₦airaland Forum

Ajayi is a solid CB that still years to offer in the SE not doubt.

That said I think you're engaging in a bit of historic revisionism.

Benjamin played in the RB position because Osayi was shaky in that position in the prior games we played and the coaching crew felt since it's Congo who don't carry so much of a threat and Ajayi not being a liability in the defense we should be able to cope.

Benjamin mind you was benching even Ekong so it wasn't so much if Ajayi was figuring for his club but who was the best in that CB role.

When everybody is fit Benjamin is a starter.

Ajayi is solid backup but Fredricks is better.

For example Akor is a good striker and solid player but if I have to choose between him and Osimhen to start bros na Victor all the way.

forgiveness:
Why did Ajayi play CB against Congo when Benjamin was fit? Stop talking trash.

Benjamin got opportunity to play because Ajayi was rusty. He didn't get to play at the beginning of the season but as soon as he got playing time, he was called immediately. That tells you how much Chelle rates him.

Moreover, Ajayi has played regularly in AFCON and contributed in getting us to the finals. Until the aforementioned players get us to that level, we can have a reasonable debate but for now, they are understudying Ajayi.

Of course, Ajayi is old and we can start looking for his replacement. I mean age and future planning are the only factors that will relegate Ajayi in that team. No mu.mu coach will drop him for juveniles.

EElopa:
Some of you guys can't seem to understand that there are levels to football. If Nigeria's Super Eagles are serious about winning the AFCON or perhaps making a deep run in the 2030 World Cup, a player like Semi Ajayi needs to be weeded out of the team. I have nothing against Semi Ajayi; he has represented his country well and, to be honest with you, has performed better than significantly more talented players in that position. There are levels to this game, mate. Did you even watch the South Korea game yesterday? Did you not see how every single South Korean player on that team was completely comfortable on the ball and could run and advance with the ball and how they all could thread the ball comfortably to the midfielders without aimlessly booting the ball down the field? Semi Ajayi is not a ball-playing defender, and every time he gets the ball, he simply does not have the ability to comfortably carry the ball and thread in a pass to a midfielder. Go back and watch Nigeria vs. Morocco and see how the Moroccan coach specifically tasked his players to press hard against Nigeria every time the ball goes to Semi Ajayi. Benjamin Fedricks, Emmnuel Fernandez, and Chibuike Nwaiwu are ball-playing defenders. These are the kind of players that take a team to a different level because they can advance with the ball and they can thread a pass to a midfielder in behind a hard press. This is the reason Emmanuel Fernandes is attracting interest from Dortmund; Benjamin Fredricks will soon be a starter at Brentford and Bayer. Laverkusen submitted 20 million euros for Nwaiwu, which Trabzonspor rejected. Seyi Ajayi has done well for Nigeria, but he is a limited player, and there are levels to this game, mate. If Nigeria wants to get back to the levels we were in in the 90s, players like Semi Ajayi and Sanusi should be thanked for their services and retired from the national team. Good guys but are simply limited players.

You said it all, I'm tired of breaking it down for this football novices that pointing out Ajayi's glaring limitations which you brilliantly elucidated isn't a campaign against his outstanding service to Nigeria...thanks for taking your time to deliver this submission cause I no get power to dey explain.

Egbon I think you're referring to Zaidu. He was the one the Portuguese winger deleted before unleashing that shot.

The first goal Akpan lost his man who passed to Neto. Ajayi tried to engage Neto but he was too sharp with his movement in beating Semi before he scored.

Kog45:
I just watched one of the goal again...Bruno failed to mark the scorer,fact he gave him the space to shoot and nothing Maduka can do about it,the two goals Maduka view was blocked cuz the scorer drove Bruno from LB to the edge of 18 yard and took the shot and the samething happened through RB......well on Ajayi,i asked him why he was so harsh on Ajayi?Bassey was even caught out of positions than Ajayi in that game but Calvin Bassey was brave in his game,but his point on Ajayi i no understand o cuz calling a player washed just like that...the team did well with the absence of Osimhen,Lookman,Aina and Osayi

Kog45:
Sorry,Ajayi played in EPL in his career and just got promted to EPL again,yes played majorly in championship.

