₦airaland Forum

joseph1013:
Perhaps you are so intelligent that you missed the flow of the discussion. Perhaps.

It was Icon4s I asked that question after a series of exchange but alas you jumped midway without a good understanding of what has led us there.

But back at you, if he says a particular segment is favored, it does not mean it is borne out of a tribalistic mindset. It takes more than that to proof it. So if you go to a court of law and you show that comment, what if he shows you where he argues for Onazi, what will you say?

Actually, looks like the education deficit in the country is having so much toll on the citizens. Let's start with definitions. Tribalism can be defined as loyalty to a tribe or other social group especially when combined with strong negative feelings for people outside the group. (Merriam Webster dictionary)

So how can one be tribalistically inclined towards Yoruba and still care for the inclusion of Ebuehi? Makes sense?

Make strong cases for your positions without resorting to ad hominems. Is that too much to ask?

I can see basic knowledge is not so basic for you anyways so let me make it simpler so you can digest.

If Onazi plays, who gets benched? Ndidi, what a surprise. you do understand that the guy has always been against Igbo guys, Onazi is not an Igbo, for him the common denominator is that Igbo guys should be gone.

ok so we started saying that Onazi, Musa and Moses should no longer be in the team, guess the three guys he brought into the conversation as less than worthy folks....no prizes here again, Onyekuru, Iwobi and Nacho. please o, how many games has Leon Balogun played this season? so how come he didnt call his name too? another surprise.

you obviously do not know how to make inferences so I will just have to pardon you, now read what I just typed slowly and tell me that isn't tribalism

joseph1013:
That you did not call the term does not mean you have not used it. Nepotism simply means favoritism shown to relatives or friends. Nepotism does not necessarily mean Tribalism. If you have used "Siasia boys" as an accusation on his person, you have inadvertently called Siasia nepotic. So how are you different from him?

And this to me is the crux of the matter. With your many words, you have not given ONE proof that shows he is tribalistic. Just provide ONE. Because the same person that you say is always for Kayode and Aina is the same person attacking those against Onazi, Simon and Musa. Are these also his tribesmen?

Just provide ONE undeniable proof that he is tribalistic. Something to show that he is what you are not guilty of.

brother do you actually know the meaning of tribalism? I am pretty sure that you have seen the messages where he was saying that when the coaches of the youth teams will be released only one part of the country will be favoured, is that not a comment borne entirely out of tribalism? see, are you this unintelligent that you are arguing that until you prove him wrong,his tribal-inclined comments are no longer what they are? oga,once you make a comment that suggests your preference towards one part if the country, whether it was countered or not, that is pure tribalism.


now let me dissect that coaching aspect. Manu Garuba was the coach at some point, same goes for Obuh and even Ladan Bosso. the problem with that comment is that we have been doing well at youth level, does it matter which part of the country these guys are from? I thought what we need are the best, not just the best people that have something to offer, does it matter where these people are from? I cannot draw a formation for the SE without including Kayode and excluding Iheanacho entirely, talent wise Nacho is easily the best and on top of that he is from my part of the country, but I believe Kayode is more suitable for that position so I vouch for him. I have been calling for the inclusion of the younger wingers like Olayikan ahead of Iwobi as a winger in fact, the point here is that the best is all that matters. if the NFF decides to hire Yoruba coaches for all the national teams what do I care? so long as they function well we pop a bottle together and celebrate the team. coming here to tell us,without any meaningful fact I must add, that the NFF favours one part of the country portrays tribalism, EOD

tbaba1234:
How has Nwakaeme proved himself at a higher stage than Kayode??

same question I have in mind

forgiveness:
Nwakeam scored 13 Goals last season in the Israeli league, the coach and his cronies has quickly included him on the list by excluding Kayode Olanrewaju who had scored the same numbers of goals in the said league 3 or 4 seasons ago (but conspicuously overlooked).

Last season, he was not included in the list despite the fact that he scored goals and assisted in the Europa league but was latter included after public outcry, and when he came, he was not played in some matches and introduced in the second half.

After winning the best player of the year and the highest goal scorer in the Austrian league Manchester City noticed him but our national team coach ignored him due to some advice from na my brother somebody.


My point is Israeli league has suddenly become the alfa and the omega, ba, because of NWAKEAM but when Kayode was there, it was an obscure league.

Who una dey deceive?

NWAKEAM is not better than what is on ground but we know na we we dey at play.

you do realize that I have been questioning the exclusion of Kayode so your point right now is?

komekn:
I want to presume you are not equating these players to thier world class counterparts. But using it highlight positional play and team structure.

