lexyman: thank you ... you said Manchester city coach ...Coaches like Guardiola, Mourinho, Zidane, Ancelotti, and others at that level can make statements like that—and be taken seriously.
Why? Because their ideas are backed by measurable success: trophies, tactical evolution, and consistent results at the highest level.
Not a coach like Finidi.
Without tangible achievements to support such claims, saying “formation doesn’t matter” is simply too heavy. Formation may not be everything, but dismissing it requires authority earned through success.
In football, credibility comes from what you’ve done, not just what you say.
That statement carries weight only when it comes from those who have proven they understand the game at its highest level. please understand my point , maybe i am too Old Skool
I understand what you are saying and I agree with you. In my profession, we usually cite previous cases (we call it authority) when making our case in court.
Sometimes a senior advocate argues his case in court without citing an authority and yet sway the court.
But you wey just comot for law school will now see that and start saying citing authority is not important. Oya naww. You go learn
Sarsaparilla524: The Tunisia🇹🇳 FA is set to meet with Coach Eric Chelle's representative and is willing to offer him around $100,000 a month to replace their coach, who was sacked after suffering a 3-2 loss to the Eric Chelle-led Super Eagles🇳🇬 and exiting AFCON 2025 following a defeat on penalties to 10-man Mali.🇲🇱
Tunisia is actively searching for a manager to lead them to the 2026 World Cup. The federation will officially contact Chelle's representatives after the ongoing AFCON.
Via: 𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐅𝐎𝐂𝐔𝐒
See ehn, it's not about having him as a coach, do they have the proliferation of talents that we have? Nigeria is a coach's wet dream. The only draw back is our lack of organization and financial muscle.
The feat Chelle is achieving cannot be divorced from the quality of our players.
Meanwhile.... ahead of Wednesday's Giants Battle. I stumbled on this via Amazon Prime Video Sport. It is nostalgic but it captures one thing: "Nigeria's Mental Might before a Big Game"
I watched this yesterday and I felt proud of our football heritage. In recent years we have seen attempts to put down this feat as a mere fifa age grade competition. But those of us who lived through this victory, will forever cherish it as it marked a glorious watershed in Nigerian football. The dream team fulfilled what the Damman miracle stopped short of achieving.
Two things stood out for me while watching the clip:
Bonfrere rightfully read Argentina's game, breaking down how they score their goals and informed Taribo to be on guard yet they scored us just the way Bonfrere had anticipated.
Secondly, every team needs a character like the bull. Strong, mobile, determined.
Luck or grace. That team had luck. It was as if they were destined to win it.
Baba, you know those days we used to watch Willie Willie. It's better you watch it with your playmates than make you dey play alone when the program start.
semid4lyfe: Akor Adams has been a revelation in this AFCON. Who here remembers when I tagged him our best striker in France when he was still playing for Montpellier, despite Terem Moffi outscoring him?
Philosopher1979, AlhajiDanladi and SamueItem337, you guys were in that conversation and tackled me.
To which I replied as below
And I was always yearning for his call-up even then.
Shey una don see am say my assessment aged well? No be say I dey brag but for an ex-aspiring amateur footballer, ex-assistant youth club coach, and avid fan of the game like myself. the eye test is the primary assessment tool and is enough. Data is secondary. I sabi good player when I see one.
Whats happening na. All of you on this thread are displaying astute football management abilities - from coaching, to match reading to scouting.
Please you guys should stop going through the corners. If you also want to be my client, just come direct. We have to harness this skills and forge it into a tool for national development.
TheSuperNerd: Firstly I need us to understand that Onyeka performs 2 major functions in our setup. He is the other half of the double pivot (pairing with the main CDM) and also the RCM when the diamond shape shifts a little forward with him (Onyeka) and Iwobi occuping the right and left halfspaces respectively. His boundless energy and ability to roam and cover ground more and even faster makes him suited to double-pivot and also function as the RCM.
Now, Onyedika came in vs Algeria replacing Ndidi and immediately slotted into that Central DM position. This already reveals Chelle's idea.
Can Onyedika be switched for Onyeka? Maybe. He did perform something similar to the man Simon replaced, venturing between RCM and CDM but was majorly found occuping the central space in front of our defence. He stayed disciplined positionally. Iwobi was also still in play but staying a bit more central too as Simon on the left was present.
Ndidi hardly ventured away from his central role as the main CDM vs Algeria. This is what Chelle sees in Onyedika. A like for like who will sit and be tactically sound enough to stay positionally disciplined.
So the first point on why I believe Chelle will not swap their roles is Onyeka has the propensity to roam and want to be everywhere at once and that can see him leave position if deployed as the main CDM. This first point is tactical positional discipline. Ndidi and Onyedika are more positionally disciplined centrally, in front of the defence than Onyeka.