Pls i need more explanation on word LIMITED as a player....

A limited player is a player that is not well rounded in all aspects of the craft required in his position. When scouts evaluate a player, there are parameters they are measuring. Abilities corresponding to the offensive side of the game (when the team is in position) and abilities to the defensive side of the game (when the team is out of position). Frank Onyeka, for example, is a limited player. He will work his ass off for the team, and he will run himself to the ground for the team. He reads the game very well. He is a very good box-to-box midfielder when the team is out of position because he has the engine of a V12 truck. Frank Onyeka will always have suitors, especially among some of the smaller teams in the top 5 leagues, because of what he brings to the table.

Some of the more ambitious teams, the bigger teams, will not look his way because of lack of technicality in his game. He does not have the technical skillset of some of the very good players that play in his position. He cannot carry the ball; he has limited passing range and can not control the tempo of the game. This is why I say he is a limited player. Mikel Obi was not a limited player. He had the ability that corresponded to the defense side of the game and the ability that corresponded to the offensive side of the game, and that was why he played for Chelsea for so many years. The same with Sunday Oliseh. There are levels to football.

Kog45:
Oga Meli,the match was a friendly match but big question in a competitive match can you stake it that Nigeria will beat Portugal.

Anything can happen in football.
With good coaching we can beat Portugal.

Portugal has more talents than us, but we have the assortment of players that can beat Portugal.
Ndidi was excellent in duels and ball recoveries, he outperformed all the midfielders in those metrics save Frank Onyeka who had more ball recoveries.

Wilfred Ndidi, Frank Onyeka, Tochukwu Nnadi are rock solid midfielders. The lapses we saw in the midfield against Portugal was down to Eric Chelle for fielding FDB and Alex Iwobi at the same time, their deficits in defensive duels has always been there, a situation that i pointed out in the last AFCON. Contrast FDB and Bruno Fernandes in how they fared in duels, FDB lost all, Fernandes lost only one.

Eric Chelle has his positives, especially in the manner he has improved our passes and composition of play, but he is yet to possess that cutting edge that can give us the foremost advantage to victorious situations.

chrisooblog:
Egbon I think you're referring to Zaidu. He was the one the Portuguese winger deleted before unleashing that shot.

The first goal Akpan lost his man who passed to Neto. Ajayi tried to engage Neto but he was too sharp with his movement in beating Semi before he scored.

Oh am sorry,yes Zaidu but Bruno would have covered up,well na we fans sabi ball o....just narration i will not blame any one of them cuz football no easy o

SymphonyRad:
You said it all, I'm tired of breaking it down for this football novices that pointing out Ajayi's glaring limitations which you brilliantly elucidated isn't a campaign against his outstanding service to Nigeria...thanks for taking your time to deliver this submission cause I no get power to dey explain.

I wonder who you dey refers to as football novices, certainly not Elder Kog45,baba Forgiveness, or even me.

Abi you just manage watch two AFCON editions,and you automatically turn to football aficionado.

EElopa:
A limited player is a player that is not well rounded in all aspects of the craft required in his position. When scouts evaluate a player, there are parameters they are measuring. Abilities corresponding to the offensive side of the game (when the team is in position) and abilities to the defensive side of the game (when the team is out of position). Frank Onyeka, for example, is a limited player. He will work his ass off for the team, and he will run himself to the ground for the team. He reads the game very well. He is a very good box-to-box midfielder when the team is out of position because he has the engine of a V12 truck. Frank Onyeka will always have suitors, especially among some of the smaller teams in the top 5 leagues, because of what he brings to the table.