In that regard I would have it differently, as follows ;

Costa- Ighalo, Nwaekeme ( KC finishings yes but does not have the hold up play. Heading ability or bullying characteristics)

Pedro-Kayode/ Onyekuru ( agreed)
Hazard - Etebo = Simon M. ( its a toss up between limited end product for Simon and more end product from Etebo. My choice Etebo.
Alonso-Ahmed
VicMo-Aina 1st choice.
Matic- Ndidi 1st choice
Kante- Onazi 1st choice or closest to Kante in terms of his attributes.
Luiz - Ogu Too slow, not Mobil enough and Ltd offensive attributes if any.
Cahill - Ekong no options it seems I would consider If possible Iorfa and Nedum.
Azpilicueta-Balogun don't think Balogun is RB, by any stretch. My choice Onyedinma Millwall. We seem to lack quality options.

First name on the team sheet for me is Mikel, but as AM. I am sorry but Mikel struggles to backtrack so limited defensive duties for him.

Structure 4-3-3

yes I definitely was referring to their positional structure.

you do understand that Hazard us the main creator for Chelsea, you can't play Etebo or Moses Simon in that wing. Etebo can't exactly beat his markers and even Moses Simon that can, well his end product and decision making are just whack, hence my preference for VicMo who can actually do a similar thing, he used to do that when he was at Wigan and West Ham so it still adds up.

if Mikel plays Matic's role then he won't even need to backtrack, just sit in front of the back four and let Ndidi be the all round destroyer. Onazi as a CMF(I will grade Kante's role as a CMF)? which part of their game is similar? I am pretty sure you know that Onazi is the captain if long balls FC, if you think he can maintain the same passing accuracy that Kante can then sorry, he can't. their work rate is similar though but what you do when you get back the ball matters a lot more than you getting back the ball.

Ndidi cannot do what Matic does, sit tight in front of the defence for 90 minutes. I love the guy but he has an eye for goal, it pushes him forward a lot more than he naturally should so I don't think he can play that position when we have someone like Mikel anyways


Ogu isn't so slow, not to mention that I will argue that he is a better passer than Luiz. Luiz is not a speed train himself anyways. I have seen Busquets playing the CB role, and he is one of the slowest players out there so yeah I think Ogu can. oh and while you are calling names like Iorfa and Nedum,let me also include Danny Shittu and Rabiu Afolabi, since we are joking

Balogun started his professional career as a RB so there you have it

forgiveness:
Onazi was still miles better than Ndidi in the last game against South Africa hence the need to play him ahead of Ndidi and Agu. Azubuike is not as good as Raheem Lawal.


Simon Moses is a far better and complete player than Onyekuru. His crosses are meant for strikers with the ability on air and the ability to read matches. His crosses are not meant for Iheanacho who is only good with foot.

If he's not good enough, why is he still playing regularly for Gent?

If he's not good enough, why was he lading with the responsibilities of taking set pieces for his club last season?

5 goals and 7 assists from playing 4-5 different roles last season for his club is not a joke.

Why is Onyekuru not scoring goals since he joined a bigger club?

Onazi was not better than Ndidi in this match against SA, and in the match against Senegal when he left we got better. so I don't know where your claim is coming from. I could care less who is better between Azubuike and Raheem, none of them will start the matches anyways so that's a personal opinion.

next time you ever say that Moses Simon is a more complete player than Henry I will know you just came back from a smoking spree. which Moses Simon? and don't give me that stuff about his crosses doing this and that, for a winger who plays for the top club in Belgium to only hit 5 assists a whole season what does that tell you?! not to mention that more than half of that is from set pieces. mind you, he did not score a single set piece goal last season, or if he did it was just once but I can't find that anywhere, so what us special about his set pieces exactly? should I mention goals? it took Suarez about 3 months to score his first goal for Barcelona so I don't understand your point. and the season is just 3 or so games old, so because.... Roberto scored in the first game of the season he will now be the highest goal scorer come the end of the season? not to mention that the only goal credited to Anderletch had Onyekuru written all over it, Moses Simon last u checked has hardly played this season, should I show you the stats?

komekn:
I have highlighted the proposition, I take the view that it is not erroneous to say the Turkish league is a semi retirement league.

I would say it is for top performing players, a last hurray !!! And the chance for one big pay out. Particularly for players looking to maximise thier income not playing ability. It is essentially the back door of European football with regards to the top leagues.

