₦airaland Forum

Sportsweb:

Lol, I'm 100% certain this person is an active member of this thread.

Nothing anybody wan tell me

swiz123:
Saka is a fully-fledged Yoruba boy, just as Eberechi Eze is a fully-fledged Igbo boy. It is very shameful that those two chose to represent a foreign country.

We have diplomats and other foreigners living in Nigeria and birth kids in Nigeria. Does that make their kids Nigerians? Will they represent Nigeria in any sport? The answer is capital NO.

Any full blooded African (not mixed) representing a foreign country is a national embarrassment.

Is it foreign to you or foreign to them?

To be honest, I find it ridiculous to think that you'll feel it's an embarrassment for them to represent their country of birth because their parents are Nigerians. The only reason why those diplomats won't represent Nigeria (or most African countries) is that we don't make it conducive for them(economically, welfare and all). Those same people will happily represent other nations that are well developed and fully functional (example Laporte of Spain and Hernandez of France).

Lemme ask you a question. I believe you've lived all your Nigeria. Let's assume you're a top footballer like Osimhen and you found out your parent's country is Chad. Would you with your church mind go and be representing them knowing fully well how underdeveloped (at least when compared to Nigeria) they are with respect to your skills/experience and also with how foreign you are with their culture and environment?

swiz123:
I personally think Enzo succumbed to pressure by accepting he did wrong. The strength of the French national team is the aggregate strength of all pure Africans who represent them.

Why will an African man whose parents are from Africa choose to represent a white man's country? The Argentines chant is satirical and a wake up call to Africans; but then, Africans are stupid and too sensitive.

Imagine how stronger Nigeria will be if Saka and Eze represented us. But then, they both chose to represent England and if I ridicule them for it, it will simply be considered criticism but if a white man does it, it will be tagged racism.

Big shout out to all African players who choose to bear their countries flag proudly and represent them with their hearts.

My question I want to ask is:

Is Saka a Nigerian boy or an English boy?

I don't know why Saka or Eze or Co should be ridiculed for representing their nation of birth who even nutured them to who they are today.

MorataFC:
That's not racism, it's modern-day colonization. Have you ever seen an African country colonize a European or Asian nation? During the colonial era, European powers exploited the resources of the countries they colonized to develop their own. Similarly, in sport today, wealthy teams from former colonial powers poach top talent from formerly colonized nations, stripping them of their best players to strengthen their own squads. This is a form of neocolonialism in sport.
Offer Harry Kane £100m per month to switch nationalities to any Africa country, and he'll promptly decline. Yet, promise a decent African player just a UK residency, and they'll readily accept to switch nationality without hesitation. (Slavery mentality) This disparity highlights a form of neocolonialism in sports, where African talent is exploited to enrich and strengthen the European teams.

Actually, I don't understand this tbh?
Why will Harry Kane wants to accept £100m to play in a condition that's alien to him negatively?

Even most prime players are rejecting Saudi moves(and China moves then) even with all monies promised them. Is it also slave mentality?

It always human nature to go to where conditions and pay are standard and efficient and where their career will be appreciated.
We are all know how most players are being neglected after having injuries by some of these African countries (esp Nigeria) when representing the national team. Some are forced to even treat themselves with their own money or their clubs are forced to do so. You think someone like Eze that grew up in England would love to subject himself to this kinda thing?

So why are we making it as if these countries are forcing these players to play for them when in fact, it's our standard of living and publicity that's sub par that's chasing these top talents away?

Let Africans fix up themselves and we'll be the attraction of the world. We can't act like a 3rd class country then expect first class players/professionals.

Rugby
It could be argued rugby has had just as big an impact on Arsenal, although that is not always on the pitch.

Like most clubs, Arsenal will often have coaches or analysts up in the stands during matches. In rugby, that tends to also be where head coaches watch play from, as opposed to being down on the touchline, like in football. Being elevated in the stand provides a different vantage point from which to spot what is going right or wrong during a game.

Arsenal use this in first-team and under-21 matches. When Arteta was first appointed, Ljungberg took this role in the stands, with a direct line of communication to the bench.

Asked about watching games from that viewpoint during last year’s rugby union World Cup, Arteta said: “I spoke to Sam (Allardyce, former Bolton Wanderers, West Ham United and England manager) about it and he was really comfortable to have the first period (of a match) there. When he explained the arguments of why he did it, it’s just brilliant. That’s being ahead of the game and managing yourself in a way that can make the team better.”