Some of the more ambitious teams, the bigger teams, will not look his way because of lack of technicality in his game. He does not have the technical skillset of some of the very good players that play in his position. He cannot carry the ball; he has limited passing range and can not control the tempo of the game. This is why I say he is a limited player. Mikel Obi was not a limited player. He had the ability that corresponded to the defense side of the game and the ability that corresponded to the offensive side of the game, and that was why he played for Chelsea for so many years. The same with Sunday, Oliseh. There are levels to football.

Oga going by your explanation 60% of our players should be discarded cuz they are limited...see football is a game that only tactics wins it....Cameroon players in Italian 90 are very limited and what happened..see football goes beyond limitation,coaches uses what they have to win simple.

Exactly! Ajayi like you rightly said has earned his stripes however if I know my team will face a high profile forward with tools to hurt me Semi is unlikely to be my first choice especially when I have Benjamin available.

Any argument against Benjamin should first remember his performance against Gabon when he displaced Aubameyang, traveled with the ball from the midfield and still had the presence of mind to give Osimhen a perfectly tailored pass. Which of our CB in recent memory has done that?

The only part I disagree with you is Ajayi place in our hierarchy of defenders. After Bassey and Benjamin Ajayi. Ogbu, Fernandez, and Nwaiwu still have to prove themselves even if you feel they have a higher ceiling than Ajayi.

Sugarboyy:
I don't think Ajayi was very poor, rather I feel it was just his normal way of defending. Aside being good aerially, to me he doesn't have any other qualities as a defender. I will pick Fernandez, Nwaiwu and Fredrick over Ajayi in the SE CB position.
That said, I don't think Chelle removed Ajayi in that match because he was playing badly, rather to test new formation and that's why Bruno a left footed was moved to the CB to pair Bassey, another left footed when Fernandez was on the bench

Gbam! Wish I could give this a double like.

Nothing more to be said.

EElopa:
Some of you guys can't seem to understand that there are levels to football. If Nigeria's Super Eagles are serious about winning the AFCON or perhaps making a deep run in the 2030 World Cup, a player like Semi Ajayi needs to be weeded out of the team. I have nothing against Semi Ajayi; he has represented his country well and, to be honest with you, has performed better than significantly more talented players in that position. There are levels to this game, mate. Did you even watch the South Korea game yesterday? Did you not see how every single South Korean player on that team was completely comfortable on the ball and could run and advance with the ball and how they all could thread the ball comfortably to the midfielders without aimlessly booting the ball down the field? Semi Ajayi is not a ball-playing defender, and every time he gets the ball, he simply does not have the ability to comfortably carry the ball and thread in a pass to a midfielder. Go back and watch Nigeria vs. Morocco and see how the Moroccan coach specifically tasked his players to press hard against Nigeria every time the ball goes to Semi Ajayi. Benjamin Fedricks, Emmnuel Fernandez, and Chibuike Nwaiwu are ball-playing defenders. These are the kind of players that take a team to a different level because they can advance with the ball and they can thread a pass to a midfielder in behind a hard press. This is the reason Emmanuel Fernandes is attracting interest from Dortmund; Benjamin Fredricks will soon be a starter at Brentford and Bayer. Laverkusen submitted 20 million euros for Nwaiwu, which Trabzonspor rejected. Seyi Ajayi has done well for Nigeria, but he is a limited player, and there are levels to this game, mate. If Nigeria wants to get back to the levels we were in in the 90s, players like Semi Ajayi and Sanusi should be thanked for their services and retired from the national team. Good guys but are simply limited players.

chrisooblog:
Ajayi is a solid CB that still years to offer in the SE not doubt.

That said I think you're engaging in a bit of historic revisionism.

Benjamin played in the RB position because Osayi was shaky in that position in the prior games we played and the coaching crew felt since it's Congo who don't carry so much of a threat and Ajayi not being a liability in the defense we should be able to cope.

Benjamin mind you was benching even Ekong so it wasn't so much if Ajayi was figuring for his club but who was the best in that CB role.

When everybody is fit Benjamin is a starter.

Ajayi is solid backup but Fredricks is better.

For example Akor is a good striker and solid player but if I have to choose between him and Osimhen to start bros na Victor all the way.

