₦airaland Forum

Icon4s:
I always shake my head when I see comments like "Iwobi should come in for Mikel in the second half" as if they have predetermined how the game will go.

the thing tire me bros

Kog45:
Mikel got him the deal and he even confirmed it after good performance in Greece league not westbrom.

Mikel got him the deal, how funny...please show us link of that

Oasis007:
Check Iwobi Records as a Winger, then compare it to his Records as an AM, No. 10 precisely, hopefully you gonna understand my Point of view better Sir.



World Cup ain't a physical Battle like Africa WCQ Matches, it's more of a tactical Battle Sir. While Africa WCQ Matches are like a Game of Ludo - running to strikeout Opponent(s) or into a comfort Zone, World Cup Proper is like a Chess Game - you gonna have to be calculating with your Movements - Tactics.

What killed us at 2014 WC Sir, first we lost a very fit, dazzling AM in Babtunde, secondly our Engine Room collapsed the moment Onazi was injured - that's the Case of putting our finest Eggs in the same Basket.

I repeat again, do we have any creative Midfieder in the Team aside from Mikel and Iwobi?! Secondly you wanna keep playing Mikel for 90mins+ in all the Matches? At what Age Sir...... or you think Mikel is getting younger not vice versa?!

God forbids, if we lose Mikel to Fatigue and Iwobi to Injury in a Match, what's gonna happen?! Guess you ain't thinking of makeshift Subs cos its Creativity we are talking about here Sir.

Etebo is simply workaholic not creative, Joel is superb as a deep-lying Playmaker not as a creative Midfielder. Then tell me who else we gonna play in the Hole? Mind you Iheanacho is more a supporting Striker - a Forward precisely not at all an AM.

having 2 players in each position is key, i don't know what else you want

MetalJigsaw:
Lol see as u talk am. Na u be coach?

Rohr na my uncle

Mujtahida:
You don dey enter another argument with the bolded ooo. Simon is not an integral part of the team? Is this supported by the facts?

It has passed but I doubt strongly if Rohr would have used Iwobi against Cameroon even if he were fit. Why did he fall back on Ighalo who had not even played a single match in the WCQ for the double header? Do you think Iwobi would have fared well in that match?

Let me give you an insight as to why I think even if Iwobi were fit he would not have started. Check out the match between Nig and Zambia in Uyo. Leaving Iwobi on the bench was very deliberate. I repeat very deliberate. It was strategy. Moses was to start. Run the Zambians ragged and tire them out. Iwobi came in when those guys were a softened as per tiredness and his impact was immediate.

If you judge as per the nature of the opponents we'd face at the WC and say Iwobi is likely to be the starter, I no go argue but to say it as a done deal I no gree.

You don't need to be a master tactician to know that iwobi don't need to start that zambia match.

number one rule in coaching, never change a wimning team.

Oasis007:
Iwobi excels well when he plays as a No. 10 or SS. He's a brilliant attacking Midfieder, very good on the Ball, can dictate the tempo of the Team-play and certainly effective at connecting Defence to the Attack.

I would rather start Simon on the Wing and reserve Iwobi on the Bench as a Joker, also as a direct replacement for Mikel. Do we get another creative Player in the Team aside from Mikel presently? So we want to put both our finest Eggs in the same Basket?!

Starting a Match ain't the most Important thing, rather being Effective regardless to the Minutes played. Sokjaer is regarded a Legend at Manchester United not because he's a Starter, rather a super-Sub. We ain't the Coach, and we ain't in his Brain nor part of his Backroom Staff, hence we can't conclude or decide the Lineup authoritatively.

so iwobi can not start as a winger and end up in the middle of mikel final leave and who said mikel most not finish a match

ykalhaji:
I keep trying to tell you guys the word in contention is "tribalist" not "tribalism".

the difference is clear, tribalism is a practice and tribalist is the person that practice it. bros forget the trbalism talk biko

komekn:
Very apt description.

In my opinion which may be controversial to some I belive the first thing is OPPORTUNITY then ability. Management in connivance with agents can deny a player opportunity in favour of the play the player they want.

If you have all the ability but are denied opportunity you will amount to NOTHING.

That's why who is given opportunity and why is the most pertinent question ❓ ❓ for me. Particularly when I look behind the scenes.

for the very first time in a long while i agree with you Mr Komekn

Mujtahida:
Abi, wetin you want make I talk? But regardless of the goal he made an instant impact in the team.

