₦airaland Forum

The more professional a sport becomes, the less a disorganised society like Nigeria will succeed.

In 1994, football was not advanced. Players could still play a game running only 6km. As football got more scientific and technical, we started to drop off.

Same with the sprints in athletics. As oyinbo found scientific ways to ensure that their sprinters keep their top speed for longer, we stopped competing as a force. In 1990, you can watch 100 metres and all the runners start slowing down by 50m when fatigue sets in the muscles. Only Carl Lewis was able to keep his top speed till the 90m mark. That was when Nigeria used to medal in the sprints with people like Sunday Bada, Mary Onyali and that 100m guy who used to compete with Linford Christie and co (forget his name).

These days, how many times these do you watch Nigerian sprinters leading by 30m, only for their muscles to tie up and finish last over the next 70m while the foreign athletes keep their top speed till the finish line? The natural talent is what gets them to 30m, science and organisation is what impacts the last 70m.

Same thing for 400m, we are always leading at the start of the race and always tow last by a long distance after tiring out due to lack of endurance.

And let no one say Brazil does not have organisation and science in football. If you read about their detailed training camps before tournaments, you will be shocked. Go check how many months of rigorous and scientific training they did before 1970 World Cup. Or if you read Ronaldo biography, you will see how they had him in a camp by himself on rigorous training for 5 months leading up to the 2002 World Cup. Or you can read Ramires account of how physios had him running up hills back and forth everyday at age 15. There is a reason Brazil produces endurance sprinters like Dani Alves, Cafu, Maicion, Alex Sandro, Ramires etc. Watch Brazilian league, almost every fullback is an endurance sprinter. It's pure science.

Jamaica are equally as scientific as Brazil when it comes to sprinting, even to the point of taking all sorts of performance enhancing drugs.

Nigeria lacks organisation and meritocracy simples. You will see a good player in form and fitness and he will not make World Cup squad until years later when he learns how to settle the key guys in the system. That's how Emenalo used parapo to displace Nduka Ugbade in 1994 World Cup, same way Ogbeche was taken to 2002 World Cup in place of an in-form Yakubu. Same way we were taking expired players like Utaka deep into 2008/2010 at a time when Obasi was hot. By the time Obasi learned to settle the correct guys to make National team, age had caught up with him. There is hardly any tournament that Nigeria went to that you cannot name 5 players in the squad based on parapo or bribery while 5 better players were sitting at home.

bigkesh:
Bakayoko fall on you

Even if we sign Elderson Echiejile at this stage, I go happy.

raumdeuter:
Ibime nihilist funlord a40 afrodoc2 diggz nateevs

I always hear this mantra that poor administration is why African football is terrible. Do you believe this or it's just a case of we don't have the talents

Make season quick start so you can stop asking rhetorical questions.

I don't want any mention notifications this summer until Chelsea make a signing please. I dey vex.

diggz:
^^^
Funlordmaniac Ur boi don X NL o! Hup no be u cause am?

Funlord2:



You send am before?

Abeg wetin happen to dullwood?

Huddersfield discussing £8.5m move for Izzy Brown.

I say that's good money for that lazy boy. . . we should add buyback clause though just incase he decides to get his act together.

dopeJemi:
abeg, shey Felipe Anderson no be attacking midfielder?

I tire oh

bigkesh:
On second thought we should just pay the £60m for Sandro and replace Cole .......Tired of spending on a LB every summer

He will be a super signing

Nah £40m for Mendy is better option. Sandro gets washed under pressure. Alonso is just fine.

L'Equipe reporting that Chelsea are now showing interest in Lacazette.

Lordfalcao will be doing cartwheels.

pamcode:
By the way Ibime are you docratis on Youtube, the way the user para on the comment section of bakayoko vs City Away video is just like you.

No Sir.

Griffon:
Micheal Emenalo have acquired UEFA Pro Licence, the highest coaching certification in Europe.

Ibime aren't you reading the signs? This is our next manager staring at you

Man must plan for future jare.

Emaprince:
How was he killed?


Just googled it.

Na Comrade Putin oh

Meanwhile ISIS leader Baghdadi has been killed. Nice one.

lordfalcao:
Meanwhile new PSG sporting director have refused to sanction the deal of aubameyang, claiming his not value for money. Nigga is still a free man, these are the type of strikers we should have on our shortlist...

It be like say PSG don dey borrow sense. If this does not crash the price of Lukaku and Morata, I don't know what will

A40:
Btw I been bump into your Maestro song as I dey transfer my library. Chale you dey bust that year oo. Lol

Hehehehehe

Mayweather vs McGregor is just a money making venture for both of them. Nothing consign that one with boxing.

I even saw one of McGregors sparring videos. Dude cannot even move his waist to bop his head.

Nihilist:
They are still the transition guys.

Leicester played exactly this same game and we both know Kante and Drinkwater weren't running any possesion game.

The wingers are the ones that do the transitions in a 442, inverted or not.

You can't compare Silva and Lemar to Albrighton and Mahrez. the Leicester wingers are out-and-out. And BTW, we are not trying to buy Drinkwater here.

