₦airaland Forum

TheGoodJoe:

Godwin Obaje coped with the very rigorous training. It still beats my imagination why Coach Siasia dropped him.

It is time Coach Siasia reduces the very rigorous method. I feel it is also affecting his team negatively.

Guardiola uses light training exercises but his teams have done well for a long time.

Coach Siasia should compromise his methods. He killed the competition of the attack with his very hard method.

Na over sabi dey worry Siasia. Most of his injured players sustain injuries in training and nt even on match days.

His Rock of Gibralter Segun Oduduwa has been ruled out for 1 yr. The poor boy wept uncontrolably.Jst also like Amuzie, Chikatara, Ardi, and Samuel Injury also sustained in camp.

TheGoodJoe:

The right question is, are the players in the U20 better? If they are better, they would do better than those playing now. If they are not better, they will not do better.

If this current Portuguese side played their U20 side and lost 3-0 three times, we can not say this squad will do better.

It is about form, not experience or age. CR7 was very young when he was one of the best players for Portugal at the World Cup.

Ronaldo De Lima was very young when he was the best player in the World.

Very young players were among the players that led Ghana to the Quarter finals of the World Cup.

The 1996 dream team lost 1-3 to Togo during Olympic preparations. does it mean that that Togolese team could have represented Africa better?

TheGoodJoe:


I wish they can play again. What I am saying is that, if the Dream team wins, they are the better team to be at Rio for the Olympics.

If the Flying Eagles win, then the Dream team is the weaker team for the competition.

It is not about age or experience. It is about form. Renato Sanches is very young. Dream team age, 18 but he is one of the best players of the Euros. One of the biggest international tournament. He even won a man of the match performance in this Euros.

There are more experienced and older midfielders. But, he is the best in Portugal.

If Renato Sanches and the rest of his 18yrs old or U20 mates had represented Portugal at d Euros what do u think d outcome would have been?

TheGoodJoe:

That is exactly what I am saying. If Sadiq Outclasses Ighalo. There is no reason for Ighalo to lead the line.

That was the mistake Coach Siasia made in Alexandria and Kaduna. He dropped those doing better than Ighalo in training and we paid for it. Ighalo was lost in both games.

The better player in training is the better player.

TheGoodJoe my good friend. I understand ur point bt what Siasia did was what 90% of coaches would have done.

The game in Alexandria u and i knew was poised to b more difficult for us than d Kaduna game. This is y Siasis went for power and relatively more experienced players.

Relative bc Ighalo to me is nt also an experienced campaigner on d African continent. If nt the Siasia's rigorous training dat saw them limp off training ground, Aaron Samuel and Chisom Chikatara would have added more bite to dat attack.

TheGoodJoe:
They are a stronger squad. It will then take the coach, checking among the senior players who will fit in.

The current Dream team without the likes of Mikel and Omeruo can not achieve a better result than the Flying Eagles. The Flying Eagles would have done better In the Suwon tourney.

Just that, it must be Coach Amunike, Not Coach Siasia.

I was even referring to d golden eaglets and nt d flying eagles.

The Olympic team dat was beaten by d Flying Eagles u and I know are lacking in quality. By the time d final selection is made let dem face the Flying Eagles again.

TheGoodJoe:


If an experienced player can not cope with training ground challenges, we can not trust him in match day Challenges.

That is nt usually d case except if the player is down injured.

U cannot tell me Sadiq will start ahead of Ighalo bc he was out shined in training.

TheGoodJoe:
It is not simply about declining.

When you look at the likes of Martial and Depay for instance. Depay has way more experience and we can not tag Depay Declining. Antony Martial is better and you know this by trying them both in training and opting for the better one.

Walcott is not Thirty but Arsene Wenger prefers Iwobi.

Simply, we scrap the age and experience factor. If the age and experience factor is that important, the experienced player should be able to outclass in the inexperienced one in training.

If Ighalo hits camp and he can not outclass Sadiq Umar in training with his experience, he does not deserve to lead the line.