Your comments emanated somewhat but not entirely from the Nasri move from Man City. This is a player who is a shadow of his former self and can not cut it at the top level anymore. He is also 30 and had a unimpressive season at Sevilla last season on loan. And has taken the highest paying easy option Turkish football.

It is not the league for young players to go too if they intend to move upwards. Unless they are playing with the big clubs such as Galatasaray, Fenerbache, Besiktas moving up will be problematic. If you are thirty or assumed to be privately then you are going to stagnate thier.

Nasri had an unimpressive season at Sevilla?!

Joebie:
Natural positions again.. Lol

I am sorry, is there anyone of them that I played out of position?

chrisooblog:
personally I like onazi he brings a lotof passion and team bonding to the super eagles but his football has been poor of late. However I don't this his days in the national team are necessarily over. I feel a move to a better league and reinvention of his game will help him get back to his best form.

Moses Simon I don't think he's that bad I personally like everything about his game as a winger just needs to work on his decision making.

Musa yes he can be infuriating and is the one most likely to lose his place but I'm not completely ruling him out because sometimes when I think he is finished he pops up and does something special for the national team

I did mention that Onazi should be a utility player. I like the guy honestly, he is the kind of guy everybody wants to have in a squad but not the first team. he can be a stopgap solution for a lot of positions although he may not be necessarily fantastic in any of the said positions but takeaway nothing from him, he can act as a pretty good impersonator there, like RB, LB, DMF and CMF but as a starter? based solely on present form, that would be a No No for me, like you said he can pick up his form again.

Moses Simon isn't all that bad but his decision making is bad, he always tends to cut outside instead of cutting inside and his crosses are just so poor, makes you wonder why he can't just reinvent his game as an inverted winger. no need crossing the ball when you know you can't cross, just cut in and try something different, alas he hasn't learnt that yet and he keeps on putting in awful crosses. now we have a pool of young wingers who can cut inside, cut outside and still put in a decent delivery so he needs to go back to the drawing board now, the bench isn't even supposed to be for him.

Ahmed Musa for me is just there. in almost all the big games he has played he has always bottled great chances. at the AFCON final in 2013, dude was clean through but somehow he fell down, I can't forget that scene ever, and Burkina Faso countered but thank God Enyeama was :/ top form and that was how we managed to hold on. against SA dude was missing one on one chances like they were long range shots. it was an eyesore, personally we may want to consider playing the guy as a LWB. just think about.....

Costa-Iheanacho/ Nwakaeme
Pedro-Kayode/ Onyekuru
Hazard-Victor Moses(obviously)
Alonso-Ahmed Musa/Etebo
VicMo-Aina/Ebuehi(include the other RBs here)
Matic-Mikel obviously/Iwobi as deputy or OGU
Kante-Ndidi for me/Onazi/Agu/Azubuike
Cahil-Ekong
Luiz-Ogu
Azpilicueta-Balogun

the problem is that we do not have a tactically astute coach who is willing to play these players in their natural positions

Kog45:
Pls tell us players in eagles living on past glory,tell us why Onazi should be dropped and who are d fast rising players?then we can discuss.

Onazi is definitely living in past glory. Musa and Moses Simon too, Moses Simon's own is even worse because I really don't even know which past glory he is living in, the coach just like a him. I just named three players that I think are living on past glory, now lemme name three players that can easily replace them; Kayode, Onyekuru, Dressier,Onuachu, we have forgotten Fanendo Adi let me not go on.

you want to know why Onazi needs to be dropped? easy, because we have better players in that position, let me not even get into the technical aspects. I however agree that he is a vital utility player, but a starter? No no

Kog45:
Pls tell us players in eagles living on past glory,tell us why Onazi should be dropped and who are d fast rising players?then we can discuss.

Onazi is definitely living in past glory. Musa and Moses Simon too, Moses Simon's own is even worse because I really don't even know which past glory he is living in, the coach just like a him. I just named three players that I think are living on past glory, now lemme name three players that can easily replace them; Kayode, Onyekuru, Dressier, let me not go on.

you want to know why Onazi needs to be dropped? easy, because we have better players in that position, let me not even get into the technical aspects. I however agree that he is a vital utility player, but a starter? No no

cc Joebie

Joebie:
They will be phased out surely, should they not step up.. You don't wan't to change all your regulars just like that. I think regular starters will be demoted to the bench and after subsequent matches with no improvement, would be replaced. e.g omeruo now a standby player

Modified
You said so many.. Please name the "so many".

