₦airaland Forum

CHAMPIONSHIP

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QPR 1-1 Huddersfield
Ebere Eze(LMR)
WhoScored Rating: 7.24 (joint second highest rating)
3 shots (2 on target)
62 touches
40 total passes
90% pass success rate
2 successful dribbles (3 attempted)
1 successful tackle (1 attempted)
4 corners taken (50% accuracy)

Bright Osayi-Samuel (AMR)
WhoScored Rating: 6.13
4 shots (1 on target)
33 touches
15 total passes
87% pass success rate
1 successful tackle (1 attempted)

Luke Amos (DM)
WhoScored Rating: 6.33
57 touches
43 total passes
77% pass success rate
1 Key pass
1 Aerial won
2 successful tackle (3 attempted)
Was dribbled Once

Kano Pillars lead Asante Kotoko 1-0 at HT

Slovenian second division side NK Drava Dakinda have appointed former Super Eagles coach, Austin Eguavoen, as their new Technical Director.

The 53-year-old until his appointment was coach of fourth division club, Zakynthos FC, in Greece.

NK Drava Dakinda have in their ranksthree Nigerian players:Temitope Nelson, Mathias Fanimo and Simon Oduh.

--Punch

Everton's Probable XI according to WhoScored

Analysis

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How Arsenal’s culture of change left Alex Iwobi underappreciated – and unnecessary
https://images.cdn.fourfourtwo.com/sites/fourfourtwo.com/files/styles/image_landscape/public/iwobi-cropped_r8fslvycrspq14hlx4am1yfah_0.jpg?itok=e7RSNAYq
by Mark White
Published 15 hours ago

Alex Iwobi's last goal for Arsenal was a consolation, but it's a shame there weren't more fans in Baku to appreciate its brilliance. A torpedo that swerved inside Kepa Arrizabalaga's near post, it typified his time in red and white: graceful, laden with technique, but ultimately undervalued in the mire of Arsenal's problems.

To many fans, Iwobi has become a statue of the stagnation at Arsenal: a mildly unpopular pillar of the club, and frankly, the only real left winger in the wake of Alexis Sanchez's epic downfall. To some he's awful, others he's average. If Aubameyang and Lacazette are the lead guitarist and vocalist of the Arsenal band, Iwobi is stage-left on bass. A deputy, a stop-gap, Henrikh Mkhitaryan's other half. Like a second-hand car: an asset to surely replace in a windfall.

It seems a little harsh though that Iwobi's presence is often met with such disinterest. He registered the third-most assists of any under-23 in the Premier League last season, behind Leroy Sane and James Maddison. He contributes as many passes around the box as most of Europe's elite. At his best, Iwobi is a needle, sewing play together: an architect in tight spaces and an athlete when he has pitch to run into.

On paper at least, the 23-year-old is the petri-dish designer footballer that Arsenal fans expect from their academy. He joined the club aged 8 when they were unbeaten champions and grew up in the shadows of Arsenal legends. He was schooled in the geometric precision of Wengerball and endowed with some of his uncle Jay-Jay Okocha's flair. He's raw, his decision making often evaporates in the fire of away matches, but when Arsenal click into gear, Iwobi dazzles. He's a shy Jack Wilshere; a kid brought up in suburban London that dribbles like he's still got his school rucksack on, has radar vision and can beat full backs like a magician throwing a handkerchief over the ball.

There's an argument, too, that he's still not found his feet or locked in his favoured position. Arsene Wenger always favoured laser-passers out wide; Pireses, Rosickys and Nasris to dictate and drift like Red Arrows. It seemed Iwobi's destiny to carve his name into that particular rock, but the game has moved on. He's barely been tested in central positions – Arsenal also underrated Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's promise as a midfielder – and the club have always valued Iwobi as a luxury-number-10-turned-wide-man.

