₦airaland Forum

CODMOK:
Morocco has an attractive league and good grassroot development so the player felt it was a right decision to join them. Here you are owing your coach, your league is in shambles and you want an Olise to leave an organized side with better football pitches to join you. Common, who does that?

First things first bro!

AndSunGorilla:
Kels wen u take that your pic, it really looks great, infact I thought it was even photoshopped (forget my name). Honestly I don't know why I thought you were light skinned.

humility33:
And so many proud folks here wil kick against it even when it is obvious that Chelsea academy have decent facilities and coaches than all NPFL clubs combined

andrewbaba44:
So if Olise play for the eagles he will be playing at the npfl

forgiveness:
You think if one is not fast, static and can’t finish one will be playing in Bundesliga, right?

If we rate the goals both scored this season, which of them scored the best goal?

Do top 5 and let me see. Thanks

andrewbaba44:
So if Olise play for the eagles he will be playing at the npfl

TheSuperNerd:
Top post, Papa Haaland.

Short but in it are hidden Midfield truths about the struggles of our darling Super Eagles.

Amoo for AMF (in the long term future as we have Iwobi now) but Nwakali or Alhassan to be solve our Ball playing CMF issues RIGHT NOW.
But truth is, some will fight this because they have their own agenda. Some don't like the name Nwakali. Others don't know the name Alhassan and may think he isn't ready. Then some again will underrate an Amoo when they haven't watched him enough.


We have an underlying problem in the Super Eagles Midfield even in the presence of Aribo and Etebo and that problem is that we don't just pull off those lines-breaking passes through the middle. We don't create moments of deliberate forward passes that break defensive structures through the middle.


We don't oil the wheels of our passing game enough in the middle and that is because our current Midfield options are made up of "Workrate" merchants, Physical runners, 1-2 pass executors and short passers with the total absence of Bonafide Midfield conductors who are adept at Forward passing and effortless switch of plays via long balls and long-vision oriented lines breaking passes.

It is a huge problem for us and I really shake my head at the thought of an Aribo-Onyeka-Ndidi Midfield or even an Iwobi-Onyeka-Ndidi coming up against the best on the continent. We would be eaten up.




Why do I say so?


In the first case: Aribo-Onyeka-Ndidi...

...We would Match them workrate for workrate, and power for power but we won't match them Vision for Vision.... or Lines-breaking passing for Lines-breaking passing. We just won't.

An Aribo-Onyeka-Ndidi Midfield is badly unbalanced and has all three almost mirroring each other in most functions. We don't need 2 or 3 of the same. Onyeka and Ndidi are almost the same. Aribo is the most forward thinking of the 3, offers strong workrate as well BUT he doesn't know how to dictate plays. It is just not in his style of play. He is a good ball carrier but not a tempo dictator and hardly delivers lines-breaking passes against defensive deep blocks.


Watch him and see. A very decent player with good workrate and quick feet but he is not the midfield conductor most want him to be and it is not his fault. It is just not his style. It is not his in his skillset to dictate the tempo of a game.

With that Midfield, we would likely overpower the likes of Ghana, Tunisia and Mali, etc especially as Aribo has a knack for joining the attack as a late-arriving "invisible forward" and that can trouble teams on the continent that don't track Midfield runners from deep......

....BUT against the Likes of CIV, Senegal, Morocco, and Algeria (most especially Algeria and Morocco) we would be exposed greatly.
The deficient ball playing frailties in that MF setup of ours would show greatly. We just would struggle to create anything through the middle & struggle to dominate the ball for periods. We would look to the wings and what happens when they double up on our wingers (our true creative outlet in this setup)??

I have much to analyse on this but this would do for now.




In the 2nd case: Iwobi-Onyeka-Ndidi

Nna eh, this would fare a bit better because in Iwobi we have a true quick-witted Creative outlet through the middle but he would be primarily tasked with carrying out his roles between the defensive lines of the opposition... in the hole or space between the Opposition's DMF and their Defenders.