Monaco 4-4-2 is more like Man City 4-4-2 of Mancini and Pellegrini era. With Bernardo Silva and David Silva being interchangeable.

Or if you prefer, Michael Carrick and Scoles in Manure 4-4-2 of days yonder. Lack of midfield coherence cannot be blamed on 4-4-2 when Silva and Lemar are dropping in. The base of the midfield just did not have the basics.

Nihilist:
I'm sorry but how else do you expect to transition in a 442 except via the wings?

With both Mbappe and Falcao pushing up, the only way to link midfield to attack is to circulate ball to a winger and let him carry the ball up.

Shebi that's what Kante was doing at Leicester when they won the league.

I don't think Fabinho and Bakayoko did badly at all.

Infact whoscored rating is almost exactly the same for Bakayoko and Tolisso, and while that doesn't tell the whole story, it at least suggests that Bakayoko was operating at around the same level of efficiency in his jobs as Tolisso was doing on his duties...

Lemar and Silva do not hug the touchline. They come inside, forming a double arrowhead at the top of the midfield while Sidibe and Mendy run the flanks. Bakayoko and Fabinho possession game should be even better in this system given the bodies directly infront and the overlaps from Mendy and Sidibe.

Mr Airmark, do you see what's happening on the cryptocurrency markets today? Are you still holding Bitcoin assets?

My Ethereum holding is taking a serious pounding today, but no shaking, I plan to hold for the next 18 months.

Funlord2:
So don't you trust contes Italian default settings to add a bit more steel to bakayokos all round midfield game via coaching? He looks as if he has more in his locker than both kante and Matic combined...offensively at least......so I'm thinking conte may go with a midfield 3 of him, fab and kante with fab with the responsibility of play making while also linking the midfield to the attack, kante nipping any drama in the bud defensively and bakayoko driving forward via surging runs at intervals in order to support the attacks while also forming part of a defensive shield with kunta when not in possession! Can't you smell what the conte is cooking?

It's not about steel. There is steel that comes from midfield control. Not running or passing out of rhythm with your teammates and losing the ball unnecessarily etc, being able to receive the ball comfortably and avoid possession turnovers etc.

I trust Conte to get the best tactical solution that works and fits the boys style of play ala Victor Moses, but I don't trust the boy as a footballer.

Nihilist:
Bakayoko didn't do too badly in a midfield two this season just gone though

IMO, he and Fabinho as a midfield two did very badly. Any possession they had came through Lemar and Silva, and the team was split into two seperate parts - attackers and defenders - with no midfield bridge to link the two. This style of play can only get you so far in the long run.

The Monaco team was characterised by high octane and high frequency possession turnovers - an endless cycle of tackle and counterattack, tackle and counterattack with no midfield control whatsoever. Linking attack and defence is the responsibility of the base midfielders and they both were woeful in this aspect. This style of play with high frequency turnovers is what led them to be chopping 6,3,4 goals in UCL knockout round.

Greatihex:
After watching the bakayoko video, the only thing I saw that is not good is his sometimes unnecessary dribbles. Aside that, he is a very good buy considering his height, speed, strength and the price.

Watch the "Bakayoko Vs" video not the highlights videos which only show his best dribbles and tackles. When you watch an "all touches in a match" video, you will get the full picture of a midfielder and how he receives, controls and passes the ball each time. His highlights video does not scrutinize his first touch which is what is under question. Someone on a forum called him the French Fabian Delph. That is not too far off his technical standing.

Nihilist:
With this guy in the team, I can see Fabregas in the Pirlo role behind Baka and Kante. He's very energetic and mobile. Very fast too. What i liked the most was his dribbling skill. He will be able to drive into midfield from deep...something we haven't had since Matic of 14/15, while Fab would be free to ping long range passes around like a quarterback.

diggz:
Though I like is combatant nature,pace on the ball and loads of energy however, I have a problem with is kind of dribbling Bros. His dribbling from the clips I just saw looks excessive and dangerous when dispossessed in key areas.

I am of the opinion that conte signed this guy. He once had Vidal in juventus,tried everything to get naingollan and now we have our workhorse in babayoko, Young,energic and a combatant in nature. Na 50/50 be this one. He may end up being a ramirez or a Vidal. Only time will tell ....

hensben:
Exactly. This is what I am seeing in the future too.

If Fabregas is the only hope for this guy achieving a tactical fit, then we were better off going for Tolisso or Tiellemans who also drive, but add goals and assists and can play the role of conventional midfielder if 3-5-2 is not working, or if Fabregas is injured or is unable to reprise the Pirlo role comfortably. Even Ramires could achieve a tactical fit in certain setups but in the long run was found wanting in conventional midfield setup. Let not a midfielder hide under tactics. If you can't do a basic job in conventional midfield, I am not interested in how you can fit in because sooner or later you will be relied on to run midfield and if you can't, na serious gbese we go dey.

We are one month away from preseason oh. These guys should hurry up and give new signings time to train because season starts with tough opponents straightaway. I don't want no last minute Djilobolodji stories.

