₦airaland Forum

TheGoodJoe:
So far, I have not pinpointed any but I have pinpointed that of Ezenwa. Clearly Uzoho is a better and stronger option with respect to dealing with aerial threats.

Aha! because Uzoho has not been tested. But you have seen the best and worst of Ezenwa.

I don't have anything against Uzoho but he is not tested enough to get my nod.

TheGoodJoe:
Why? Because we are used to using mediocre terms like Experience and team harmony to justify selecting poor choices ahead of better ones?

That is what led Peter Rufai to our goal and let in flogging.

The best is the best. There are drills and routines to find out the best. Test them out with scrimmage games and select the best quality with limited weaknesses.

If Agu can not do the job, he should honorably resign.

Peter Rufai was the only available credible option after Ike pulled out due to injury and Baruwa made a mess of himself. Are you sure you watched Rufai during his playing days?

You and this your drills. Haha. You make me laugh.

Goalkeeper selection is a lot more complicated than selecting an outfield player.

TheGoodJoe:
You are making my point for me. Carrying a goalkeeper with World experience with weaknesses result in thrashing. Why are you eager for us to go with that same recipe and expect a different result.

Do you know Uzoho's weaknesses?

TheGoodJoe:
I am also eager for Enyeama to come back and become part of the pool of our keepers. However, that should be on Enyeama's terms. Not us begging him to come back. Also, as long as the screening is unfair and bias, and the best mounts the goal, if it is Enyeama, Good.

If Enyeama does not want to come back, we should not cry a river. We brace up, screen out the best three and select the best to keep in goal.

Finito.

Of course we all want the best that can do the job.

But note that selecting a "Best" keeper" is not as straight as selecting a "Best striker".

TheGoodJoe:
The Algerians created chances from it and if Ezenwa is in goal for us in the World Cup, I will call any opposing coaching crew who do not exploit that weakness after studying that tape. That will be a recipe for thrashing us.

Do you know dealing with crosses was also Peter Rufai's problem?

Most of the goals he conceded were headers.
Enyeama had that problem at a point in time but worked on it. That is why we have goalkeeper trainers.

You don't flood your goal keeping department for the World Cup with Rookies.

TheGoodJoe:
Did you not see what the Algerians did? They noticed this weakness of Ezenwa and exploited it. So good was their execution they made Ezenwa look average.

Underrating the role is sending weak keepers in the name of experience over keepers who have better qualities to bring to the table.

If Rohr would be comfortable with Alampasu, Uzoho, Ajiboye and co on that ur list why would he be eager to have Enyeama back?

TheGoodJoe:
Did you not see what the Algerians did? They noticed this weakness of Ezenwa and exploited it. So good was their execution they made Ezenwa look average.

Underrating the role is sending weak keepers in the name of experience over keepers who have better qualities to bring to the table.

Did they score from it?

Brace up, Ezenwa is on the plane to Russia.

MetalJigsaw:
You're very correct about Mikel. But the point is we need a replacement for him nevertheless.

Are you talking about the Russia WC?

We have at least 3 players in the squad that can play that AM role in the absence of Mikel naa.

There are News on Austin Ejide's recall.

TheGoodJoe:
In the game against Argentina, we saw Uzoho has more quality than Akpeyi and has better nerves than him. So, Uzoho is a better pick, if the World Cup stage is herculean as you make it that going there with Akpeyi with nerves of glass.

Ezenwa has confidence and is brave. However, he is weak in the air when he comes against Challenges. So in that respect, Uzoho remains a better pick who shows better strenght in the air.

Without Enyeama and Ikeme, the young lads can perform well if given a nod. De Gea and Courtious were brilliant in their teens because the got someone who showed faith in them. We would not be talking of Uzoho if Pepe Mel did not show faith in him.

I say Alampasu, Ajiboye, Uzoho, Aiyenugba, slug it out in camp. The best three get selected and the best gets the nod. Than crying for Enyeama as if out lives depends on it.

Hmm Ezenwa's only weakness is he is poor in the air and for that you bloat him out completely from the camp.

If there is one goalie that has the highest chance of making the final team it is Ezenwa. Even if he ends up not as first choice.

You guys are underrating the goalkeeping position. OK o.

FabioPeter:
We can get a psychologist to make you believe you can man our Post....it takes a lot more bro.
If you watch the games Ezenwa has played for SE, you will notice he has been consistently erratic, even the games he kept a clean sheet.
Akpenyi is terribly poor and Uzoho is inexperienced. If we can’t get an in form Enyeama, we can kiss the group stage good bye

You are very right my brother.

We are downplaying that goalkeeping department too much on this thread.

That is a huge determinant factor that can make us lose all 3 group games.