Another point is the buildups. The 1st phase of posesssion buildup initiation. Ndidi, under Chelle grew and morphed into the sort of CDM that can receive from the back and distribute to either Iwobi leftwards or to the flank on the right. Onyedika is even far more comfortable receiving from the back even on the half turn under pressure (saw it vs Algeria) and distributing.
Onyeka does not seem the kinda profile who executes the Ndidi role like Onyedika.
So the question is this... will you still swap them? Will you sacrifice Onyeka's energy to roam and combine double pivoting with RCMing just to push a 1st phase initiator away from the role where 1st phase initiation takes place?
I know it's not by writing think pieces but you have very fine ability to read the game.
ChrisKels: Yes I have noticed that he tends to make that Kanu's signature curve move to evade his markers quite often. That was same move he made from the centre of the pitch to set up Iwobi for a pre-assist that gave us our first goal. His is more simple though because he does it facing his marker, while Kanu does his almost backing his marker(s)
Hahaha hahaha as I was posting I knew you would comment because you were the first person to state that that move una dey do am wella at CKC(if I remember correctly). Apart from Kanu, nobody in world football makes that move. I've never seen it. It was unique.
Yes, Akor used it to kick start our first goal from the middle.
TheGoodJoe: I have no doubt Finidi would have excelled with the Super Eagles if given time and authority. At the end it takes time for tactical philosophies to soak in.
Regarding handling of egos, I think Finidi showed his class with the way he handled Osimhen's burst up. Many coaches would have blown the lid but he handled it behind the scene.
elyte89: I heard one mumu dream now dt we were playing very well in d first half against Morocco 🇲🇦, as we enter second half , na so we collect red card .the table turned and Dey begin to pressure us , immediately Dey scored, na so I just wake up 🥹🥹
Be careful. From now to the end of the tournament, you are restrained by order of court from dreaming.
Of course even before posting I realized that one cannot compare him to Kanu in terms of deftness but he has this Kanu move - that C - curve move that is uniquely Kanu's
Best performance of the tournament from the guys considering the level of competition and high stakes of the game.
My player ratings:
Nwabali (7.5) - Practically on holiday. Still not comfortable with the way he punches crosses. Liked how towards the end he switched to using his hands instead of his feet for ball distribution.
Osayi (8.5) - Best game in a SE jersey without a doubt. Defensively astute snuffing out all danger. Did well going forward pressuring the Algerian fullbacks.
Bruno (9) - Also his best game in a Nigerian shirt. Has definitely tied down the LB position for the foreseeable future. Beautiful cross for Osimhen's goal. Like spare change Mahrez was in his pocket all day.
Ajayi (8.0) - Cool, calm, and professional display. Mopped up at the back when needed also made crucial interceptions.
Bassey (8.5) - Uncompromising defending full of energy and grit. Taribo would be proud.
Onyeka (8.0) - The Tank was everywhere as usual popping up here and there to sustain pressure and keep the ball moving. One of our unsung heroes for sure.
Ndidi (8.5) - Good performance from Captain Wilf. Kept possession well and made sure the Algerians didn't have breathing space. Unlucky to get a yellow. Experience will be missed against Morocco.
Iwobi (9.5) - Run out of superlatives to describe his genius. Precise, visionary, and exquisite midfield play. Best performance from a Nigerian midfielder since Mikel in 2013.
Lookman (8.0) - Was also a threat to the Algerian defense. Took a back seat today in favour of his attacking partners who performed excellently on the day. Speaking of attacking partners...
Akor (9) - Plays like someone who has been in the national team for years instead of months. Technically astute and direct. Perfect partner for Osimhen bringing control and deftness to the latter's energy and pace. Goal was the highlight of the game which is commendable considering his poor miss in the first half.
Osimhen (9.5) - Man of the match performance from the leader and legend. A bit quiet in the first half exploded in the second. Algerian defense will be having nightmares about him. Victor is one of those players that is inevitable. You know he's coming but nothing much you can do to stop him.
Subs:
Simon (7.5) - Came on to retain possession and add some defensive cover. Made some attacking forays with his dribbles. Still need him to offer more of an attacking threat to help put away teams on the counter.
Onyedika (8.0) - Kept the midfield ticking effortlessly despite Ndidi's departure. Unfazed on the ball. Banking on him to deliver in the semis.
Fisayo (7.5) - Didn't do anything too risky. Kept it simple and moving.
Awaziem (N/A) - Didn't see much from him. Came in to shore up the backline.
Eric Chelle (10) - Tactical master class. Can it get better?
Akor has the strength of Amokachi and the deftness of Kanu. National team football is in his DNA Man just took to the team like duck to water.
TheSuperNerd: You know, speaking of Algeria's head coach. If only some folks took their time to research the coaching pedigree of Vladimir Petkovic, they would appreciate the victory even more.
