₦airaland Forum

TheSuperNerd:
Ndidi was at the last Afcon and we saw where his game of passing got us to.

Ndidi is no better passer than Iwobi yet Iwobi was atrocious tonight just as he was against SA.

Iwobi is not in the mould of Nwakali, i have always said that Nwakali, Ndidi and Osimhen are very vital to this team, i did not include Iwobi for some reasons. However the torchlight is on Onyeka and Ndidi, Onyeka has the advantage of speed, but Ndidi is better at duels, passing etc, Ndidi is actually a better midfielder, but that doesn't mean Onyeka is not good. Ndidi that was paired with Aribo, what do you want him to do. Again, Eguavoen tactics is similar to Peseiro's tactics, the midfield is not central or celebral to how the team plays, the defense and attack are.

MetalJigsaw:
Iwobi that has a better "passing range" what did he do? Is he not supposed to compliment Onyeka's inabilities as the "main man" in midfield?

Onyeka did the things he was expected to do and he did very well all through the competition... Who even gave him a chance?

The coach's game plan limited Iwobi. Peseiro's plan was to loop the ball from the defense to attack and the midfield to try recover the ball when it didn't get through, that might be the reason Onyeka had a more advanced role: to recover the ball and make forward drives, since he has more pace and is also better defensively. Iwobi's role wasn't as loud, that's why many didn't notice.

Those heaping blames on Iwobi don't actually see, if there is any cohesion in the team, Iwobi and Bassey are notable figures. Nwakali and midfielders like Ifeanyi Matthew are what this team needs, plus good coaching. Nwakali started only one game at the last AFCON, what do you expect from such meagre minutes.

Nwakali plays in the lowly Chaves, and yet guys from Mamelodi Sundows were knocking our super stars around, and we were lucky to escape.

kennysville:
Inverted wingers

Anyways, i get you, but they need to do more in ball control and passing.

I have seen the midfielders that this AFCON has paraded and none is as good as Kelechi Nwakali. Nwakali trumps these Ivorian midfielders even in what he does defensively, the defensive aspect may land on some as a shocker, but it is the truth. It may land as a shock because many don't actually see.

I said it before that none of our wingers will start at Royal Antwerp, considering how Royal Antwerp likes to play.

TheSuperNerd:
Ndidi is not a controller either. None of the midfielders in this team to CIV 2023 is a controller. None.

This team needed an Nwakali but Jpes kept playing dumb and stubborn.

Ndidi isn't a pass master himself.

Ndidi is way ahead of Onyeka in the game of passing.

forgiveness:
Oga, the battle was lost in the midfield.

I know, but defensively he is not as strong as the others. Today he was put to the real test against an elite winger and his slack revealed. Aina's presence was to help a very limited midfield that can't hold its own.

Negative football will always lack the cutting edge.

TheSuperNerd:
Aina.... I don't understand him today. Brilliant all tournament game after game but has struggled against Adingra today. Unfortunate.

Aina is not defensively astute. Awaziem should have been brought in his stead.

TheSuperNerd:
Onyeka didn't make us miss Ndidi. He was a fantastic cover.

It is Iwobi's role that was sorely missed. A player who could play that role is the one missing.

Ndidi was missed. Onyeka covered good defensively and was fantastic with his forward drives, but his passing range is a let down. He is also not a genuine controller.

CornOak:
LET US HEAR WORD.

Regardless of what happened, these boys tried.

They tried actually, just that they can't give what they don't have. The team is tactically not balanced.

Pack your team with poor passers of the ball and what do you get.

Ndidi is sorely missed.

Bright Osayi's game against the tactical ingenuity of Hugo Broos was eye catching. We have more depth in the fullback role than in any other.

codemaniacs:
Which Osimhen do you know

The Osimhen i've watched at Napoli needs only 1 chance to score a clean goal even with his offside issues...


He should better go to Edo and bow down to the Bini Goddesses and Gods..

He should be wearing a vest with the image of bini dieties to clear his lack of confidence and self belief.

I know I have seen Obafemi Martins with a pendant of Oduduwa.

