₦airaland Forum

TheGoodJoe:
What is clutching at straws? You can say Kelechi Nwakali did not break through after trials but done use Gnabry and Arsenal. That is you pretending about the work permit issue . I can see you side stepped it and refuse to talk about it. You know what you are doing.

I can not remember how we pulled Nacho's work permit but I know it took a battle. We got him on by applying for a work permit based on special talent and then kept in the academy to break in as a home grown talent. However, it was Pellegrini insisting on not buying a striker and making nacho priority. That was why we could fight. Without Pellegrini, it would have been a different scenario.

Kelechi Iheanacho suffered in different systems after he left City, did not mean he would turn out a bad player. Kelechi Nwakali having challenges to breakthrough does not mean he will end up a failure.

My heart and prayers remain with Kelechi Nwakali and I believe he will turn out a huge success soon.

I could go much further with specifics, I know Brian and one Irish coach that left Crystal p to coach there.

And I can tell you Arsenal have £££ and they can get top lawyers to make a case at tribunal. If indeed the want you to get a work permit. Nwakali excellent outstanding top level exploits at youth level gave him "Special Talent status" getting a work permit was just administrative not contentious.

But they did not , they felt to be honest they had made a mistake it happens all the time. Player simply not good enough ,no time to waste . Get rid and count your losses.

They tried to offload him to Porto but he failed to step up again and ended giving him up to Huesca for undisclosed.

superbloke:
At least he would have had the chance to compete in the academy like Iheanacho did in man city. The point is he didn't get that chance and so had to be jumping from team to team in the low leagues in Europe. European kids would not have that experience. Someone should not now claim that Arsenal signed him but he never played for them because he was bad.(modified)

It seems you are misinformed, Nwakali not only trained with the youth team but also the first team.

This is something that happens regularly in Arsenal youth players train with the first team to see if they can CUT IT. I have even seen a trialist from non league gone straight into the first team training session.

He failed to cut it in the youth team and did not make much of an impression at youth level too.

andrewbaba44:
You think nwakali would have played for arsenal if he had he work permit ?

Some people here think so.

Arsenal did not apply for a work permit for him, he trained with the youth team and even the first team. They found no quality and did not bother with him.

zuchyblink:
Ighalo didn't lose out because he doesn't deserve it. Instead of talking out of point you should be worried. Circumstances gave them the opportunity even though they are not sure starters

Ighalo inclusion is justified.

fabyom:
Is Desser willing to come? Will his club release him?

Of course they club will release him he only played 90 minutes once this season, he is not that important to the club.

He is not outstanding this season at Feyenoord, they have three players who have scored 11, 10 and 7 goals in the Eredivisie.

Cyril has scored 4 from 14 games he has very little game of time coming on as a sub in all his games apart from one.

fabyom:
Kudus is not going to AFCON. Also, Kamaldeen is not a midfielder! Partey, Wakaso, and Iddrisu is a pretty average midfield in my estimation. Duncan and Schulup should have been called up! Nigeria's midfield is one of the best in this AFCON.

You should know that designation is not rigid in football with players playing two or three positions with excellence.

Iwobi is classed as both Winger and midfielder.

Saka plays LB, LW and Left side midfield what would you call him ? Eberechi Eze plays wing and Midfield football is not so rigid if you are a good player. Kamaldeen also plays midfield.

Idrissu is pretty average according to you and if he is pretty average. Sometimes I use transfer interest as an indicator of how well a player is doing.

Idrissu the average player is wanted by Everton and this very average player could bench Iwobi the way things are going at Everton.

I don't think we have one of the best Midfields in AFCON by any stretch of the imagination.

Danielnino00:
Doesn't seem like it.. As long as there's a hierarchy..
Eguavon is the technical adviser, Salisu is chief coach, Yobo and Aigbohun are assistant coaches, Agu is goalkeeper coach and the last guy, I don't remember his role....

In any other nation with a half level of integrity and honesty. Under no circumstances would you see the Chief Thief being the Chief Coach.

We are very acceptable of corruption even when someone has been indicted we still give them opportunity , what message does that send to people.

Neobulletzz:
So Rohr added Nwakali to the initial list?

Do you really think that Rohr makes the whole no list by himself, without the influence and manipulation of a myriad of officials in and out of the NFF..