Last autumn, rugby had a more obvious influence on Arsenal players. When there was an international break at the same time as that sport’s World Cup, Rice, currently on international duty at Euro 2024, spoke about how he and his England team-mates have sought to improve their mental approach in matches that could go either way.

“We’ve had some people in before to do some talks,” the Arsenal midfielder said. “Not only the (New Zealand) All Blacks; England as well (and) South Africa. How to get over the line. How to do things differently and how to have that mindset of, ‘We ain’t getting beaten. No matter what’.”

It will be impossible to tell whether that mindset has carried over to his game at Arsenal, but it is likely. Arsenal’s improved performances against the rest of the top six, who they went unbeaten against in 2023-24, is a testament to that, considering new signing Rice was key throughout.

One influence from rugby that may be more visible on the pitch is in Arsenal’s defensive structure.

Over the past few seasons, their press has aimed to guide opposition teams into a trap near the touchline. Over time, their execution has become more intense, with White often one of the side’s most advanced players on the pitch, to help condense space as seen below.

That swing, with White pushing so high up and everybody else covering, is reminiscent of a shape drill done as early as under-12s in rugby.

The drill is focussed on a ‘Pendulum Defence’, where the back three in a rugby team (the two wingers and a full-back) will swing across the pitch depending on where the ball is. Usually, two wingers hold the width with the full-back central, but during this drill the ball-side winger would push up, the full-back would push out to the touchline and the far-side winger would come central.

It is a principle that is worked on in football, when far-side wingers pick up loose players infield, but the extreme nature of Arsenal’s setup felt more comparable to how the pendulum defence is actually executed in rugby.

The influence has also gone the other way.

In 2022, then England rugby union head coach Eddie Jones spoke of Arteta’s trip to their camp the previous year. Asked what he learned, Jones said: “A fast start — how fast they get out of the blocks. Every game, they’re at it. They play with energy, they know how they want to play, they put the opposition on the back foot.”

Fast starts were a theme of Arsenal’s play at the time. They were lacking at the beginning of last season, but returned in 2024. That relentlessness kept their title charge going until the campaign’s final round of matches.

Cont...

Those moments lead to what is the most obvious comparison made between football and basketball: transitions.

Funnily enough, this was something interim manager Freddie Ljungberg and Arteta were vocal about wanting to stop happening to Arsenal in the aftermath of Unai Emery’s November 2019 sacking. Now, Arsenal are utilising these transitions to become more dominant, although the best examples came in the 2022-23 season.

In the 1980s, Magic Johnson, the legendary Los Angeles Lakers star, popularised what in basketball circles is known as a fast break. The idea is to get the ball — via turnover or rebound — and race to the offensive end of the court before the defence can get set. They called it ‘Showtime’ when the Lakers did it, because it was an exciting style of play. Now, it’s a staple of NBA basketball. The Golden State Warriors, led by Stephen Curry, became an NBA dynasty with five titles in eight years by thriving in transition.

We see the same traits in Arsenal when they pounce on the ball, force turnovers and immediately apply pressure on the opposing defence, finding opportunities to break quickly.

One of Arsenal’s key attributes in 2022-23 was five players racing into the final third whenever they attacked. It would become six when Ben White overlapped, but even with five they often took up the width of the pitch before exploiting space more centrally.

Below are two examples. One against Manchester City, where Bukayo Saka joins the move late to finish. The other is against Liverpool, where Saka is the wide outlet and Gabriel Martinelli waits to burst into a more central space to score.

Similarities with basketball can also be seen in how Arsenal use blockers — Alexandre Lacazette obstructs Nathan Ake to create space for a Saka goal against Manchester City in 2022 (above). Blocking is more often seen in Arsenal’s set-piece routines.

Cross-sport similarities have also been seen in how Arsenal move the ball, specifically out wide.

Arsenal fans will be familiar with White waiting for Saka to make a run inside a full-back before passing into that space for him to receive, as seen below.

Arteta himself spoke about wanting this movement from his wingers when working towards earning his coaching qualifications, saying: “I don’t like creating (straight) lines between the wide players. Why? Because the full-back passes to the wide player like this with his back to goal. He can’t progress the play. There’s always someone at his bum so he cannot play forward.

“When you do it like this (with the winger coming inside off the line), the angles you create mean you are always receiving the ball like this (on the move).”

These types of passes have drawn comparison to the off-ball ‘cutting’ or ‘slashing’ movements in basketball, where players dart across a defender to receive a pass in space. They have been vital to White and Saka’s relationship on the right and helped Arsenal become more threatening over the past two seasons.

Cont,....

