₦airaland Forum

tbaba1234:
Yes, but over the last couple, we have failed. If we failed again, that would have been our new normal.

tbaba1234:
A return to normalcy is worth celebrating.

COOL10:
.

Unfortunately that's where we've found ourselves,but like it or not,it's a progress. It shows we're doing something right no matter how minute or glaring it may be. U don't wanna imagine the kind of heartbreaks I had watching the past two AFCONS without my darling Super Eagles in any of them.

ChrisKels:
Their best player can only make our bench yet u defending Rohr for getting only a point from a possible 6 against them while they got 4? Not just that he got a point, he also played poorly

COOL10:
.



We just qualified for the AFCON tournament for the first time in 5 years and you say that ain't progress? I laugh in Swahili. Besides,how can you separate Results from Progress when it's the Results that determine the Progress. Dude,take a seat please.

daveP:
lol exactly my angle. no visible upgrade from the usual usual and common common that we see always.


Once saw the build up of the Spanish team to one of their goals. my eyes were darting left right in seconds cos of the fluidity of the passes. France also do it as well.

But the chemistry.... for SE is just stale.... See build up to Ramsey goal Vs fulham... I dunno why stringing passes is still an issue since. But the 94 and 96 set were very fluid with passes? what happened to SE after 2008?

AIG07:
A team that has been together for 3years yet still struggle to string passes together.

No wonder a news media used the word 'Limp' to describe our team at the World Cup.

We were out played by the SAs. How does that sound to the ear sef? We need to be thinking big and set examples for other African countries to follow.

Humility017:
any fair and transparent coach....will do better with this array of talents.....

the bane I indigenous coaches is corruption and this player agents-coaching sorting things....besides that our Indigenous coaches like siasia will even do better.

why can't our coaches and other professionals have integrity....?
tired of seeing white carpenters and tailors masquerading as expatriates in Nigeria

andrew444:
Say I talk lie bros ?

andrew444:
Percy tau is good ,Brighton had to get him from the South Africa league ,work permit made them send him out on loan

Percy tau is the only South Africa player that will make eagles bench

COOL10:
.


Bros,AFCON is still a long time away. Try to be more positive. Relax

Earthquake2:
Rohr disappointed me today but those comparing him to Baxter should shut their mouth

Rohr will qualify with this South African team

COOL10:
.

As it stands,it's still a probability. So don't rule it out. Besides,new players are still gonna be included before that time .

sontoly:
As much as I hate rohr conservative attitude, I must say he is a decent tactician always knows how to grind out results with awful performance.

TheGoodJoe:
You miss the key point. We deserve better football with the quality of our talents. Baxter with his tactics will have our players playing with more fluidity and intent.

Saying Baxter did not do well against other teams does not change the point that he will do better with more quality players.

The South Africans were the better side today when it comes to play. However, we had better quality players.

Finito.

COOL10:
.

What if he wins the AFCON,will you maintain your stand?

TheSuperNerd:
The #RSANGA drama.... My Take - Part 2.


Now to the other matters of the game...


1). On Ezenwa... I am sure you all noticed that Ezenwa was practically on holiday. He was not tested on bit and credits for that must go to the defensive shape of Balogun, Ekong and Omeruo. The only time they were actually bamboozled real good was by the magical Percy Tau (Who I did warn us to be careful of in my pre-match analysis). Percy was everywhere in attack for the Bafana Bafana. Their tactic was simple... Get the ball from the back, move to the base of the SA central/defensive Midfield area and launch a perfect "Route One" pass to the ever running and pacy Percy... And Pacy Percy did worry on several occasions but Balogun and Co did great to keep him quiet after that SA goal.

Balogun produced a magical libero moment one time even when he robbed Pacy Percy of the ball, turned him 180' and galloped majestically into space away from danger and away from the Pacy Percy. Such Class from Balogun! Ekong too was great and so was Omeruo but Percy asked them both for their jersey numbers and they both obliged which led to the goal SA scored. Percy proved me right... He was always the danger man to watch alongside Mothiba who was there to tap in easily (A tap in that Nacho could not.... Make I just no talk... The exorcism is on).


