugba who is playing consistently in the first division of Isreali league for almost 2-3 seasons?

BascoVanVeli:
He almost scored while on the ground but for a block

You are right.

elyte89:
Na musa boss chriskels dey talk abt

Ok na.

jerryclinton:
Friendly matches are suppose to be an avenue to test new players and possibly carry out a substitution by elimination approach to games but I observed yesterday Rohr was playing to win by bringing in players he would have put earlier on to assess late. we all know how iwobi, ighalo, Ndidi, musa or Moses play and we wanted to see Gabriel, Ajayi, Stephen Eze, etc so they can be verified if some of them can even perform better than the main 11. How are we sure if given enough chance an Ajayi wouldn't do better than an Ighalo who always needs 100 chances created before he can score one goal? You don't aim to win all your friendly matches by using 70 or 80 percent of your starting 11. since we know your first 11, experiment on new players to see if there's anyone that will perform better than the regular so you can draft in such a player into your first team while you drop those who are complacent to the bench.

This is spot on. There's no other way to say it better.

MetalJigsaw:
The same Joel that I watched yesterday and against Poland?. Oya swear say Joel add any quality.

Please, watch the match again without tension.

TheSuperNerd:
I would not say so.

With these two friendlies, we have seen Uzoho against other opponents and have moved on from his 45-mins show against Argentina which was the only Uzoho song we sang. And so far the Uzoho I saw is going to get better before May and even before the Wembley game.

Good reflexes, quick off his lines to snuff out danger and cliam the ball off Kostic's quick feet, good sweeping skills, fine ball grip, knows how to get down well for a one on one... I say these two friendlies did him a world of good.


And these two friendlies also showed us that Joel cannot step into Mikel's shoes in the CAM role. Yes he is not a CAM... But a CDM...or more precisely a CM but he was touted here among us to be the answer to the Mikel role.
Well, these two friendlies showed he is not. We should be looking at Iwobi.

Well , you may be right but I think Rohr should have done better with the players he invited.

Like i said earlier, I saw both positives and negatives and I think this is one of the negatives.

BascoVanVeli:
He almost scored while on the ground but for a block

You are right.

TheSuperNerd:
Oya Egbon... Now let us reason this thing together.

You see this Kelechi Nwakali.... He made 9 eredivisie appearances mostly from the bench for VVV Venlo and even registered a goal from the LW role... He played the other eight games as AM (4), CM (1), and RW (3). His last game in the dutch topflight was against heerenven as an AM. He featured for 67 mins or so.

Now back at MVV in the dutch second division, he had played 10 games all as an AM and in his last four games, he had bagged three goals. He had 4 goals 1 assist in 10 games as a CAM. The last of his strikes came just this past weekend on Friday the 23rd (on the second day of the international break). I have watched those games and Kelechi Nwakali is showing great growth and form for MVV in that AM role. The way he dictates play and bosses games show talents beyond his years. He may be in with a chance to return to Arsenal for preseason and given a chance to show himself after this season is over. That is the latest on him that I gathered on his Arsenal chances.

Now I am not saying "oya give him automatic invite then..".... Nope and Nope. But I want you to really look unbiased at Kelechi's case and understand that what we need is to try the best available talents for the role. This can be done Post-Russia.


Now this takes me further to what I mean by " best available talents in the CAM role"


Another option is Abdul Ajagun.... (Come on Close your teeth.. And listen carefully )

Now, Abdul Ajagun proved himself in the dutch topflight and now he is doing his thing in the Belgian league for KV Kortrijk.

With 8 goals 3 or 4 assists I think in both the Jupiler league and in the Belgian Cup all scored when he played as an AM, he seems to have really shown he is capable of doing the goods in that role. He is another talented available option who can be looked at. He also plays DM, CM, and RM but he strives better as a CAM. He and Kelechi Nwakali, I have both watched and feel they can be brought in and looked at by the coach... Plus they are available.


Josh Onomah... Now this lad is one but the question is. Is he available for us? With him, we have to first approach him and convince him to come play for us. And we may have to wait for an answer for a couple of months. He is another option we can surely explore okay but until then, let us focus on the top quality options we do have that we feel can take over in the long run from Mikel... "K.Nwakali or Ajagun for a start". There is still Ovie Ejaria but I reckon he is behind K.Nwakali and Ajagun for now and Ajagun is ahead of both of them in terms of exposure at the top level.

Onomah have played 28 games for Aston Villa fc in the English Championship (17 starts and 11 sub roles) and scored 4 goals and given 1 assist all as an AM. He had featured in a few other roles as LM (3) but mainly as the AM.


