₦airaland Forum

Kimbeast:
Almeria just had a goal ruled out and Madrid equalize.

Notwithstanding, they’re the best team in the world RN.

Kimbeast:
Madrid getting flogged at home.

They’ll equalize and win.

popizaino:
If you like be balance from attack to defence to fans,if you don't have the right coach,what befell Argentina against Germany in 2010 will befall your team.

That’s not true. Rather it’s the other way round, if who sits in your dugout are Pep, Jose and Carlo put together but what you have on the pitch is an utterly imbalanced team, you’ll fail miserably.

It’s proven over time that with the right balance, a team can play even without a manager. I’ve seen professionals on the local fronts do that over and over again.

A right team balance addresses a manager’s 70% tactical worries, the last 30% is directed towards tactical call against the opposition.

Lauren James is humiliating her former team manyoo. A brace within 23 minutes.

AdisaOwala:
Let's even disagree to agree on Pastore, whose fault was it that Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti - 2 midfielders in excellent form at that time, were left out of the World cup?

Like I said earlier, blame Maradona Biko!

And to think they could line up like this with

Higuain

Di Maria

Diego Milito

Mascherano

All on the bench?

The kinda players Argentina had in 2010 - them suppose wipe Maradonna Oraimo cord for neck for failing to achieve anything tangible.

What I think Ibime is trying to establish is that the Argentine team even with or without Maradona had some midfield deficiencies, one every single top manager would have had issues sorting out at that time.

You mentioned the omission of Zanetti (who thrived mainly as an RB) and Cambiasso, good defensive midfielders no doubt but certainly not CMs - still goes to make Ibime’s point.

I’m beginning to see it for what it is, they had no traditional CMs in that squad. Just bunch of defensive, brutal DMs and a pool of attacking players.

There was no link, no true playmaker that would have been at the center of all different build-up patterns of play. One to recycle possession, keep the ball while drawing opponents out of position and ultimately allowing the rest of Messi, Tevez, Aguero, Pastore etc to penetrate, create chances and score goals.

AdisaOwala:
Lol

Pastore,an AM by default, has played (and thrived) in a CM role - we both know this!

Aside that,was it lack of CM that made them Messi, Di maria, Tevez etc to fire blanks vs a defence of Federich and Per-fucking-Metersacker?

Okay o

Where did Pastore thrive as a CM?

At Palermo, It was Nocerino who was running the show with some other Italian ninjas in the midfield. At PSG, Matuidi was the lone CM in the team when Pastore was signed. One would have expected the club to forgo the option of signing additional CMs, since they had Pastore, who according to you thrived in a CM position.

However, the club went ahead to sign Verrati, Rabiot and Cabaye.

So where did he thrive as a CM?

It’s rare to see African teams recording the score-lines we had today. End to end stuffs, attacking setups and entertaining games.

Not the usual gidigbo footie they’re known for. Good development honestly. It hasn’t been a bad mundial, and I’m sure more are still to come in the KO stages.

I had the captain’s armband floating around Saka, Toney and Palmer on different occasions before the GW deadline, only for me to settle for Saka at the dying minutes.

Five goals scored and that mofo had no G/A contribution.

2-2.

The resilience. Twice they’ve trailed, twice they’ve bounced back.

This Algerian team get character.

.

This Kabore boy na serious RIght-back. No seme seme

raumdeuter:
Even the Ivorian president Alhassan Quatarra is rumored to be from Burkina

Maybe na like Niger be to Nigeria

If the match come be in a place like Kano or Katsina

My thoughts exactly. Im reading somewhere that the distance from Burkina Faso to Ivory Coast is just 679 kilometers. That’s like 14 hours drive time.

By air should take just an hour or two max.

How many hours drive is it from Burkina Faso to Ivory Coast?

This stadium is packed to the brim with Burkina citizens, it feels like an away fixture for Algeria.

Intimidating atmosphere.

Guess who’s bringing out the calculators. Charleys!

raumdeuter:
Not just ball, airmark no sabi anything

Jesu!

andrewbaba44:
Onyemachi is better but Pajero no wan reason am

Zaidu shouldn’t be starting

Bassey should be playing CB alongside Ekong or anyone else

Aina Ekong Bassey Onyemechi

But No, that dunce they hired as manager has other plans.