My brother, training conditions are nt always same as match day conditions o.

No matter how Ighalo performs in camp relative to Sadiq he(Ighalo) deserves to start. Match day experience is nt gathered from training.

TheGoodJoe:
It is not simply about declining.

When you look at the likes of Martial and Depay for instance. Depay has way more experience and we can not tag Depay Declining. Antony Martial is better and you know this by trying them both in training and opting for the better one.

Walcott is not Thirty but Arsene Wenger prefers Iwobi.

Simply, we scrap the age and experience factor. If the age and experience factor is that important, the experienced player should be able to outclass in the inexperienced one in training.

If Ighalo hits camp and he can not outclass Sadiq Umar in training with his experience, he does not deserve to lead the line.

Then let d Golden Eaglets represent us in Rio.

TheGoodJoe:
It is a common theory and belief of a lot of pundits and coaches. However, I believe in form. When a player is doing so well in training and outperforming a player who has age and experience over him, it is suicidal sticking with age and experience.

That was what was exciting about Mancini. He dropped an older Shay Given for Joe Hart. Joe Hart did not fail. Look at Renato Sanches case. Bringing him on over older and more experienced midfielders caused s spark in the Portuguese side and their fortune changed.

Training form alone may nt b enough.

Match day challenges are usually different from Training ground challenges. If a young uncapped player outshines d more experienced strikers(for instance) in training, i can chose to start d uncapped player from d bench and attempt to use him as a super if d need arises.

Coaches typically trust their older players first before starting introducing younger players gradually.

TheGoodJoe:
It is a common theory and belief of a lot of pundits and coaches. However, I believe in form. When a player is doing so well in training and outperforming a player who has age and experience over him, it is suicidal sticking with age and experience.

That was what was exciting about Mancini. He dropped an older Shay Given for Joe Hart. Joe Hart did not fail. Look at Renato Sanches case. Bringing him on over older and more experienced midfielders caused s spark in the Portuguese side and their fortune changed.

Sorry i modified d comment u quoted. u may need to read the additional comments. Thanks.

TheGoodJoe:

I do not like categorizing players as Junior team players. What matters is the ability in training. When the Flying Eagles met the Dream team recently, on both occasions, the dream team were better and scored more.

When Pellegrini carried Iheanacho to the main team, Iheanacho di better than a recognized star, Wilfred Bony.

What I want from Coach Siasia is for him to be honest to himself and Nigerians. Screen his attackers in training and select the best who performs well to lead. Leave whether he is a junior or senior player.

He should not repeat the nonsense of sending Obaje out of the Super Eagles camp after the boy did better than the foreign pros.

Age and experience also influence player's ability both in training and more often match day game.

Do the Iheanachos, Ndidis, Iwobis,Simons and co of today have d abilities they have today 2-3 yrs ago?

Performances of footballers typically improve with age and experience. It may only usually start declining as most approach and exceed 30yrs.

zoboizee:
I think Junior & Imoh are better option than umar. i have seen some of his videos in the primavera in italy. Compare to the two, umar may not even make the team. Professional & international matches are not the same with youth matches. Awoniyi, Success & iheanacho use to score for fun in the Youth set up but look at them now. The stake is higher.

I keep saying it dat this is the U23. The stakes are higher. It is expected that majority of the participating players should have 3-5 yrs senior professional experience. Sadiq Umar jst like Awoniyi may nt jst b able to face the opposing competition. Imoh and Ajayi to me are ahead of Umar and Awoniyi hu to me should b at the U20 camp preparing for the Sudan clash. I am really sceptical abt Sadiq's spare heading the attack. This is a national team set up and Sadiq is nt tested at this stage. I cannot put my stake on him to b d arrow ahead of the attack.

