₦airaland Forum

Thursday Nuggets (enjoy):

"One day, Jorge Valdano [former player, coach and director at Real Madrid] made me the following reflection, 'At Barcelona the leader is [Lionel] Messi; at Madrid it is [president] Florentino Perez, and the Atletico de Madrid [leader] is [Diego] Simeone," Emery said in quotes that were translated into French on the Culture PSG website.

Unai Emery - PSG Coach

Source: https://www.yahoo.com/sports/guardiola-number-one-city-psg-153501484.html


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No reason Liverpool can't beat Real Madrid, there's little pressure on them compared to what is expected from Real Madrid. Sergio Ramos's big game reputation is well-known, but so too is his lack of discipline. Put him under pressure and he's prone to doing something stupid. Liverpool's front 3 are capable of creating that pressure.

However if Madrid lose, it will most likely spell the end for Zidane which I think is a mistake. He's done great things for them since being manager. Who could do any better, Pochettino??

Having said that, Liverpool needs to keep pressing Madrid for a full 90 mins. It seems like every game that Klopp subs a front man for a defender they ship goals; whether it's West Brom or Roma. If I have access to Jurgen Klopp, I will tell him to keep it 4-3-3 please. The front three at Liverpool get the chances because of the space created by the attacking full backs. If they don’t press high then teams are confident in attacking them.

All in all, just like Barca, Liverpool needs a strong and mobile midfield to make Klopp’s system work. The weaknesses are Lovren, Karius and occasionally Alexander-Arnold.


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Interesting!

Something tells me that somebody might get disappointed.
#JustSaying


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MetalJigsaw:
Echiejile: I’m Focusing On World Cup, Not New Deal With Cercle Brugge
3 May 2, 2018

Elderson Echiejile says that is not thinking about signing a contract extension with Cercle Brugge, but concentrating on being in great form to make Super Eagles final squad to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Echiejile’s six-month loan deal at the Belgian club expires this summer, and he has an offer to extend his stay at the newly promoted top division side, Completesportsnigeria.com gathered.

Cercle Brugge defeated Beerschot Wilrijk 3-1 in March to seal their return to the elite division after three years.

“The World Cup is around the corner and we’ll see what happens next,” Echiejile told Completesportsnigeria.com.

“I haven’t thought about it yet; I have another a year contract with Monaco and I am very happy. I just think about the end of the season and to stay in good shape and form for the World Cup.”

Echiejile played for Turkish side Sivasspor at the start of the 2017/18 season before joining Cercle Brugge in January in search of regular football.

The left-back who missed out on the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil due to injury, has made 53 international appearances for the Super Eagles and scored twice.



https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/echiejile-im-focusing-on-world-cup-not-new-deal-with-cercle-brugge/

Nigerians and their tendency to copy (or should we say "ape") everything they see. I can bet you that most of them flashing these signs don't even know that it's occultist symbol ... they think that they are following a trend.

#sh!thole country


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Haha!! Like they say 'love is blind'


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decatalyst:
E go clear from your eyes soon...





Iranu

Wow! This is the type we dey call opendential


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Yuneehk:
Ndidi looks yummy

homo bish


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Brooke60:
Bobrisky my guy abi my babe .
Despite all his/her wahala, dude is good at heart

My brotha, you have said it all! To add anything else would be most uncivilized.


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Obijulius:
Now look at this idiot and tell me why our economy will not fail.

Of all things to worry about this is the most pressing issue on this man’s mind. Trump is fighting for Christians in Nigeria while a pastor VP is having sleepless night over who discovered River Niger.

If anyone still thinks this man is sane please check yourself too.

Lots of insane people supporting an insane VP in the mentions.

Exactly! The right woman - that's the key! Your wife (marriage) can either make or break you.


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chrisooblog:
hopefully he is hooking up with the right girl. every man no matter which profession or work he's involved in needs a good woman who can positively affect his destiny. i also thought it might be rather too young for him to marry but on the other hand with the kind of distractions young footballers face in europe it's a wise decision. i read alex ferguson used to encourage his players to marry early to keep them on the straight and narrow

Wow. That was definitely below the belt!

