₦airaland Forum

Exactly my point. Sadly we are still experimenting

safarigirl:
he doesn't know because he is yet to win with any of the other formations he has tried this year

If you are experimenting, and failing and still not changing the formation, you know nothing.

Iwobi and Iheanacho upfront may be our best bet. But we should have tested it more in our friendly matches. That chemistry Nigeria had in the 2nd half vs Argentina friendly was flawless. Why did we switch again and never went back to using it?

CLT123:
lol

Which were fouls in the Croatia match. Ighalo is useless.

I’m just hoping we bow out with at least 3 points

I still think we will lose to Argentina no matter what happens in the 2nd round of matches.

AIG07:
A win for Argentina will only condemn us to win our last two matches. I hope Croatia wins and turn the 2nd position to 3 horse race.

At least Ighalo can jam body.

safarigirl:
what will a short Ighalo be doing upfront against tall Icelandic players?

He couldn't even jump high enough against Croatia, is it the tall Icelanders he will now drag aerial balls with?

Rohr has a 6 ft. 2" Iheanacho on the bench, but Ighalo must start, I wonder which NFF official we should blame for constantly seeing a misfiring Ighalo.

At this point, I wouldn't even mind someone breaking Ighalo's leg if it will ensure I never have to see him start a game in this World Cup

If we had continued building on that 3-5–2 formation the way we ended with Argentina, by now we would have our best XI in that formation. Anything we do now with that formation na experiment. Na World Cup we dey. The truth is we are still testing.

Bolowolowo:
Dropping Ndidi and Iwobi?? Is Rohr Freeking dazed!!!

I like the idea of Simy and Ighalo upfront. Bold call. We are ready for physical duels. I still have my reservations on Echiejile.

Modified
Wait o! Where Ndidi? This na another experiment

soetanoreoluwa:
442 formation... Surprise surprise...


Heart racing

U only need the minimum requirement in WAEC which U didn’t have. Those were analogies he brought in. Madam I don commot this discussion. I no fit argue like woman.

safarigirl:
I don't understand your arguments, but JAMB and WAEC are pretty much even.

For instance, the first admission I got was because I had a high JAMB score, but do you know what made me lose the admission? I failed to get a credit in WAEC and that was that. Someone with a score of 210 or 201 entered University and me and my 259 sat home.

So, you see, JAMB without solid WAEC is useless

Australia don go carry bad luck jersey. This one no dey among their colors o

Ok.. I didn’t have to read all that. I don move on

TheSuperNerd:
Na lie. One with a high jamb score but rubbish WAEC is going no where. Jamb gives you audience and a good shot but your WAEC is key to getting you in. Am I lying? You just cannot deny the fact that when it comes to the best, one must have a solid reference.
For the headboy and Malik it was their performance at school and not in Jamb. That is standard.

For Africa, it is those who win the AFCON that are the best.

Doing well or scoring the highest in Jamb only makes you the best performing student in that exam. But when measured using actual everyday school exams and activities, one edged overtime. That is the best. Not based on a one off show. Simple.

Just admit it... Africa's best is never measured by a one off show at the Mundial. The best is that team who can show success on the continent and translate it to world football. Finito.

Ok let it slide. It’s a new day. We are not women.

TheSuperNerd:
Should I show you an earlier comment I made that shows I am not just saying this?

Oga stop lying to yourself. At the university JAMB takes precedence. Whether you get 8 As and I got 8 Cs if you don’t meet the cut of mark in JAMB, u don’t get admitted full stop. Let’s move on. Make I no argue with u like pikin.

TheSuperNerd:
No be context anything. The answer is The Head Boy is the best. No question. Who tops the class/school is the best in the class or in the school. WAEC is also an external exam and The Head boy still dusted Malik. Na only Jamb wey wan come make Malik the best? Simple. That is how we know the best from a balanced angle.

Context. Malik will we be seen as the best when it comes to admissions into University. A very high cut of mark say 290, would easily disqualify your head boy. For university admissions JAMB would take precedence as long as long as they meet the minimum requirements in WAEC.

TheSuperNerd:
The real question is who did better in class with you both in it?

After all, I was in high school and while in SS 1 I recall our head boy having 284 in jamb while a guy in his science class called Malik had 296.

But in school, The Head boy dusted this guy for all awards and finished as the best overall student in his class and in the whole school and in his WAEC too but Malik beat am for Jamb in same grad year.. Who is the best?

Answer is the head boy.

