₦airaland Forum

Etebo was a left winger for Warri Wolves ? I have to check that.

Clubs will not take players who are bent on playing only their natural roles. Which is why you see players who would say they are willing to play any role to help the team. It’s all about the teams needs at every giving point in time.

forgiveness:
That was were he played mostly in the Nigerian league before he left for Europe.

Rohr just gather players without considering their natural role.

He is a makeshift CMF or AMF in the National team.

Let see how things go this friendly. Maybe we can have a clue of what is on Rohr's mind.

Like I don’t know. Stats is not everything. It MAY have worked for his clubs because of the chemistry in the team. Which player in the SE right now can pull a cross from the left. Victor Moses a true winger because he can do almost anything from there. Cut in, he can. Dribble he can. Crosses he can. I don’t care who we deploy as a left winger as long as we have someone who can deliver that cross when it is most needed.
That one moment could be the match decider.

Modified
I meant victor Moses from the RW

forgiveness:
He played on the wings for his club for many years. He's a winger.

Pseudo-wingers. Doesn’t mean they can’t operate there. But their abilities THERE are limited.

forgiveness:
Yes.

That’s just one of his 5 goals. And besides that was a cut back pass. I repeat crosses is still an important aspect of the game. It’s one more option when others have failed. And u need to have that option. We have see. Onazi drift out to do it. Somebody also has to provide that option from the left. Iwobi sent us to the World Cup because of that tactical change. If you go many pages back you will see when I said there is a gap in the middle of Zambia’s defense we needed to exploit. I said that in the first half. He did just that — something he is best known for.

Modified
Let me add that Shehu cannot cross shit. We have other players that can cross from the right. We also need that from the left — that’s balance. Who is gonna drift out to the left and make that cross when it is needed most?

The more options — in terms of what the players can bring — u have in your team is what keeps you dynamic

Martz101:
shehu made such full back cut back for iwobi in the zambia match and yours truly was there to put it in, Mikel was in that team. simon went off for iwobi and iwobi was expected to be on the right side of the midfield.

iwobi has been effective because his a good player

Sir, we are not even playing England at the group stage. Ogu brings excellent cover to the CBs. He also can give you options in terms of long range shots and popping up to make headers. He is calm and an efficient player. Doesn’t do more than is necessary. His excellent positioning makes up for his lack of pace.

komekn:
I am unreasonable to some I see Ogu, with his lack of mobility, slow recovery and snail pace as a liability in fast paced match. Even his passion range us far from excellent his way too PREDICTABLE.

You need unpredictable inventiveness through the productive use of skill, vision and flair in midfield to be dominate and beat your opponent.

You have a point. But when those kind of fullbacks are lacking in the team...football has evolved but if you don’t have the right chemistry of players some formations won’t work. Why do u think Iwobi has been effective so far in SE colors?

Martz101:
same can be said of forward players like willian, hazard and mata they hardly give a cross but cut in or make a pass, football has envolved, most regular crosses are always done by the right back and left back or else in rare occasion.

My pocket, my family first.. country can die. That na our mentality o

Kog45:
The NFF guys are real typical Nigeria politicians.

Do you think they care about eagles or Nigeria football than we do.

My man they don't care.

Because sometimes we would really need to exploit from the wings because of a weakness in the opposition. Iwobi doesn’t give u that option in terms of crosses. You want unpredictable forwards — one who can cross as well. As an opponent trying to stop Iwobi, i’d expect him to pass the ball or cut in almost all the time.

Martz101:
what you said is contradicting because if an iwobi can play right and drift to the center and can easily drift from center to the right too, why then do you have a problem with him playing right or center when you know at some point in the match he will drift to the other side

GBAM
many of us act like we will not be making subs in the mundial. I care about our bench as much as the starting 11

Kog45:
Muj i will not deceive you,so far am not impressed with Joel,Etebo,Agu,Echiejile,Aina,and Akpeyi.

These are the guys that would determine our performance not the likes of Mikel and Moses cos a good bench tells the depths of a team.

Hope to see them shake things up before WC.

The last time we saw a good game from Etebo was against Algeria in Uyo. All the players you mentioned have been average at best.