Obaje, Chikatara and Samuel could have brought more to this selection dan Awoniyi and Sadiq.

watchworldpro:
Km

ok

watchworldpro:
I presently use a Toyota Matrix 2005 with a mileage of precisely 297,000km. Good Maintenance history. High grade synthetic oil used for the engine every four months. Gear Servicing done once a year. So also differential servicing. Fuel level has 'never' gone below half. Tyre pressure recommendation as stated on the door side is always adhered to and checked every week. Interior is very clean. Car is washed everyday with liquid Carwash (ABRO)......etc..................and I don't use any 'kazeem' for repairs.....I stay very close to my office (10mins Drive). But I do a lot of highway on weekends. I am not a car guru but just believe in prompt maintenance.

Anyone in the house with a high mileage car? Pls share your experience. Proceed with this format:

- Car Make, Model and Year
- Mileage
- Usage type ( City or Highway )
- All other experience and maintenance history
-Any advice for high mileage car usage

Pls are u sure that ur odometer reading is 292,000km and nt miles?

TheGoodJoe:

Guardiola has started drilling your boy.
cc: joseph1013, thesupernerd, safarigirl, confun, tbaba1234, lakesidepapa

Seems Pep was asking "were these d same boots u wore when u scored 14 goals last season"?

All the best to him.

Iheanacho has really grown so tall now, even taller than pep.

Comparing his height with when he was U17, do those shouting age cheat still have any pt?

TheGoodJoe:

To be honest with you, I do not know what Coach Siasia is thinking. How does he want to play one of the brightest upcoming defensive midfielders in the World in Central defence? I believe he does not want a competition for Azubuike. Especially with Mikel coming.

Ndidi should be in the midfield. Not defence of three years ago. Walter Mazzari of Watford wants Ndidi the midfielder. We are talking of a man who signed Gokhan Inler from Udinese to Napoli. He knows a good DMF.

As for Ndidi, I expect him to cope when we press because it is a similar strategy he plays in his club. His club plays the high line and Ndidi slips forward from his deep defensive midfield roles. I think he can cope.

In the national team it is usually a different ball game. In d national team players are often deployed to positions where dey are needed. U saw Ronaldo and Nani play as attackers in Euros and Alaba as an AM.Ndidi's defensive back ground gives him an edge. If we need him more at CB so b it.

TheGoodJoe:


In this case, what I am proposing is actually not a defensive set up but an attacking one. Even though I put two defensive midfielers, I expect or would like Ndidi to slip into the CMF role when we are attacking.

Coach Siasia likes a high tempo game. Etebor, Usman, Godwin can bring this. When they press forward, they bring support to Sadiq.

I put Sadiq there because he is in camp and Ighalo has been out of form up front. I can not guarantee Sadiq delivering the goods but his few stats look promising.

If Ighalo makes it to camp, then I will say he leads the line.

I do not trust Awo or Ajayi. Not sure of Ezekiel.

In what I am proposing, the five midfielders work as a compact unit. When they press forward, Ndidi takes the CMF and Etebor becomes a ten. It is not compulsory that there must be a creative midfielder role all the time diring the game. The wingers become Wing forwards.

When the lose the ball, they fall back quickly and form a compact unit behind the ball. Similar to the formation I posted.

Ur second to last paragraph simply puts Ndidi as CMF and Etebor as number 10. Bt do u think Ndidi has enough creativity to play that role?

Remember this is same player dat was a defender only 3yrs ago.

I am even thinking Siasia would pair him with Omeruo at CB.

In a pool of Awoniyi, Sadiq, and Ajayi i would pick Ajayi to start.
Sadiq might seem promising bt he is nt tested.

TheGoodJoe:

What I am pointing out is that the sitting deep role is under estimated. Ronaldo and Nani are attacking because of no attackers. So they need them to feel that role.

In this case, we also need our overage players playing at their best.

Mikel's call up will not be wasted if we use him to the best of his ability. Ndidi, Azubuike and co. are not as disciplined as Mikel. With the way Coach Siasia plays, we get exposed a lot.

You are also underrating the deep defensive role. Zidane referred to Makalele as the engine of the Galacticos. It takes genius thinking and discipline to pull it off.