So in all, Ezenwa had nothing to do except to pick the ball once from his net. He was simply not tested at all at all... Even Khune made a save (albeit not a hot one) due to a beautiful Nacho-Musa interchange in the game's early goal mouth moments before the first wrongly cancelled goal by Nacho and before the goal created by Kalu.

How Ezenwa got to start is also baffling to be honest... I was expecting Akpeyi in as much as I also was not comfortable with it... But it seems to me it would have been the same story for Akpeyi. In goal for 90 and properly protected by his back three.



2). Jamilu Collins needs to be more assertive.

Yes, the lad clearly had talents. There were moments he was actually class in the way he ball-controlled and the way he also kept composure despite the fast pace of the game but he needs to be much more commanding up and down the left if he is gonna make that position his own. In all, he put in a decent showing but nothing spectacular. Hopefully he will still grow into the role. But he needs another left footed LB competition. Idowu cannot be his only competition as Idowu is even predominantly right footed.



3). Believe it or not... But Samuel Kalu is also an asset defensively.

What a performance from him. Not only did he create the game's first goal with a fantastic piece of skill thanks to his quick feet and legs overs, but he also intervened and made a vital interception and tackle in the first half with Mothiba looking almost certain to draw level soon after Nigeria's first goal. He bombed up and down that right like he had played RWB before or have been doing so for some time. Kalu was impressive and did have a few moments where he always seemed to hug the ball too much but the lad is really really quality. It is little wonder we didn't see Chukwueze today. Kalu did his job very decently indeed as RWB both offensively and defensively.


4). Ogu is not as slow as people think... BUT...

A legendary question once asked here is "Who is slower between Ogu and Mikel?"

Well, today, Ogu did a decent job of shielding the back line of three... There were times he was beaten due to ball scrambles in Midfield or some misplaced passes and at times beaten for pace by the "Pacy" Percy but in all, he kept up with the general pace of the game and didn't panic one bit.

He was decent today but we can certainly do better with a Philip Billing in Ogu's stead. Billing is not only faster than Ogu but also much taller and has greater strides and covers greater ground.

Ogu is 30 or 31 and will need replacement (and an upgrade) after Afcon 2019. We cannot just sit and wait till then though. The earlier the better.



5). Musa have truly become the main stay of our attack in any formation whatsoever.

It is ironic that a player who was once the butt of jokes on the laughing lips of many Nigerian fans have suddenly grown and matured into becoming a true leader of the side from the front and the first name on the team sheet in our attack dept in any formation be it 4-3-3, 3-5-2, 4-2-3-1/4-5-1...

Musa will be key to Nigeria's Afcon assault without a doubt. His world ranking super pace is certainly a big worry for any defence on the continent.

When was the last time Musa had a bad game in the GWG? Anyone remembers? Funny right... Even if you remember, it certainly was ages ago...



6). Etebo needs to do more than just running around in Midfield and ball retention.

His passing has just got to improve. It was atrocious on some occasions today. Sometimes, he was chasing the game and ending up not doing his job but later settled into a manageable decent rhythm. He needs to keep working on his passing as Box-to-box midfield players or CMs won't be worth much if they cannot pass good enough consistently.


7). Iwobi was on and off... But his class still shone through at certain occasions in the game.

Yes, Percy Tau the Pacy one stole the show as arguably the game's most impressive player but Alexander the Great was still able to show his flashes of beautiful class and brilliance with his ball works and ability to escape tight marking situations... The only problem is that he didn't create much today as his skills only shone through to escape his markers and find his fellow midfielders with a pass... Iwobi was well watched by Kekana and even tried to do beyond his role specs by pressing the SA defence which was a job for both Nacho and Musa to do consistently.
This certainly reduced Iwobi's influence as the game wore on as the negative effects of the High altitude which is proportional to your Oxygen levels set in and saw Iwobi looking so lethargic on the ball so much that he was caught in possession and robbed of the ball on more than two occasions at critical game points...