A long but Interesting Read:

HOW OTHER SPORTS INFLUENCED ARSENAL’S RISE? (Rebounds, Rotations And A Pendulum Defence)

Arsenal's progress in recent years has been remarkable. Year-on-year under Mikel Arteta, they have bettered their points tally each time. There are lots of reasons for that, from the importance of belief to new signings elevating the team.
One factor worth noticing is the influence other sports have had on Arsenal. Some of those influences are more apparent than others, but there is no doubt the club have taken inspiration from outside football, whether from basketball and rugby, or more niche sports such as handball.
Here, The Athletic examines exactly how some of those sports have influenced Arsenal.

Basketball
We’ll start with the most popular, and obvious, example.

The comparisons between Arsenal’s play and basketball started 18 months ago. Curiosity sparked when Martin Odegaard was part of two basketball-inspired celebrations in a matter of weeks in matches away to Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur.

Although the Arsenal captain could be vague when asked about it, he later told Overtime FC’s TikTok: “It’s just a principle we have in the team called the Basketball Rule and it’s (about) being in front of the man.”

This was to explain his goal at Brighton, when he reached a loose ball before Kauro Mitoma on the edge of the box to finish. Earlier that month, when asked about the amount of quick turnovers Arsenal were forcing during their mid-season friendlies, Reiss Nelson said: “We call it the Basketball Rule. In basketball, there’s a lot of rebounds, so that’s something the boss has incorporated into our style.”

Arsenal ranked second in the Premier League last season for winning possession in the final third (253 times). Pressuring the ball appears to be a key part of this basketball rule. In basketball, man-to-man defending emphasises the defender keeping the ball in front of him and not letting a dribbler get past. The best defenders in the sport take it a step further and apply pressure on the ball-handler, looking to force a mistake.

Looking back over recent months, here are a few examples where Arsenal players have done well in that respect to force a turnover and set up a counter-attack, against Chelsea, Luton Town and Everton.
Man-marking is not new to football, but the instruction of being in front of (or in line with) the opponent in possession does seem important. Declan Rice is a master at anticipating passes anyway, but being well-positioned no doubt helped Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Jesus produce moments they tend to be less associated with.

Cont....

Katcall:
Pepe, Marcos senna, gilardino, Santos of mexico in Germany 2006, deco. Are you saying Brazil is third world?

You're buttressing my point

I only say it's not by force to play for your fatherland and nobody should be criticized for it

BlueRayDick:
We’ve had 64 years to govern ourselves and all we’ve done is to misgovern ourselves . It’s funny that we will still be blaming the west till now.

It's really funny my brother.
In this day and age, still blaming the west for our misgovernance.

It's just crazy really

OkpaNsukkaisBae:
Funny thing is that if you follow these guys on YouTube, Instagram, etc. You see them vibing to African music, their mum cooking African food for them etc. Accept African cultures yet choose to represent European countries in international football.... E dey confuse me. Ex Spanish coach Del Bosque approached Messi to convince him to represent Spain. But Messi refused.

How would such a thing confuse you.?
Most Nigerians are talking japa, japa, japa.

Are you saying all those who are japaing are wrong? Mind you, these are people who even grew up in Nigeria straight to adulthood.

How much more for people who mostly hardly set their foot in African countries sef yet you want them to represent you because they allign with your songs and foods.

Na wa oo.

For every Messi wey decline Spain to represent their fatherland, I can show you every Jorginho that declined Brazil to NOT represent their fatherland.

Life no deep for this level, na una dey carry digger dey dig am

TLona1:
Last time that happened, Nigeria was 6💀

Even when Nigeria haven't been formed teams like Netherlands for example, a great footballing nation haven't won the world cup.

Lol

BlueRayDick:
Is the West behind Yahaya Bello stealing 80 billion Naira as governor of Kogi state ?

Is the west behind Mamman Saleh stealing 33 billion Naira meant for zungeru and mambilla power plants which are meant to generate electricity for us?

🤷‍♂️

I was about to bring all these and other corrupt practices up but I don't want this thread to become political thread.

Except na West deh tell our governors and politicians to do all these things which I'm not aware of. Hence what's the need of even voting or trying to hold our governors and politicians responsible/accountable if we're still under the west?

patrickmuf:
The west influence our elections, sponsor regime change and all that. It is very difficult for 3rd world countries to develop further because their development is a threat to Western Superpowers.

Hmmm...