Please wake up we are Nigerians we know our DNA.

TheGoodJoe:
With all your experience in English football, I am surprised you do not know about a work permit. Kelechi Nwakali suffered in his early career due to work permit issues.

On the 16th September 2016 Nwakali played his first match in the Eerste Divisie for Maastricht. He was there for a full season playing 34 games. Is that not enough for a player's to show outstanding quality❓

However, it was assumed he had stepped up and he went to the Eredivisie with Venlo in the 2017/18 season. But Venlo discovered he was not good enough and sent him back down to the Eerste Divisie after 1 2 games. After the end of the season nobody wanted him. He went to be Porto B and couldn't even become a regular in the youth team. He goes to Huesca who even lonef him out not good enough to initially. He's back to Huesca in obscurity done nothing.

Your clutching at straws once again, trying to Justify the UNJUSTIFIABLE.

So KC had two heads that's why he got work permit Arsenal could have made a case for exceptional talent to get him a work permit but found no exceptional talent .

It's now comedic TheBigJoe is making a very big joke. so funny.

TheGoodJoe:

If Jamie Vardy was any good he would not have taking so long to play in the Premier League.

Jamie Vardy started playing non league football at age 17/18 he did not have any pedigree or national youth call up, to anchor his career upon .

He fought his way playing kick and rush until he was recognised. In 2010 he was playing non league scored 25 goals and Leicester paid £1million for a non league player a club and non league record fee at the time in 2012.

Leicester where in the Championship then and in 2014 his goals got them into the EPL. He has been at Leicester for over 10 years and has been there number one goal scorer since.

Can his meteoric rise in any way have any kind of comparison with your Nwakali. One achieved against all odds and the other failed with all the help given to him including UNJUSTIFIABLE call up to the national team.

TheGoodJoe your are making yourself look like you are lacking understanding with this emotive quest and hype around Nwakali.

dijon:
Eguavoen mentioned he has not watched him play and i am..is this man been truthful to himself, this is a chap that plays for one of the biggest club in Holland, play in Europa, score goals and a national team technical director says he does not know how he plays...We are in a for a long thing...thank God he leaves after Afcon back to his previous post.

Actually when you say scores goals Dessers is in the Eredivisie but he is not outstanding in that league. About 14 game's and 4 goals.

He has only played 90 minutes once he is normally a sub in his club he is not in outstanding.

andrewbaba44:
Super eagles is not a charity home where we should be reviving players career or helping the lowest division players just like Maduka Okoye ,he is lucky that onuachu got injured and he should take this chances ,but he should take note that club football is the most important in his career .

The new super eagles coach will look at performance from club side ,that should be noted ,maybe a good afcon can help him .

I don't understand what your point is.

Maduka is goalkeeper what does Onuachu forward position got to do with him, Maduka.

Meliforme:
You claim a lot of experience which i don't deny and yet you come up with this.
You can say the same for Emmanuel Dennis.

Your experiences should tell you that a player's [b]footballing ability is not the only criteria that [/b]determines which team a player features in.

There are many considerations some subjective some objective, some fair some unfair and of course there is corruption and sharp practices. Football agent's create a whole range of manipulations as well.

Nonetheless, quality always rises and good players adapt to requirements needed.

For instance if you are not hard working ,have huge amounts of stamina with a good degree of physicality, the Burnley manager Dyche will not consider you.

Each team and Manager has a preference for a particular type of player.

But in in general quality of players always overcome.

But if you lack quality it will become very evident within a short term in this very short term career.

chuks404:
if only nwakali will see all these and put extra work hmmm . He will definitely have his breakthrough. The young man is a baller .I just wish the coach will give him some game time in this afcon. The best thing now is to support the team. If nwakali gets his mojo, forget , he will conduct that midfield well. He has some unique qualities our current midfielders don't have.

Some year's ago I was watching a player called Jerome Sinclair ( youngest player) to play for Liverpool at 16. I was watching him in comparison to a Dembele at Fulham.

I felt then that Sinclair looked good at youth level and playing in a particular team that supports him. I felt he didn't have what it takes to go forward.

My associate at the time was HOD recruitment for a premier League club. We concluded that Dembele was the real deal.

Fast forward after being sold to Watford for £5millon he has gone from EPL, Championship, League one, Eredivisie, he is now at CSKA in the Bulgarian league.

