₦airaland Forum

goldfish80:
I didn't want to compare him with Onazi because the Turkish league is not extensively covered by opta stats that is why I compared him other Nigerians playing in UEFA cup, a competition which Benteleb plays with Schalke.
And judging by the stats, he is not out performing neither Ndidi nor Ogu in the UEFA cup.

Comparing Brahimi with Iwobi, am sorry to announce Iwobi edges him out.
Against Sunderland 3days back which was judged as Iwobi's worst game of the season. Iwobi completed 19 of his 21 pass attempts in the final third. Astonishing stats for the WORST game of Iwobi's season.

Apart from shooting, Brahimi holds nothing on Iwobi in terms of brilliance on the final third

If you read my post, I mentioned Ghoulam, Mahrez, Slimani and maybe Brahimi(as a no 10)as the only 4 who will get into our starting 11.

if any of the two you mentioned happens to be our starter then they are both better than Benteleb of course, but he is better than Onazi, my point.

honestly bro, Brahimi is better than Iwobi, check the number of chances created, number of assists I think, number of dribbles completed, number of anything except passes because Arsenal's tactics deals with passes unlike that of Porto. we actually agree here, 5 players from Algeria can make our team, the sixth one is debatable make I no start am

goldfish80:
He is starting for Schalke but his stats this season have been basic.

His stats % compared to John Ogu pales in comparizm when their UEFA cup dashboards are compared.

Their pass completion % aren't so dissimilar with 86% and 85.5%, but comparing other components of their game, Ogu towers above him. From dribbles completed, to blocks, to clearances etc....
It's interesting to find out Benteleb for his tall frame only managed to win 50% of his ariel duels... While Ogu has over 85% ariel wins.

Comparing him with Wilfred ndidi in the same competition, his stats are also inferior but for pass %. I repeat Benteleb is a very average midfielder.

Funny enough, the two guys am comparing him with aren't even starters in our team.

Guediora as an attacking midfielder cannot be compared to Iwobi.
Iwobi pisses all over him....
I will even stick my neck out for Etebor being a better talent Than Guediora.

We should be wipping these guys in Uyo. Our toughest game to negotiate in this qualifiers would be Cameroun especially away in Yaounde.

this just proves the point I made, his main aim is to.distribute from the back, they have two defensive minded midfielders so his basic function is to spray passes which he does better than both. Like I initially said, our starter in that position is Onazi, so why don't you compare their stats? please don't even try, no comparison in anything.

Guediora should not be compared with Iwobi here, Iwobi plays as our LMF so compare him with Brahimi who would probably play there for them and we all know the winner, Brahimi hands down, Iwobi is a great talent but not yet the complete package. Guediora might not even start for them, Slimani will obviously start ahead of Ighalo, Brahimi will probably start ahead of Iwobi, Ghoulam starts ahead of anybody we can field, Mahrez starts ahead of Moses and there is absolutely no way that Onazi starts ahead of Benteleb, that's five of their players off the top of my head who would start in our team

goldfish80:
The same Benteleb who couldn't get a single start last season at Tottenham? He lost his place to an academy boy Eric Dier last season.
I think pochetino binned him for lacking the intensity and guile his playing style demands.

Onazi always gets kicked here, but people forget he's always linked with Everton and Tottenham when he was at Lazio. Under a hard pressing system, Onazi will survive at Tottenham than Benteleb.

Guediora maybe in better form than Ighalo but he has not achieved 1/4 what Ighalo achieved for Watford the past 2 seasons. Tall to me when he has scored 30+ goals for Watford.

different coach, different likes and dislikes. Bentelab was a starter under AVB, and he is good as a creator from the back. meanwhile he is starting for Schalke, that is no mean feat at all, great lad. even Emenike was linked with Tottenham, nothing came out of it, Nigerian press I would assume.

so you would choose past achievements over control recent form? I think Guediora came in when they were promoted, he is a midfielder so you don't expect him to score 30 goals, although he has scored more goals than Ighalo this year, why are we even discussing Ighalo? our main striker on the day for me should be nacho with both Ighalo and Ideye on the bench

goldfish80:
Not like I know alot about Algerian football,but for Brahimi, Mahrez, Slimani the rest from midfield to attack are bang average players.
In defence, Ghulam the left back is the only top talent in the defence. Although he is prone to being erratic and yellow carded. Moses should be instructed to attack him with pace, within the first 20mins he will be yellow carded. This I belive will slow him down.