Within the Super Eagles current Squad, the closest that can come to playing the CAM role is Alex Iwobi. And I hope he can be that option for the role in Russia when Mikel is take off with A Simon Moses coming in to take over his wing role. And also we must ne mindful of moving Alex Iwobi to that CAM role coz you get the best out of him there when he is surrounded by players that understand his style like Kelechi Iheanacho and Victor Moses. Alex's synergy with Iheanacho especially is key.


So my simple thought on this is simple... We don't have much time before Russia to integrate another. Let us go with Alex Iwobi as the temporary option to stand in for Mikel. And the coach must widely ensure that the team has on field the players that will make Alex's gifted class from the CAM role flow endlessly like Iheanacho and Victor Moses who will bring out the devastating flow of soccer that will make you all see why Iwobi is Magic.



On Ajagun, I will love to see him now but I don't know if Rohr will look his way until Post-Russia. And the time is also short too.

On Onomah.. Let us first approach him then.

On Kelechi Nwakali... I maintain that in this lad I see the future of our CAM role which is why I say we defy logic and place him on our team's radar for early integration into the team. He really oozes class. Egbon Forgiveness... Please... For once just take your time and watch this lad and tell me what you think of him based on his technical abilities. No dey always talk of "prove yourself" afterall Iwobi never prove himself like that before Oliseh give am invite naa abi...

On Ovie Ejaria... With time, his time will also come.

See ehn.... This 2-0 loss is good. We were without Mikel, Balogun, Victor Moses (for the second half), Kelechi Iheanacho (still our best goal threat), and Etebo (who could have come in as an impact sub). Ebuehi too was not 100% fit so he struggled no doubt.

This is not the time for wild reactive names-calling to come salvage the team. We have to be wise and mindful of the team's synergy and growing cohesion... We cannot just make drastic changes because of this loss especially when those being called for are not exactly on a better level than what we have. Cyriel Dessers for instance is not better than Ighalo right now... You can take that from me. I have seen him play. Also, he won't find it so way blending with Iwobi or Victor Moses upfront... A team strives on understanding and Synergy.

Let us be careful and address the main issue which is our CAM... We all saw what a Mikel-Iwobi-Iheanacho combo did to Argentina... There was no Victor Moses there at all... We must be mindful of our best and our strengths and build on that.

I could say more and there are so many angles to be addressed but I choose to stick with the positives and the fact that we had Four key players missing against Serbia. Serbia was at full strength with Tadic, Matic, Kostic and all... That first XI was solid. I said this earlier and I said it even before the match kicked off.

This CAM is my biggest concern.... And I have just given yiy my thoughts. Egbon... Reason this matter with me. I respect your views because I realised you are true fan who just has his own controversial way of showing support for the team... This is why I indulge you. And me too I want the best... So reason this matter wella. Thanks for the read.

I have gone through your comment and I can see the angle you are coming from.

However, please, kindly take note there's nothing bias about my stance that Kelechi Nwakali must prove himself before he gets a call. Because I believe if truly he oozs class then we must first of all see how he translate his class in a decent league with sublim performance before we even think of putting him on the radar not to talk of giving him a call.

But as we speak, he is currently in the second division of Dutch league after he was unble to break into the Eredivise team he played for.

In short, he was benched 6 - 7 times before he was sent on loan back to a division lower, a division he was last season. He couldn't managed an assist or get a goal in the 5 games he played as an AMF in the Eredivise.

In the lower divisions, he has scored 3 goals with 1 assist. He might be dictating and bossing the play but let us remind ourselves that he is doing that in a lower division but could not do that when the bar was raised. Are you getting me?

Now, let me address your notion on the best available talent in CAM.


First of all, Mikel Obi is number one and he can still play for 3-5 years if he keeps fit. The next close to him is Alex Iwobi but I think he is not serious with his game. After him come Abdul Ajagun and Raheem Lawal. Yes. Raheem Lawal can play three roles effectively, CAM, CMF and DMF.

These two players are best available talents behind Mikel Obi and Alex Iwobi going to the world Cup though I still think Sone Aluko can play the role wella but if we talk about post World cup, then Josh Onomah should be called because he's even ready now to play for Nigeria. It's not different to change nationality.

Therefore, I don't see Kelechi Nwakali in the picture for now.. He may come good after the preseason with Arsenal or later in a good league, I hope so but until then I don't think he deserves a call-up for now.

I will watch Kelechi Nwakali again though I know he is better in the CMF role after I saw him played.

This our team needs an AMF going to the world Cup but Iwobi is not business like.

Please, try to understand the angle I am coming from. Shalom

BascoVanVeli:
We all know with Rohr that it is one thing to get a call up and another to actually play.

Is that really cool?

kennysville:
Keep telling yourself that

Be humble and learn. Shalom.

fucklikant101:
Checking Aluko stats, I will agree he gets called up again....Martins, Ideye and Ogbuke should also not be forgotten

That's a good one.

