₦airaland Forum

safarigirl:
aww, 2 consolation posts to Africans who are retired. Let's all jump for joy

You haven't told how pride stopped Dele from playing for us. Last I checked, Dele never offered to play for us, so we should kill ourselves?

Let him enjoy his 3 lions that will never win a medal and a dead international career

I agree with you.

Infact, he outrightly rejected Nigeria after his man of the match performance for MK Dons against Manu, I remember it vividly well. Dele Alli was not our fault at all

safarigirl:
for the first time, I agree with you

lolz, we can build on that

TheGoodJoe:


But, a player like Ejaria, who is already training under Jurgen Klopp deserves a call-up and capping.

the ones that are good enough should be invited ooh. Like Aina and Ejaria for example, but I don't know this Nigerian Pogba and Nigerian Benzema that he added

forgiveness:
I know but I don't want us to make the same mistake again hence the need to remind us.


Sheyi Ojo, Moses Odubanjo, Tyronne Ebuechi, Ola Aina, Brian Idowu, Nigerian Pogba and Ihorfa must be capped before it is too late.

if you ask me, we are not running a day care, when they become good enough they will get their callup, this is Africa, in Europe you can have World Cup qualifiers against Estonia and San Marino and you can use them to cap your young players, but here we don't have such minor teams. Remember than a friendly cap isn't sufficient

BascoVanVeli:
It would be a waste of my time if i argued Onazi with u, all u are going to say is he can't pass. Next.

you forgot to add that he lacks positional discipline

tbaba1234:
I think Mikel should be played in Defensive Midfield.

In the game against Zambia, It took the introduction of Esiti to calm thing down. Against Algeria, the midfield collapsed again. Mikel is the most experienced defensive midfielder on the team, I believe that if he plays there alongside Etebo, Ndidi or Onazi, the defense will be better protected.

this is what I always have in mind when I say that we should bench Onazi. Now you are looking at it from another angle though. Mikel hasn't been playing for Chelsea, definetly he is match rusty, so you don't expect him to maintain the same intensity, but every single match we have played under Rohr(Tanzania, Zambia and Algeria), Mikel has always been the central figure of our first half performances up till the 60th minute and we can both agree that our first 60 minutes these past few games have been quite productive, so that's why the coach utilises Mikel's strengths during that period, we keep possession and calm things down, then we strike and grab a couple of goals before fatigue takes hold of Mikel and we have done that perfectly well. But the problem now is, when Mikel gets tired what happens? The midfield collapses entirely because it exposes Onazi's inability to control a game. Onazi is not a possession sensitive player at all, if we want to play on the counter then he is good but he does not really play that possession game that we adopt, now in cases like this the coach introduces another DMF who can control a game. So my question is since Onazi naturally lacks the ability to control a game, why not just start with a DMF who can control a game so that even when Mikel gets tired, we won't get outplayed till he is subbed. This is my criticism of Onazi, you can check all the matches that we have played with the two, once Mikel gets tired, Onazi becomes a headless chicken in the middle which at this point is unsuitable for a team with certain ambitions(like winning the World Cup)

BascoVanVeli:
Isn't that telling a lie when u already know he has played another role in the midfield?

me I don't even know what you are arguing. Ok when did Onazi play that position? In the dying moments of the two games in questions, I mean if you really do understand football well, you will know that in such circumstances Mikel's lack of game time has gotten to him, and Onazi can still mark the ball atleast so who to sub is quite easy to decide. But in a case where the coach introduces Ndidi and pushes Onazi up the field isn't because he wants to change Onazi's position in the near future, it's because he wants to take Onazi far away from our defensive third this is because one single misplaced pass from him or one bad tackle could lead to an equaliser. So the sub is more like 'I know you can still mark the ball in these dying moments, but I don't trust you in and around our box, so push up the field and do your stuff there'. Haba! What will Onazi be doing there from the start of the match? Do you know how many times I clapped for Mikel that day? I doubt if he misplaced up to three passes or even got dispossessed at all. Put Onazi in there and we won't have up to 10% ball possession, that's why he is used there in the final moments when we don't need ball possession, we just need to win the ball back and waste minutes

TheSuperNerd:
Goal's 5-things-we-learnt.... Well, was expecting much more "specific" stuffs but it's still okay shaa.....
.......................................................................