It is in Costas agents interest to keep Costas mouth closed as agents get 10% of any transfer fee. Costa is obviously a nutjob who doesn't play by the rules and the type of person that likes to usurp societal order. He is not the first player to be told he is surplus to requirements. He is a terrorist!

Chelseafan1:
Come o, b4 Hazard regains fitness, we would have played Man city, Arsenal, Spurs Arsenal twice Everton, Man utd, Liverpool and you call that cool fixtures, abeg, e no cool anything.

Na wetin I dey talk. Momentum is everything.

timbros:
Mehn I love our fixtures next season!

Playing Spurs, Arsenal, Man City, Everton and Stoke by September.

By then teams never get their rhythm. If we can be top of the league by October, e go hard for others o.

Oboy na so 2015/16 start oh.

Unlimited22:
Whatever happened to Kevin Strootman??

Injuries. Dude was out for like two years, but he just return this season.

Unlimited22:

And we could have signed Corentin Tolisso.

Leandro Paredes even better. The football will be singing and zipping about quickly if Paredes was in our midfield. Tolisso is preferable to Bakayoko but a robust midfield controller alongside Kante is my primary wish.

timbros:
Ibime you said something earlier, like 2 pages ago, that I completely agree with. You said 'in Conte I trust'.

If this 10 member technical observers agree that Bakayoko is better than all DMs in the whole 32 teams in UCL and worthy of being in the TOTY AND most importantly, Conte is ready to buy him, then he must be doing something good in the pitch.

And his age! At 22, it's more easier for Conte to mould him to a player he wants. I mean look at what Conte did to Moses, Alonso and Luiz.

Don't tell me Conte doesn't know about this his awful first touch and other 'technical deficiencies'. But he is still ready to sanction the deal. Could he (Conte) be seeing something we don't see? Possibly. Might he be planning to use him in another position? Only time will tell.

One thing is very obvious: Conte is a genius. In him, I trust.

Two things I hate most in a central midfielder are present in Bakayokos game, infact, they are his main style of play.

1. One who takes too long to control the ball. While this clown is counting which leg to use to control the ball, he is missing opportunities to play his teammates into promising situation, while opponents are busy marking his teammates while he takes his time. Opponents will also be closing him down while he takes an eternity to get the ball within his control and robbing him of the ball. His style of play gets you "bogged down in midfield".

2. I especially hate a central midfielder that tries to dribble through the midfield to achieve nothing that a quick pass will not achieve 10 times more effectively. Bakayoko dribbles too much through central midfield because he does not trust his passing ability one iota, so he has to literally carry the ball to within 5 yards of his teammate before he is comfortable to release a useless pass that gets the team nowhere as opposition are now back in position while he was busy dribbling aimlessly to hide his decrepit ball control and passing ability.

A midfielders first touch should always open him up for a pass. Some midfielders first touch (Ramires, Bakayoko) is so slow, ponderous or loose that their second touch is forced to be a tackle or dribble. The question you should ask yourself is why Bakayokos first touch always puts him in direct confrontation with an opponent so he has to dribble him, tackle him or lose the ball.

This is my technical observation on Bakayoko.

In Conte I trust, but I am looking this Bakayoko deal with one eye.

Wetin Costa dey talk say all his teammates are supporting him against the manager. That fool needs to be sold to TP Mazembe if possible sef.

Chelseafan1:
How many of these top clubs made a bid for Kante?

Kante it's a fact that Utd bid for him and Zidane asked for him.

timbros:
I don't know why our 'analysts' here are so against this Tiemoue Bakayoko signing. This is a guy that played a dominant role in a Monaco team that made semi finals in the just concluded UCL. He made the Team of The Year. And he is just 22!

Below is what the technical observers (who selects the TOTY) had to say about him...

Tiemoué Bakayoko (Monaco)
Technical Observers say: Important defensive midfield performances for an impressive Monaco team.

And who makes up this technical observers?

UEFA Technical Observers in Cardiff

Sir Alex Ferguson, Ryan Giggs, Mircea Lucescu, Fabio Capello, Roy Hodgson, Peter Rudbæk, Mixu Paatelainen, Ginés Meléndez, Thomas Schaaf, Ioan Lupescu.

http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/newsid=2476068.html

Bottom line: I'd rather put faith in what these individuals says than what Nairaland pundits think. Thank you.

You can talk about technical experts all you want. I would just advise you when scouting a midfielder, type in "Bakayoko Vs" on YouTube, and what that would do is bring up a match like eg Bakayoko Vs Toulouse all touches in the 90 mins.

Never scout a midfielder based on highlights reel, watch all his touches in the match and you will know his technical deficiencies.

How much do they pay SAF to sit down and scout Bakayoko. You think SAF, Giggs and co are not influenced by hype. Do you know what their time is worth in millions, that they should waste it actually studying Bakayokos game inside-out?

Those who studied Bakayokos game are the scouts of Bayern, Madrid, Man City, Barcelona, Juventus etc and decided he is utter rubbish not SAF and co. How can a top DM be available for just £35m and not one top club bid for him except Chelsea. Does that not set off alarm bells in your head?

The YouTube will definitely set off alarm bells if you type in as I described.