Only Alex Iwobi is a luxury that Arsenal could barely afford. A cultured attacking midfielder, he was learning on the job from the likes of Mesut Ozil, sharing creative responsibility and stretching play for the German to operate. Iwobi blossomed at Arsenal as a secondary playmaker, but he's become more of a regular fixture than any of the primary ones. His career's been forged in flux; Ozil faded from the spotlight, Mkhitaryan has shone intermittently and Cazorla's light went out a long time ago. In the absence of excellence elsewhere, Iwobi has been an Emery ever-present: the face of away day disappointment and a mainstay in Arsenal's meekest team in memory.

The Nigerian has carried Arsenal's creativity on his back during the Mustafi mistakes, the Ozil injuries and the back three experiments of two managers unfamiliar with playing the system. He's carried a flame in a rainstorm and failed to keep the embers glowing. For all his promise, he's disappointed many. Stepping to Everton represents a mission failed.

But Iwobi is still worthy of far more respect than he ever picked up at the Emirates Stadium. A gifted individual who was always there, through the defeats to Bournemouth, the crumbling season finales and the winds of change. He rarely made the big difference but he never shirked from challenges. During a summer where fans have demanded loyalty from Laurent Koscielny, Iwobi was always the quiet kid at the back of the class, who never showed a deep desire to leave London Colney.

Alex Iwobi never got to celebrate his final goal at Arsenal. He half-volleyed the ball into the net with all the frustration you'd expect from a substitute fighting a 3-0 deficit, before turning on his heels and racing to the centre circle. Fifteen years as a boy, teenager and man at Arsenal, all culminating in one sublime, but ultimately pointless, bolt from nowhere. A squint of genius that no one appreciated. Iwobi was never the man to carry Arsenal, but he gave it a damn good hit.

--FourFourTwo

And he no fit help them. He should move to the PSL

komekn:
Sorry league 2, his team was relegated from league one to league two.

Infact his career has been blighted by relegation clubs one after the other.

Trying to get a work permit in France. Else...

maidaboi:
Onyekuru?

Akpan dey league one.. why na?

komekn:
You missed out Hope Akpan and you could add Ross Barkley ( Nigerian origin) � lol

SE to play Ukraine in September

no worry Rohr go soon invite you lol

Clementoke:
Clementoke to Barca in a swap deal with Messi

all join na..

jihday:
To understudy Eddie Howe?

komekn wan get heart attack lol

komekn:
Where When How ❓ ❓ ❓

Is it the same Echiejile that should have retired.

lol

chrisooblog:
heard emenike is on his way to southampton. his friend is doing naming ceremony for his new born baby there

Echiejile to Bournemouth

Una don start. Make league start first make we know the men from the boys. Transfer no be match.

anything is possible in Amsterdam

andrew444:
Same with me

But ajax

Lol

Happy for Akpom and Esiti. I wish they won though.

this thread weak me oh.. tomorrow will be a better day hopefully

check am na

jihday:
bro are you sure that's correct?

CHAN QUALIFIERS
Lesotho knocks out South Africa 6-2 on aggregate

Other aggregate scores:
Zimbabwe 7-1 Mauritius
Burundi 4-1 South Sudan
Tanzania 0-0 Kenya (Tanzania win 4-1 Penalties)

The guy get speed sha.. good run at the right. Good start.

TheSuperNerd:
Chidera Ejuke scored today in SC Heerenven's 4-0 away win in the Eredivisie...

The lad has began on a fine note.

We can only speak of what happened. Put Ujah there, we never know what he would have done. If you want to speak of the past 2 seasons, then you have a case. But you can't rubbish KC's performance in his first season considering the few minutes he played for ManCity. He had a promising performance considering his age at the time. And that's a fact.

modified
Don't forget Man City brought in a new manager. So much changed after then for KC.

komekn:
I want you first to consider the number of top class quality of players that surround you at City.

It's not a question of how many goals you will score but numbers of goals scored. Put Ighalo, Ujah, etc in that position how many do you think they will score ❓

I said ages ago the true test of KC quality is when he goes to a club that doesn't have the same level of top quality players supporting you.