Iwobi suffered a dip in form just some time before the double header. I doubt if Rohr would have used him as a starter even if he were fit. Him fit withstand cameroun gri gri football?

we don't know because we are not God or rohr to know his mind, no withstanding simon is a very important player for us and I'm sure if fit will be in worldcup

Mujtahida:
Abeg kindly remind me of those games where both of them were available. I can remember Algeria tie and maybe first leg against Zambia. Beyond that it's mixed. I no sabi mathematics but the odds in favour of saying Iwobi will start as a matter of fact over Simon is negligible. That's why I said it's arguable. If it were so clear cut like Victor Moses I no go argue. But based on how things played out you can't say for sure. That's my point.

our last 2 friendly they were both available and iwobi started the 2 games

andrew444:
You made a point.

West brom coach haven't seen him play but he just has check his stats and the stats is convincing

not a player will be giving such preference even with his stats, even when the big money Chinese club started spending big, his agent got him Teda deal after not doing so good in wesbrom.

players like emenike and co wan chop china money too na

Mujtahida:
You can't say. Cos Iwobi clearly had the upper hand at the beginning of the WCQ but he suffered a dip in form and then the injury.

You used the word 'if'. So I can also argue that 'if' Simon had not been injured in the last three games he would have started.

What if Rohr decides to play the joker with Iwobi in some matches?

You can say that in your judgement Iwobi is a starter but to say it as a matter of fact me no agree. As per facts it's debatable. If it is your judgement then fine.

Ultimately you or me may be proven wrong but as it stands now none of us can confidently say Iwobi will start over Simon. Simon now sef is battling with injury and fitness.

It's like saying that between Ighalo and Iheanacho you know who the starter is. You can judge and say it's Ighalo but the WCQ and the friendlies make it difficult to determine it now beforehand.

which last 3 games are you talking about, simon was in our squad for poland and Serbia

Mujtahida:
What are the facts. It's not by saying Iwobi is a starter. Something that is arguable? Humility017 rightly opined that it depends on tactics. And if we look back at the WCQ it is hard to say who between them is a starter.
If it's your opinion or sentiment then I'd rest it but if it's based on facts it's very debatable.

iwobi has started all games but 1 in which both of them were available for selection.

MetalJigsaw:
Caniggia: Argentina Very Strong In Attack, Weak In Defence
May 26, 2018 9:42 am

Argentina great, Claudio Caniggia, has stated that the Albiceleste’s weak point going into the 2018 FIFA World Cup is in their defence line.

The two-time world champions are in Group D with Nigeria, Croatia and debutant Iceland.

Caniggia, 51, who was a member of the Argentine side that got to the final of the 1990 World Cup in Italy, said Jorge Sampaoli parades a fearsome strike force but has a poor rear guard.

“What’s in our favour is that the best attacking players can put fear into anyone,” Caniggia who scored Argentina’s two goals in their 2-1 comeback win against Nigeria in USA 1994, told FIFA.com.

“Their names (Argentina strikers)alone unsettle the opposition. The other teams don’t think: “Higuain is being criticised in Argentina”. They think: “he’s Juventus’ top goalscorer”. Our weak point is that we’re still not solid at the back, and there are still a couple of places up for grabs.”

The former Boca Junior and River Plate forward stated that Lionel Messi lacks the kind of support Diego Maradona got from his teammates during his time as captain of Argentina.

“Messi doesn’t get the same support from his teammates as Maradona did. I think that’s true.”

https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/caniggia-argentina-very-strong-in-attack-weak-in-defence/

we need to play very direct against Argentina, no need for much game play in the midfield. just like last year we can out run them at the back and get goals

Mujtahida:
That's why I said it's not clear cut. Iwobi is even more effective coming in a sub.

because he came on and scored against zambia?

Humility017:
this is my fear bro...reason why I wanted nwakali to be in the team.
I watched the young man passes it was so apt....and fitted.
well...let's hope iwobi be preserved for such duties...

Bros why are beating a dead horse, nwakali is not in the team lets make do with what we have now.

ykalhaji:
Dictionary definition of tribalist

"an advocate or practitioner of strong loyalty to one's own tribe or social group"

So how many of us on a website "Nairaland" supporting strongly the team that is representing "us" at an international organization are not strong advocates of our social group ? Oh in this case your social group is Nigeria.