All because of Senegal. Abeg no lie. Have faith naija May still do better than them in Russia

TheSuperNerd:
Believe me, I change not. Even if we reach the Final of the World cup, we are not the best in Africa. We are only the best performing side at that WC tournament... We are the most fortunate of the lot. It is that simple. Cameroon remains the Champions and Kings of the continent until they are dethroned.

After u go international competition with the runner up for your school the guy did even better than you. He came second overall. now let’s ask ourselves, who is best?

TheSuperNerd:
Sure, just like Cameroon being African Champs will miss out on the Team of the year prize this year. No question about it. But it doesn't reduce their status as African Kings.

It is just like in high school for instance, me taking first term, first second term but second third term but on the overall, I am crowned the best. Not on current form but on overall class ratings for the three terms.

I may not even be crowned best in Agric, or best in Economics but being best overall in the class is what matters. That bug guy at that tip right now is Cameroun.

Just say reigning African champs and there will be no debate. If u say “best”, it becomes a subjective matter. And please don’t say the most unfortunate go the farthest. Because if naija ends up going the farthest u go change tune.

TheSuperNerd:
No sir. When you conquer Africa, you are the best in Africa. When you take first position in class. You are the best in that class. It is that simple.

For 2018, no Afcon naa, it is a world cup year. Even the African champs are not here thanks to Nigeria. So anyone here that does well the most will nail CAF Team of the year without question or else Na Morocco go collect am for CHAN. Lol. But this tag, "Best team in Africa" falls to who occupies the throne of African football right now. Answer is Cameroon. So it belongs to them until Afcon 2019 reaffirms their status or gives us a new best/Champion.

None of the Current sides in Russia conquered Africa. They did not even play in the FIFA confederations cup which is the Gathering of the Best and the Champions in World football from all continents. Cameroon still holds that title as Champion and by extension are the best team in Africa.

You are still hinging on the best of both worlds. I’ve never disagreed with you on that.
But we can’t brag about that today, can we? Everything is timing.
You could still win the AFCON and not qualify for the WC. You won’t be seen as the best. You can only claim to be, but you would hardly win an award for missing out on the all important global fiesta.

TheSuperNerd:
Lol... okay so that is just your personal projection now. Okay I understand. Lol... I suppose Both Nigeria and Algeria were Joint-Best in Africa then for their Brazil 2014 Finish abi.
Mind you, Nigeria had conquered Africa in 2013 and went in there as African Kings and still did well reaching the round of 16. Now that is what you call Africa's Best.

Which is why I said the best and African champs a are two different things.

African champs is not open to debate. The best is subjective. Even what you just said is an opinion. Among us Africans if you asked “who is the best” after this WC, many would respond with the WC in view. Cameroon won’t even be on he lips of many non Africans especially looking at it from a global perspective since their presence want felt in Russia.

African champs is a title not open to debate, however the best is subjective especially in non AFCON years. At the CAF awards the verdict will be out for 2018 — this is where my opinion lies.

TheSuperNerd:
CHAN is home based. Crowning them the best for that is only focusing one side. I speak of the Whole national team. You know what I am saying. Even The FIFA rankings will tell you another story. I think Tunisia is no.1. Lol... see? Cameroon are African Champs but are not number 1.

My point is simple. Very simple. WC performance is not and will never be the sole decider for an African team being the best team on the Continent for a large part of a period/timeline. It may fetch you an award in a year of the CAF awards, but flunking at the AFCON by failing to conquer Africa like Ghana have failed to do all this time, even after being crowned "CAF Team of the year" in 2010 just shows that being the best in Africa is more than just about reaching the QF or Round of 16 at the mundial.

A level of success on the world stage combined with Continental success gives you claim to being called Africa's BEST.

Even based on the qualifiers, Nigeria came out of the toughest group and even defeated the African champions massively. On the back of their WCQs performance alone, many referred to Nigeria as Africa's finest and most-in-form team at the moment but nothing is certain yet until we show some good stuffs at the mundial and at Afcon 2019.


For now the best team in Africa is still Cameroon because they are the Champions of Africa. Senegal is not. Nigeria is not. Not even Tunisia.

Oh yes I still stand by that. Whoever wins the AFCON 2019 will have the bragging rights then. But before the next AFCON, the country that goes farthest in this WC will.

TheSuperNerd:
Not of all time... But you did hint it that it will make them the best in Africa going forward.

Also, I said who goes farthest is to be termed the "most fortunate" not the best. And I already explained why in my several posts on this.

