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chrisooblog:
Make I look 4 trouble ghana ghana ghana ghana ghana ghana ok I mentioned your name wetin una wan do

What's the meaning of this now?

I believe you are more matured than this.

Joebie:
ANS Ratings:

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Nigeria 1 Zambia 0 Player Ratings : Shehu The Best, Moses & Iwobi Star
Published: October 07, 2017

Nigeria 1 Zambia 0 Player Ratings : Shehu The Best, Moses & Iwobi StarNigeria needed a late goal from Arsenal striker Alex Iwobi to earn a 1-0 win over Zambia in their penultimate game of the World Cup qualifiers. But how did the Super Eagles actually rate?

Allnigeriasoccer.com runs the rule over the performance of the Super Eagles on a memorable evening.

The Starters

Ikechukwu Ezenwa 6/10

The FC Ifeanyi Ubah goalkeeper was largely untested except for few nervy moments in the first period. Turned Mwepu's cracker onto the bar.

Elderson Echiejile 5/10

Started sloppily and was caught out of position on the Zambia break. Did a fair share of defending though, but offered synonymously next to nothing going forward.

William Troost-Ekong 6.5/10

The rear-guard left a lot to be desired but he more than made up for his low composure initially with sturdiness in challenges as the game wore on.

Footwork was not that perfect but otherwise, a good defensive outing.

Leon Balogun 6.5/10

He was exploited by the Zambians especially in the first half but grew into the game rapidly afterwards.

Dueled admirably well; aerially and continuously put his body on the line. Made a few uneventful ventures forward.

Shehu Abdullahi 8/10

The Cypriot-based full back may have struggled with discipline and was somewhat lucky to avoid a red. His passing was delightful and he knew when to join the attack from his defensive position. Set up Iwobi with a delightful cross late on.

Ogenyi Onazi 5/10

Cut it top with a few forays in the early periods and nearly played in Odion Ighalo. Picked up a knock in the first half and came off for Mikel Agu.

Wilfred Ndidi 6.5/10

Did a great job alongside Mikel Obi in battling the witty Zambians in midfield. Kept play going with simple passes and even went close with a point-blank header.

John Obi Mikel 6/10

As usual, his ball retention under pressure was particularly immense and he did a big job trying to link up with his
attacking players.

Caches of brilliance here and there. Sent a few wayward efforts wide of the mark.

Moses Simon 6/10

His continuous prying of the Zambian backline kept the opponents on their toes for much of the first half,testing Mweene on two occasions.

Tired surprisingly very early in the second period and was hauled off for Iwobi.

Victor Moses 7/10

Ran the opponents ragged and looked the most likely to break the deadlock for the Super Eagles.

Tracked back to help out defensively but linkups and final efforts were not wholly encouraging but a fine display nonetheless. Missed a late goal.

Odion Ighalo 6/10

Was largely quiet as the Chipolopolo hugely did a great job marking him out of play completely or tracking him down.
A few hold-up plays from the former Watford man.

The Substitutes

Mikel Agu 5/10

Came on for Onazi and did a fair share of the midfield battles.Picked up a yellow for a needless elbow challenge.

Alex Iwobi 7/10

His introduction sparked life into the game going forward for the Eagles. Turns of brilliance and darts into the
opposition areas before nudging Nigeria ahead with a beautiful effort.

Ola Aina 5/10

Came on to add fresh legs in defense and almost registered an assist in the closing minutes but Moses missed.

Emmanuel Chinaza

Iwobi deserves an 8/10 ten abeg.
Though Shehu is also my MOTM.

Icon79:
Cape Verde has some of the best pitches in Africa, mhen. They deserve to host AFCON.


O pari

Naa...pitches or pitch? Cos they have only one.

Besides that is an astro-turf. Not CAF standard.

Icon79:
Very well deserved. I mentioned it during the game. He was solid. His performance clearly shows how poor Elderson is.
Leon Balogun also deserves a mention as always. He saved our brushes a few times.


O pari

Balogun's lack of pace was really exposed today.

Finally Senegal score. Looking good to join the party to Russia

tbaba1234:
MOTM

Shehu is one of the major revelations of this qualifiers.
Well deserved.

Confirmed:
Iwobi and V. Moses are our first choice wingers.
All other wingers are back ups.

TheGoodJoe:
Wow. Agu is fast. Did anyone see that track back? Maybe that is why Rohr likes him.

Eh? You say wetin?

Chrismario:
Algeria lost 2-0

Nonsense. Na Super Falcons we go take go play them.