With friends like her who needs enemies?


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newsynews:
How you gon be salty cause I eat whatever the f*ck I want and you can’t h*e. I have wayyy too many responsible people in my life. They won’t let me put this fat, salty hoe in her place. Always talking about people and stay kissing their ass. Fool! Boss ladies don’t beg for love”

They don’t beg for d*ck either. Sit you cellulite ridden a** down and be humble/

You're only allowed to do that when you're an icon


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MetalJigsaw:
How can two Icons quote eachother

Joebie, are you serious? Did you hear from reliable sources??

This is a fantastic news, if true. But is he gonna be match sharp for the World Cup tho? He hasn't played in over 1 year. We don't want a repeat of the Peter Rufia experiment


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Joebie:
Me I’m still hoping on Ikeme’s return. The last thing I heard, he is already having light workout

Ndidi definitely needs a bigger stage, like Liverpool or even Spurs but I don't see Leicester letting him go without a fight. It's now an obvious fact that their team is a mess without Ndidi so they'd like to hold onto him as long as they can or until they can at least get a replacement. They won't like a repeat of Ngolo Kante all over again.


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TheSuperNerd:
The thing is that Mahrez wants to leave and Leicester is bracing up for that. Mahrez will cost much too. Leicester is demanding like 50million or so. 45 million may also land Mahrez... Mahrez will likely be first out the door in a big money move from Leicester before Ndidi follows and I don't know if Leicester would be willing to lose both Mahrez and Ndidi in same window... but it is possible shaa. Monaco lost a couple in one window swoop on their players... lol... Ndidi will cost more than Mahrez more likely... I personally expect it to be so but time will tell.

Yes, I agree. Right now, Ndidi should be counted out of all the friendly matches. He sure starter so it's no biggie if he misses the friendlies. We can use his slot to test the other players on the fringe: Joel Obi, John Ogu, and Mikel Agu.


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TheSuperNerd:
If indeed your sources are true, then that is even better news. But abeg they can add another one week too so that we don't risk him against England. Ndidi should not play that England game even if he makes it back ahead of schedule. #MyOpinion.

This is mostly true but my sources are giving a more optimistic assessment. According to my sources, Ndidi is expected to be out 2-3 weeks for recovery then add another full week of gym work to regain full fitness. Hence, that puts him match fit by the end of May.


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TheSuperNerd:
Exclusive: Rohr, NFF To Make Big Decision As Leicester's Ndidi Is Ruled Out For Six Weeks


Wilfred Ndidi will be on the sidelines for the next six weeks, Leicester City have confirmed Nigeria's worst fears before manager Gernot Rohr announces a 35-man provisional roster for the 2018 World Cup.
The central midfielder subbed out in the 51st minute of the Foxes 5-0 loss to Crystal Palace on April 28 due to a hamstring injury and scans conducted soon after the game at Selhurst Park have revealed the full extent of his injury.

Rohr and the Nigeria Football Federation have a big decision to make, whether to name Ndidi on the 23-man for the World Cup with the hope that he will be fit before Nigeria's first game against Croatia on June 16.

''Ndidi will be ready for the World Cup. The result of the scan is out, they will put him on a programme to get him back to fitness,'' a top source told allnigeriasoccer.com .

''He will initially be out of action for four weeks and will need two weeks extra to be fully fit.''

Only yesterday, Ndidi was named Leicester City's Young Player of the Season for the second year running, he was one of the key players for the Nigerian national team during the World Cup qualifiers.


**Ifeanyi Emmanuel


Source: http://www.allnigeriasoccer.com/read_news.php?nid=27575

Russia 2018 WC Countdown: 43 days 5 hours 35 mins to go

Good point, Safari. But don't forget that marriage can also (and do also) derails some people's career. It all depends on the kinda wifey you married. Like my momsy (RIP) would say, "marriage is like a locked box, you don't know what's in it until you open it".


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safarigirl:
oga icon, you know say na Igbo boys like to dey wait until their papa no fit waka again before dem marry. Yoruba people, if money show, marriage is not far....even if money no show sef.