But Ogbuke?

komekn:
Statistically speaking present and continuous and on current form. He is better than KC and Ighalo. Or will you will say Ajayi is better than him

In the same vein will you say Defoe, Klos, Ronaldo C., Robben, D.Alves, Iniesta, Mascherano, Llorente, Antonio Valencia, etc, etc using your yard stick and
according to you thier time is past.

Outside of Mikel Obi nobody in the current set up is as technically astute and skillful as Aluko. Voted best midfielder in the Championship last season.

Abeg, leave that boy.

MetalJigsaw:
An AM is what we need so he's not really needed.

I am tired already.

Goke7:
Did keshi not give martins a chance?

Which chance?

ChrisKels:
Lol elyte89 mibros did u see ur man striking for us yesterday. He couldn't even manage a single shot on goal, not even an off target shot

Musa the headless chicken was a minus one

Odion Ighalo had shots on goal.

komekn:
People have used the word hypocrisy and double standard when certain players are asked for.

But thier own words condemn themselves.

The basis for selection can only be consistent quality performances in your club not past glories.

This is what some peeps here don't want to understand but they want to force some certain players with no performance for club on us.

BascoVanVeli:
He did no such thing. We learned a lot of things that we can take away from those friendlies both good and bad.

I mean, in terms of testing new players he brought to the team.

komekn:
Mostly agree with you with some exceptions.

But you do not proffer any solutions.

KC is not a bonafide No 9, he can not play as a lone striker. That's a handicap, it's not part of his skill set to bully defenders, he doesn't have blistering pace or technical wizardry, finishing a resounding big YES. But without support he can be anonymous.

Iwobi lacks maturity, skill upon skill without doubt but end product in the final third very suspect.

Ekong and Balogun the best CB combination we have.

Aina is yet to play a complete game or half he hasn't been tested properly. So can we truly talk about his qualities.

We watched a Championship striker Mitrovic give our defenders a terrible time. Awaziem found out. There will be strikers in the World Cup that will be much better and more physical.

The team needs strength in depth.

The core of the current squad is good but they need 4/5 quality tried and tested additions. This will give us a fighting chance.

The world cup is not a sprint it's a marathon. You need to have capable replacement in every department. We shouldn't be looking at youth potential but players who are delivering for thier clubs consistently.

Dressers could even be an option Ideye, an additional striker is essential as well as Am.

We want to at least get past group stage anything less is not good enough.

Bros, you are spot on. Keep up the good works.

MetalJigsaw:
But you are one of those people that were claiming the guy can shoulder the creative responsibilities with his AM potentials.

I never at any point in time claimed so. Ask Joebie. We argued about it.

He was the one that said so.

I only said, he will add quality to the team which he did.

darkelf:
A sports analyst once said Rohr's major problem is sticking to known failures (either in tactics or personnel selection). At the time, I thought the statement was ludicrous but now, it seems the man has a point.

Hmmmmm! I quite agree to some extent.

somehow:
I thought Rohr would use him as an AM to see what he can offer in the absence of Mikel, we have enough DMs already, why is Rohr rigid na, use the guy as AM and see if he can handle that position.

Rohr just wasted 2 friendlies solving no problem!

Exactly, Rohr wasted 2 friendlies.

somehow:
I thought Rohr would use him as an AM to see what he can offer in the absence of Mikel, we have enough DMs already, why is Rohr rigid na, use the guy as AM and see if he can handle that position.

Rohr just wasted 2 friendlies solving no problem!

I didn't see that. I will have to see the match again.

kennysville:
Friends, countrymen, Nairalanders....
(Yes its been a while yall read that)

First of all, its a good thing that we lost the match so we dont have false expectations of our boys. To those who wanted the loss, yall got your wishes. To those who didnt want us to lose, well its part of the game.

Correct me folks if I am wrong, but we all knew we didnt have a creative midfielder outside of Mikel for almost 2years now. What exactly was done about it? We started looking for makeshift players to mould into creative midfielders. We knew that Alex Iwobi thrives more in the middle of the park than on the wings, yet we still kept making the same Wenger-ish mistakes. Of course I can understand he adds more attacking threat but the dude's natural forte is the Middle. If he had been encouraged more along this line, its possible we would be having a good midfield- Attack link up.

We also had Azubuike Okechukwu who in my opinion is one of the best creative midfielders we have but simply because he plays for one lowly rated team in turkey, we turned the other way. This dude was instrumental to the Gold we won at U23 Afcon, and the Bronze at the olympics. My assessment of our coach is that he is willing to take the risk of sticking with Mikel Obi as the only natural creative midfielder and hope he doesnt get injured. Pray tell folks, what happens if he gets knocked say in training? Then game plan gets disrupted abi? Then we get to run like headless chickens all over with no clear cut cerebral input geared towards attack. It is now evident to the whole world that without Mikel, our brand of footbal is gra gra and frankly at the world cup, they will exploit that promptly. Unfortunately at this time, it is too late to experiment with any new creative midfielder at this stage because we have to worry about them blending in for the team chemistry.
As someone rightly said, we should just continue with the set of players that got us qualified so as not to look disjointed. And perhaps, hope for the best from that.