So if someone decides to go deeper and support a sub unit within the construct of Nigeria, you and the host of others who feel strongly about your Nigerian social group, shame such person to conformity in order not to destroy your own concept of the social group that Nigeria represents.
Being a tribalist is the core of being a human being. We must exist in a social context and unit for survival and sense of being.

Like I said earlier, being a tribalist, stupid and then domineering is the problem, not just being a tribalist.

bros drop this your tribalistic talk, is getting boring

asha80:
siasia could string good passes..can anyone of the present ones apart from mikel in the midfield do that?

iwobi can do that effortlessly

andrew444:
Who told you west brom did not watch him play?

Even if west brom did not watch him play didnt they saw his stats? Google is there for us all.

This is a guy who played 74 league games for dynamo kiev and scored 34 goals,i am sure west brom saw that stats,how can they make a player their record signing without knowing anything about him? When you are good you are good.

I'm not saying ideye is not good but i want you to understand that good agents or player management with good network get you deals very fast and easy.

Mujtahida:
I don't think so. The facts lie more in Vicmo's side but not Iwobi.
Cos throughout the WCQ it wasn't clear cut between him and Simon who the starter was.

And Iwobi has started the last three friendlies because Moses Simon was not there.

moses simon was in our last 2 friendly and he even cameon in the second half against Serbia

asha80:
i am one of those because there a statement i saw on dailymail uk that suggest so..i have googled to find any link backing it up but haven't seeing any

i didnt see any prove too, but I'm sure i saw it somewhere

Humility017:
who will be picked between aina and elderson....?

really I'm more confused than Rohr.

Aina would have been a straight choice but his not been wonderful in the past and picking him over Echiejile won't be fair knowing that Echiejile played 90% of our qualifiers.

i will take Echiejile as a backup for Idowu but i won't mind if Aina is picked

andrew444:
Ideye is not that bad,ogbuke was injury prone that's why they need to access him well,the last time I checked ogbuke played for 2 top German club,schakle got him after impressing on loan,the injury was just too much,he played several games in the champions league so forget about agent,if you are good you are good

How many Nigeria strikers are better than ideye during his prime? They can't be more than 2 or 3 so what are we saying,go and check all his stats his only poor stats was at west brom,even emenike doesn't have better goal ratio than brown,the players that are better than ideye during is prime are players like yakubu and martins.

oga alot of players are way better than him, his agent is doing a mad job.

Wesbrom reported bought him without seeing him play.

watch him get another big club after not impressing in Teda and malaga.

Agent and management do the dirty business in football, players ability do help too

tbaba1234:
Chidi Nwanu and Emenalo did not fail us.

Nwanu ended up in the starting line up

asha80:
simy cannot decide on his own to play..it is a fifa rule..10 days are your last competitive match for your club you cannot play a friendly

i was trying to explain to mr icon4s about the rule...players like Ogu, simy, ighalo and mikel can't play if the rule is upholded. more reason why moses decided to join the team in England

asha80:
why joel?

if you know this team well you will know the 22 sure player, 1 spot is up for grab. adding a midfielder(joel) or a striker(simmy).

Amedino99:
i think that by fifa rules simy is ineligible for this match or is the rule not that too important?

i heard about that rule too, please explain more on the rule and a link to it will be appreciated

OMANBALA1:
Agbo, Agu, Aina, Lokosa, Ajiboye,Eze and Simon are likely to be dropped.

if simon is fit he will go to worldcup

OMANBALA1:
''Simmy Nwankwo's chance to make the cut is 50-50''...Rohr

simmy for worldcup, joel obi watch your back

Mujtahida:
Mikel was 2003 not 2001. Finland with Fabregas for the Spain team

fabregas was the top scorer and best player in that tournerment

Icon79:
Guys am I the only one having serious concerns regarding this DR Congo friendly match? Aside from this ebola thing, African teams tend to take it overboard against other African teams. And when you have a team going to the World Cup and the other team isn't, the other team would try to demonstrate that they are better than you

I am actually glad that both VicMo and Ndidi are going to miss this match. I hope that Obi Mikel and Joel Obi won't play either.


O pari

They won't play, ighalo too will be absent

andrew444:
No b by World Cup o,juwon oshaniwa is clubless now but he played all games at the World Cup at the left back,why didn't his World Cup cv give him a club?

He didn't even last at heart of Scotland,and this is a player who played 4 games at the 2014 World Cup

player Management and Agent have a huge role to play on players transfers not just talent.

players like ideye keep getting lucrative deals after been average and players like ogbuke go on trial to prove them self.