But the problem here is that Onyeka is no accomplished ball playing Midfield distributor. A decent passer and high presser but not as adept on the ball as a bonafide Midfield conductor in the CM role.

Ndidi would sit in this setup and shield and alongside a Midfield horse like Onyeka, you can say we would give a strong account in the defensive phases but what happens in the offensive phases?? Ndidi can occasionally send the long ball but he would be too occupied with defensive duties and positioning to do that too often.
And Onyeka mirrors most of the things Ndidi can do so that leaves Iwobi to sometimes drop deeper than necessary to try create something from deep and that gives the opponent an advantage as we would be one man short in the final third with no one operating between the defensive lines of the opposition's DMF and CBs.... thus Iwobi becomes overworked, does try to create a few chances and our finishing of few chances or half chances would determine our final result.
Doesn't look good in my books. We have seen this play out before vs Algeria just last year.

I could also go on with this analysis but I stop here for now.



It is under these lights of tactical/technical understanding of our Midfielders' abilities, attributes and Characteristics/styles of plays plus the numbers ofcos.... that I strongly believe that a Super Eagles Midfield of either:

1. Iwobi-Alhassan-Ndidi

2. Iwobi-Nwakali-Ndidi

.... Will strike the best dynamic balance in the middle game of the Super Eagles.

In either setups, we have a World Class Midfield shield in Ndidi... a true AM in Iwobi with quick Vision and capable of gliding into/through and exploiting the spaces left by the Opposition's DMF and CBs and lastly a bonafide ball playing Central Midfield Conductor/dictator who also offers very decent defensive shifts when in defensive phases of play, can easily exploit passing gap opportunities to deliver lines-breaking passes that disrupt defensive structures, can switch plays with any kind of passing (long or short) to create Attacking phases out of nothing, and more.


This is the solution... but ofcoz... some would keep analysing along the path of "My Faves" is not mentioned. I am here talking what will lift the quality of our midfield plays so that we can finally see our attack reach its craziest potentials.

One of the big reasons our attack struggles most times is because of the imbalance and lack of ball playing nous in our Super Eagles' middle game. Leaving the burden of creativity to the wings make us too predictable and easy to strategise against. A balanced Midfield makes us more dynamic and kinda unpredictable coz of the presence of a ballplaying dictator which can switch our plays either through the middle or via the wings. His long Vision permits him to do that.

Our midfield ball playing struggles continue. And Rohr hasn't fixed it yet despite calling in Kingsley Michael and Innocent Bonke as new faces. Kingsley impressed for a newbie as he kept the ball maturedly and showed good cover in the middle while Bonke Played the role of MF Destroyer BUT the Ball playing problem persists.

We have enough personnel to cover the "workrate angle" in the middle. Even Iwobi is very hardworking in the GWG. What we need now to fully lift the quality of our midfield plays is a player capable of "exerting control" over proceedings in tandem with Ndidi's and Iwobi's complementary qualities.

We have the workrate... now we need the control.


Chikena.

kushercain:
Omo weather don change again everywhere grey makethem just use tapoline cover that pitch abeg

Danielnino00:
In other news, almost all of Guinea Bissau contingent to Morocco has been hit by diarrhea after they eating at their hotel ..

The game might be postponed

ChrisKels:
I hope Tbaba is still alive?

cc Fabyom

Danielnino00:
Osimhen, Iheanacho, Awoniyi and Onuachu have scored 29 goals and recorded 6 assists in 44 appearances for their clubs this season...


This is the first time since the Yakubu,Martins, Uche brothers, Utaka brothers and Osaze that we will have so many lethal finishers in Europe...

ChrisKels:
Lol big bro, leave me nah! Wetin I do you?

TheSuperNerd:
You are just one out of so many readers in here and I must confess, I don't even know your moniker among the silent readers. I know and recall a lot of them so your claim to being a minor contributor is rubbish. Yep. That simple.