Ballzproblem2:
problem no go dey ,it will blow over

Lol...
No lele

Hopefully you guys manage it well

andrewbaba44:
Bro I don’t get how Messi came into this o

The thing Dey surprise me Walai

If he was present there on the bus and didn’t cordinate them then he was fucking wrong ,but there is a proof of video all over everywhere and Messi has been in Miami with family before the incident ,but ofcourse he must be blamed

Dibu get luck say e no Dey there ,na him dem for drag pass and even forget enzo wey steam the live

Like how hard is the bolded??
I don't just know whether it's agenda but Dem must just look for way to rope Messi in cos I don't really understand why they did that even when it's was made sufficiently clear that he wasn't in the bus, repeatedly.

If na Dibu dey that bus, Dem fit ban am sef. The way people dey look for ways to take crucify that guy after his Wc shenanigans. Make him thank him chi say him no dey that bus too

BlueRayDick:
My GOAT 🐐 wey no see reason to Dey do bus parade after he don complete football, dem still wan drag am into Enzo and his friends’s misbehavior 🤦‍♂️

Truly, uneasy lies the head that wears the crown

It's just crazy seeing the dragging. Reading it from them, I was like "how did Messi name enter here"?
Messi don turn their papa be that
Even parents sef aren't held accountable for sins of their adult children but not Messi


Truly, uneasy lies the head that wears the crown .

patrickmuf:
Left for me, they should play that song until it dawns on those guys to represent their father land rather than opt to represent those colonizers that keep colonising.

They help corrupt politicians loot 3rd world countries and take these lots to their countries which they use to develop their countries leaving 3rd world inhabitants impoverished so they easily come in and handpick the best brains across all fields of endeavours.

Wait for the day a Messi or Ronaldo choose to play for Nigeria or Ghana and see how the hypocritical lots will react.

Personally, I think you're wrong here.
You're mixing national politics with sports(and subsequent someone's potential Job) and deviating from the main discourse

Nobody tells our wicked leaders to continue being corrupt and impoverish its citizens. We tend to make our environment not conducive for growth due to corruption and wickedness yet wants the best brains to come work in such conditions. Not as if these people grew up in these conditions sef.

Most of these players grew up in their adopted countries, they're familiar with their adopted countries and all, connected to their adopted countries. Lastly, their adopted countries mostly "made" them. How then do you want them to abandon all those things and jump to a country they're not connected or familiar to because "it's their fatherland"?

Let our leaders fix our country and stop their corruption and all wickedness and we'll see the Messis and Ronaldos we seek. Or do you think Nigeria presently is lacking in people who are better than Messi and Ronaldo on the streets currently? Just because of lack of sorting and connection they can't get the due attention they need? Will you blame your colonizers for it too?

Even those that decided to play for their fatherland against all odds like Mbappe and Alaba, have you also read the reasons why they ditched the idea? Will you also blame our colonizers?

BlewMahn:
What Jackson posted.

Problem go dey that una dressing room oo

andrewbaba44:
Dem Dey tell you say Messi no follow Dey inside that bus ,but you Dey blame am for not coordinating them

You people are foolish and don’t even know when to start an agenda

Tufiakwa

Dem leave Enzo wey be adult wey dey do foolish and racist thing dey drag Messi weh dey Miami.

E be things

Roland17:
Good to see my boy Saliba make Team of the Tournament. Well deserved, many more to come. Get some rest and let’s get ready for next season!

Better player.

I just hope all of them get extended rest. At least Saliba, Rice and Saks (esp) should not arrive camp until at least 2 weeks (or less) before season starts

Trevor012:
Will any of the eleven be the same? That's the Koko. Unlike Golden boot, there's no rigging or mago mago involved. 😁

There would always be one winner in Mvp unlike in golden boots were they can be up to 10 winners at once.

In law of a competitive game, we need only one winner.

Trevor012:
As long as you criticize one you criticize all. Ask people here to make their own first eleven and each and every one of them will be different. Same with Rodri as MVP.

There'll be some semblance.
Ask any random people here and I'm sure Rodri, Fabian, Yamal, Nico will be in their team.

You can't because of Walker say those people are wrong to be there.

And that's how it is for Messi

Android17:
If you know the moments where he received the ball in his sweet spot, please provide links or a timestamp so we can analyze.

If Mount or Gallagher can supposedly play the role, why not play them there? You think I am agitating for Foden to always start? No. I only said to use him in his natural position and build around him. I said England are more likely to win anything that way.

The team was not built around Foden. In fact, England had been "benching" him in past tournaments abi? Even Chelsea fans said Palmer is better right? So Chelsea should win major titles like England have been doing since 1966 abi?

Exactly.

