₦airaland Forum

charlesemeka85:
✅🔵 DONE DEAL

🇳🇬 Tolu Arokodare set to be a Wolverhampton Wanderers player !

🟠⚫️💰 €22,5M transfer fee + €4,5M add-ons.

🐺✈️ Tolu flying tomorrow morning to England. #mercato #KRCGenk #JPL

@SachaTravolieri

I believe in this Tolu. I like his movement.

BankyGee:
Alex Iwobi leads the Premier League in most passes into the penalty box so far (8}!
Ola Aina has won possession more times than any other players in the Premier League so far (18)!

Nigerians said Iwobi is "not good" 😂

Naija ballers 🇳🇬💚⚽

Iwobi is best around the edge of the box. But in Nigeria we play him in the middle as a defensive pivot where he's ineffective

Goke7:
You see the last euros? It was really boring even Afcon was sweeter to watch! Even Cape Verde, Gambia and Guinea Bissau were sweet to watch to the delight of many European pundits. That tiki taka don exchange players glory 😂

Afcon is sweet because our coaches and players have not gone ultra scientific

daveP:
I like this POV I won't lie. That's the cost of the PEP system. Kills individuality. And when the player leaves, it is absolutely hard to play football the normal way ever again. If Grealish recovers, English boys go dey dodge Pep going forward.

In communism it is the system that matters.

TheGoodJoe:
Unfortunately there is no room for artist in modern day football.

The art lies in teamwork and not individuals.

That's why the game is boring. It's communism and communism always kills individuality, creativity and beauty.

TheGoodJoe:
Because they will dominate the artist.

The artist is the beauty. Take your Hussain Bolt. Let me have my Zidane.

TheGoodJoe:
Watch Manchester City vs Tottenham. When Rayan Cherki dropped into midfield to increase our numbers in the middle, Spence of Tottenham moved from left back deep into Manchester City midfield to mark Rayan Cherki and give him less time on the ball.

It is modern day tactics. It is why football changed.

Them no dey score them at the end of all the razzmatazz?

A Chinese man wanted to fight a white man, he begin do all the karate pose and noise. The white man just took a gun and shot him dead. Shikena.

All these formations and tactical nomenclature is the Chinese man. Keep it simple. In fact simple is difficult to do. That's why unintelligent people always look for ways to hide their unintelligence behind the smokescreen of complicated methods. But I see through the bullshyt

TheGoodJoe:
A team of the most skillful players of all time without intensity will be blown away by a team of low skill but insane intensity.

That is a pure fact.

That's why it's now athletics. Hussain Bolt with the ball at his feet.

TheGoodJoe:
Different playing system has gone to three leagues and smoked. This is beyond a team dominating. This was a total change of football philosophy destroying the old ideas in a highly convincing manner.

Nothing strange. Mourinho did it across leagues playing basic football. It's time and season.

The point of football is to score and win. Shikena

TheGoodJoe:
Football tactics have changed a lot since Taribo West's time. The role of a central defender has evolved from being just a physical, no-nonsense tackler to a player who is also a key part of the team's offense.

Taribo West's Era (Old-School Defending):

Focus: Taribo West was a classic "stopper." His main job was to aggressively man-mark a specific opposing striker, winning duels, and clearing the ball away from danger.
Tactics: The game was more individualistic in defense. You focused on your opponent and your primary mission was to prevent them from scoring, often with physical force. Ball skills and passing from the back were not a priority.

Ekong's Era (Modern Defending):
Focus: A modern defender like Ekong must be a "ball-playing defender." His role is not just to defend, but to also start attacks from the back.
Tactics: Modern football emphasizes building play from defense. Ekong is expected to:
Start attacks: He needs to be comfortable with the ball at his feet, make accurate short passes to midfielders, and even hit long, diagonal passes to wingers.
Positional awareness: Instead of just man-marking, he operates within a defensive "zone," understanding where to be to cut off passin[
g lanes and cover for his teammates.
High press: He must be able to push up the field with the team to "press" the opponent and win the ball back high up the pitch, a tactic that was less common in West's time.
In short, while Taribo West was a master of the "defensive warrior" role, Ekong operates in a more complex and demanding tactical system that requires a wider range of skills, particularly with the ball at his feet.

It's all just smoke. Instead of Ekong to defend close to his eighteen, he moves up the pitch towards the opposition and that's what gives him tactical awareness and to what end?

Teams concede today just like yesterday. So it's the unnecessary complication of the game that trips you. I see through it and I'm not impressed.

TheGoodJoe:
Watch PSG last season and understand the effectiveness of intensity.