Mujtahida:
My impression of Joel is that he too rough. As for Agu I don't think he has underperformed as such. You see him. Etebo disappears. When he appears his play is wooly. I feel Rohr is confused on how to use him. Echiejile has not underperformed. We are only asking for me but he cannot give us that 'more' cos dust is gathering on his legs. Akpeyi is the prisoners. Poisons the team and the fans with fear.

We are fans. We speak from what we see on match days. Based on that, Ogu is clearly ahead.

safarigirl:
Ogu is the choice of any reasonable person.

There is no sensible reason why he should be dropped for any of those three. So, all these Team Joel, Team Etebo and the two people in Team Agu, should know that none of those three are better than Ogu currently

I agree

Modified
But is still the coach’s preference. Ogu is my choice though

safarigirl:
If Rohr drops Ogu for Agu, Etebo or Joel, me, I will shout nepotism here.

None of those three has done anything spectacular enough to unseat Ogu, if we are all looking at things reasonable.

Whether in club or National team, Ogu trumps all three players, so, all this talk of Rohr likes this one, that one is a golden boy, this one is a workhorse is rubbish


None of them is better than Ogu by any stretch.

It’s so obvious. That’s why we are light years behind as a country. Now how would the players feel?

Kog45:
I remember telling icon4s that he should know better about PH choice for DR Congo match.

NFF took the match to PH for their personal gain not for eagles.

I just don't know when we are going to put an end to his trash.

Imagine a WC friendly on that stuff just coz of monetary gain and not considering the risk involved.

I don tire

Coaches have preferences based on how they want to play. Let’s not forget too quickly how Shehu branched Agu at the later part of the season repeatedly at Bursaspor.

forgiveness:
I have followed Agu enough to know he is good. It sums up the reason I was the first person among this group to clamor for his invitation.

Ok o. Then let Rohr decide

Is the match today?

Martz101:
Our starting line up today gives a clue on our starting line up in the worldcup

Pinnick and Wike.. make that CongoDR mishap not hunt us oh. That’s if the story is true.

M7even:
Some crisis amongst NFF officials. This has to do with 250,000 dollars they received from Rivers state governor. Money is said to have been missing

The England game is a friendly. We are probably going to make 6 subs. Who are we going to bring in in the 2nd half? Not starting a player does not necessarily mean they are inferior to the starters. Friendlies are still test matches. Iwobi didn’t even score against Argentina until the second half. And who says we can’t bring him immediately after half time.

Matches like this will help us decide who to start in a more serious match like Croatia. I won’t be surprised if we switched formations at some point in the match. Let the experiment continue. But the boys need to show that they have been playing together for quite a while.

Martz101:
when you guys keep saying iwobi is not good in the wings it makes me laugh

these same people will say we don't have a number 10, abeg does it mean iwobi don't have a wing??

The truth Is or else you play a 4-4-2 you actually don't really require a true winger that sill need to connect with the 2 forward.

we play 4-2-3-1 just like iwobi team arsenal, when you play that formation, the 3 guys behind the lone striker interchange at some time and also go forward to assist the long striker, they are not really wingers. in arsenal you will see players like Ozil,Mkhitaryan and iwobi playing there...they are all potential number 10 and non is a true winger.

Jose mourinho adopted that same style in chelsea playing the likes of Hazard,Willian and Oscar behind a striker, non is a true winger

Kai that victory too sweet me.

Mujtahida:
That was precisely what was playing in my mind. Do you know how many times I watched that Argy friendly? It was like a moving work of Art - real motion picture. I watched it to stupor.

Obi Mikel On Rohr's High Standards: If You Don't Train Properly, You Are Leaving Camp
Published: May 31, 2018
https://www.allnigeriasoccer.com/football_pics/3463Mikel.jpg

Super Eagles captain, John Obi Mikel has credited the national team manager, Gernot Rohr with the upturn in fortunes for the team as a result of his insistence on certain high standards while acclaiming his strict disciplinary measures.

Prior to the appointment of the German two years ago, Nigeria had lost much of their fear factor after failing to qualify for the 2015 and 2017 AFCON tournaments while struggling to create a better team for international assignments.