I don't think there is anything to fear about these Algerians, infact only Mahrez, Brahimi and Ghulam can make our starting 11....
We should be spanking these guys 4:1 or 3:1 in all honesty.

hahahahahahaahahha, you are seriously joking right?! Benteleb, from Tottenham to Schalke and you think he won't make our first team when funny enough, it is Onazi who is occupying his position? the boy is good not average. Ghezzal from Lyon is also amazing, we might argue that the French league isn't a true test but it's a good league after all. and well Guediora isn't average, at least he is in better form than Ighalo. their squad isn't average at all at all, we also have our own guys who are exceptional but if you were to make a team out of both squads, they will probably have the edge there but that does now in anyway undermine our own talents

tglobal:
@Kog45, I think you may be misinterpreting Mikael here as his point about the captaincy is a valid one.

Case in point: When Domenech persuaded Zidane to come out of retirement in 2005 to help France revive a fledgling campaign, he was reinstated as captain. I think Luis Figo did the same (though I am not sure)

Adding the complexity of Nigeria, Mikael's question about the captaincy isn't far fetched. During the 2002 WCQ, Sunday Oliseh stayed away from a match in Omdurman. On his return for the last match against Ghana, PH fans were demanding that he should relinquish the captaincy to Finidi even though he only missed one match. Of course, we have had other former captains recalled to the team where there was no issue(Peter Rufai in 1998 comes to mind)

That Mikael may have a reputation for "hatred for Mikel" doesn't mean all his comments should be viewed from that lens when infact he raises an issue that might well arise if Enyeama returns

God go bless you

TheGoodJoe:
Kog45 and Mickael2 I beg you guys. It is okay. No more fighting.

There was a misunderstanding because of Mickael2's earlier stand on Mikel. Apart from that, we are in safe hands if Enyeama comes back. If he decides to come back, I do not see anything wrong in welcoming our hero.

He arrived camp few days after the burial of his mother. That shows his sacrifice and devotion to the Super Eagles. Only to hear Oliseh announce he was no more the captain.

Another wrong done by the Nigerian hero Sunday Oliseh. If Enyeama chooses to come back, we should welcome him with wide arms. I doubt Mikel will have any problem handing the band to Enyeama. Just as Musa had no problem giving the band to Mikel. Just as Enyeama gladly gave Yobo the band to lift the AFCON title. Just like the great Eguavoen gladly gave the Big Boss the band to lift the Tunisia '94 AFCON.

Don't you love the Super Eagles? We got our backs.

this is exactly what I am saying. thanks a lot bro.

TheSuperNerd:
Ohhhh... You don't understand eh.... Like you don't know

Very well then... Let's leave it at that... No further on that one.

Few Trolls are definitely among us... You can choose to ignore that fact you know.... I know a lotta monikers in sports here and their history of conversations and so-called analyses... So I know what I say.

are you also siding with those who believe that even if Enyeams comes back, that Mikel should not vacate the captaincy for him like Musa did for him?

Kog45:
Respect for your wonderful thought,hating is a disease and if someone cannot control himself is a big issue.

How on earth w somebody come to this thread and indirectly saying Enyeama should be back coz of Mikel captain band then a wonderful Ikeme should be bench for no reason than hatred for God sake.

Honestly i have players that i don't like but that should not give me reason to base my analysis on hatred towards them

you are a very very very very funny human being with a low level of reasoning, I guess I should have explained it slowly to you. read well next time please, I hate having a conversation that annoys me, so I won't talk about this again

Kog45:
Honestly u are free to insult me is part of it.I still repeat it Enyeama w sweat hard to displace Ikeme and on d captain band,pls read your post again and ask yourself how d issue of captain came into discussion.