Joebie:
Make una calm down.

My Half-Time Analysis

1. The Zambian forwards speed is unsettling us. More reason why we need better DMF's, or ouur DMFs need not join the attack.
2. Echiejile is still the weakest link
3. Let's allow Agu settle in. Besides the bad tackles he has been average.
4. Onazi's highpoint was that cross that Ighalo missed, besides that he was also average. I remember him misplacing a pass or two.
5. Shehu has been our best defender so far.
6. Victor Moses is beginning to settle in after initially making unnecessary runs and giving away possession.
7. We need to stop all those high balls. They are winning most of the aerial duels. That means we need to put the ball on the ground and do what we are known for.
8. Zambia's weak link is the center of defense. We will do better operating from the middle than the wings.
9. Why does Balogun look sluggish today.
10. Fine save by Ezenwa. The commentators thought it came off the post -- or am I wrong?
11. We should have been one goal down by now if not for ref's good bad call.

Hey that was an offside.Don't mind Mozez Praize

Mickael2:
that was a joke na. You know theGoodJoe once said he'd rather see Agu in that DMF position

People will just calling names. Play this player. Play that player.

I have never rated Mikel Agu. Nonsense.

Mickael2:
Mikel Agu has joined this game, we are playing a lot better, our defence is looking a lot better

Michael2, this is the height of it.

luminouz:
He is Nwaamaikpe alternate oooo....u should know na

Sorry I don't know him.

And if he cannot say something reasonable then he should stay of the sports thread.

Omooba77:
If we win today in Uyo; we will send 3SC to play this game.

No. We will send the Super Falcons

NwaChibuzor:
Nigeria 1-3 Zambia

A Ghanaian spotted.
which Igbo name is Nwachibuzor?

You should be more concerned about your boys who are at the verge of crashing out.

nelszx:
Starting XI

Perfect for me.
You don't change a winning team.

jotey:
etebo for onazi is not necessary

I rather go with aina for elderson

Substitutions are done according to how the game is progressing. You that prefer to introduce Aina, what if we are chasing the game and need more bite in the attack?

safarigirl:
I thought there is supposed to be a video referee? Abi dem no dey use that one for this match?

There is not even a touchline camera.

Joebie:
Simple, he can play there. Secondly, he can help more defensively there.. he can also spring his long passes from there. My argument is we will get the best of him there while relying on Iwobi to be the initiator in attack with his short passes, something he is known for in Arsenal. He, Iwobi, will match the zambians youth for youth, speed for speed.. Mikel and Ndidi's partnership at the rear will not only be a perfect cover for our CB's but will also provide good support for our FBs. A little bit cautious you may say, but that's what we need at this stage.

Iwobi can do all that from the flanks.

Mikel's killer final passes would be key for us in this game.

Joebie:
South Africa VS Burkina Faso
Did that ball cross the line? I don't think it did

It did not.
The SA players reactions influenced the refs decision.

SA receiving Referee's favor again.
That ball didn't cross the line.

Joebie:
My starting line up

Mikel will start in the AM position.
Why do most of you keep moving him to CM?

baba11:
Which local stations will show this match?

Try NTA, but first confirm if no political party is having their annual convention today.

BascoVanVeli:
Living Inside Zambia Coach Nyirenda’s Head: How The Chipolopolos Are Likely To Play Against Nigeria On Saturday

 6 October 6, 2017 4:58 pm
From Kayode Ogundare, who was in Accra:

One (dis)advantage of going undercover for any assignment is the likelihood of you falling in love with your quarry.

I must admit I didn’t think much about Zambia coach Wedson Nyirenda until the last few days when I got the brief that I was going to be covering the Chipolopolos’ preparations at their Accra, Ghana training camp.

And, after watching him work at close quarters with his players in four training sessions at the Marcel Dassailly-owned Lizzy Training Complex, I want to pretend that I know enough of how his mind is working ahead of the all-important World Cup qualifier against Nigeria on Saturday at the magnificent Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.

For starters, Zambia’s preparations have been bogged down by injuries and withdrawals, and the possibility of captain and first-choice goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene not been fully fit for the game.

So, acting on this premise, I won’t be surprised if stand-in goalkeeper Toaster Nzabata gets the nod if Mweene fails to make the team.