Petkovic is the man who overcame Didier Deschamps' World Champions France at Euros 2020 in that very pulsating round of 16 game. His Switzerland side did something magnificent.
He also coached Switzerland to the final 4 of the Euro Nations League in 2019.
He was also Lazio coach as far back as 2012-2013 and won the Coppa Italia.
No be small coaching mind Chelle outclass yesterday.
Like you rightly said, Petkovic did plan painstakingly to stop our key men but was still undone. It just tells us how hard our setup is to stop when in flow. The Algerians did try to press our backline at a point in the first half but the way and manner our lads bypassed them and switched plays to ease pressure made Petkovic and his lads adjust.
No wonder he's the highest paid coach in Africa. His CV is very rich, richer than that of my client.
Napoleon55: I'm being cautious doesn't mean I didn't recognize the overall tactical improvement and quality of our team. I did acknowledge the team's greatness so far but it would only make more sense to me when they cap it up with this trophy . And i strongly believe we can do it.
I've been disappointed so many times when I thought this it,choosing stay cautious does not in any way suggest pessimistic outlook at all.
I was one of the few who stood with the team few days when the Congolese knocked us out of the world cup and argued the team could still win the AFCON.
I wasn't trying to pour ice water on your tactical insights, you are doing great. I'm only saying my joy will be full when I see the trophy.
For now,I'm more interested on what and what to do in order to get past the Moroccans,especially in the absence of Ndidi. Between Onyedika and Onyeka, who is better to sit deeper. How to get Osimhen and Akor to be more clinical.
I understand your cautious optimism. I too tell myself that I won't believe we will win it until we have won it but bro, just enjoy the ride oo. E dey sweet regardless of the final outcome.
What I mean is this: there is this joy I have felt since yesterday. Will I, because I'm afraid (and I swear I am) we might not win the tournament, refrain from enjoying this moment? I will enjoy it oo. Once this moment is gone, it's gone. Only the memories remain. Point is: let it go. Join the party. If we win, the beat goes on. If we lose, the drum stops. The dance ends. We wait for another time.
chrisooblog: Now that the euphoria of yesterday's victory has begun to die down we now focus on Morocco.
Apart from being the host country Morocco is a well drilled tactical team. From watching the Moroccans Ibrahim Diaz seems to be the most critical pillar in their attacking arsenal. Not dismissing their other forwards but Diaz seems to be their most potent weapon from what I've seen.
Hakimi who's freshly back from injury is another main player to be wary off.
One thing is sure alarm bells would have gone off in the Moroccan camp watching how we dismantled the Algerians yesterday. So no surprises they will doing double duty analyzing our tactical approach and how to stop us. Hope Coach Chelle has a plan B incase they figure out our approach.
Ndidi will be a big miss but Onyedika brings a potential better technical presence in the middle of the park.
Our players should prepare their minds that they will be player 11 against 13 (including opposition players, refs, supporters and maybe CAF establishment) and be triple careful.
NFF should hawkishly monitor who will be appointed as match officials for our game against Morocco so that they appoint someone with sense not someone who will allow the Atlas Lions get away with blue murder like they did with Cameroon in terms of fouls.
For the tactical officionados in the house how do you reckon we beat the tactical set up of the Moroccans and their pressing power?
cc: Supernerd, Goodjoe, Mujtahida, Goke etc
AndSunGorilla has suggested that Onuachu and Chukwueze should come in. I don't agree.
Both teams play the pressing game. That's where Onyedika comes in. The absence of Ndidi may just proof to be a blessing. Onyedika will sit back, Onyeka will roam and Iwobi will play his normal role.
Our plan B will definitely be wing play if our middle game fails.
I don't want penalties and I hope we tidy them before 90 minutes or added time but I hope we are prepared for PKs
Watch Onyedika take out 5 Algerians with a simple turn. He's highly spoken of. I pray he rises to the occasion even more than what we saw against Uganda.
As simple as this looks, many footballers are terrible on the half turn, receiving pass from their GKs while backing the field
Football is a wicked game. I can imagine Petkovic and the entire Algerian team planning to stop Osimhen, planning to stop Iwobi but still Iwobi slits their throat, Osimhen score them and gave an assist.
Papi85: silent worker Abi unsung hero doing a lot of dirty work for the team
Anytime he is subbed off I no dey dey comfortable at all
In every team, some will take the spotlight, others will be working silently in the background. Frank and Ajayi are two guys who are just doing their beat quietly.
There was one block Ajayi made yesterday, if that ball had gone past him, we would have been in trouble
So now Morocco presses, Nigeria presses. Who will outpress the other now. I want us to take charge of the game from the first blast of the whistle. If we beat Morocco, walahi that cup is ours
Sports › Re: "The Super Eagles Thread: The Road To AFCON 2027, 2028 And 2030 World Cup by Mujtahida: 3:50pm On Jan 13
shaky shaky Daddy!