All I wanted to drive home is simple. WC performance is not indicative of Africa's Best. It is never enough. Afcon 2019 is just next year. We will know who is indeed Africa's Best.

Simple point: The best of both Worlds is what crowns one the best. Do well at the WC or at least have a decent showing and cap it up with Strong success on the African continent.

Okay Oga Morocco are the reigning African champs and they would be the national team of the year 2018 for their fine showing at the mundial as well. Hence they are the best. Satisfied now?

TheSuperNerd:
Yes you are. It is that simple. A WC performance does not make a team Africa's best all of a sudden. You argued for lengths trying to prove that it is all that matters and that you will pick a WC semi over an AFCON. See? So your "for now" is you giving it another color again. I mentioned my stance in the discussion and stuck with it. You changed yours.

The best in this WC which has been my point from the start, will be determined by who goes farthest. I bet you Morocco will not be the team of the year when the verdict is out for the best team in Africa for the year 2018.

It would be stupid of me to say by Senegal reaching the final they are the best African football nation of all time. That one na yeye discussion sef

TheSuperNerd:
And I addressed his post differently from the way I addressed yours. You only didn't want to agree that WC performance is not enough to make an African team the best. You kept on harping on what one does on the world stage is to be more recognised than what one does on the continent. And I said nope, a balance of both is key. Simple point.

Hahaha u a laughable. I’m the one trying to give it a different color? Smh

TheSuperNerd:
Mister, I was never ever speaking "for now" context. That is the different color you are bringing in. I was simply addressing the simple point of "The Best" based on WC Performance and I reemphasize that having a decent WC performance better than than your fellow continental reps does not suddenly make you the best. A balance of your continental reputation and WC showing is key. WC performance is not and never enough. Finito.

Here it is. Even Odunayaw ‘s post that you quoted had a “for now” context. Na u start to detail lol

TheSuperNerd:
Well said. Morocco have done well so far and they have shown why they are a top African side. It is just unfortunate they got this group. They are better than Senegal. They have played the best football of all African teams but will sadly have to go home early. They were my second favorite African team coming to this mundial and rightly so. The Atlas Lions will be a force at Afcon 2019.

Oga. I replied your post. That wasn’t the post. That was your reply to my first reply. That was the point you derailed. Even my first response to that your initial post had a “for now” context.

TheSuperNerd:
Actually it was. You are one trying to give it a different color. The point from the beginning on my end was you need both worlds. WC performance is never enough.

And glad fatherhood is a Joy. Keep at it.




Your first words below:




This was my reply:

The "most fortunate" actually. Ghana were "the best" at WC 2010 but have never conquered Africa with that Squad. The best in Africa are those who win the Afcon and can also try translate it on the world stage. It is unfortunate Cameroon were in our group in WC Qualifying.


See? It was always my stance throughout the discussion.

That was never the discussion. You derailed at some point. Read my first reply and what you posted.

Fatherhood is a joy! Anything you do out of joy is easy. Other fathers may see it differently though. Different outlooks.

TheSuperNerd:
That is very easy. And the simple point is a decent WC performance is not enough to crown the best in Africa. That team needs a good balance of success (represented in titles especially) on the continent and decent/fine showing at the mundial to earn the tag of being truly the best in Africa. Finito.

And yes... I asked because I understand that Parenthood is no easy job at all. It is not even a job... It is more than a job and a responsibility one must undertake carefully because parents play a good/huge part in helping to shape the next generation. So happy fatherhood.

Trace this discussion from the start. Fatherhood is a blessing. And thanks for askin!

TheSuperNerd:
"For now" is short term. England had the bragging rights in 1966 after all, until 1970 even. Where are they now?

We are talking sustained reputation not short term reputation.



I would rather we keep our eyes on both prizes. Doing well at home (on the African continent) and using that as an extra boost to push on against the world's best (on the world stage) rubbing shoulders with them and even "besting" them.

This is majorly how the best is measured. In both worlds. My hi to your little baby... Hope you enjoying Fatherhood

I don’t have much time for long posts. I need to attend to my infant. It’s all about timing my friend. Should Senegal go the farthest they would have the bragging rights for now.

TheSuperNerd:
African Champion is not just a title. It is a symbol of being Africa's best because that champion beat the best to get there. They conquered at HOME.

South Korea for all they did in 2002 are still not reverred in the same league with Japan in international soccer. Japan trumps South Korea. They have had decent WC outings but have dominated their continents with Four titles. Iran have three titles. South Korea have the best WC showing for Asia but Japan trumps them because the balances of their performances on the continental and world stage is better compared to Korea.