Omeruo is not yet a stand by player, he was only left out because of his loan move, just like Al Hassan was too, players like that are usually given time to settle their business

Joebie:
2. Don't be arrogant. Know your opponents. Let's play match-ups

Benjamin Moukandjo (LW) Versus Ola Aina (RB)

MOUKANDJO
club: Jiangsu Suning (Chinese Super League)
whoscored rating: 7.94
appearances: 5
goals: 4
assists: 3
yellow: 0

Style of Play

Likes to dribble
Gets fouled often
Plays the ball off the ground often
Likes to play long balls
Does not dive into tackles

Strengths
Finishing --> Strong

Weaknesses
Defensive contribution

AINA
club: Hull City (English Championship)
whoscored rating: 7.62
appearances: 4
goals: 0
assists: 1
yellow: 0

Style of Play

Likes to dribble
Likes to play short passes
Likes to tackle

Strengths

Crossing --> Very Strong
Key passes --> Very Strong
Dribbling --> Very Strong
Ball interception --> Very Strong
Holding on to the ball --> Strong
Passing --> Strong
Tackling --> Strong

Weaknesses
No significant weaknesses

I can bet my house that Aina won't start, however let me just dissect what we have here.

Watch Moukanjo's stats, this is not the kind of guy that stays on the wings trying to stretch play. He is always coming inside, looking to shoot or picking up loose balls. I think the remedy to this guy is to operate a very compact right side and that's where Victor Moses has to be utilised as the proper wingback he is. Moukanjo is going to be running inside, we need Aina to keep an eye on his piercing runs so Moses has to operate as a fullback when that happens.

Forget this stuff, Aina has a poor one-on-one stats, if he approaches this guy one-on-one he may get roasted, so we need him to be covering the guy, instead of marking him one-on-one, again VicMo comes in here because he will be assisting as the second RB

komekn:
That's not really entirely true.

Very few top premiership strikers will drop to the championship unless they are on a downward trend.

Britt Asombolanga left Nottingham forest fc to Middlesbrough for £15 million and a reputed £60k a week. There were EPL clubs that interest but he chose the championship.

Other players may drop for a top Championship club that looks like it's on its way up to the premiership. For instance Burnley is a premiership club but will struggle to compete with Newcastle and Fulham with regard to finances and following which are bigger clubs. Furthermore you would not bet against of these us giving Burnley a football lesson in a match.

The championship is a stepping stone to the EPL for the best players in the division. in the same vein it's a step down for average players in the EPL.

so you would advise Omeruo to go to.....Blackpool for example just because they play in the championship? Y'all should fear God sometimes, top teams are in the turkish league. Didn't Istanbul Basekshir give Sevilla a run for their money? I am pretty sure you know Fernabache and Besiktas, if he is playing against these teams I think that's a good move. Playing in the championship which strikers would he be facing anyways?

the actual site is
https://www.nnpc-snepco-scholarship.shell.com/Home.aspx

please for those that have applied, is that 100 level result mandatory? because I don't have the transcript presently

OMANBALA1:
Yes,Ighalo has skills. I have watched him and the glimpses are there. Watch the Egypt game and talk to me.

against Egypt?! ok this is plainly ridiculous

OMANBALA1:
Ighalo is a strong attacker with tricks and skills and his hold up play is phenomenal. He will be a handful to the Cameroonians. Iheanacho,though a lethal struggles with establishing his presence. Most times his first touch is depressing and lets him down.

which Ighalo?! Good lawd, Ighalo skilful and tricky?! Ighalo?!!!!!

TheGoodJoe:
My elder brother says Barcelona plays Tiki Taka while Arsenal runs Kata Kiti.



Well Osimhen did more than run. He blended seamlessly with the team. That is what I am pointing out. Lots of coaches make it look as if it takes time for players to sync with teams but I disagree.

The recent case of Bernardo Silva highlights this. He would have still played in sync with the team if he started. Just as he did coming in as a sub.

Also we have seen players who have played a long time with the team still get lost on the field during games. The time is not a determinant. It is the quality of the player.

Look at how Neymar walked into the PSG side. He did not need to blend.

you are forgetting that that is club football. neymar trained with his teammates for up to two weeks before making his debut. enough time, bernado Silva too

Icon4s:
You know why I don't have issues with Kayode's exclusion? He is not a starter.