Well, everything just boils down to a good coach. Thank goodness Southgate is out now. I'll be looking forward to the new coach and see how he'll gel all these players

Trevor012:
See my guy

You are complaining about the same process that is used in deciding mvp award. So now you agree it's not a reliable metric 😂

Messi is a different breed and story. That Walker doesn't deserve to be there doesn't mean their Olmo, Musiala, Rodri and co that's there doesn't deserve to be there.

I only criticized Walker inclusion, the rest was right

monerozi5590:
Look at the Germany, Spain, France. Nah. Those team are very good. They can beat England too even with Guardiola as the England coach.

Lol...
I don't even need to go far to guardiola sef.

Give this coach to Howe and I'm very sure they'll produce more than what they're producing.

Leyqute:
They completely took their foot off the gas after that equalizer. They lacked belief. If not, they would’ve gotten a second goal.

And Southgate including his minions were just looking like dundee. Heard Bellingham lost it with him on the touchline before he made those subs sef.

E pain me as the just do that nonsense. After the winning goal, na there I know say Lastgate have nothing to offer.

E reach for everybody to vex aside Bellingham. Southgate can't just be expecting to drag games to PKs everytime to save him

andrewbaba44:
Walker that was average at this euros is making team of the tournament for what exactly ?

Kounde should be the rb or carvajal

Walker??
This people no serious.

Walker wey even make me miss James for this tournament

Leyqute:
Yeah. Spain played two young talents in Nico and Yamal and those two won them the Euros.

The problem with England is their stvpid press and hyping every Tom, dick and Taofeek with a British accent. They need a strong coach who won’t bend to their agenda and holistically pick his team. Shoehorning players based on their stardom over how they fit into a tactic often ends in heartbreak.

Man for man, Spain doesn’t have a better starting XI than England on paper but they are the better team.

Imagine England Coming out after they put Palmer and Watkins and they quickly equalised while pinning Spain back a bit.

What did they do next after equalising? They just started playing their defensive and coward play again hoping to drag the game to extra time.

Imagine during 1-1, England have a throw in deep in Spain half but opted to throw back which Stones passed to Gk. That sums up England and their coaching in a nutshell.

No how all these players would look bad all at once. Man for Man, England can stand up against any team

monerozi5590:
The truth will come out one day. Check 2006 squad. That's the golden generation since I started watching football. Look at just the defence then. Campbell, Terry, Ferdinand, Carragher, Ashely Cole, G. Neville. None of those defenders is average. Check the midfield and attack then, you will be spoil for choice.

......not Guehi that couldn't track the runs of Oryazabal and was beaten for pace. Stones was completely lost in that final and look confused.

Southgate has left. Let's see whether the next coach will better what Southgate has done.

The thing is, this generation deserves a trophy when compared with their contemporaries from other nations. There's a reason they're always reaching semi finals and finals even with their very poor and timid play due to Southgate tactics. Imagine if a proper coach is handling them.

You look at this England's squad and you look at Germany, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, France etc and you'll know with a good coach they can beat them. The guehi, stones and Saka aren't playing against them dinho, Henry, Xavi, ballack that their Rooney and co faced back then.

Leyqute:
England reminds me of Germany in the early 2010s.

Got to 3 consecutive World Cup semis between 2002 to 2010 (2nd, 3rd,3rd) before winning it in 2014. They also got to 3 consecutive Euro semis between 2008-2016 ( finished 2nd, 3rd and 3rd) and didn’t win it.

Let me put that into perspective.

Between 2006 and 2016, they got to 6 consecutive Euro and World Cup semis( 2 finals included) and only won the gold once.

England likewise, have made it to the last 3 of the past 4 major semis and even got to the final twice. They may not have won the last Euros but they’re on the way. If they get a good coach and manage their talents well, they could win one of those trophies in the near future.

Yeahhh... True talk you said.

Na just good coach ready for them to really cook cos all the ingredients don dey really set.

They'll become really unplayable if they get a very good coach. See Spain and Germany for example.

Omoluabi16:
Exactly. Even the English fans know that, always calling him a yes man. I think this team is the real golden generation. The other teams had a heskey,Darius Vasell, Ricky Lambert on the bench, but this team is complete. They just need a serious coach.. but them fit go hire Wayne Rooney.

It's the reason why I want them to win something cos they're the real golden generation. Stars are stacked almost evenly in all departments. They just needs to get a good coach and they'll become unplayable. If they don't make judicious use of their time now and this generation pass, e fit hard them again.

But trust their fa like you said, dem fit go hire Rooney or Neville

popizaino:
I am not talking about the 3Lions but football in general.

Capiche !

Well, I wasn't talking about football in general but the 3 Lions

Capiche!!