This is why England is still not taken seriously in International football. They have a world title... They have been world champions once. But they are not rated among the Best Teams or biggest Guns in World football. Going into any major tournament be it Euros or Worlds, England is considered dark horses. And part of this is because they have never translated their WC win in 1966 into a European dominance within the European Continent.

This is why the best of both worlds is key. That is how you know the Best.

I have already given the reasons why. I know we like the regular owamgbe. If we had our way we would even do it annually.

Odunayaw:
Why? Playing more qualifying games doesn't equal jack (Saudi & Iran is an example)

And God forbid, leave our AFCON biannually thank you

Okay I see where we differ. You are focused on the recognition on the continent. I’m focused on recognition at the global stage. Among us Africans expect is to be sentimental because our country’s pride is in question.

Outside Africa, “African champions” is just a title. You will be rated by what you give at the global stage.

Modified
Nigeria has 6 World Cup appearances compared to Senegal’s 2. We are not more respected because of our 3 AFCON titles.

TheSuperNerd:
Egypt won the AFCON back to back thrice... So why won't they get tired of Afcon success and want to take it further on the world stage?
Have Nigeria won the AFCON back to back? No matter how you wanna dribble past it, the best of both worlds is what truly crowns one the Best.

Look ehn, all this one is still story. A decent WC performance does not make a team Africa's best. Full stop. Algeria is a case study. Ghana is a case study. Senegal is a case study. What respect did they command on the African continent after doing well at the mundial and coming home to flunk at the Afcon?

What is Senegal's reputation on the African continent? Have they won an Afcon Title? Senegal's best achievement is WC QF and AFCON Final (once). Nigeria is far more revered than Senegal in international football even though we haven't reached the WC QF stage yet.

A decent/good performance is not how we know Africa's Best finest. That is just it. Those that go farthest at the WC from Africa are the fortunate ones. Luck, Fortune all combined with a team's level of efforts determines this on the world stage. Some teams take the easy path, some the hard path. Fortune plays a role.

@bolded, the real question is how has it helped Africa all these years? If it’s not working, modify it.

Icon4s:
So what happens to the one in 2 years AFCON and it's qualifiers.

South America that does something similar to what you just explained above play their COPA America once in 4 years and they dont play qualifiers for it.

Talking about AFCON now is a digression. Everyone wants to win it all no doubt, talking about the best of both worlds. But when U look at your screen now , you don’t see continental stats but WC stats. All this while Egypt was missing out on the WC they were nothing in global football. They would rather have loved to see Salah and co get to even the second round than win another AFCON. Competition get grade. And you can hardly win it both. I don’t even know what you are arguing about. Many countries will trade a continental crown for having the best shot at the WC stage. But who will not want to win both? Your performance at the global stage carries more weight than what you did in your locality.

The Ivory Coast U17 Team 2013 class got nothing on the world conquering Golden Eaglets of the same year. Also consider 2015. Who had the bragging rights in both occasions? Nigeria of course.

African Champions is a just a title. At the World Cup, other countries will rate you based on what you do there.

TheSuperNerd:
Funnily even France were both World and European Champions between 1998 and 2000. They knew they had the respect of the world after conquering at France 98 but like every great team, they also knew they needed the respect of the Continent called Europe. This is why they took Euro 2000 very very seriously. They didn't drag themselves about and played with nothing to die for just because they were already World champions.... Noooo... They still fought and showed the continent that their success on the world stage was no flux at all.

Spain did same thing. Germany did same thing. Even Brazil did.

The best of both worlds (conquering in your continent and doing well/decently enough on the world stage) is what truly crowns the BEST.

One cannot be Champions without being referred to as The Best. The Best in football are known by their titles also. That is the way it is in soccer. So it is not about what our personal preferences are of wanting A WC SF above an AFCON or vice versa. After all, why can't we have both?

We’ve been on the same page all this while. First we need to have a positive identity. And that should be our driving force in everything we do as a people. Our own na copy copy.

Modified
Copy copy will only give u mixed results. No sustainable direction for excellence.

Icon79:
Bingo!

And like I said yesterday, that's the problem we had in the game against Croatia. Rohr tried to make us play with defensive organization that those Scandinavian countries. But that's not in our DNA. Senegal on the other hand who are coached by a son of the soil, came with their typical African football, with pace and power, and they got a result.


O pari