Meanwhile Dembele has thrived in several top level leagues he is now at Athletico Madrid.

Potential has a very short shelf life before it EXPIRES.

You cannot be a mouse in moi moi league and in a poor club and think somehow you go turn Lion for SE.

Look at the nonsensical proposition he is the only Midfielder that can play as a CM and can do long ball that's rubbish.

There are probably at least 50 young potential ( true age) Nigeria origin players in the EPL academies and or first teams, as well as too many to mention in the Championship.

If you go by across Europes top five league you will find similar as well. Your name is Chuks let me find one who is your name sake Lol there are quite a few with your name. Forgot to say he is 18



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAaDRfp2bgo



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKEhNI2luyw

Mujtahida:
But his opinion does not accord with the slant you gave it as he never said Nigeria has a better midfield than Ghana. He merely put that as a stand alone point without referring to Nigeria. Why recast it in another mould?

When a Nigerian says " This Ghanaian side is pretty poor all round" you automatically bring Nigeria team into the conversation.

It's like calling somebody's girlfriend ugly you immediately bring your own girlfriend into the equation for inspection.

I watched the game highlights and unsurprisingly to me Algeria seemed to have way better team cohesion with Ghana playing off the cuff. I see the same with Egypt, Tunisia as well .

All the goals were from Ghana errors school boy errors IMO. But you can still see the individual brilliance of some of the players.

And that African mentality of not wanting to pass the ball in the quest for personal glory not the teams glory.

daveP:
It will shock us all of he's the most creative SE player after 3group games. I recall he being written off last Afcon but he and Ighalo braced up and bossed things.

Best of Luck to these eagles.

GK headache for Egypt. I'm suspecting Uzoho starting. Setpieces and defence organization is what may trump Maduka.


I do hope he have a great Tourney to at least get a very good team in Ligue 1 or EPL. Hin club mata don taya me.

Because of European influence and the adoption of structural football team discipline and cohesion. The days of picking RAW TALENT from the AFCON seems to be a waning component in recent times.

Add to that the larger percentage of players are already playing in Europe.

The key attributes clubs are looking for is consistent outstanding performance not one offs and flash in the pan players.

Leicester got beat by Division 2 Newport county the third tier of English football in January 2019 in the FA cup. None of those players got any offers from the EPL however one did go to Bristol city.

Unless you do something stupendously outstanding in this AFCON clubs will still look at your club form before making a decision unfortunately.

forgiveness:
Onyeka is a natural CM. Please, take note.

What's your definition of natural CM and what are the key attributes he should have it has.

maidaboi:
I am not saying Nwakali is the best thing since slice bread I just saying because you didn't make at one club is not the end of the world

He did not make it at 4 clubs not one

maidaboi:
lol like knabry of Bayern Munich says otherwise

Gnabry played 18 games for Arsenal, he was 16 when he played his first game for Arsenal.

How many games did Nwakali play for Arsenal please ❓

Gnabry went on loan at WBA didn't make any progress and went to the less competitive Bundesliga to continue his development. That's after 4 seasons in the EPL.

He then played three seasons in the Bundesliga with Hoffenheim and Werder developed himself and improved himself before moving to Bayern Munich in 2018.

He has had what we call progressive upwards developed in his football career over 10 years he only 26.

What has Nwakali been doing, running on the treadmill of football mediocrity for 7 years

Meliforme:
Nwakali has the AFCON to show you guys what he is made of.

And what if he doesn't

Watch any match with the favourite player syndrome that we have here and when you hear the comment's he bossed the game, best player, pocketed this player or that . You will think you watched a completely different game.

My view is very simple if Nwakali was any good he would not have spent two seasons in the low level Segunda Division. If he was any good Porto would have not relegated him to the B youth team. If he was any good, he would have stood out in the Eredivisie and not have been relegated to Dutch 2nf tier and if was any good he would be at Arsenal, playing with Saka, Smith, Folarin, etc

He's done nothing at Huesca he is the second to the last lowest paid player in the club. Yet somebody days he is the star player in the club.

What's my issue, there is a pre requisite for selection to the SE. Current outstanding top quality performances in your league and club. He fails.

So what we have, is similar to someone, not taking JAMB and having failed his School certificate given admission to the university because he was a great top student in primary school.