I don’t know why but I think Nyirenda is working on the assumption that the soft underbelly of the Nigerian team is in their defence, especially the full-backs, and he’s working hard to exploit that frailty. All through the training sessions, assistant coach Aggrey Chiyanji was constantly in charge of the strikers and their routine comprised mainly of trying to break down the full-backs with Fashion Sakala and Alex N’gonga doing quick runs to the right and left while relying on thorough balls from the midfield anchor which would likely be Enoch Mwepu or Chisamba Lungu or even both of them depending on what formation the coach decides on.

In the middle of the park, I expect the experienced Konduani Mtonga and Kabaso Mulenga to support Mwepu and Lungu in a four-man midfield but, should Nyirenda chose a more offensive formation, Mtonga gets my vote to play with Mwepu and Lungu in midfield in a 4-3-3 formation.

A 4-3-3 formation will mean a mobile four-man defence and I will vote Simon Silwimba, Fackson Kapumbu, Ziyo Tembo and the imposing Stoppila Sunzu. If for nothing else, this quartet has played together in the back-to-back victories over Algeria and that familiarity will help understanding among them.

Now, stretching it further, an adventurous Nyirenda knows he cannot afford to sit back and allow the Super Eagles to come at his team so he’s condemned to attack and a three-man attack looks very attractive.

Sakala, N’Gonga and Patson Daka(if he shakes off his knock) should get the starting nod against Nigeria and this, I must say, is a pretty strong side able to eke out a result.


Zambian hopes rest on the young Sakala

Tactically, the strategy is to nullify Nigeria’s very offensive play by stifling the attacking intent of the Super Eagles. This is where Sunzu’s imposing build and the experience of Mtonga and Mulenga will come in handy.

Conventional wisdom will dictate that a coach be wary of a backlash against the venomous firepower of the Nigerian team, especially at the Uyo stadium where they have scored seven goals in two games in World Cup, but Nyirenda is anything but conventional.

If anything, he’s a maverick. I give him an A for boldness and guts. He’s doing what most African coaches rarely do: look so-called star players in the face and drop them.

If calling the bluff of players like Fwayo Tembo was not enough, dropping Rainford Kalaba took some guts. I thought he was and still is a decent player. Besides, he’s captained the team. Who drops captains?

Nyirenda’s quiet revolution will yield fruit for Zambia in time provided he stays on track and the Football Association allow him to continue in the job.

However, meeting Nigeria at this stage, with a World Cup ticket at stake, is a bridge too far. We may underrate our own team, and I’m not saying this lightly, but the Super Eagles is one of, if not, Africa’s most attack-minded team. There are just too many offensive pressure points in the team such that you can’t plug all at once.

zambia-players-train-ahead-of-clash-with-eagles

Zambia’s time will come, maybe in 2022 because the current squad, made up of very young players is too talented not to play at the highest level.

Now time to look into my crystal ball and hazard a guess as to what Zambia’s probable starting line-up would be on Saturday.

My guess is as follows: Mweene; Silwimba, Kapumbu, Sunzu,Tembo; Mtonga, Mulenga, Lungu, Mwepu; Daka, Shonga

https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/living-inside-zambia-coach-nyirendas-head-chipolopolos-likely-play-nigeria-saturday/

Are Fashion Sakala and and Alex Ngonga better than Christian Basogog and Benjamin Moukanjo? Are they also better than Ryan Mahrez and Islam Slimani? Yet our Full backs pocketed them. Abeg make I hear word jare.

Thanks for the investigation though.

FIFA U17 WC is on.
Strange watching India play football.

Mali 0:0 CIV. FT
Morocco will go top if they win against Gabon tomorrow.

Daejoyoung:
I wonder o, Mali just be like Real Madrid.

I don't want to even see CIV in that WC. Let Morocco qualify jare.

Ivory coast are just playing nonsense.
Their golden era is gone.

adegwurulez:
I find it ironic and borderline comical that the Zambian coach, who barely a year ago talked down our team as "relying on kids' as against his experienced warlords, is nowbragging about how youthful his team is. Dude is now a believer in youth..

Iheanacho and Iwobi have succeeded in turning an "Icon4s' into a "thegoodjoe'

No mind that coach.

He wants to compare the EXPERIENCE AND EXPOSURES of our young players to those of his boys that play at Zanaco FC.

Him nova chin-chin-chon.

That number 2 is the worst.

elyte89:
So shld we start derailing did thread by letting us knw d types of language we speak



OK as for me,I speak 62 languages

Hahaha, you beat someone to this question.

libero808:
before now players were picked at random for MRIs
But I guess what happened to the Nigerian team made FIFA make it compulsory that
all players be tested just before the tournament kicks off.

Random testing ended with the Class of 2009.

100% testing started since 2011.