₦airaland Forum

Take out Zaidu abeg. Switch Simon for Yusuf. Let Iwobi play closer to Osimhen.

Good half so far. Tournament football is about being defensively solid. People dey forget say plenty AFCONs na binary footballing affair.

Watching the highlights of all our matches and to be honest, we just need to get our finishing in order and we are good.

Osimhen missed a clear 1v1 against Eq G, missed another 1v1 against CIV and missed 2 clear headers against Guniea B.

He buries those chances and its:

2-1 win to Eq G
2-0 win to CIV
3-0 win over Guniea B

Our team is creating enough chances to win the game, we just need to be clinical. 1-0 is all you need to advance in the KO rounds and to win an AFCON.

Defense wins championships at the end of the day. But our attack needs to give us something to defend to begin with.

Aribo and Simon need to be phased out. JP’s insistence on such a thin midfield will be our undoing. Should be at least 3 more MFs on our bench with one that has proper ball playing abilities.

Midfield has no passing patterns.

I would have brought in Onyedika for more midfield solidity. Need to manage this game and see it out.

Chuks has missed playing Lookman in for a 1v1 on two occasions. We should have created 3 gilt edge chances this game. Bury 2 and you’re fine.

Nwabili is our new No. 1 as far as I’m concerned.

Regardless of the outcome of this AFCON, SE needs to recruit for

1. Another CAM that is good at set pieces
2. A solid GK
3. Two young, solid ball playing CBs

This team has the personnel to perennially challenge for AFCON. Just need the proper coach.

CIV is not really playing anything tbh. Osimhen missed a big chance and Chuks just overhit a pass to put Lookman in 1v1.

Winning matches doesn’t need 100% dominance throughout the game, you just need those few moments of brilliance and to take your chances.

Lookman has done well so far this AFCON. Really stepped up this tourney.

We really should have won the first game and be leading in this one.

This AFCON has goals sha. Last AFCON the group stage was serious binary football.

minfelix:
Moffi or Boniface go bury some of those one on one wey osimhen throway sha

Maybe Moffi but Boniface I no sure. His finishing is worse than Osimhen’s

foxman04:
Agbado analysis .. how will you explain that plain one on one miss. Shot sef wasnt on target

All strikers miss chances. Even the most clinical ones. It’s what happens after he misses the chance that is more important.

foxman04:
Have been following this thread lowkey for 4yrs plus, this is my first time commenting here, osihmen is bang average, take it or leave.

After all these yrs of profession dude still get caught offside, not once not twicw

Idk about bang average. A bang average striker does not win Golden boot in Serie A. Just doesn’t happen.

I’m 100% with you on the offside thing, however. I think he needs better coaching to coach the habit out of him.

We Nigerians are funny people sha. We have people shouting against Kelechi’s inclusion but:

1. won’t offer an alternative ball playing midfielder
2. don’t realize that our MF is thin already
3. forget that we have up to 27 that could have been called upon. Kelechi could have just been there in case of incasity.

Bringing him to the team isn’t a net negative. At worst, he doesn’t play at best, he does well.

There’s only upside in calling him up.

Curtisaxel10:
But some people here will fight tooth and nail against the invitation of someone like Nwakali because he plays in the Spanish second division despite the fact that we are in desperate need of creative midfielders.

It makes so sense to me at all. Having a good team is about having the right profile of players across all positions. Is it not Fofana and Kessie that are playing in lower league Saudi but doing well for CIV?

Tournament football is not like league football. Only 7 games to win AFCON.

MetalJigsaw:
Iwobi??

Yes, Iwobi created two very good chances. He was one of our better players, 100%

Until the tourney finish, I’ll save my assessment. Argentina still won the WC after losing their first match to KSA.

We just need to grow well in this tourney.

Curtisaxel10:
I was shocked when the commentator said the biggest player on the Equatorial Guinea team plays for Las Palmas. The rest of them play in second and third division teams.

Their forward Nsue who terrorized our defence plays in the Spanish THIRD division as a RB.

My whole body just weak.

But Equatorial G. has had the same first XI for the same 3 years. Team chemistry will always trump having a spattering of “top names”.

At the end of the day, they are still professional players. The gap in pure ability from say Prem vs 2nd division in Spain isn’t as big as some people think.

Blueelf:
See one of them here gustav



Dude is about to drown in his own tears

Tears ke? My own is this: you don’t rate the SE and forsee a group stage exit. If that’s the case, why not leave the thread since you have nothing else to say.