Mikel has described the 64-year old's influence on the team as "radical change" since his installation, having overseen the team in qualification for their sixth World Cup appearance and also trying to imbue the importance of team work in such a young squad.

"The coach and myself, as captain, have tried to make these young players realise that we are a team, not individuals," Mikel stated in an interview with the Guardian UK

"If you don't want to play together, you are welcome to leave. It's amazing now to go to camp. You can feel the good feelings.

"I have been in the national team since 2005 and I haven't seen this discipline before. It is meetings, being on time, the training.

''Sometimes a player has the hump because he knows he is not going to make the team and, before in the national team, he just strolls around.

''Now, you have to train properly. If you don't, you are leaving the camp. The coach has changed the whole mentality."

It is a forgone conclusion that the 31-year old will be leading out the Super Eagles in Russia next month for his second World Cup outing and only missed out of the 2010 edition due to injury.

Emmanuel Chinaza

—ANS

We’ve not seen that since that Argentina friendly. I want to believe they still have that mojo in them

Mujtahida:
Chemistry. Flow. Rhythm. These are the things I want to see on display not the ratchy-patch patch football like craw craw on the skin of a malnourished child that we've played in three friendlies now.

I just want to see a good game on Saturday. The boys need to show understanding on the pitch and play as a unit. I’ll be very satisfied if they can demonstrate that. Croatia are watching keenly. I want them to see areas they would think they can exploit only to be surprised on d-day

Exactly!

Kog45:
Sir do we need to accommodate Ighalo and Simy at the same time. Why not Ighalo first half and Simmy second half cos the two should be rival for starting beth as CF or what do you think

Concur. I also said this earlier

Icon4s:
I have said this thing before that Simi is not just up against other forwards.

Rather than for Rohr to drop Simy because of Simon he would drop one fringe midfielder or one defender in his place.

Rohr said VicMo is our joker. I think it will be Musa. Bookmark this

Mujtahida:
The forwards mentioned in the formation were Simi, Vicmo, mikel and Musa. OmanB said that he would rather have Ighalo on the right than Musa. I now added that plus Ighalo (meaning that Ighalo in addition to the other forwards) any defence will crack. As in Simi as the arrow head, Vicmo on the LWF, Mikel as AM and Ighalo as RWF will surely be hot for any defence to handle.

And never come back with a new moniker.

fabyom:
An over-hyped Average team. If these guys beat us, I will quit this thread for life!

Read his level was ahead of his peers in training. 2021 U17 loading.

tbaba1234:
Lateef Omidiji with the Nigeria under 15

What are the chances that we can even draw England with Championship players? eh komekn

Haha we want to hear “this is Russia”

EmmGee:
troost and iwobi on bryan's instagram

The England friendly is not a do or die affair. Let’s meet England again at the WC proper. I would give Ndidi another match day rest and play him against Czech rather.

komekn:
Sorry I no fit talk oyibo for d matter.

My guy you want Rueben to Kolobee that shortee Kpebu Shehu for midfield. We need Ndidi desperately.

Ogu is too slow and will get left behind.

We cannot operate with two slow players in our midfield, Mikel is our focal point but we don't expect him to backtrack.

Our squad lacks strength in depth the loss of one first choice player could prove very very problematic.

All those formations with Akpeyi and Ezenwa hmm.. Uzoho will be on the post again against England

I don’t think we should risk Ndidi, hence Shehu who is a more of a DM than a RB. Keeping him as the right DM means he could also support the RB whenever Ebuehi is out of position.

Your points are noted

komekn:
I would go with the first selection but not necessarily the same formation.

Firstly we need Ebuehi and Idowu to play wing back the speed of Raheem, Vardy and Rashford will create problems. Ebuehi and Idowu have to be on the top of thier game.

The England midfield is for once in a very long time filled with technical and skilful players. Rueben Loftus is a beast, Ndidi has already tasted the harsh reality of playing against him. We CERTAINLY infact desperately need Ndidi to stop him.

Mikel simply doesn't have the speed to backtrack so we will rely on Onazi or Joel as well Ndidi to support the invention of Mikel.

I deh fear this game oh I no fit lie.

Wow

krattoss:
U heard it from me first

What a way to bow out