Well that's happened and the rest has been history for the past two seasons at Leicester , abysmal.

The idea you can use number of minutes played to goals scored as a means of determining quality. Is simply not true. Some will say coming on as a sub when your opponents are tired and weary, is a lot easier to score. That's why we talk of supersubs.

The stats are clear therefore 20 games and 4 goals,if he showed more promise they would have given him.mote minutes and probably he would be still at Manchester city. But he was simply not good enough

Some fanatical fans being Superdelusuional and out of touch with reality found that hard to believe. And called him EXCEPTIONAL TALENT comparing him to Aguero, Mbappe, Gabriel, etc.

well he showed great potential at that stage considering he was an academy player before inspiring Nigeria to win the U17 WC. This is the reason why many Nigerians want him to succeed. Playing for Man City that first season and scoring 4 goals in the meager match time he was given seemed very promising. Add to that, he was impressive in the GWG shortly after.

komekn:
4 goals at Manchester city in the EPL 2016/17 season after 20 games is not stats you would attribute to an IN-FORM Striker or would you ❓

You may have different standards for IN-FORM than myself.

@ bolded

andrew444:
IFK midfielder Alhassan Yusuf: Wolves rumours inspiring

IFK Gothenburg midfielder Alhassan Yusuf is aware of rumours linking him with Wolves.

It's been suggested Wolves have been told by IFK it will take €7m to sign the Nigerian.

Yusuf told GT: "I hear about what is written, but it is the kind that always comes if you play well and make good matches.

"It's something you have to be happy about, even if what is written is not always right. Obviously it's very fun that people even think that I could go to such big clubs. It is very inspiring.

"I want to play in the top leagues and get the challenges. It's every player's dream and it's the same for me. It's something I've dreamed about since I was a little kid, it would have been really cool."

Read more at https://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/ifk-midfielder-alhassan-yusuf-wolves-rumours-inspiring-4291553#7L8OevbfYOXXrAWX.99

why u dey fall for my trap na?

komekn:
If I'm right he was a B player in Barcelona and didn't make it then ended up playing kick and rush in league one for Fleetwood Town. I watched him live he was not impressive I am sorry to say.

He didnt understandably last long if you have been playing pretty technical football in Spain and come to league one, it will be a big CHALLENGE to adapt.

I think he is in Sweden

na still barca product.

andrew444:
Na sweden e even dey self and already 24

No be by barca ooo, na so one old papa youngi from npfl fly go barca b on loan thinking say dem go promote am to first team if e do well na so e flop for barca b now e dey egypt

but na barca player

forgiveness:
Ekpolo didn't play for Barca first team.

Here are the stats of Barca product, 24 year old Right back, Godswill Ekpolo
He needs to move to a better league though

yes, Ekpolo

forgiveness:
We have seen a Barcelona player ignored in Nigeria national team?

do you really think if Ujah scores double digit at the bundesliga Rohr will not look his direction? Unless KC and Ighalo are firing all cylinders oh. Else Rorh go call am. Do I think Ujah will perform in GWG? That's another matter

Danielnino00:
Those of u using Ighalo as an example to explain why Anthony Ujah should be recalled should not forget that Ighalo was recalled mainly because of Iheanacho's declining form especially after that South Africa game.. Rohr wanted somebody stronger up front and Ighalo fit the bill.
The Anthony Ujah I watched in the super eagles was a complete waste man...Nnamdi Oduamadi(Wtf even happened to him??) was even preferred ahead of him in the GWG.. It can't be a conspiracy that he hasn't been considered for a recall for long..

If he does perform well this season,I'll support a recall..however we shouldn't count on him being a long term solution to the CF role... Iheanacho, Osimhen, Awoniyi,Odey, and Okereke are the future...

At the end of the day we all LOVE SE except some foreign monikers here who come to troll.. make una take am small small with each other