This is in contention to be the dumbest post ever to hit this thread. Imagine Osimhen bowing down to things that can't help him and has never helped anyone.

codemaniacs:
Which Osimhen do you know

The Osimhen i've watched at Napoli needs only 1 chance to score a clean goal even with his offside issues...


He should better go to Edo and bow down to the Bini Goddesses and Gods..

He should be wearing a vest with the image of bini dieties to clear his lack of confidence and self belief.

I know I have seen Obafemi Martins with a pendant of Oduduwa.

Rubbish.

Barryseal:
After Iheanacho's pk, a random dude hugged me so tight that he cracked my Samsung screen which was in my pocket. Went to the repairers for screen replacement today, they said its 250k

Sorry.

We are no longer defending in numbers

Curtisaxel17:
If not for our defence's solid performances, people would have been forced to ask Victor Osimhen some very frank questions.

Some people make it look as if the SE was struggling to score goals before Osimhen came on the scene and improved our goalscoring prowess.

In reality, the reverse has been the case. Ighalo played with this same team in AFCON 2019 and won the Golden ball. Osimhen took charge and gave us only one goal in five matches plus plenty of offsides and big chances squandered. Same team o.

The only thing saving him is that our defence is pulling us to the finish line. Any day the defence stops working, Nigerians will analyze Osimhen without emotions.

Osimhen is a vital part of our team's defensive character. Our defensive exploits are not just down to the defenders, the team's structure and character as a unit plays the most part.

drDoom3:
It is not sustainable. That is the issue.

Once we meet a team that can hold sustained pressure in our attacking third towards the end of games, or we fail to score first in a game, we will struggle.

Good observation. Peseiro's game management can make this a possibility, or not a possibility.

Mujtahida:
So they won us because they talked loudest? Which kind amala logic be this Bro?

Amala is good food, and so is my logic. It will be wonderful, if you can grasp the importance of words especially when charged with emotions.

theophilusj31:


The way the Angola players have been bragging ehnn those guys are scared to death,their boasting has fear underneath it . ....our players and coach have been unusually quiet,..no bragging,no chest eating,...... A wealth of experience has taught our players that it is better to wait till after the match b4 u talk,the Tunisia saga of the previous afcon still fresh in our memories. .

We should start talking, even louder than them. That's how Ghana bragged and talked and qualified for the world cup instead of us.

soetanoreoluwa:
Good morning family!
Today is my birthday..
SoarHighSuperEagles!!!!

Happy birthday, with many years of God's favour.

ChrisKels:
After making 9 saves(7saves in the box) and despite conceding two goals against Atalanta, Maduka Okoye makes sofascore’s serie-A team of the week.

Growth!

I reported much earlier Okoye's massive improvements. Some peeps on this thread were like "How many matches of recent times have you seen him feature to come about such a conclusion". I don't need to see any player on a match day to make an assessment.

Odunayaw:
We say the definition of madness is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results.

How can you admit their ideas were "cancelled OUT" and "they didn't succeed" and still say they weren't clueless?

Na me mess up as I engage you sha

Yes, you messed up big time through what you said. You are the one who was actually clueless watching the match, without catching to see the different ideas the Camerounians applied trying to get a goal. They didn't try one particular thing, they tried different ways that failed in application.

We might win this AFCON. Our defensive setup is novel, i have not seen this composition elsewhere. I am yet to come up with a way of breaking this defensive setup without running a high risk of conceding goals especially when the team with this kind of setup has a forward like Osimhen who defends from the front and is also a very potent counter attacking threat.

Odunayaw:
They were clueless because they were neutralized. Thanks for making my point for me

I did not make your point for you. The camerounians had clues that didn't succeed. The Camerounian coach is sound from what i saw as the game went by. He had clues but wasn't successful with his clues. To be clueless means to be without ideas, they had ideas going forward, you could easily see their pattern of passes and attempts to penetrate, but were canceled out. They had ideas, they had clues that didn't succeed.

Odunayaw:
My my! Too happy to see Cameroon clueless

Cameroun played good football, they weren't clueless, they were just neutralised.

Mujtahida:
Horrible how? This man. He did his best in the circumstances

What will you say, if it were Uzoho. Go rewatch the goals.

The Cameroonians were afraid of Osimhen, it affected everything they did, they feared counters.