NIGERIA VS. ALGERIA: FIVE THINGS WE
LEARNED

[img]http://images.performgroup.com/di/library/Goal_Nigeria/53/42/gernot-rohr-training_10n7ekjgxnz9s1eykwfjk48b4v.jpg?t=-585336730&w=480[/img]


1. The ship is steady under Rohr:

There hasn’t been any form of stability in the senior team since the African Cup of Nations triumph of 2013, with coaching instability breeding a sense of uncertainty.

However, under the watch of Gernot Rohr, the Super Eagles are playing more as a unit, with motivation and determination to succeed.
Whatever magic the German tactician has worked, he’s transformed the team and has finally got Nigeria believing again.


https://images.performgroup.com/di/library/Goal_Nigeria/5b/73/nigeria-national-team_m5tb46xirw861vnkbqhwwzc2b.jpg?t=1548002008&w=480


2. The team bond is growing ever stronger:

Football is supposed to be a team sport, but many at times, the players try to make it an individual affair which often doesn’t bring the desired result.

Such has been the case with the Super Eagles in the past, where going for personal glory was more important than the team. However with Rohr on the touchline, there’s a better bond among players, and the result is more confidence and the fans loving our football.


https://images.performgroup.com/di/library/Goal_Thailand/93/92/victor-moses_kd3alzx15poj17jbm94ojlp35.jpg?t=1542447376&w=480

3. Moses is the man of the moment:

Victor Moses started the new season with uncertainty over his future at Chelsea and his Super Eagles status was also put into question having played below par in recent times.
However, a reversal of fortunes under Antonio Conte meant fans are seeing the best of the 25-year-old. Those fortunes have overflowed into the national team, and his dominant display against the Desert Foxes means there is more than enough to be happy about regarding the direction he is going.


https://images.performgroup.com/di/library/Goal_Nigeria/34/41/kenneth-omeruo_1ad2azmnxtmub1w2mcbga1p3rp.jpg?t=1548002008&w=480

4. The defence needs to be better:

It has become a regular occurrence to see the Super Eagles backline falter when the team is in a leading position. This allows the opposition to gain momentum and that’s what happened against Algeria. The defenders could not contain the pace of the North Africans when they threatened.
There is need for the defence to remain focused
at all times in future games otherwise a
comfortable lead could slip out of our hands.

https://images.performgroup.com/di/library/Goal_Nigeria/2d/42/daniel-akpeyi-of-nigeria_16grmtxkd7knq1ic37gv0k9zjj.jpg?t=2022962950&w=480


5. Ikeme is the undisputed number one:

When it was announced that Carl Ikeme was withdrawn from the squad due to injury with Daniel Akpeyi coming in as his replacement and starting ahead of Ikechukwu Ezenwa and Dele Alampasu, there was pessimism about the Chippa United goalie’s chances of filling in for his compatriot. He looked very shaky all evening, lacking focus and composure, and even though Nabil Bentaleb’s goal was not his fault, Akpeyi doesn’t have the kind of authority that Ikeme does between the sticks.





Source: http://m.goal.com/s/en-za/news/4622/africa/2016/11/13/29473832/nigeria-vs-algeria-five-things-we-learned

people don't understand that the defence wasn't poor exactly, the DMF was, infact the defenders need to be congratulated for a spotless performance. I have stopped reading goal.com anyways, I don't really understand the kind of analysts they employ

goldfish80:
I called Mikel box to box because that was exactly the interpretation of his role last night. You can see Mikel deep in his defensive 3rd helping out the defence whole also going far into the defensive 3rd of the Algerians. That's the definition of as box to box midfielder. Ozil plays strictly as AMF.


Etebo was a DM in the double pivot with Onazi. He played more like a deep-lying playmaker.
The assist he gave was just fortuitous because he hardly found himself in an advanced role.

He spent most of his time with Onazi until Ndidi came in and freed him up.

so you have never seen Iniesta in the defensive 3rd before? Is he a box to box or an Amf?