Azubuike has been in that team and the team has continued licking goals. Just putting good defenders do not make the defence tight. The good defenders need a shield. We can not rely on Azubuike.

Ndidi can not be the one because he drifts forward to contribute to the attack. That is why he scored some lovely goals.

So Mikel's call up is not wasted. If we play him in front of the defence to shield them, with the quality defenders coming in, we have a team that does not leak goals.

Then we work on how to score.

We can not attack well with out a strong defence. If we want the medals, especially goals, we need our best players at their best. Mikel is best shielding and our most decorated and experienced player in that team.

Inclusion of Omeruo Troost-Ekong and Ndidi is like including 3 over aged players. A CB pairing of any two of these 3 will so greatly improve d defense As o earlier said, it is nt as if we are facing the senior teams of Japan, Colombia, Sweden and others. I feel the U23 CB-DMF partnership can effectively cope with d opposing attacks.

Lets deploy Mikel to a more Central position.

TheGoodJoe:

Hence we have solid midfielders, I will opt for us going with a midfield based team formation. I say we play a 4-5-1 formation. This nullifies the weakness in attack.

-------------------------------------------Sadiq Umar (CF)-----------------------------------------------
Godwin Saviour (LMF)-----------------------------------------------Usman Mohammed (RMF)
------------------------------------------Etebor (CMF)-----------------------------------------------------
---------------------Wilfred Ndidi (DMF)-----------------John Mikel (DMF)--------------------

Saviour, Usman Mohammed, Etebor, Mikel, Ndidi, make the five man midfield. We still have Azubuike who could make the starting Eleven.

Hmmm nice attempt.
But let me point out some loop holes.

1. Sadiq Umar is nt a tested player, so on what basis are u fronting him to start ahead of Ighalo, Ezekiel, Ajayi and Awoniyi.

2. Ur team does nt have a number 10 this is going to isolate ur lone striker as he would depend more on crosses which can easily b intercepted by d opposing defense. 4-5-1 typically goes with a number 10.

3. A team like Nigeria can not go into a tourney to face teams like Japan, Sweden and Colombia and u start with 2 blocking 4. One number 4 will do and d other slot should go to a number 10(in a 4-5-1) or SS (in a 4-4-2).

TheGoodJoe:

When it comes to sitting deep and protecting the defence,. Mikel trumps Onazi and Lawal. It is essential in today's game. Coach Gus Hiddink shielded his defence with Mikel and Chelsea stopped leaking goals.

Zidane made Casemiro a regular and they won the Champions league. Before the final game, Diego Simeone pointed Casemiro as one of the key players of Real Madrid's fortune changing.

In Manchester City, Pellegrini made Fernando a regular towards the end of the season and our results became better.

A team with a defensive midfielder that sits deep and protects the defense is deadly. Remember Chelsea in the Champions league they won. That was how Di Matteo used Mikel and Mikel shone like a Super Star because it was a perfect role for him.

Mikel playing at that deep role will flourish and our defensive record will improve drastically.

For a player of Mikel's calibre we need him to b more involved in the build of play. This is largely y our national team coaches deploy him mostly as a CMF.

U saw David Alaba play AM in this Euro 2016. They needed him more in the thick of things rather than as a LB.

Nani and Ronaldo are being used as strikers in the Portugues team bc dey need them more in those positions rather than as wing forwards.

I know Mikel is unargueably d most experienced DMF in that team bt i feel we need his experience more in d main stream of the game rather than jst prevention of goals.

If Omeruo and Troost-Ekong would form d CB pair i personally feel Azubuike and Ndidi can do d "sitting deep in front of the defense" job.
I jst feel we need more from Mikel rather than sitting deep in front of d defense. If that is all we need Mikel for then we have jst wasted another slot cos i believe if Omeruo and Troost/Ndidi will feature at CB then Azubuike can do d DMF job.

Remember this is nt d senior world cup so we are nt expecting Messi, Ronaldo, Ozil, Alexis, Hazard, Arguero, Bale, Pogba and d likes. Thus far d biggest player i know dat is attending is Neymer. So hu will d Mikel b sitting deep to defend against?