My assessment of yesterday's game is that Rohr's game plan for the match was disrupted by the fact that Balogun failed last minute fitness test as well the reported fracture of Kelechi Iheanacho. He resorted to playing musa as a 9 and we got what we got. This tells me that he needs to work on having equally potent replacements for each of the positions.

Talking about Ebuehi and Idowu, i realize they are better suited for attack minded formations. This implies that when we wanna be bullish, Shehu is our man, but whe we wanna attack and keep an all out attack, we need these two boys ( Idowu and Ebuehi) hence the need to really perfect 3-5-2 and really sharpen it , primed for attack!

Our passing needs a lot of work. It is not nice to see us lose possession after 3 passes. Our forwards need to work together in that if a player is in a better positiin to score, then they shd pass to him instead of seeking personal glory (I dont wanna mention names). I dont have a problem with yesterday's team selection. What i have a problem with is the aim or objectives the coach set out to achieve. Was it to sit back and soak up pressure from the Serbs and then hit them on counter? If that was the case, then it was poorly executed


I believe in our team a lot. It just takes right tactics, right personels and executions for us to be able to win. It hurts that we are in the situation we are. I have said this before and I will still say it again, I wouldnt worry about our goal keeping "crises". It is the least of our worries right now. If our team is set up to always keep possession, you will find out that all our goalies will do will just be Goal kicks and routine clearances. In other words, there are things worse than goal keeper problems. Let us get our midfield and attack sharp. End of discussion!


Up Super Eagles

Azuibike is not an AMF. He is a CMF or DMF. So, he can't add anything to the creativity of the team. Thanks

Martz101:
just listen to your self, last time you people claimed he was not allow to attack, now he was allow to go forward you claim his not an AM

internet coaches

Me? I never agreed for one day here that Joel Obi is an AMF or can play there. If you have evidence, pls show me where I saw he was not allowed to attack.

That is false. If you don't know, pls don't accuse falsely.

Goke7:
We went beyond the group stage, the last was in 98 with the olisehs and okochas. Martins and co could not get us beyond group stage

Group stage is your definition of performance?

Mikel Obi failed to qualify us one 3 occasions but later came back to redeem himself with a AFCON trophy and later took us to the so called second round. Why? Because he was still given the chance to prove himself. Chikena

MetalJigsaw:
if it's only LM and CM he can play then we don't need him.

And you say he's better than ogu? someone that cannot trap ball or make any sensible pass?

Pls, watch the game again, you will see he offers more options to the team than John Ogu.
He can directly replace Onazi or even start ahead of himin some formatioms.

MetalJigsaw:
if it's only LM and CM he can play then we don't need him.

And you say he's better than ogu? someone that cannot trap ball or make any sensible pass?

Pls, watch the game again, you will see he offers more options to the team than John Ogu.
He can directly replace Onazi or even start ahead of himin some formatioms.

Kog45:
Sir on Uzoho i know Rohr w do the needful cos i don't want to say anything regards our goalkeepers cos no quality options.

Oh our double standard for players here abi,sir am beginning to differentiate real football analysis from personal,sentiment and emotive analysis.

Sir, na today you know?

Humility017:
Lollzzz...so much suggestions...I will want him come after the world cup

precocious Arsenal Talent Nwakali Is The Solution To Nigeria's Midfield Problem


A playmaker with class, one highly rated by Arsenal and currently on loan at MVV Maastricht in Holland.
How is he not? It's a subject regular observers ponder. How is Kelechi Nwakali not included in the Super Eagles squad?
A player of grace, vision and football acumen, but one on the periphery at international level.

It's a strong national team, to be fair. And Nwakali is a creative midfielder – the Eagles are not short of those.
MVV fans would tell you how talented he is – one of the jewels of their campaign, a player to help facilitate the club's attacking principles.

Few midfielders are on the ball as much as the Nigerian in the Dutch second tier. Few can boast his passing accuracy, sitting at just over 87 per cent.
He is a fantastic player who is able to read the play before anyone else.

That's the major ingredient the Super Eagles lacked in their recent friendlies against Poland and Serbia respectively.
The former Golden Eaglets skipper will be hoping further great performances can aid a late bid for a spot in the national squad traveling to Russia.
It would be a fitting way to crown his time to date in MVV, where he feels at ease, national team or not.

Abayomi Ademetan

[b] source: ANS ]/b]

What has Kelechi Nwakali achieved in the Eredivise second division? Remember, He was benched in Eredivise.

For now, he is not hte solution. Maybe in the nearest future after he must have proven himself.