Add to that is the shameless bigoted double standard that's been shown by quite a few here as well as quasi tribalism with so called foreign born players.

No too long it was said players in the Championship were too low for the SE.

ChrisKels:
This Ghanaian side is pretty poor all round

Don't count your chicken before they are hatched. Our friendly brother Nation Ghana should not be dismissed so easily.

By all means support your nation but it's not wisdom to denigrate another nation with emotive negative bias not objectivity.

Look at Ghana midfielder, all playing at high levels.

Ayew Andre ( no introduction needed)
Thomas Partey - Arsenal
Iddrisu Baba - Mallorca
Mubarak Wakaso (Shenzhen)
Mohammed Kudus - Ajax
Kamaldeen Sulemana - Rennes

These are Ghana's midfielders, l haven't put any one playing in leagues below the top 7 in Europe, apart from Wakaso who left La Liga, for Chinese ££$$.

Now let's look at our midfielders, would you say we have players in our midfielde that are COMPREHENSIVELY better than Ghana, l would not even suggesi it.

A friend should always underestimate your virtues and an enemy overestimate your faults“ — Mario Puzo


Onyeka - Brentford
Aribo - Rangers
Ndidi - Leicester
Ejuke - CSKA
Nwakali - SD Huesca - Segunda Division
Alex Iwobi - Everton.

If we adopt this your condescending dismissive attitude we will beaten by Sudan.

FIFApresident1:
This is you...

Exposition Supremo bravo

Mujtahida:
There are two types of entertainers in football. The first set to which most nigerian players belong to are those players who set out to entertain. These players are selfish and gun for personal glory.

The second type of entertainers do not set out to entertain. Their style is entertaining. Players like Zidane and Mikel exemplify this kind of players.

We have poor crossers of the ball(which is a shame since we have tall attackers) perhaps because of this trend of using inverted wingers who either run to the final third or dribble their way and then pass the ball or shoot at goal.

Agreed without question although this opinion is not the majority opinion here.

Sportilitica:
Yeah but he is technical . I hope he still has it in him

If he did ,he would be at Arsenal after all how old was Saka, Willock, Maitland, Smith-R, etc

The only place he gets accolades is here and the NFF.

Every other test has been failed.

Papi85:
u see the problem, always making reference to nwakali’s u17 exploit

Can the same nwakali lace the boot of haidara currently?

And nwakali with all the techiniques and brains hv got 0 goal and assist this season, no be juju be that?

Where is nwakali today and where is mwepu?

I swear una no get shame to Dey go back yesteryears just to make nwakali relevant over night

Mwepu is with Brighton doing marvelously well

Haidara is in Leipzig and touted amongs the best in his age bracket

Nwakali is in Spanish 2nd tier with no hope of getting promoted this season and not even among the best in his team let alone the league

Mk una hide face for dust abeg

This is the DELUSIONAL over hype that surrounds a players who has done nothing beyond U17 football in the past 7 years.

Mujtahida:
There are two types of entertainers in football. The first set to which most nigerian players belong to are those players who set out to entertain. These players are selfish and gun for personal glory.

The second type of entertainers do not set out to entertain. Their style is entertaining. Players like Zidane and Mikel exemplify this kind of players.

We have poor crossers of the ball(which is a shame since we have tall attackers) perhaps because of this trend of using inverted wingers who either run to the final third or dribble their way and then pass the ball or shoot at goal.

You have teams that really don't play with traditional wingers but rather use the wingbacks as the wingers.

For instance, in Liverpool look at the number of pin point accurate crosses Trent puts in a game as well as defence splitting passes . He then can put in some outstanding shots left or right foot it doesn't matter, 9 assists this season already. And he is a RWB the same goes for Robertson, although he's not as good as Trent.

What this does is create a forward line of three attackers , no surprise the number of goals Salah and Mane have scored. In addition very hard working very disciplined midfielders, who keep things going.

Our problem is we have traditional strikers who get no support from thier wingers, in a very structured , traditional disciplined set up.

We are in easier group IT SEEMS, Guinea B and Sudan should not trouble us if we play our best players and take the game very serious with strict team discipline and cohesion. No room for complacency.