And I know you obviously are one of those who just cannot stand the popularity of my moniker in here. I get it alright. Not everyone gets to like the popular dude.
But Look, it is the way it is okay. I do what I do and people know my moniker.... it's not me... it's my work speaking for me. And yes they are brilliant. Highly brilliant infact. I don't have to wait for you to commend before I know it is. I get it a lot from folks in here and from folks outside NL who happen to know who I am on NL.
I have had sports journalists commend my work and wonder at how I am a medical professional yet still deeply rooted in the beautiful game. I am who I am... And I will never fit whatever box you want me to fit for you to rate me. I am me and that's how Osimhen found me and reached out to me.... that's how A close associate of Gernot rohr found me and reached out to me. That's how I began getting some of the attention I get but I still do my best to keep a low profile.

So yes... I am that super annoying and highly confident dude who believes so much in himself. Deal with it.



And by brilliant work, I wasn't only referring to myself. I said "we" and I am sure common sense will inform you that others BascoVanVeli, Ppogbae and TheLoneCitizen contribute fine works as well. And I have never been found wanting when it comes to acknowledging their works.

So keep your ecclesiastical reference to yourself. I know your type. The type who secretly has an issue with me but is hiding under some other circumstance just to get at me.
You know my moniker in here... you cannot deny it. But me, I don't know who you are and I don't wanna know.

In all, Keep your pretentious opinion to yourself. Thank you.

ChrisKels:
I hope Tbaba is still alive?

cc Fabyom

TheLoneCitizen:
This is quite unlike you, my good man. The choice of words.

Nonetheless, appreciate the recognition.

ChrisKels:
I hope Tbaba is still alive?

cc Fab...

Tbaba is alive.

Here's his last seen on Nairaland – 2 days ago.

Just hope he's safe and healthy.

drDoom3:
The difference between Awoniyi's goals and Osimhen's goals is that for most of Awoniyi's goals, the chances were created for him. Sure, he showed brilliance to finish them off, but they were created nonetheless.

Osimhen makes most of his chances, in some cases from nothing. Most of his goals were not goals Awoniyi would have scored if they were swapped.

Ppogbae:
Amaju Pinnick is in deep wahala . Corruptions charges are currently loading just after his lavish dinner with the FIFA president

mostob:
God bless you real good bro... I still argued not long about this... I can tag you on one of the post.
I keep saying Ndidi, Nwakali and Iwobi is the best midfield trio that look balanced for now.

Cc fabyom and subzero

Ppogbae:

kushercain:
Aubameyang is a senior man normally but based on form if that same CAF release starting 11 list, Osimehn go bench am

drDoom3:
The difference between Awoniyi's goals and Osimhen's goals is that for most of Awoniyi's goals, the chances were created for him. Sure, he showed brilliance to finish them off, but they were created nonetheless.

Osimhen makes most of his chances, in some cases from nothing. Most of his goals were not goals Awoniyi would have scored if they were swapped.

Joebie:
You need to get agent, parent, and player on the same page while packaging yourself. Why is SE more attractive? Show the history. Show the current vision. Where does the player come in? What does the player stand to gain in the long run? The agent needs to be sold as well. While the parents side is more about emotions, the agent is more about business.

humility33:
Who does not know that this NFF led by pinnick is corrupt to the bone probably except the guy asking me where do i expect Pinnick to get money from to pay Rohr his salary

All the funds accrued by NFF both from FIFA, CAF,Corporate bodies and FG budgetary allocation are not been accounted for. Still owning players match bonus after several matches played and coaches salaries are owned

It is such a pity

Philosopher1979:
In the last 7 years 25 billion naira has been unaccounted for it stolen by amaju punick and his cronies in nff.
This is the real problem of Nigerian football and not making some home based players face Mexico.
Corruption, bad leadership and mismanagement is the root of the problem and I'm glad at least they are been exposed

jihday:
Paul Bassey of AkwaUnitedon losing NPFL players at end of season: “You pay a player N600K to N1m and a club in Europe or North Africa offers him $10 000, how do you stop him?”

Danielnino00:
In other news, almost all of Guinea Bissau contingent to Morocco has been hit by diarrhea after they eating at their hotel ..

The game might be postponed