See Ndidi disturbing us with his Chidinma upandan, but he will not marry her, he and Awoniyi no be mate?

Anyway, Awo baby, I wish you happy married life, may your new wife bring with her, best of luck and a magic key to unlock all the doors of success for you. You know say sometimes, na marriage dey help some people career eventually.

Again, you're basing your assessment on two friendly matches in which we didn't play well as a team. And in addition, Joel wasn't even 100% fit for those games either. I think we'll get a more balanced analysis once we get a chance to see him play when the full team is in place ... not that makeshift squad we paraded against Serbia.


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MetalJigsaw:
This your statement just shows that you're a Joel Obi fanatic. Joel of today is not creative, simple. We're not talking of the Inter Milan days. We don't need glimpses. We already have the "glimpses" from Onazi and Ndidi.
Thank you

Amen and amen to the bolded, bro! In fact, that's exactly what I predicted on twitter last night myself, "Real Madrid has wobbled and fumbled into the finals but, not to worry, Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool would carve them up and eat them for lunch in the finals. Their luck would eventually run out".

I mean, I have NEVER seen a more undeserving UCL finalist in my life! They are only in the finals due to luck and refs help:
PSG was poised to knock them out cold in the round of 16 but the ref had other ideas - he quickly reduce PSG to 10 men, then Real ran riot.
And in the quarter finals, Juve was getting into the game when the ref decided to take out Dybala with two extremely soft yellow card! That's what killed the game and allowed Real to take a 3-0 advantage.
And yesterday, the ref denied Bayern TWO clear penalties coupled with Bayern gifting Real Madrid a goal on a platter!

In fact, the only good news is that Cristiano Ronaldo has been dreadful in those two legs


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TheSuperNerd:
Icon79 right now after CR7 and Madrid just made it into another UCL final....




P.S: Cheer up Bro, The "Egyptian messi" (The pharoah of Egypt) and his Army of Liverpoolian warriors may spoil the show for them in Kyiv... But in the mean time, take heart...

Don't bet on it. It's already 0-1 Bayern.

I still believe in Jupp Heynckes. If the officiating is fair (and that's a big IF), Bayern would come through at the end.


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Joebie:
You won’t need to buy a single bottle after FT.

Oga Mikel, welcome to the team! Some of us have been big fans of Chidozie Awaziem since he storms Super Eagles camp.


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TheSuperNerd:
Super Eagles Captain Mikel Tips FC Porto Loanee Chidozie Awaziem For Greatness

https://i1.wp.com/owngoalnigeria.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_4035.jpg


Captain of the Super Eagles of Nigeria John Obi Mikel says the quality of young players coming through the ranks in the national team of Nigeria is a sign that the team will dominate world football soon.
Nigeria are heading to the World Cup with probably the youngest team after Germany, and Mikel believes the move by coach Gernot Rohr will help the team in the future in major tournaments.
While speaking on the rise of so many talented youngsters in the senior national team of Nigeria, Mikel particularly pointed out Chidozie Awaziem who is on loan to Nantes of France from Portuguese giants FC Porto as a potential star.

”In such a short time we have produced so many talented players who are young and determined. There’s a chance of seeing some of them continue their progress at the World Cup in Russia “, Mikel told Owngoalnigeria.com in an interview facilitated by a source close to the Tianjin Teda man.

”Awaziem has impressed me with the number of games he has played at French side Nantes this season. Considering where he was coming from at Porto, where he lost his first team status, he has done well at Nantes. He can however grow into a great defender if he keeps working hard.
”It is the same with most of the young players we have in the team. They will all grow into super stars if they keep working hard. We could dominate world football in years to come."


**Osas Mahawi


Source: http://owngoalnigeria.com/2018/05/01/super-eagles-captain-mikel-tips-fc-porto-loanee-chidozie-awaziem-for-greatness/


Russia 2018 WC Countdown: 43 days 20 hours 29 mins to go

Oh, no question! You can't buy experience from the market.