See, there is this classico, in Luis Enrique's first classico, Iniesta was the second to the last man, he lost possession there and they conceded, that does not mean that he was a box to box but he was the person defending then. This is football for God's sake not basketball, rigidity isn't another name for football. Just because you saw Mikel in our defensive third does not mean he wasn't playing as an AMF, he is the captain and he felt that we were under undue pressure and that was why he came back to offer support. Good captains do that a lot, some who are even strikers might be seen in such positions trying to offer guidiance and motivation, that's not rocket science but how can you even argue that Mikel was a box to box? Ok so your point now is that we were not playing with an AMF? then what's the point of playing a 4-2-3-1? Haba, the formation should have already told you what we are doing na. Go and watch that Germany vs Brazil match again, even Ozil was found in defensive 3rd sometimes, that's the meaning of GERMAN TOTAL FOOTBALL, and we have a german coach too. Onazi was the sitting DMF, except if you know better than Mikel who once said that Luiz was told to sit while he could roam forward.

safarigirl:
A certified coach with experience still giving Iheanacho props and some nobodies on here are yarning dust.

Field your imaginary stars now, since we have Coutinho and Mane on the bench somewhere

ok now I get your problem.
First of all, there is a difference between STAR and SUPERSTAR. Then you also have to learn something called 'relativity' in sentence construction. For a player in the NPFL, a starter for Watford is a star, I am not a professional player so for me, Ighalo, Ideye and Musa are stars not superstars, so much for your diction.

Now let me explain what I was discussing with Goodjoe. We were having an argument about Kelechi's contributions yesterday, I just pointed out that he wasn't great, Goodjoe was defending him, so I asked him if Nacho is untouchable? Now that's entirely different from saying that Nacho should sit on the bench for our next game, everybody has a bad game once in a while. Please, try to read the entire argument next time before you jump in.

Now considering what you just said, it shows that you are mistaking a superstar for an ordinary star. Iheanacho is not a superstar yet, just a star. Ighalo(the highest goalscorer for Watford last season) is even a bigger star, Ideye(the highest goalscorer for the greek champs) is another star and then Ahmed Musa is a top top star, he is a champions league regular. So we have stars on the bench, Fanendo Adi is another star in the MLS, star not superstar.

Anyways, I'm sorry I lost my temper, but please next time try to understand something before you comment on it, maybe you just clicked on the last page.

Now let's argue this, if a player(in this case Kayode) plays better than another player(Iheanacho) in training, should we start the second player because he is a star and the other player isn't? This is exactly the problem with Benzema and Morata now at Madrid

safarigirl:
You speak such English and think you have a right to critique anyone anywhere?

What is "all what you said"... Which brand of English is that?

I never said you hate Mikel, but you came to a conclusion that you certainly must believe true.

Iheanacho has one bad game and you say he should sit for one unknown star you plan to bring from China, after that. Let us forget his 4/4, let us forget his winning goal against Zambia, let us forget his many assists. No, no need to give him a second chqnce. We'll bench him for one 'star' sonewhere. If that is not silly talk, it must be from the angle of a butt-hurt person, so uncle, which is it?

PS: My diction is perfect and this jargons you wrote did not mention any 'star'...give us the 'stars' in your team and what they have done to earn such a title. You can't even use terms properly and you think my arguments are baseless without giving yours a base. Stars indeed.

Mtchewwww

diction? Sis, you don't go through medical school for 6 years if you are not smart. I would have pointed out a lot of errors in this your particular comment but unlike you, I'm a busy dude and what I typed there, I typed it out of anger because clearly you didn't join the conversation from the start and you just jumped in with your utter rubbish.

Did I say Iheanacho must sit? Another senseless and entirely useless point when you consider the context in question. Your nonsense talk was totally not connected to what I said. Now please, if your frustration(whatever might be the cause) has died down, calmly go back and read the entire argument I had with Goodjoe then come back and explain to me the meaning of this rubbish you have been posting since

TheGoodJoe:

The one I remember was David Luiz and Mikel under Benitez. Mikel said when David Luiz came in, he asked Luiz who was to sit and who was to go forward. David Luiz said Benitez ask him (Luiz) to sit and Mikel go forward.