Thankfully, the defence led by Balogun stood tall and dangers were averted.

Iwobi is a super quality player amd has got world class potentials but he needs to keep working on a side of his game that will see him master the art of the Midfield Orchestrator and game dictator. He has the genes and brains for it... He will get there.



8.) Our two legitimate goals ruled out....


The first goal was beautifully worked by Nacho into Musa's parh who was clearly onside and the pass was returned swiftly and smarlt by Musa for an easy Nacho tap in but the goal was unjustly cancelled ..... Case 1


The second goal came with Musa and Success both clearly onside.... But I think what may have confused the linesman in the second goal was the fact that Musa actually came back into an onside position from an initial offside position.

But the Koko is this... Was Musa onside when the Iwobi pass was made into the path of Success and Musa? ANSWER IS YES! GOAL SHOULD HAVE STOOD ESPECIALLY AS JUSTICE FOR THE WRONGLY CANCELLED FIRST GOAL.

I think the NFF should have to look into it to send out a message. And I was disappointed it happenend in a game where Gassama, famed to be one of Africa's best refs, officiated.
This was the same ref that was in the centre for the Battle of Uyo between Nigeria and Cameroun that ended 4-0 in our favor and also was the ref when we beat Algeria 3-1 in Uyo. In all his games he has officiated involving the Super Eagles, we have never lost and he ahs almost always been fair and left each match with good testimonies but today, he just put a big question mark on his reputation. Gassama, Check yourself!!!



9). Gernot Rohr needs to be more daring as this young generation of Super Eagles talents are meant to flourish and truly fulfill their immense potentials under a more daring and more super Attacking approach.

The Comeback Rise of Dutch football is not only because of the super talents they now have sprouting up all over the place but also becos they have a coach who is dynamic enough to utilise the best of them in order to truly bring out the best of them. In defence, Koeman pairs a 19 year old De Ligt with a 27 yr old Van Dijk... But a very experienced De Vrij who is 26 sits on the bench. A conservative would have gone for DE Vrij-Van Dijk CB pairing but Koeman went for the De Ligt + Van Dijk because it is simply the best in Dutch football in terms of talents and huge potentials.

Rohr must be more dynamic and do same in the positions of the team that needs super injection and upgrade and also he has to incorporate a more attacking dominating approach to utilise the very best of our young and growing new "potentially Golden" generation of Super talents in the likes of Osimhen, Chukwueze, Iwobi, Iheanacho, Kalu, Onyekuru, Success, Ndidi, Simon Moses and many more.





In all, Congratulations Nigeria.... We are back at the Afcon. Africa's Own World Cup. Excelsior Super Eagles!!!

ChrisKels:
People hail Rohr for getting us an Afcon and world cup tickets Lol. Need I remind u that a less fancied coach with a poorer CV, with less talented bunch of players under a harsh environment(less cash), also, got us these tickets, got us to the knockout stage of the world cup, won the Afcon in far away kuviki land? Yet we are here celebrating a mediocre bkus he is foreign. I aint no fan of Keshi buh as bad as he was, he is better than this scam we Parade as a coach.

Oasis007:


I really don't get it why People like you do get emotional on a Faceless Forum so cheaply. What has Heart Attack got to do with the Discourse for God's Sake?!

If you criticize, you are hating. Grow up Man, life ain't gonna end on Nairaland.

chrisooblog:
guy you need to calm down and look at the game dispassionately.

The performance was a professional one. If not for the blunder on the part of the ref/lines and kc totally forgetting the concept of first touch then all this nitpicking would be unnecessary.

We controlled the game for the most part, had more shots on goal, had more clear goal chances, more corners yet you are angry because we didn't play champagne tiki taka as if we have barca/man city level players.

You don't make subs just for the Sake of it we were in control while the South Africans needed the win so logically they made the first change to freshen things up.