Mujtahida:
Baba you are a spot on about the WC being an herculean task but i will rather go with uzoho in the absence of Enyeama. we don't need anyone to tell us that the world cup is not for boys. that is why FIFA has age grade competitions for boys and then the WC as the peak of football for men. when we say men, I believe we mean exposure, ability to rise up manfully to the pressures of the tournament and not necessarily age because micheal owen was just 18 at France 98 and he scored a goal against argentina and was selected for penalties and scored when the match got to that stage that's how matured he was at 18 . the world cup is intense and for this particular WC the traveling schedule is going to add more stress to the competition. i trust you remember how the brazilian team were crying when they their national anthem was being sang. it wasnt out of nationalistic fervour but just a means of coping with the intensity of the moment.the pressures is the reason why drama and irrational behaviour accompanies most WC more than we see at other footballing competitions like the champions league for example. players need to be very strong and i must say that experience helps. its only natural.

I have been waiting for people to role out names like Owen, Ronaldo, Pele and co who competed as teenagers at the World Cup. But look at those names again. They are no mediocre names in football.
And they are all forwards and not Goalies or defenders.

If Uzoho was a De' Gea or Courtious at their teenages no problems. Do you know the weight of responsibility that follows being a Word Cup goalie for an under dog like Nigeria? Since after the late 90s Nigeria ceased to be a Super power and mostly under dogs in any games we played in the WC.
Until we beat Bosnia in 2014 the last WC game we won was against Bulgaria in 1998.
Go look at the statistics of the number of saves made by both Ike and Enyeama for each game from 2002 WC to 2014WC. The only game in our last 3 WC that we were on the front foot from start to finish was against Iran. The other games we were mostly under heavy attacks and our goalkeepers saved the day for us. Even winning MOTM even despite defeats.
Believe it or not we are still under dogs. In the game against Croatia I expect them to be the more offensive side with numerous shots on goal. We would be counting on quick counters on that game.
I don't know how you guys come to have confidence in Uzoho. I don't trust that guy yet.

BascoVanVeli:
He is already capped for the se

Yeah CHAN team.

Humility017:
oga icon na only you know that one ooo
you wanna make jest of me....abi? God is watching you on a Cinema....

Hahahaha no be only you support Sokari naa

Humility017:
Lol.......that one if oga forgiveness and he crew go hear .....
I trust rohr though.....he is a man that think of the future...

Vital point. He knows he has a future with the national team.

Humility017:
Lol.......that one if oga forgiveness and he crew go hear .....
I trust rohr though.....he is a man that think of the future...

Vital point. He knows he has a future with the national team.

tbaba1234:
Big news in Tunisia as Ivorian defensive midfielder Fousseini Koulibali has been called up with the Tunisian national team after being naturalized.

World cup loading!!!


http://www.ftf.org.tn/fr/equipe-nationale-25-joueurs-convoques-au-demarrage-des-preparations-pour-le-mondial-russie-2018/

Oya team Sokari food don done.

Next thing now is "let us quickly cap him before Tunisia takes him".

Humility017:
since you guys are clamouring for martins...
better we invite all the available old men.

still scouting if there is still any...besides this two....so we can all deliberate on it...if possible rohr invites them all....

No be for this World Cup abeg.

Maybe FIFA should organize a special competition for Under 35 or Over 35 players.

Kog45:
My man the calibre of players we took look to 2010 WC are better than 2002,hope you remember Kanu was part of 2010 WC.

I based my performance on players and i think 2010 had proper foundation compared to 2002 team so i still see 2010 team has the greatest flop of all Nigeria team to WC,my opinion.

Kanu was to the 2010 team what Mutiu was to the 2002 team.

You cannot compare Kanu of 2002 to Kanu of 2010.

Sure you know the 2002 team had players like Yobo, Taribo and Babayaro in defense. John Utaka, Julius Aghahowa and Bath Ogbeche were the three strikers.

Such quality but he played an untested Sodje at CB, untested Justice Christopher as DM and an untested Ogbeche as a CF. That really upset the balance of the team. That is what I am talking about.

Kog45:
Pls let's think out of Enyeama for now and concentrate on those who are ready to don Eagles jersey for now,Ezenwa, Akpeyi, Uzoho, Alampasu, Ajiboye, Maduka,Ayeleso,Afelokhai

If Rohr who is in charge is telling us he is still hopeful of getting Enyeama who are we to rule him out?

Kog45:
Pls did we learn anything from 2002 WC coz we repeated the same performance in 2010 WC despite having tested players.

The 2010 Team was a lot more balanced than that 2002 Team.

The 2002 team had quality players like Okocha, Kanu Taribo, Babayaro and Aghahowa among others but the balance in the team was upset by throwing in untested players like Sodje, Ogbeche, Christopher and Opabunmi. Mutiu that he said was his joker was not even featured in any game.