Iheanacho is likely to start. Why I feel Rohr gave Ighalo and Nwaekeme the nod ahead of Kayode is what if the game really goes physical that we need a bully of a striker to create havoc? Kayode is not much different from Iheanacho I terms of build so this is where Rohr may introduce Nwaekeme or Ighalo to play as CF and Iheanacho goes to SS.

As per your stance on Onazi I am not surprised

And your comment on lack of "young wingers" on the substitute bench. First let me ask, are Iwobi, Simon, and Etebo not young wingers/AMs. Ow! these ones are too old now or what? You want to flood the team with wingers that do not have any form of international experience.

Henry Onyekuru for now deserves the spot he got as a stand-by. The coach obviously saw him in the France Camp and if he feels Iwobi, Simon, Moses, Musa and Etebo are ahead of him then so be it. I am with him on that one.

you have to subtract Etebo from your wingers because I see him starting this game as the CMF, I intend to see the same set of players that played against Algeria in this game as well maybe except for Iwobi. so that brings me back to my question, what if we are chasing this game? will you introduce Iwobi when you are chasing a game? ok let's say you sub in Nwaekeme who thrives on crosses, that means you now need good deliveries from either side will you sub in Iwobi who does not cross the ball at all? or will you sub in Moses Simon who cannot cross to save his life? We have a plan B striker but we do not have plan B wingers at all.if two people get injured in our team, we will relive the 2010 world cup all over again where we didn't have any left back left. IMO the number of DMFs are too much. I am not looking for young wingers, I am looking for extra wingers, if Obasi is that extra winger I do not mind but we are well short in that department. had it been Kayode was invited at least you have a back up striker as well as a back up winger, but can Ighalo or Nwakaeme play on the wings? if you have those two players on the bench it's not much different from having just one of them on the bench

Icon4s:
He he he he. You have a point.

there is no point there. so what if we have two super dribbles on the same team? forget about the dribbling for a minute, Kayode is the best we have in the forward position when it comes pressing the opposing defenders, I see you understand that Mikel has to start as the AMF, we agree on that but that means we will need a CF WHO CAN PRESS ALONE AND A CMF WHO CAN PRESS FOR TWO. we saw just how well nacho pressed in the last game, forget the golden boy tag when Renato Sanchez stopped performing, Portugal quickly changed him, that's the thing about football, if you are relevant you come, if not you go.

back to the primary matter though, playing Onazi as the CMF will not work. let me just leave it there.

Then talking about the list. remove our starting eleven, do we still have another threat on the bench? if Musa plays like I know he will, is it Moses Simon that will come on when you are looking for a goal? or will Iwobi be brought on when we need a goal? why is Onyekuru on standby? look at that list of midfielders again, we have four DMFs vying for one spot, only two bona fide CMFs(Etebo and Mikel) and factually no authentic AMF just some strikers and wingers who can play that position on a good day(Iwobi and Iheanacho, both not really that good in that position, I guess you know this and that is why you want Mikel to start there) so now we only have three wingers, one of them will just continue dribbling without any end product and these are the players we are taking to a double header, one injury and this team is gone. I understand that this is a top match but balance should be maintained, we have young wingers everywhere who could at least make up the number of wingers to about four or five(since we are playing a formation that depends a lot on our movement on the wings)

chimzyblack:
I'm totally in love with this list but I will still point out that I am really bothered about our goalkeeping aspect.
for me it is a 4-2-3-1 formation

ighalo (CF)

V.Moses (Lwf) Iheanacho(Amf/SS) Musa(Rwf)

Mikel(Cmf) Onazi(Dmf)

Echiegile (Lb) Leon(Cb) Ekon(Cb) Shehu (Rb)

Akpeyi(Gk)


Subs: 1.Etebo for Iheanacho
( Mikel moves to the Amf)
2.Ndidi for onazi
3. Nwaekeme for Ighalo

But also considering the physicality of the Cameroonian Etebo might Start in place of Iheanacho and Mikel will then play The Amf position.
with this formation, if the team is clinical in front of Goal and also defend as a unit which is the key ingredient of this formation. I see no reason why that match will not end 3-0 in favour of the super eagles. Because looking at this my set up all I see is goal.. goal... goal....

so you are willing to sacrifice Etebo? We will never learn at all. forget the Mikel story, deploying Etebo as a CMF was one of the reasons why we defeated Algeria. Mikel isn't 25, even when he was 25 he can't run the entire midfield all alone because he does not have the pace, in that match you could see Etebo jus about everywhere but some reason we want to sacrifice Etebo all because we must have Nacho in the AMF role. sentiment is the problem we will always have

Icon4s:
Moses Simon and Karo Etebo are even ahead of those players you call deputies to Victor Moses.