IDENNAA:
You cant educate an enlightened mind like me , because you are lacking every quality of interpersonal communication.... It seems your boy is cooling off with his recent ban. I assess players and label them not insult anybody with foul language. Its called public etiquette.

Do you know you still insult somebody without using a derogatory word....wits , andrew !!

Wonders will never cease, the dark black pot calling the kettle black.

Man with one eye trying to show people with two eyes, the way to go.

Mujtahida:
This is what I don't understand. Limited end product? How? Is football today more productive than it was in the past? Productive in terms of what? Goals? Speed? Or what?

My response is two pronged.

My personal preference is for entertainment football .

However, clubs have got to way too scientific and tactical and that means team discipline and the right decision making is paramount.

Within that quest is end product.

I have been disappointed with most of our wingers in recent times. The quest for personal glory overshadows best options and best possible decision.

Finally, why can't they cross the ball properly ❓ You have a man mountain like Onuachu and you just don't play to his strengths or give him accurate crosses.

chrisooblog:
Senegal had the best team in 2017 they choked, 2019 they lost, way back in 2002 they lost. The favorites tag might be heavy on them.

As for Algeria yes they are very capable of doing a repeat but 2019 was abit surprising most people didn't outrightly pick them to lift the trophy.

I agree aggressively

There will be upsets and no amount of analysis can predict that.

Nigeria could win it's very possible albeit it unlikely on the other hand we could get kicked out in the first round.

It's football nobody really knows.

chrisooblog:
Sometimes judging your team's chances based on who is available or not is not the way to go.

In 2013 Osaze was out and out our best striker using EPL pedigree but we didn't take him. Same with Martins who I think was playing in La Liga then.

At the end of the day what happened? Emenike from a ''farmers'' league carried our goal scoring burden even though before the AFCON he was largely unrated.

So it's rather premature to say without Osimhen, Dennis and Ighalo we don't have hope.

That's an entirely different discussion and there was no justification for their exclusion.

The question should be how much better we could have been IMO

Then the real testament is where did those players get to after the tournament. And where did the ones excluded rise to

That's the real judgement.

stevemarkdangot:
Everyone invited merited it but we all know the coach will take chance on some and the rest will be on the bench. That doesn't discredit is brilliance.

That assertion please explain how Nwakali, Umar by comparison with other Nigerian players in Europe

forgiveness:
Osimhen 9 goals are 3 assists
Dennis 8 goals and 5 assists
Awoniyi 14 goals and 3 assists
Dessers 10 goals and 3 assists
Onuachu 14 goals


Can you please explain?

Your KPI's are flawed and don't give a balanced assessment.

Generally most clubs look at league performance not cup games essentially because you could be playing a 5th tier club and score 10 goals giving a skewed deduction of your true abilities.

The EPL is the most competitive league and best league in the world. It's the most physically taxing and fast. So scoring in the Eredivisie is not the same as the EPL.

Therefore my assessment approach will be on competitive league games not cup games, which gives a better insight.

Games. Goals League

Dennis 17 - 8 - EPL
Awoniyi 17 - 9 - Bundesliga
Osimhen 11 - 5 - Seria A
Dessers 14 - 4 - Eredivisie
Onuachu 18 - 12 - Belgium 1st
Umar S. 19 - 7 - Segunda

Statistics are still not conclusive just indicative. So most top teams will go further in their recruitment assessment and a whole range of stats on will be appraised with a matchreport by scouts and analysts who would watch him in a quite a few game's.

But the more stats you have the better the picture you have of the player's. You also look at context which means the substance and quality of the league.

So lets look at Sadiq Umar , sentiment aside, unless he has improved, it's hard to say because the league he is in is not very competitive.

He is number 7 in the top scorers table in the Segunda Division. Three players above him are all older than him three of them are 35,39 and 40 and have left better leagues even Chinese and retired to the Segunda. Add to that Sadiq has the lowest conversion rate among the top 25 . He had 51 shots and scored 7 with only 22 on target.

Now before my detractors say HATE statistics don't lie.

I would not be able to justify his inclusion on this list particularly when you have Onuachu and quite a few others David Okereke all playing in first tier leagues in the top 5 for some and top 10 leagues for others.

I see a very lackadaisical attitude in the NFF recruitment strategy IMO just like our politicians characterised by recycling of the old never seeking the NEW.