And then, David Luiz left Mikel at the back and ran forward. Lolll.

exactly! It was Luiz sorry

TheGoodJoe:
We are not analysing on might. We are analysing who is the best option available.

should we decide before raining? Icon4s said something like that and u disagreed remember

goldfish80:
In a dual pivot, one DM is not detailed to sit per say. The two Dms simply complement each other. When one attacks, the other defends.
Mikel and Joel obi played this revolving role when siasia played them together.
Last night, Etebo and Onazi played as Dms. However, Etebo linked with the attack when situation permitted.
He played within the confines of the midfield that's why you never saw him in the Algerian box. Which annuals your point he was a box to box.. Lol

there was an interview where Mikel said that when he was playing a dual pivot with Matic, he asked Matic before the game which one them should roam and which should sit, that should tell you that one sits predominantly or totally in fact.

TheGoodJoe:

Do you think Kayode is a better option? If we had a better striker, Rohr will not opt for Iheanacho. Until we see someone who can contribute more, talking of benching is a very long stretch. Iheanacho is our best option.

he might come and do better. Osaze used to play better for the Super Eagles than for his club so it's possible

Certitude:
All because he didn't score in one game? I won't say he didn't play well.

Oh God!!! You see you people don't even understand how this conversation started, try to follow it first. I asked Goodjoe if he thinks Iheanacho is untouchable, he said something that shows that he thinks so, so I am now telling him that if a player comes to camp, does better than him in training then that player should start, this is totally not connected to yesterday's match na

TheSuperNerd:
Honestly based on Ighalo's and Ideye's form in front of goal in the green and white...


I think we saw our best formation and starting line-up yesterday.... The only positions we didnt have our best in were the right back and GK roles but the guys that stood in did their best and must be commended.


That starting line-up of yesterday IS OUR FINEST TODAY.

AND EVEN THOUGH I INSIST THAT NACHO WILL BE A BEASTLY ALIEN NO.10 BEHIND OUR BEST 9.... I KNOW FOR TRUTH THAT FOR NOW, IHEANCHO KELECHI WILL CONTINUE TO LEAD THE LINES UNTIL THAT "BADASS NO.9" ARISES.


I know he will in "Victor Osimhen" or even an "Isaac Success" (if he can rediscover his no.9 godlike qualities)

WE HAVE A TEAM NOW GOING FORWARD.... JUST THE RIGHT BACK ROLE TO FILL UP.

was it just me? I believe Omeruo did a good...no a brilliant job as the RB, for me he should be starting there, we had to make do with a CB turned RB for many years(Ambrose) so why the hell not? I would argue that our DMF wasn't the best but that's the coaches call

TheGoodJoe:

The problem is that we do not have a better option, so why bring the bench talk.

what is your definition of a better option?? So if Kayode comes and does better than Nacho in training he still is the best option? I am not saying bench him because of one bad game, I am saying bench him if he does not perform well, the whole point here is that people think he is untouchable which he isn't. Against Zambia, we only had about 60 good minutes where we played well but against Algeria we played well for 80 minutes out of 90 because of Etebo's engine and Ndidi's early inclusion, so Etebo can't sit, the only change that is necessary in that midfield would be Onazi though we can manage anyways, so Iheanacho coming into the middle won't make sense, so let him fight for his place in the CF position. We already have one untouchable, having 2 or 3 will turn us into the English team and we know how good they are

goldfish80:
Etebo was not the Cmf. The super eagles played 4_2_3_1 formation
Onazi and Etebo where in the double pivot. Mikel played ahead of them while Iwobi and Moses held up the flanks.
I wonder where you got the idea that Etebo played as a Cmf ot box to box.

they have answered you abi? Or you still don't get why he was the CMF or how he was the box to box?

safarigirl:
now you just sound butt-hurt.

Imagine, he's a bench prospect at Man zcity....it's because of silly talk like this that Manu Garba and Ugbade disgraced themselves at U20 World Cup, silly talk like this cost us a place in AFCON.