Indirectly u said coming back of Enyeama w give him automatic shirt and w collect his captain as if it's birthright,look in this forum we are too intelligents to be taken for a ride by deceptive writers.

If u are bolded enough u should have come out and tell us u don't want Mikel as d captain and give your reasons and not telling us u can rain insults coz is a faceless forum.

I don't care if u hate Mikel or u like him,all i know d young man deserve little respect and am ready to defend him if d needs arise.

What exactly are you even saying, Wetin concern Mikel here now again?

Ok let me make it simple, if Enyeama comes back, He will be the oldest member of the team and in case you do not know, national team captaincy is based on seniority that's the number of caps you have, that was why people complained when Musa was made the captain ahead of Mikel, I was part of the complaint because I wanted Mikel to be the captain since its his time and he deserves a it. now if Enyeama comes back definitely he is better than Ikeme, I wouldn't blame you for saying this though, you do not follow the French league, you should watch lille vs PSG and see just how good Enyeama still is, he will displace Ikeme for sure if based on merits. so if he displaces Ilene and enters the first eleven or even on the bench, he will be the oldest member of the team and that makes him the captain automatically except if the coach says otherwise, please if you do not know how the national team captaincy works then ask people to explain it to you

Kog45:
What has captainship got to do with Enyeama recalling,i bet it with u that Enyeama w find it hard to displace a fit ikeme talkless of captain band.

Take it or leave it John Obi Mikel is d official captain of d super eagle and he has been doing well in that capacity.Remembered Rio fiasco where d guy need to cough out over 30k dollars,pls tell me how many eagles player have done that both present and d past.

you really need to start reading well before talking, let me no insult you though. did I say he is coming back for his captaincy? I said if he does come back that he will certainly get it back because that's the right thing after all. your love for Mikel is turning you into a ridiculous fanboy, Wetin concern Mikel with Enyeama becoming the captain? if the coach says that he wants Enyeama back, don't you think that he has already discussed the captaincy with him? if the coach wants Enyeama as his captain then that's all, Mikel can go to hell for all I care if he doesn't like it.

so you think Ikeme is better than Enyeama? Nigerians and their short term brains, there is absolutely zero comparison there, Enyeama is the reason why Lille is competitive in France. I can't even believe that somehow will believe that Enyeama can't displace Ikeme

TheSuperNerd:
I knew you will speak....

I knew since it is about Mikel you must speak...

Remember how your entrance was when you walked into this thread??

You were dropping bombs all over the place about how incompetent and useless Mikel is.

So sit down... You have no say in this matter.

We are not fools here.... We know the difference between an opinion that is absolutely absurd and one which is based on "just preference".



P.S: Who says I don't like Oshaniwa? And Forgiveness was because of his absurd solanke bias and his "one part of the country over another part" comment... So plsss stand down coz I know of your "Mikel disgust" history.

What exactly connects my 'supposed' dislike for Mikel to what I just said? dude I told you to stop calling people trolls, as simple as that, I do not understand what Mikel has to do with this at all

TheSuperNerd:
Rubbish!!!

What nonsense are you saying sef??

So you can't tell the difference between "absurd" and "analytical"?

Or the difference between "a candid/non-biased opinion" and "an opinion laced with bias and hate"??

There are analysts in this thread but there are certainly a few trolls among us... So beware brova...

I a sorry but I disagree, just because someone does not like two players does not make him a troll, it's not as if he is trolling our players he has his own preferences just like you do not like Oshaniwa for example, so you people should please stop using that word, first you called forgiveness a troll now this guy? please cut down on the insults, if you don't like his comments then skip simple and short!

kilo4sure:
Wow no wonder Rohr wants Enyeama in the squad badly, even if he sits on the bench. This Carl ikeme's injury(God forbid bad tin) coupled with Echiejile at left back are my major worries for this upcoming tie.

Enyeama isn't going to sit on the bench in a thousand years, He is better than Ikeme and quite frankly, if he comes back he will take his captain band back from whoever is shielding it right now, Ikeme will be a nice backup sha

TheGoodJoe:


I understand why people prefer Iheanacho as a ten. However, Aguero’s game yesterday was a replica of how Iheanacho will fit into the top of the 4-2-3-1 formation. Aguero played virtually as a ten. Dictating play with passes and dribbling skills.