I expect more from Mikel rather dan to sit deep with d defense else we dnt need him.

tbaba1234:
Imoh Ezekiel looks like the only decent choice available. He really has genuine pace. Against Brazil, he was one of the stand-outs.

Godwin Saviour struggled against Mexico but he offers more than Dimgba in my opinion.

Siasia prefers natural wingers than converted wingers. Saviour and Dimgba are abt d two natural wingers left in d team.

Imoh might make d team as a striker and nt as a winger.

lakesidepapa:
Playing Mikel in the DMF role will shield more to the defense while playing Azubuike as CMF and Etebor as 10 will bring good attacking possession to the team. I agreed with sir Joe

Well, u have a point there. Mikel may nt b able to cope with d pace of the team if played as a CMF.
Youth teams are typically quicker than the senior national teams.

I fear Mikel might end up as an over load instead of an over age in that team. Onazi or Raheem Lawal would have been more effective IMHO.

tbaba1234:
Dimgba is not good at all. If Siasia takes him, I hope he does not make the starting lineup. I can't see what he offers in terms of danger.

Ok. Bt which other natural winger would u place ahead of Dimgba?

TheGoodJoe:

I have not watched much of both but at the CHAN, Oliseh clearly hid us from seeing how good Usman Mohammed is.

Remember Usman Mohammed coming off the bench in CHAN against Niger and changing the game. Usman Mohammed is actually a playmaker as we saw in CHAN. In that Niger game, it was after the introduction of Usman Mohammed the goals flooded.

In the final game against Guinea, Usman Mohammed was the best player on the field. The only thing I can think is Oliseh did not like Usman Outshining his love child Onobi and he took out the best player on the field, Usman Mohammed in the first half and the team crumbled.

As I said, I have not watched much of them so I can not tell who is better to play creatively. However, from what I saw in CHAN, Usman Mohammed is very direct in his play, makes direct runs, very skillful on the ball and takes out opposing players with his skills. He also has an eye for goals.

Nice to read a nice review of Etebor from you. That means either way Coach Siasia goes, we can be confident in the AMF role.

The challenge is the DMF/CMF roles.

My brother, our problem is nt in s midfield. Even with d massive withdrawals we still have options to debate about.

What do u think is the way forward for our attack?

TheGoodJoe:

The few games I watched Etebor, he did not look explosive to me. Usman Mohammed looks more creative and makes direct runs. I feel Usman Mohammed will be better in the attack midfield role than Etebor.

What do you think, Etebor or Usman?

Though i am a fan of the EPL, I follow the NPFL a lot.I pay special interest in Etebor, Ifeanyi Mathew, Junior Ajayi, Ifeanyi Ifeanyi, Nwobodo among orhers.

Some major strenght of Etebor are in his pace, direct play & always forward moving play. He also has d physical strength. Dnt forget his set piece abilities.

Usman Mohammed may b a more exposed player bt he is nt a much talented as Etebor.

I think Etebor would bring more to d attack jst like at d CAF U23 more so now dat our attack is looking very blunt.

TheGoodJoe:

Okay. I understand and get your point. Mikel has the experience to bring a balance to the midfield. His experience will also help in covering the middle gap.

I agree completely.

My point exactly.

My only concern may jst be that he may b off pace. This crop of U23 as far as i have watched them have been playing with so much pace. Etebor and Dimgba are very quick players and would need a CMF that would lay d balls quickly and in a sleek manner. Ifeanyi Mathew would have perfectly fitted into dat role bt na Siasia know o. Siasia needs to really work on integrating Mikel as quickly as possible into the main stream of that team. I hope he reports to camp early enough.

TheGoodJoe:

The introduction of those defenders will tighten the defence but Mikel in the defensive midfield brings something very few players will bring to the Olympics. A vast wealth of experience playing a particular role. Mikel is one of the World's most experienced defensive midfielder in the game today.