Is it misfiring Ighalo that's your star or MLS Adi? Who be the stars wey una get wey better pass the so-called "bench prospect"?

Na so you been dey yarn beans on top Mikel matter before

this is why I hate having conversations with you, you utter rubbish with such conviction that it annoys me and your diction is pretty foul, you might want to change it.

I said we have stars who are sitting on the bench already, and he is still a prospect, isn't he a bench piece at Man city? Or has he benched Aguero already? All what you said is baseless, I said if they come and they perform better than him let him sit, for Christ's sake you were saying that if Alampasu performs better than Akpeyi he should sit for Alampasu, so what makes Iheanacho's case different? Read meaning into this and take off your fangirl glasses for once.

PS: if you think that I hate Mikel, ok.

TheGoodJoe:

For who? That is the problem. If we had chances coming in like that Shehu low cross, I bet, all of you will want Nacho going for it.

He is too mobile. You guys are playing down his pressing and how it affected the game. So there is no need talking bench. We need to talk about creating clear cut chances.

With What we saw yesterday, very few of our players could maintain the intensity of play.

So the bench talk is baffling.

so your point is that Iheanacho is untouchable? Ok

TheGoodJoe:
Who are the stars ahead of Nacho? If he is a prospect and we have stars. I do not get that statement.

I mean we have other stars in the team who we have already benched, and he isn't an established star yet so I don't see the reason why he can't sit.

goldfish80:
Funny enough, Onazi sat in front of the defence on the left side, while Etebo sat on the right part in the dual pivot role. As a good analyst I was expecting you to ask where Etebo was in these action moments.

Clearly from the still pictures, Onazi was about covering for Elderson to block the Mahrez shot.
Why aren't you asking where Etebo was? Am curious

Because Etebo was more of a CMF in that match or you didn't notice that? Onazi was the standing DMF and Etebo was more of a CMF. Meanwhile, no matter how many DMFs you have, their primary work is to man the middle, if the play happened close to the throw-in then I would understand the covering part but this is inside the box, a DMF should be standing infront of the two CBs in that position, the LB and LCB had that covered, he went to mark a player who already had 2 players on him, isn't that poor decision making.

BascoVanVeli:
No it was Etebo who tried to stay with Mahrez before he passed it for their goal. Onazi and Etebo both played in front of the defense, when one went up the other covered.

Onazi never went forward, he was the sitting DMF, Etebo had to run from the center circle to come and mark Mahrez so that Onazi would free up and stay in the middle but Onazi had to join the chase too, leaving his own man open

safarigirl:
if you can't nick in one of 15 shots, it says a lot of their attack.

Still, nothing to shiver over. Our team will only get better between now and August

against Tanzania, we had 20 shots and converted one then the next match we had 3 and converted 2. Luck matters a lot. We can win but they won't be easy

forgiveness:
Holistically, he doesn't have the attributes of a Center forward. He is a natural attacking midfielder or a SS.

my problem is that people think he is untouchable. If he wants to be the CF, no problem because I don't see him playing a box to box better than Etebo, or a LMF better than Iwobi and Mikel isn't going to sit, so let Nacho remain there, if Kayode is invited and he outplays him, let Nacho sit! He is a bench piece at Mancity, a prospect, not a star, we have stars so I don't see the issue here

safarigirl:
no, it was a draw because Cameroon got a penalty, else, Zambia would have walked out of Yaounde with 3 points.


Is it not the same keeper that Kelechi and Iwobi scored against on their turf? Did he suddenly turn to Buffon over the course of a month?

When Algeria drew Cameroon, some people gave the excuse too that Cameroon's goalie was topnotch as well.

What happened to his genius against Zambia? Abeg, you people should give credit where it's due. Zambia played great against Cameroon, dazall

We will beat Cameroon and do so confortably

Zambia had a maximum of two shots on target, Cameroon had atleast 15, Cameroon dominated, Zambia were lucky

goldfish80:
Let's run a bit of tactical analysis on the two actions you pointed out shall we...


The first picture shows Onazi engaging Brahimi while Omeruo who should be closer to action was a few paces behind Onazi and Brahimi. Brahimi time and time again as we have seen over the years will out pace most defenders and DMs in a foot race.