Now I'm not saying rohr is the messiah who cannot do any wrong or be criticized but let's all try and give realistic observations not emotional ones just because our team didn't play sexy football beating every opposition with cricket scores. For the records I also think rohr is not the long term solution

elyte89:
We all can c ighalo and Mikel.is still very much relevant to dis team,most especially mikel

tbaba1234:
Ezenwa starts in goal

Danielnino00:
Kai..So it is true... Kalu at RWB and Aina not in d squad..
It is.well sha...as long as Kalu doesn't overlap too much, his.wing won't leak.. .

daveP:
I'm lost at why we aren't there. What's happening to our football?

TheSuperNerd:
Such is the competitiveness in the Current young, super talented and growing Super Eagles team.....


Will Henry Onyekuru ever realise his potential with Nigeria?
By Colin Udoh, Special to ESPN


Despite scoring two goals for Galatasaray at the weekend, and featuring for 90 minutes in their Champions League clash against Schalke 04, Henry Onyekuru is unlikely to start for Nigeria in this weekend's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa.

It's hard to explain the curious case of Onyekuru, who's only in the Super Eagles squad due to Odion Ighalo's injury.
Why would it take the likes of Jamilu Collins and Samuel Kalu one invitation to earn a starting spot when Onyekuru has spent almost an entire year waiting in the wings?

He arguably should have been introduced straight to the starting XI during his outstanding breakout season with KAS Eupen when he was a devastating presence in the Belgian Jupiler League.
At the time, he was considered the foremost prospect to be Nigeria's lead striker, but with Odion Ighalo, Ahmed Musa, Moses Simon, Victor Moses, Kelechi Iheanacho and even Alex Iwobi all ahead of him on the queue, he struggled for gametime.
Then disaster struck, as Onyekuru suffered an ACL injury that would eventually rule him out of the World Cup.
That time out - however undesired - offered him plenty of space for recuperation, and he returned for the new season fired up, quickly getting among the goals at Galatasaray to earn a Super Eagles recall.

However, just when injuries and withdrawals made it look like he was all set for his time in the sun, Gernot Rohr preferred to go with Kalu.
Onyekuru only managed to come on for the last five minutes of that 3-0 win, as a substitute for Kalu.
He was again a substitute in the home fixture against Libya, coming on to supply the assist for Kalu's first international goal, the last of a 4-0 win before another substitute appearance in the road leg in Sfax.

These substitute appearances came in the context of a goal drought at club level, a run of nearly two months and seven games without finding the net, although it was hardly significantly worse than Kalu's own form.
Onyekuru appears to be suffering from his own versatility and an abundance of quality bodies in Nigeria's frontline.

He can play and score both as a wide player and as a central striker, but it is at once a blessing and a curse for him.
With Nigeria, Ighalo owns the central-striking role, while Rohr's decision to assess the likes of Victor Osimhen and Isaac Success suggests that he leans towards the big, bruising centre-forward.
Score he can, but Onyekuru is more Ferrari than Landcruiser.
With Ighalo out, he has to contest with Success for the right to lead the attack.
On the basis of their games-to-goals return, Onyekuru should be first in line, but Rohr may well choose to go with Success.

He's unlikely to get his opportunity on the flanks either; stand-in captain Musa is a lock for one wide-forward role, and Kalu seems to have put his seal on the second, even with the return of previous occupant Moses Simon.
Now there's also Samuel Chukwueze, providing an additional body to the depth chart.
It would seem to appear that Onyekuru's upgrade from the standby squad is simply for additional cover, but it's up to him to prove to Rohr that he deserves to be much more than that.


Source: KweseESPN

TheSuperNerd:
Took it outta my mind. I really don't want any of our Naija talents going in that direction right now. Imagine if Kelechi Iheanacho had gone to Porto. Well maybe he would still have made it there but I really don't like how Porto dey handle our talented lads there most especially a clearly Ligue 1-proven Chidozie Awaziem.