And by the way, I will buy everyone here a drink if Bayern Munich knocks out Real Madrid today. So pray! pray!! pray!!!


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Joebie:
I am not trying to judge him on that. I’ve been a J.Obi supporter. But the point I’v been trying to make is that all things being equal, prior WC experience can give a player an edge .

Like I said, I don't judge him based on those two games. Those two games were not our best games, especially the Serbia game, so it might be unfair to base your decision on about Joel on what you saw from those two games.

Let's see how he performs in the remaining friendly games especially when the full squad is available.


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Joebie:
Good, so based on what you an I have watched recently how creative is he?

Modified
Because the Obi I watched recently was more of a destroyer. Hold that thought for a moment and let’s go back to that scenario. Who would u choose?

For now, yes, because our league is still lagging far behind. But we'll catch up eventually, by God's grace.


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mbjane:
Haba bro Europe league is a priority,even Egyptians that have a better league they tend to move to Europe

Bros, I started watching Joel Obi as far back as his Inter Milan days. He has always been a creative player, even when they occasionally puts him at LWB. Trust me, we haven't seen the best of him in GWG - provided that he's still the same Joel Obi. And he did show some flashes of the old Joel Obi in the last two games as well, so there's hope.


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Joebie:
Where did u see that creativity? Did u watch his Serie A games or is that assumed from his performances in th GWG many years ago? Where?

Well, I am not surprised. Our boys can compete when you provide them a level playing field; unfortunately, this isn't always the case when they move to Euro leagues. We need to develop our own league so that our players can do away with all those slave contracts they tend to enter in Europe.


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mbjane:
I think it's the coach decision,the former bursaspor coach got love for African players,former bursaspor coach is the former coach of cameroun national team

The man is too dumb and too ignorant to be a leader of a big country like Nigeria. I was watching his press conference with DT and he looks so nervous that it appears as he's gonna jump out of his body at any minute


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Well, he might actually be better than the guy who benched him but remember that, as a foreigner (especially an African), you gotta be twice as good as the native (or the white guy) in order to start ahead of him.

Sad but true.


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MetalJigsaw:
You have a point but. When was the last time he commuted such blunder?

How often? Judge this by his games in the SE.

How good is his successor compared to him (Ekong)?

And I'm almost certain that that dude that is put in his place must be a Turkish.

LOL. I knew you were gonna say that. I don't think that it's fair to judge Joel based on those two friendly games alone. First of all, Joel wasn't 100% fit for that game. Secondly, those were the two matches we didn't perform well. If you're using those two matches alone then there are so many players that wouldn't make the cut.


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lexyman:
i personally will not rate Joel ahead of Ogu, based on the 2 friendlies . ... in that cadre , he will be at the bottom ... now doubt Ndidi remains my top , but he has not really put on that Leicester city performance for the Super eagles .

I will decide based on other distinctive qualities. For instance, in the scenario you posed above, I will go with Joel because he's more creative than Onazi. Onazi may be a better marker (one-on-one destroyer) type midfielder but we already have that in Ndidi; hence, I will select J. Obi (as his partner) because he's gonna provide a little bit more creativity than either Onazi or Ndidi.


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Joebie:
Okay let’s assume your order is valid. Selection headache being that while monitoring the players in training before WC match day Onazi is doing as well as Obi, would u decide solely based on their club form?

Something doesn't add up with this story. So they arrested and beat him for being in the bush? What crime did he commit??

The last time I checked, it isn't a crime for someone to be in the bush.


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Bro, I have watched most of those guys up close and personal. But I would like to see your rating if you disagree. But I hope you don't rate Joel Obi based solely on the two friendly games he played recently.


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lexyman:
says who ? what re the criteria you ve used to rate them ?

My sources are telling me that Ndidi has a hamstring injury. He's expected to be out a couple of weeks only. This might actually be good for the Super Eagles because Ndidi has played too many games already, so missing the remaining 3 games might not be a bad idea. We need him to stay fresh for the World Cup.


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tbaba1234:
When El neny and Iwobi got injured, we knew the next day, the extent of their injury.

Still no news on the extent of Ndidi's injury...