This team is simply useless.

A team that has no playing style, no recognizable setup or even solid in-game plan.

Feature and come back before January 20th.

Itsrm:
Everytime Sanchez has the ball, my heart is always in my mouth. I can bet he would have done at least one bonanza in the time Petrovic has been in goal if he wasn't injured.

You can bet that.

He doesn’t inspire honestly. His early days at Brighton were very different, I don’t know what happened to the man.

raumdeuter:
Show is Gerrard world cup

Or any player who in the entire history of Chelsea who has won the CL and world cup while playing at your club

See as you just dey fall your hands. A whole egbon like you

Itsrm:
I know Disasi is hated on this board but there's something I've noticed about him. He has this ability to thread passes through the middle of the pitch and catching the opponent off guard. The goal Palmer scored against Luton is a perfect example. He does it time and time again. Perhaps, this is why he keeps playing.

Kudos to Petrovic. What a calming presence at the back. Doesn't take unnecessary risks. Passes when he needs to, boots it out when needed. If he was in goal against Assnal, we will be 7 points behind them.

I said it here first, I’m more relaxed watching Petrovic than Sanchez.

One is calm and composed, the other has shaky legs and a jittery look.

Ibime:
Bobb is a top player, and not quite academy. Many clubs have been hunting him from 12 years old. City signed him at 17 from Norway as well as a whole host of top youngsters over the last 3 to 5 years along with the likes of Lavia, Pedro Porro and many others

If your club was not offering competitive packages and spending on the best youngsters at that time, don't expect Arteta to magic up talent from nowhere. City Football group own 12 football clubs and various soccer centers so young players know they will get ample games in at least one of those clubs for their development, and they get lucrative offers for their age, world class training facilities and even a very good stadium for their youth team. City can also filter 1,000 youngsters through their various clubs and academies and present a ready made diamond to Pep that's been tested and proven. Most times they sell such quality youngsters to balance their books as a business strategy before even giving them a chance, that anyone they decide to keep, just know he is the business. It's Arteta vs a whole structure.

City have long flogged Manure hands down for talent in Manchester and NorthWest England because of this structure. Go and check out James McAtee at Sheffield Utd and Tommy Doyle at Wolves, these are City youngsters on loan there that can play for top 6 sides, and they are way down the pecking order to Oscar Bobb. City is low-key the Brighton of the big clubs, except they sell their academy talent at £10m-£20m just to tidy their books rather than give them chance like Brighton and run up their value to £50m+. See stadium their youth team play in, with a walkway to the main stadium, while Arsenal are still borrowing a decrepit Borehamwood, home stadium of a non league club as home ground for their youth and women. Arteta is just one man. The Saka and Martinelli we are seeing, na him give them chance, just like Nketiah, Smith-Rowe, Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock and even Odegaard to a lesser extent. He can't do pass his strength and support structure.

Citeh as a franchise are just finely run. One can’t help but just envy them.

nateevs:
Hehehe. Chilwell back to LW

Poch and football manager

Itsrm:
That pass is so Guardiola team like. He learnt well from apari

Pep-esque indeed.

The lad has been our turning point this season. Who can even thread such pass in this team bar him?

With Fulham pressing so hard on their own area, throwing bodies behind the ball, you simply need a Palmer.

Sublime defense splitting pass.

And he picks the ball and buries the pen in the onion bag.

We lead at the break.

Palmer is a criminal. What a pass.

BlueMann:
Enzo looking good. No surprise he's spent more time than usual playing deep. Caicedo not looking isolated as usual

Good observation. You can see the impact he’s making today.

I rarely see his heat map around our own half but they’re all over the place today.

Good press so far. Rejecting space all over the pitch.

That’s how it should be.

Henry140:
Abeg make fulham run am for me today, my life depends on it

Have you said your last prayers?

Chilwell and Carney makes match day squad.

Someone has to pray for that man now.

Ibime:
No, that was Terem Moffi

We already have Osimhen. Moffi and Kelechi, what is Onuachu coming to do again

That sloth.

Just imagine the height of corruption at the NFF glasshouse. You had a fit Moffi kept in your provisional list then jetted off to the mundial with Sadiq?

Like who are the idiots that runs Nigeria’s football?