I see it as the clear indices of football success. Why do you think Chelsea signed Pedro, Manchester City signed Reijnders and Arsenal signed Eberechi Eze. Intensity is getting a huge edge.

The positional football philosophers have a lot of ground to cover.

Intensity for what? Football is not about sprinting and running. That the game is fast paced is of what value?

TheGoodJoe:
Actually, Guardiola's Barcelona roasting teams like butter on fresh fish proved the gap between the modern game today and the past.

All that KNOWLEDGE THEY SOAKED made it easier for them to smoke all teams. Happened in Germany and England. Resulting a total change in football.

You can't argue against proven history.

In every era, there is always, I mean always a team that smokes the others. In the 90's Inter dominated. Nothing new, nothing strange about Gaurdiola's barca dominating teams. There's nothing new under the sun of football. PSG just smoked teams last season. If I use your own logic, it shows the gap between modern football and modern football?You see how untenable that sort of argument is?

TheGoodJoe:

I have actually thought about the injuries too and I don't think that is down to being unfit but even to their fitness.

Modern day footballers play at a higher intensity than before. Also they play more games. That is the crust of the injuries.

I also believe the solution is teams embracing a fuller squad and utilizing healthy, regular rotations. That will likely see to a drop in the injuries.

The intensity is here to stay.

High intensity is a value for what purpose? Intense yet the outcry is that the game is boring.

TheGoodJoe:
Football tactics have changed a lot since Taribo West's time. The role of a central defender has evolved from being just a physical, no-nonsense tackler to a player who is also a key part of the team's offense.

Taribo West's Era (Old-School Defending):

Focus: Taribo West was a classic "stopper." His main job was to aggressively man-mark a specific opposing striker, winning duels, and clearing the ball away from danger.
Tactics: The game was more individualistic in defense. You focused on your opponent and your primary mission was to prevent them from scoring, often with physical force. Ball skills and passing from the back were not a priority.

Ekong's Era (Modern Defending):
Focus: A modern defender like Ekong must be a "ball-playing defender." His role is not just to defend, but to also start attacks from the back.
Tactics: Modern football emphasizes building play from defense. Ekong is expected to:
Start attacks: He needs to be comfortable with the ball at his feet, make accurate short passes to midfielders, and even hit long, diagonal passes to wingers.
Positional awareness: Instead of just man-marking, he operates within a defensive "zone," understanding where to be to cut off passin[
g lanes and cover for his teammates.
High press: He must be able to push up the field with the team to "press" the opponent and win the ball back high up the pitch, a tactic that was less common in West's time.
In short, while Taribo West was a master of the "defensive warrior" role, Ekong operates in a more complex and demanding tactical system that requires a wider range of skills, particularly with the ball at his feet.

Complexity and difference does not mean better. Football is scoring a goal. That's it.

I answer a question with two sentences and score 10 marks. You fill five pages and score 10 marks. Then you go to town saying you are better than me.

So they've taken a simple game, complicate it, make it drab and pacy.

TheGoodJoe:
Taribo will not know jack when it comes to tactics when you compare his understanding to Ekong for instance. As in nothing. You guys don't even understand the tactical advancement that has taken place in football. Do you think Taribo can try Calvin Bassey in tactical understanding, speed?

😂😂😂😂 Make una read ooo. Ekong and Bassey has more tactical awareness than Taribo.

Hogwash.

TheGoodJoe:
You guys keep repeating the same thing but avoid the basic point.

The reason why the players of the past looked more technical is because there was a huge gap in quality. They were playing against unfit players.

Today players are faster, fitter, more technical, and more tactical. Even goalkeepers are now skillful, technical and tactical.

Your prime Ronaldo, Kaka, Ronaldinho will not skip past players today as they did in the past. The quality of the game has changed.

Lies!!! Big fat lies that today's players are fitter, faster, more technical and more tactical than players of the previous generation.

There's a story I read about Zidane talking about Serie A that they'd train till players get retched up and feel like vomiting. Continue in your delusion.

Amedino99:
just a few
Ruud Van Nistelrooy
Gary Breen
Loic Remy
Marko Arnatorvic
John Hartson
Victor Valdes
Aly Cissokho
Demba Ba
Leroy Fer
Emil Larsen
Gabriel Millito
Andrey Arshavin
Sebastian Giovinco
George Boyd
Jon Flanagan
Tua Tagavaila
Radamel Falcao
Antonio Valencia
Kolo Toure

He's in good company then

Goke7:
Sad to hear about the Boniface transfer saga!

I hope he still gets better days ahead in his career. My mind no sweet at all!

It's a sad situation. I pray he takes it in his stride. In the history of football, I'm not sure anyone has failed a medical not even our Kanu who had a heart issue

TheGoodJoe:
There is a height.