It was amazing and the second goal was similar to the curling shots of Nacho.

I say we play Nacho forward and let him play as a free 9 with the liberty to roam around the back line.

I do not even understand why people will want to play him as a 10 sef, let him score the goals for us, we have other people who can play there, like I have already said before, He was invited as one of the forwards, let him fight for the sole top 9 position with Ighalo and leave that 10 position, Iwobi can play this opening up space for another true winger who will provide width. anybody who watched Barcelona's game yesterday will.understand the true power of maintaining width in the pitch, Busquets was out so Rakitic was playing there it had to force Messi to play as an extra midfielder this totally breaking down the right side of the attack, only Roberto was moving there, what followed was that the players now.had to move through the middle and that gave Granada's 9man defence line the opportunity to squash any attack without distorting their shape.
at arsenal they have Monreal who can cover an provide width when Iwobi roams forward, and even at arsenal Iwobi always maintains his position out wide bit for Nigeria, He was virtually the an extra MAN in midfield. either he stays disciplined out wide or play him as a ten and push Nacho upfront simple

Icon4s:
Now we can discuss team formation/Tactics.

My prediction:

..................Ikeme

Omeruo..Balogun..Ekong..Echiejile

.............Onazi
........................Mikel

V.Moses.....Iheanacho.....Iwobi

....................Ighalo

onazi? Nna eh, I won't know if I have to hammer this for six years non-stop, Ndidi is better that Onazi, and since he won't be playing as a RB he should start ahead of Onazi

TheGoodJoe:
You keep hammering about Onazi's poor passing skills. What about his work rate? The distance he covers on the field. The gaps he covers when our full backs overlap. His speed, his marking, tackles and interceptions.

My only problem with Onazi is his lack of concentration in some games. He drifts out of position and leaves us expose. Since Rohr came in, we have seen discipline in Onazi. Although in the game against Zambia, he made a careless run.

I expect Rohr to iron it out with Onazi. Apart from that, he is a big asset to the team.

yes. his work rate is okay no doubt but we can't overlook his poor passing abilities, on the other hand, Ndidi can replicate that same work rate and also tick the other boxes which he has failed to tick.

TheSuperNerd:
Good observation! Their attack is all about Mahrez, Mahrez and Mahrez then fourthly, Brahimi.

Their midfield is good but ours is stronger. I have taken time to watch a few of their games (mostly extended highlights of 12-15mins) via you-tube.

We gotta watch the wings. But thru the middle, they got a certain feghouli who on his day can wreck a defence.

So the wings is their main attacking outlet.

which position does Feghouli play for them? I haven't really discovered that yet because he hasn't been playing for them. I think he plays as a second striker for them or so, if he does then they can successfully bypass our midfield. meanwhile you are forgetting that Brahimi will also be coming from the other side, not to mention that Guediora is there too, land!We need to fortify our wings

TheGoodJoe:

In the 4-2-3-1 set up, the full backs can attack with two defensive midfielders who can cover the gaps created. The attack midfielder can drop in during build-up plays. It is about out numbering the opponents in the middle.

With Onazi holding deep and doing more of the covering, Mikel can keep the play fluid with his simple but intelligent passes. With an attacking midfielder dropping deep and bombarding forward to help in attack.

The LMF and RMF help attack and drop deep. I do not see it as a defensive set up but balanced.

attacking full backs does not make it a balanced formation,in modern football full backs attack no matter the formation, that one is a norm.

if you want to go all out in a game and play an attacking game, then playing two DMFS in the same game shouldn't even be considered at all. just give me an example of one dominant team that has ever used that formation, none! Chelsea used it when they won the champions league or so I think and we all know how defensive that team was.

this explanation you have this formation can only be actualized by robots for ninety minutes. you are saying bombing forward and backwards as if they have jetpacks hanging on their backs, so most times they play it safe, the side midfielders usually stay n the middle to avoid had I known

TheSuperNerd:
Chaaaiiii.... Oga Mickael2...