Moses Simon? sometimes I wonder why you just like dwelling on mediocrity. no offence but I honestly wonder that sometimes. Moses Siomn is not close to those players I mentioned, it is not an insult just the fact there.

and mind you we are talking about RWF, I believe Karo plays.as a LWF

Joebie:
The fact is those players are retired. Comparing them to players who are still active is disrespectful. I only spoke about Ike who is in the Segunda liga and gave a stat of his contribution. What has that got to do with Yakubu who could not run in one of his last league matches. Please respect those who have retired and those who have not.. And besides all these players have served their fatherland well.


Abi na children dey play for Indonesia

sometimes I even wonder if some of the people here reason before they type. They either crack these dry jokes about the star 60s tourney(which was funny th first 100 times) or they say you hate a player because of criticism, I am.used to it

Icon4s:
The only player I can pick out there is Kayode and that one sef na manage.

We will confine Victor Moses to RB and Onyekuru and Olaitan or Kalu would be playing RWF.

Chairman reason am abeg.

We need Victor Moses in a Forward position. Shehu Abdullahi is not doing bad at RB hate him or like him.

We need Victor Moses' fire power upfront abeg.
All those players you mentioned are learners.

I don't care if he starts there or not, the point I am making is that we have capable deputies I'd the coach decides to play him there

Humility017:
thank you so much...a goal voted as CNN goal of week...and some persons here are saying nothing is special about that goal...
even my grand nom.... knows the goal never came cheap...only a lad wit so much composure and skill will control football like that...

the goal did not win any award, there was nothing extraordinary about the goal. the greatness of the goal was in the team play

Icon4s:
Oya role out the names and let's see.

I have Onyekuru, Kayode, Olaitan, Samuel Kalu, Dennis etc etc. we have a lot of firepower on the wings. not to mention that Moses at FB would help us build from the back

Icon4s:
Talking about Moses playing full back when I am even thinking we can play him as a supporting striker if the need arises.

We don't have that kind of fire power up-front that we will confine Victor Moses to the Right full back position.

we do, we just haven't invited them that's the problem

Icon4s:
Bros you think that Zambia goal was easy?

A Brown Ideye would have hit the ball straight to the goalie. Take that to the bank.

Brown ideye did get a chance which he chipped above the keeper, he didn't hit it straight at the keeper, you are making it sound like he doesn't even have a football brain.

TheGoodJoe:
Yes, Mikel would if he was given the opportunity. If Andre Gomes can play for Barcelona, why not Mikel. Mikel never lacked the talent. He just did not have the opportunity.

this is funny, really funny. does Andre Gomes play regularly for Barcelona?

edi287:
I thought Etebo was a CM/CAM?? Even if we were to play him on the left, where does Vic Moses play?? On the right? I mean it's not a bad idea having a front 3 of him, Iheanacho and Vic Moses with Iwobi as a 10 with Mikel and Onazi/Ndidi/Agu as pivots but the question is if he's going to be able to make those runs someone like Musa does from the flanks

Etebo has hardly ever played as the CM or CAM for his club, he is not a natural passer if the ball at all. Etebo is the kind of LWF that runs the whole ninety minutes and you are sure he can score too. we play a 4-2-3-1, we do not have a front three, just a lone striker up top with five midfielders

TheGoodJoe:
Mikel can cut it in one of he top teams. He has massive talent. He was not given the opportunity to express himself. That is all. Quality wise, watch him against Spain and tell me such talent can not cut it.

do I need to call the names of the AMF for those teams? of you think Mikel can cut it as an AMF, regular AMF in those teams then that is solely based on sentiments

edi287:
Chelsea have Luiz who builds up from deep. That's why Conte wanted Koulibaly last season and Van Dijk this one. They now have Christensen who is also a good ball playing CB.
We don't have a ball playing CB at the back.. I haven't watched Awaziem so I don't know how much of a good passer he is, but with no great ball playing CBs, it was simply atrocious to play a midfield of Onazi - Ndidi - Etebo especially with Nacho as a 9.

it must not always be a midfield three. in our bid to always play a midfield three we have sacrificed Etebo who I believe is out best LWF presently, we have a lot of wingers I repeat again, why can't we use that to our advantage? when Spain had a lot if midfielders they even played a 4-6-0 formation in a final at the Euros, we need to play to our strengths. we musnt always play like the foreigners