The second picture shows Onazi very close to action again. Elderson should have been the guy charging on Mahrez but he was down, Onazi tried to cover for him, in doing so, Mikel would have marked Benteleb.
Lucky enough Mahrez didn't pass the ball to Brahimi who was in hectares of space offered him with Iwobi's loose marking.

Funny enough, the much heralded Etebo was not in the picture in the two actions analysed.

what was Onazi doing in that second goal? Echejile was down because they blocked the first shot, what was Onazi doing at the left side of defence?! You have a LB and a LCB and both were charging the ball, for God's sake maintain your own position closer to the edge of the box

goldfish80:
Let's run a bit of tactical analysis on the two actions you pointed out shall we...


The first picture shows Onazi engaging Brahimi while Omeruo who should be closer to action was a few paces behind Onazi and Brahimi. Brahimi time and time again as we have seen over the years will out pace most defenders and DMs in a foot race.


The second picture shows Onazi very close to action again. Elderson should have been the guy charging on Mahrez but he was down, Onazi tried to cover for him, in doing so, Mikel would have marked Benteleb.
Lucky enough Mahrez didn't pass the ball to Brahimi who was in hectares of space offered him with Iwobi's loose marking.

Funny enough, the much heralded Etebo was not in the picture in the two actions analysed.

what you said here makes absolutely zero sense.

In the first instance, Omeruo was out of position because we were attacking, it was a mistake by Iheanacho don't forget, what is the work of a DMF? They cover for fullbacks when they attack and Onazi failed woefully there, so we should clap for him that he was roundly beaten by Brahimi? He didn't do his job there.
In the second one, I don't even understand what you said. Echejile went to cover for Balogun who went to cover for Ekong and they were able to block the first strike before the ball fell to Mahrez in a central role, whose job is it to cover the space infront of the defenders? Is it not the CB? The ball was inside our box, the AMF in such a position will cover the front of the box not the inside of it. If this happened in a setup like Barca, so you will say that Iniesta should be there? Isn't that Busquet's zone? Can't understand your bias at all

BascoVanVeli:
that was Etebo not Onazi on the goal.

Etebo?! Etebo is our box to box, you don't expect to see him there all the time. That was entirely on Onazi and there is no argument there at all

mikron:
bros if u watch football and have the ability to read games like i do u will know the indomitable lions of cameroun of 2dy is not the feared camerounian team of the era of the etoo's, geremi njitap, rigobert song, etame mayer, patrick mboma, pierre wome, Timotée Atouba, Pius N'Diefi, the late Marc-Vivien Foé, Salomon Olembé just to mention a few, this present camerounian team na wash, they cant attack, they are no more the lions we know them to be. aside vincent Aboubaka and moukandjo, i see no other threat. on the other hand, the super eagles are gradually working their way back to the summit of African football with a lot of deadly and bright tallents opposing teams should be wary of. we go beat them home and away. i rest my case

Bros,you need to watch Cameroon matches. Against Zambia, it was a draw because of how good the Zambian keeper, with anyother keeper it would have been 5-1 or more. Cameroon outplayed Algeria too so they are not pushovers

goldfish80:
I gave Onazi top marks for putting his career on the line by taking that bang to deny the Algerians. He got injured as a result of that gash but still soldiered on.
It was clear his level dropped notch after that injury.
It wasn't like he was average prior to that. You may not notice but he was partly the reason why Algeria didn't trouble our defence and goalkeeper in the first half.
Algeria couldn't link the ball to Slimani from the midfield because onazi extinguished and intercepted their moves once they got close to our final third.
Rewatch the match, this time without tension to understand what am saying.

I have rewatched the match and I still don't get your point. The Algerians had 3 clear cut chances arising from Onazi's inabilities. The first one was because he couldn't even keep up with Brahimi who wipped in a cross that was put over. The second one, Mahrez had all the time to shoot inside our box and our 'DMF' wasn't closing him down at all. We were not troubled because of Etebo's engine, Onazi was average or even below that. If you gave Akpeyi a 7 rating for one mistake which was actually caused by Onazi's mistake, then Onazi should get a 6 maximum