Cool down... By "fine midfielders" he was referring to our opponents, "Algeria".... (Guediora, Taider, boudebouz, ounas, bentaleb, feghouli, etc)

Na wa oooo... Make una cool down and read naa... Looollll

now I understand, anyways they are going to make more use of their wingers so clogging the middle won't in any way affect their game plan

Icon4s:
Bascovanveli is still mentioning that 3 back thing and yet he would say "it is not about the Algeria game".

For an opponent that is blessed with fine midfielders a crowded midfield is a good option.

Even if we dnt win, we should not lose.

where are the fine midfielders? when we have to use Iheanacho who is a striker as our midfielder then we don't have fine midfielders, when we have to play Onazi who.can't make a square pass then midfield isn't our strength. our strength is in our attack and wide men, mind you we are trying to play a compact midfield here, in that match against Zambia only Moses was providing width, Iwobi was right in the middle clogging it up, that exposed Onazi's poor passing skills and although we weren't punished then, I don't think the Algerians will give us such room

BascoVanVeli:
Huh, this beautiful man named Rohr, chai! See me see good list. Idowu is the easiest steal ever cuz i'm sure Russia won't have called him ever. Also I think Rohr is going to look at 3 at the back, he selected 5 centerbacks and 2 fullbacks.

we have four full backs there not just three because Omeruo and or Leon can play as full backs so the 3-4-3 is a No go.

so that one aside, I for one do not like that 4-2-3-1 at all. it is too defensive minded, not to mention that I'd Mikel will start then the formation won't look like it should at all, I don't know why we can't just start with two strikers up top, slim down the number of midfielders we have in our game and go for a smooth transitional formation from defence straight to attack, not a formation that will have to control the midfield first which requires a lot of passes in midfield. I watched Senegal the other day, there midfield only had to win back possession and push the ball to the forwards immediately and it was working, keeping the ball in the middle for too long, especially with players like Onazi who can't make a square pass even if their lives depend on it is risky against these Algerians oooh, I have said my own

joseph1013:
What I dont understand is the attack on 3-5-2. You have never used it but you are afraid of it. If you check enough forums, you will see some people afraid of 4-5-1. What I see here is just bias.

It's not just clubs that use 3-5-2 for goodness sake. National team use it. Conte used it with Italy. Bielsa used it with Argentina. Prandeli used it with Italy too. Chile has also used it.

I seriously don't know why there is such opposition to trying out different tactics. If we have friendlies or have an extended period for camping, why not? What is the harm in trying new things in low pressure games?

Or is this about Conte and the issue with Mikel?

Joseph is making sense these days

BascoVanVeli:
Na wa na so dem dey say abeg start over i no like this formation, meanwhile 4-0 first half.

hahahahahahahahaa. My brother you know them very very well.

suaveman:
brilliant write up you've got there. I so much agree with you, tried that formation on PES 16 against a side that's good with wing play and boy was I beaten blue and black!

you don't know how to play PES, don't blame it on the formation

TheGoodJoe:
You are still preaching your three at the back gospel? Did you watch Chelsea against West Ham in the EFL Cup? By twenty minutes, the West Ham players laughed during their streams of attack.

They were allover Chelsea. They over crowded the wings and operated from the gaps at the defensive sides.

When Chelsea spread wide, they shifted the ball to the center and they were through many times.

Three at the back works with a well drilled defensive set-up.

When Mancini played three at the back, Richards said there were some positions the opponents took that he did not know who he was to mark.

nooo, I do not really like it, just that someone mentioned it again and I decided to just air my views on it. I'd rather go for a diamond formation

Fringes:
Beautiful thread here. Your passion and assessment of the National Team is mind-blowing. I learnt so much from reading only the last two pages.

Let me similarly notify you all of a Whatsapp platform dedicated solely and exclusively to the growth and development of football in Nigeria. The group's ultimate aim is an advancement for league football across its various tiers in the country with the aim of rubbing off same on the Senior National football team.