The 2010 team never had players in the mould of Okocha and Kanu but it was basically a team that was carried over from the 2005 U20 to 2008 U23, 2007 U20 and 2006, 2008 & 2010 AFCON teams.
The 2010 team had a better performance than the 2002 IMO. But for that Kaita kick we were on track to roast Greece in that game.
Though both only had 1 point the 2010 team were more exciting and scored more goals.

tbaba1234:
We dismantled a team and took bunch of individuals to the WC.

Worse still a bunch of untested teenagers.

tbaba1234:
Hopefully, Enyeama starts playing and gets back to form...

That is it.

tbaba1234:
Two important things
1. Ability
2. Experience

You have to have both. Rufai in 1998 had the experience but the ability was no longer there.

If Uzoho's ability is far better than Ezenwa, then experience is less of a factor.
If they have comparable ability, then we can pick the more experienced.

It is up to the coach to decide but if those are our options, we should see Uzoho in other high profile friendlies to gauge his level.

We have not seen Uzoho enough to conclude his ability is "far better" than that of Ezenwa. Yes we have lined up a couple of high profile friendlies. Let's see more of him. But if Enyeama comes back by then, I would rather we reassess more Enyeama's ability.

tbaba1234:
16-year-old attacking midfielder Anis Ben Sliman has been called up by Tunisia U20 NT for two friendlies vs Algeria U20.He has both Danish & Tunisian citizenships.

We should have standing youth teams to try out potential super eagles stars. Players like Tosin Kehinde could have been playing for our youth teams.

Sebi I have said this before.

We need to have a standing U19/20/21 team. We engage them with friendlies each time we are on international break.
We don't need to wait to see some of these players play for the Super Eagles to see their readiness to play at that level.
We can even organize friendlies between our U20 team and less fancied senior teams like those of Benin or Togo.
They can even play against our CHAN team or NPFL champions. Or can take part in the Super6 just like in 2015.

Onigbinde dropped a tested and trusted Yakubu Ayegbeni for a Batholomew Ogbeche whose only highlight was a bicycle kick that hit the up right. Simply because the former was playing in Israel while the later was in PSG. Not as if the PSG of then was even a major force in Europe.

Humility017:
what do you mean by the tested....?
you guys make me laugh....you all see the world cup as one Herculean task....different from the football they have all been playing...

if someone can play good football in the Spanish or German league...top flight...then certainly he can play @the world cup....

you don't need to bag so much experience to prove yourself......

you guys really need to re-evaluate this yardstick of experience...same experience cost us the France 1998 and I have seen young players play football at the world cup...wit no experience in their bag....

My brother, to win every game in the World Cup is an Herculean task.

It is no child's play. It is for the men and not for boys.
We learnt this bitterly from the 2002 WC when Onigbingbe packed boys to the world cup. They got overwhelmed by the intensity of the competition. Players like Ogbeche, Sodje and Opabunmi were only tested in friendlies. They never really played any competitive game before we faced Argentina. Ike Shoromun was our saviour that day. Our goal keepers are always our saviors in world cups since 2002. This is also a pointer to team Uzoho.

I trust players more that have been tested in competitive matches reason why I rate Ezenwa higher than Uzoho. A goalie that didn't concede from open play against Cameroon home and away and against Zambia at home. You cannot push away that kind of performance. It is only if Enyeama shows up.

OMANBALA1:
So, if given a choice between Ogbeche/Martins and Osimhen/Kayode you will take the later ?

The only one player I would consider here is Kayode.

Humility017:
you're trying to make a mockery of me...
I have been a fan of sokari right from his playing days in the npfl....so saying because one Tunisian fan praised him necessitated my reasons....makes no sense to me.....

Bros u dey vex?

No vex o. Today na Christmas.

I am sorry if I was really hard on you. Na so the matter just hot for my mind.

Enjoy the rest of your Christmas bro. One Love.

Mujtahida:
Oga you bahd oooo. you really grilled oga humility.i was just laughing at the way you cornered him with questions this chrismas

merry christmas to you all.

Bros, there is something that is a common re-occurrence here. It is that player that is untested that is often concluded to be the best.

I defended Sokari's inclusion in the starting 11 of the 2015 U20 team. I know how people felt that players like Iheanacho and Yahaya will be on the bench while Sokari and Bulbwa were starting but I defended their inclusion in the starting 11.

But that is gone and this is the Super Eagles.
We need the best and on only the best. Due to the closeness of the WC some players are not worth the trial. That is the pure truth. What can a player like Sokari do differently from what the other midfielders have been doing. What additional value will he add?

Humility017:
I think I will rest wit this sokari issue now... after all I just want the best for the super eagles...and nothing else. if the coaches deem him good enough...let him be invited otherwise ignored....
hope you're enjoying Xmas rice and chicken...?

Better. Just rest the issue.
That was a wrong call. Hahahaha.
I knew you never meant he was better than Joel Obi. It was a slip of the finger.

Humility017:
okay....rohr can invite who ever wants....most important thing we go wit fit and ready players that can deliver...

Wait, before nko? You wanted to chose for him?