You’ve said your peace on the SE. You’re not saying anything different.

With our shooting boots this is a comfortable 4/5 - 1 in our favour. The hope is we grow into the tournament.

Blueelf:
My guy, my guy

I have been holding the fort for you Sire

They think they are them



I predicted this exactly.

Some cretins with milk for brains thought i was being negative

Name names or STFU! You are not adding anything, come back next month.

1-1 is a disappointing result, we had a enough chances for this to be 3-1, 4-1. The bigger worry is the injury to Yusuf. He looks key for us moving forward.

There are still 6 pts to play for so getting out of the group isn’t too much of a worry for me…

Odunayaw:
I fit curse this commentator mentioning we look into the NPFL to solve the creative MF

Is he lying though? If we can’t find the profile of creative midfielder abroad, why not look domestically.

Yusuf injured already….JP really going to regret going with such a thin midfield and not using the full 27 players.

Even with 23 players, not all will play in a major tournament, but you go with the extras just in case of incasity. AFCON playing conditions are hot, humid and harsh, having extra players always helps…

Odogwujayy:
Imagine we're just having only 2 remaining midfielders asides the one in starting 11

I would really say its only one. Aribo isn’t a MF imo. More of a false 9. The fact we didn’t call up the likes of Bashiru or Kelechi to buttress the midfield is criminal.

Much better play to close out the half. Yusuf needs to be in the SE set-up moving forward. Him, Ndidi and a creative midfielder would be solid. Onyeka, Onyedika and two other midfielders would be good.

Blueelf:
Come and move me please

Bro, what of use do you have to say? Just coming to crack dry jokes. Abeg dey where you dey. We don hear your prediction finish, just leave until AFCON finishes. You’re not saying anything of value

Blueelf:
I stand on my prediction of Nigeria to looe or draw

Bro, abeg just leave this thread until the end of this AFCON, you like adding unneeded negativity.

JP took until the first game of AFCON to drop Uzoho and go with a proper three man midfield. It is well.

I’d have preferred Onyedika for Onyeka and Bassey for Ajayi.

The team still lacks another midfielder but this formation will do us well.

If only we still had Ndidi and called up either or both of Bashiru and Nwakwali, I’d be more confident for this tourney.

Regardless of this tourney’s outcome, SE need to get a template/philosophy of how they play and recruit the player profiles accordingly. Similar to how the Dutch generally employ a 4-3-3, we should have 2-3 default formations that we can build on but modify depending on available personnel.

Recruiting for a deep and solid midfield core has to be a key priority, however.

Danielnino00:
Even that 4-4-2 can still work if the right personnel are used. Like I suggested some days ago, Iwobi should be deployed to the flank in the 4-4-2.. Iwobi loves dropping into midfield and as such, he would provide extra body in the midfield..

This could would work if Iwobi is RM and we have a CM pairing of Onyeka and Onyedika. Kelechi can support Osimhen and the other wingers can fight for the LM position.

Danielnino00:
Another issue with our own 4-4-2 is that the two players that ought to start RM and LM aren't exactly adapted to the role.. I'm referring to the duo of Lookman and Chukwueze..Even Simon isn't that adapted to the role... They drift away from midfield too often and that leaves space for opponents to explore...
I'll say it again, if Peseiro wants to stick with playing 2 forwards up front, 3-5-2 is his best bet..

100% with you on the bolded. 3-5-2 would be the best as it helps stabilize our MF and gives cover to our back line. Our strengths are in attack and the wing back areas. This formation would maximze our strengths while mitigating our weaknesses, but this JP guy na better fool.

Odunayaw:
Even Uruguay plays 442 and they do well

Na our ASUU comrade of a gaffer no just wise

This is true, even Argentina played a 4-4-2 at times during the last WC but the difference is the 4 across the midfield had at least 3 actual midfielders in Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernandez and Alex Mac Allister. It was more of a 4-3-3 as Messi would play as a RW and Alvarez as ST.

We play 4-4-2 but with only two midfielders. That is the issue.

Marjoribanks:
Of course! I am hearing Moffi and Tella for Boni and Kele!

I would prefer Tella and Bashiru to be honest.

Marjoribanks:
Boniface out of AFCONNNNN!! Oh my Goddd!!

Might be a blessing in disguise if we call up another midfielder. Same thing with Kelechi.

Although Boniface is a big miss, I think we have enough firepower as is.