Playing Mikel in another role will mean not utilizing his experience to the highest level. That is what the Olympics overage spots is for. Why play Azubuike there when we have to one of the most experienced defensive midfielders in the team?

Adding Mikel to part of the defensive set up will bring a rock solid shield to the team and a possessive pivot to sit the team. This will aid the attacking players to play with more freedom and confidence.

I still opt for Mikel to play deep and shield the defence.

Good points.

But u know at national team level Mikel has played far more as a CMF than as a DMF.
With d withdrawal of Iwobi, Etebor would have to step into d AM position leaving us with no outstanding U23 CMF. Azubuike and Ndidi can cover up as DMF of which I feel they are solid enough to face the competition and challenges at this level. Mikel's experience as a CMF at d national team level would also prove very vital in this case. We may need him more as a CMF.

TheGoodJoe:

It is so logical as you explained it. However, just like the second leg against Egypt I won't be shocked if Siasia puts up an illogical line up in Brazil.

I agree with you. We have enough materials to remedy the team. As you accurately pointed out, Chikatara, Obaje and Samuel can bring in fire power to push the team.

Let us watch and hope Coach Siasia improves as the Super Eagles main players come in.

Coach Siasia, I beg, let Mikel stay deep ad shield the defence.

If Omeruo, Troost-Ekong and Ndidi would b available as CB, Azubuike can do d DMF job.Cos i would no reason to worry abt d defense if any two of that trio are at CB. I would then prefer Mikel takes up a CMF role so Etebor can play d number 10 role.

tbaba1234:
If Mexico were a little clinical, we would have been disgraced. Home advantage was non existent as the stadium was relatively empty.

Those players should improve the defence but who will score?

It is possible that they still do decently but certainly no chance at winning except with huge luck.

My brother, home advantage is not only abt the crowd.
Weather/climate, altitude, familiarity with the playing turf and "i must nt be beaten on my soil" psychology all add up to influence the balance of play . Bring that Mexican team to Kaduna or Calabar and lets see whether they would nt b beaten.

In as much as we have criticised Siasia all along, it seems he has been to some extent vindicated by the withdrawal of our top U23 players. Simon, Iheanacho and Iwobi have never really been part Siasia's programmes all along. Had he relied so much on those players by now he would have been running helter scelter scouting for replacements. Isaac Success too would nt have been released by Watford

However, He still should have given d following strikers a chance: Chikatara, Obaje and Samuel.
With d presence of Omeruo, Ndidi(if played as CB) and Troost Ekong i blieve our defense would b greatly improved. Mikel's presence in the Midfield would complement d efforts of Azubuike, Etebor, Ndidi(if played as DMF),Popoola, Usman, Saviour and Dimgba. Our Midfield is descent enough.
For the strikers, If Ighalo does nt show up we are on a long thing. Imoh Ezekiel is on that list bt i fear for him nt bc he is nt good enough bt bc he is nt a "Siasia's boy". Awoniyi and Ajayi jst like at CAF U23 would b our arrow heads in d attack. That is nightmarish to me. Awoniyi dat would nt even make d starting 11 in d current U20 team.
(In Patience Jonathan's voice) "Siasia kontinuu". We know what u are doing. We are watching.

tbaba1234:
For those who have the stomach for it... This is the full match against Mexico

First half


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDv8Ei_tsWY

Second half


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDLKEsrJHcY

From the little of d highlights i watched i saw Awoniyi miss two glaring begging chances.

Well, i would take solace in d facts that:
1. Mexico had d home advantage
2. The likes of Omeruo, Mikel, Ndidi, Troost ekong and some others are yet to integrate with d team.
3. This is Nigeria. I still feel we will manage to get it right las las.

which kyne yrye for d future. We need immediate impact signings.

safarigirl:
New kit picture found! Spot Kelechi

Cc joseph1013, thesupernerd, thegoodjoe, icon4s, confun, tbaba1234, lakesidepapa

Pictures of our foes.

Gunner 4 life!