Back then, the likes of Theirry Henry, Nedved and co. were close to the top. The defenders were grassroots. Today many from defenders to attackers, even goalkeepers have pushed the limit close to the ceiling.

So the gap has reduced.

Gerrit?

Mention defenders today who are in the mold of Franco Baresi, Paulo Maldini, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Vidic, Cannavaro Cafu, Carlos, Japp Stam, Taribo West, Alexandro Nesta, Costacurta, Zambrotta.

That era produced great players in all departments of the field. You making it seem as if Ronaldo, Henry and other elite attackers were playing against mediocre defenders. That's a flat out lie

maidaboi:
he will still read this as "Aina is not good" 😂

Exactly. He has turned a simple conversation about maximizing Aina on the right into a contest of superiority.

Ronaldo de Lima said it, now John Terry also saying he does not enjoy watching football anymore. Over to you TheGoodJoe

https://youtube.com/shorts/DTVWWG9vWVM?si=H5WLz0bfV1hs_R1P

BankyGee:
Person say he dey technically astute to dey play either side, na him Nuno Espirito no dey gamble that rubbish?

Someone is literally one of the top "right-backs" in the EPL and person say make them astutically play am for left when we have multiple good natural left-backs available.

Chelle should just play him on his natural position abeg.

And then that his diamond formation. He should learn to be flexible with it oo. The players are not made for a system rather the system should be made for the players

ChrisKels:
Lol no vex.

I loved that boy with everything in me and I was always praying that he succeeds because I was always fantasizing about how creative our midfield would be when he comes of age. All these started after he trained with us in 2017. When that success came, dude ditched us, and I was so heartbroken. I instantly started resenting anything he is involved in. I was even wishing he causes Crystal Palace to be relegated. Everything about him disgusted me even though he was a fellow Igbo man. Aswear I was so pained that I could not handle the rejection, but that rejection was the rude awakening I needed to see these foreign born players for who they are. Today, foreign born players don't freak me even one bit, I don't even see them as Nigerians anymore.

I remember you rooting for him vigorously. Any time I see stories about him I just remember all that you just wrote and I scroll past the story.

Kog45:
Adebayo Adeleye will make it,not getting call up initially was due to Nwabali good form and Maduka great form...I don't see him losing out to Amas Obasogie and Harcourt ....am seeing Benjamin Frederick breaking into eagles starting eleven

Why is Maduka not on the list?

Hardrive:
Going forward chidera ejuke deserves a look in.

Meliforme is that you 😂😂

lbrichman2:
Well, you're right and Chriskels too..
We have to move on from Awoniyi..

We have moved. Injuries did his career no good.

ChrisKels:
I pray Arsenal opts for Lookman instead. Which kind yeye Eze again.

You made me not to like this Eze

lbrichman2:
See how you're subtly calling for Awoniyi 's replacement
Wetin the guy do you?

Is Awoniyi a Super Eagles player? How many caps he's got? When was his last game for the Eagles?

He's never been impressive for the SE and he's been around for a while now

BankyGee:
Any coach wey ever play Ola Aina for left-back again, God fit pvnish am o. We have Agu and Onyemaechi on the left and they're both good, please play Aina on the effing right for God's sake!

I cried myself hoarse seeing Chelle deploy Aina at LB in the matches against Rwanda and Zimbabwe.

I don't know whether I should swear for Chelle.

TheGoodJoe:
Massive take and full of insight.

I have talked about it before and will say it again. Our local football cannot move forward if we keep on working with the same terrible pitches.

That is where the first fix should take place. You can't play sound football on poor pitches.

This will enable more tactical players have the chance to develop their game and also standout.

Good pitches will give talented tactical coaches the room to excel in the league too.

Until then, we will continue this mediocre cycle of trying to force a cow to race as a horse.

I fear we are a long way off getting good infrastructure unless football administration becomes wholly a private enterprise

TheGoodJoe:
Another thing is that I have also said we can have developmental programs with our national teams.

For instance the CHAN can be a long term project. Not one we just write list of players, stitch them together and hope all works out.

Making it a more grassroot program with long term scouting, training and development by a sound tactician. Then they participate in friendlies with local teams.

There should be a sound designated pitch for the project.

Something like this will take investment, planning and dedication. It will pay in the long run.

Unfortunately, we are run by people that are not passionate about football investment.

Systematic short or long term planning is not our forte. The black mind is not wired that way.

AndSunGorilla:
You better start medicating against the pain now, the question no be if na "when" e go dey confirmed.

The good thing about being a long term fan is that one has endured greater pain. Whatever happens, we move!