The group's Golden Target is that the Super Eagles compete in the Russia and Qatar FIFA World Cups and WIN the 2022 version in Qatar.

It is a privileged forum and its membership comes at a premium (not cash, it is free membership) but notable football-involved Nigerians from all spreads are members. The NFF President and both Vice Chairmen are also members amongst other notable journalists in the print and electronic media. Current and retired players, fans and diverse professionals from various fields are also members.

If you are interested, kindly send a whatsapp message to one of the moderators via:

ZERO-EIGHT-ONE-FIVE-6-1-3-3-SEVEN-NINE-ZERO.

Let's reason together to land us the World Cup. Let's take our future in our hands.

can somebody please confirm this?:/

Icon4s:
Emmm hu was it that said he would prefare a pairing of Esiti and Igiebor in the Midfield?

Michael2 right?

Well that wish is looking like it may not see the light of day.

Rohr surely knows his players.

Ernestly waiting for that list.

lol. Noooo! You know I like Ndidi pass all of them, I just said that Esiti is a better option than Onazi for me o. And somebody(I think it was you SIR) asked me if I had any replacement for Igiebor who was in camp then, I said Ogu or Igiebor can do it with Ajagun too

kentAire:
This your formation sweet for eye oooo! Maybe the coach might just experiment with dis in a friendly match. Nice concept

exactly. Friendly games not qualifiers oooo!

TheSuperNerd:
Nice contribution Sir....

But thing is with the likes of Ebuehi and Idowu (two regulars in their fullback roles for their club's first teams) and also a few more to look forward to in both the right and left back roles for the long run (Musa Mohammed-whenever he sorts out his club issues, Iorfa Jnr, Ehizibue, Josh Debayo, Jason Akiotu, Moses Odubajo-who's out for six months, etc), then the 3-4-3 will have to wait....

I still fancy the idea of a 3-4-3 as one of our many formation options based on match situations or opposition.

But as our main formation, I don't think so.

the 3-4-3 can work for us, brilliantly too. You do not necessarily need two wingbacks for a 3-4-3, it depends on the kind of 3-4-3 you want to play. Like Barca under Pep would adjust to Abidal-Pique-Mascherano defence, with Alves pushing not into a midfield position but as a winger and Messi comes into the midfield instead so there will be literally no need for wingbacks. We can do that too since we have Omeruo-Ekong-Balogun as 3 good Cbs, Victor Moses can play that Alves role, but if we want to play the dual wingback formation then we might have a problem.

Conversely we could play a 3-5-2,
leon-Ekong-omeruo
moses-Ndidi-onazi-Iwobi
Mikel
Iheanacho-Ighalo.
I included Onazi there and positioned him beside Iwobi because Onazi is mobile and he will be the acting LB whenever we lose possession and Ndidi will be the standing DMF.

alkanes1:
Maybe Rohr should mirror conte's 3-4-3 formation due to a lack of quality full backs. Ikeme(GK),Omeruo(rcb),balogun(cb),ekong(lcb),echiejile(lwb),victor moses(rwb),ndidi/onazi(cm),mikel(cm),iheanacho(lw),iwobi(rw),ighalo(cf)

you want to play Echejile as a LWB? Ok that's actually funny sha,speed? Zero, Marking abilities? Zero, ability to take on defenders? Zero, sorry but he just can't do that.

Iwobi will be wasted as a winger. There is a big difference between a LMF(which is what Iwobi plays) and a LWF which is what u want him to play and I doubt if he can manage the second. Also Iheanacho might be wasted there but he can manage sha

chrisooblog:
disagree with you. that stat just shows how scarily efficient he is and his level of football intelligence. he has no time for useless dribbles with no end result. just feed and see him score or assist

it shows that he doesn't take risks, Messi under Pep took risks, Xavi and Iniesta and the lot of them took risks, high risk high reward that's his game. so waiting until you are one on one with the goalkeeper to take a shot isn't Pro's game right

justiz5:
Even when his playing time and the number of passes he gets is limited too

his game time hasn't been poor this season, look for the real stats and see for yourself