Oga! Ajayi was rusty because he wasn't playing for his club. That's why he wasn't called in the first place. This was prior to the qualifiers.

When he got his foot back in his team, he got invited again. That's pure fact.

Now, concerning Congo match, he claimed if Benjamin was fit, Ajayi will seat but I used that as a reference point to prove otherwise.

Ajayi still played when Benjamin was fit. Why he played in that maych no concern me. How is that revisionism? Abi em no play?

Point is, it is the coach that determines which player plays in any game.

Fredrick is better even without doing anything for SE? Who go remember him better? Until he performs at AFCON and gets us a medal, we can say he is better but for now it is your wishful thinking and only on nairaland.com.

SymphonyRad:
I'm not talking about this one...

Which one? The one Ronald missed with his head?

Or the one the ball went behind CR7? Which one?

chrisooblog:
Ajayi is a solid CB that still years to offer in the SE not doubt.

That said I think you're engaging in a bit of historic revisionism.

Benjamin played in the RB position because Osayi was shaky in that position in the prior games we played and the coaching crew felt since it's Congo who don't carry so much of a threat and Ajayi not being a liability in the defense we should be able to cope.

Benjamin mind you was benching even Ekong so it wasn't so much if Ajayi was figuring for his club but who was the best in that CB role.

When everybody is fit Benjamin is a starter.

Ajayi is solid backup but Fredricks is better.

For example Akor is a good striker and solid player but if I have to choose between him and Osimhen to start bros na Victor all the way.

It's refreshing to see we still have sound minds on this forum who are up to speed with their facts and knowledge...I gave up on that dude when he asked me why Chelle started Benjamin as a RB against DRC and Ajayi as the CB pairing to Bassey (thought he scored a gotcha point with his warped logic)...I'm glad you brought up the Osayi conundrum as a RB in that playoff game vs Gabon where he was so lucky not to have even conceded a penalty to Gabon (VAR saved our blushes and fear in that incident). It was due to how badly Osayi struggled in that game that Chelle had to take a leap of faith with Benjamin (who isn't even a RB), yet Benjamin delivered a monstrous performance and ran his legs to the ground against a rampaging DRC attack, all the while playing in an unfamiliar position.

Nobody has an agenda against Ajayi, if anything several fans have always admired the aerial advantage and calm he brings to the defence, but just like Ekong he is simply very limited as a ball playing defender and that is one important quality every defender needs in the modern game, that's why top teams like Man city, PSG, Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern etc have been very successful. The semi-final game against Morocco really exposed this theory, we saw how Bassey single-handedly bombed forward with the ball and tried to beat the press from the Moroccans by trying to build up from the back with passes through the channels...Ajayi on thr other hand just kept hoofing the ball aimlessly and conceding possession to the Moroccans simply because he lacked the ability to counter-press with his glaring lack of ball playing abilities. Bassey was doing the job of defending and attacking at the same time, and that was why he earned an MVP rating in that game cause he was a one-man machine...if he had a player like Benjamin pairing him in that game, the outcome would most likely have been different.

I encourage the novices here to watch the performances of Benjamin when he paired with Bassey against Lesotho, South Africa, Rwanda, Benin republic, and Gabon...watch how pleasing it looked to see us play the ball on the ground and build up so delightfully from defence to attack.

SymphonyRad:
You said it all, I'm tired of breaking it down for this football novices that pointing out Ajayi's glaring limitations which you brilliantly elucidated isn't a campaign against his outstanding service to Nigeria...thanks for taking your time to deliver this submission cause I no get power to dey explain.

Football novices?oga i don dey watch Afcons,World Cups,Europe champions cup,Europa cups when it was UEFA winners cup,watched English league before EPL since 1980s.....watched Nigeria leagues and CAF different club cups,watching WAFU cup,watching Nigeria leagues for years,travelling out of the country to watch football,having good relationship with many players and mind you i have two boys who i can call my sons in present eagles set up...

Abegi no novice here talking football,drop your point and let people contribute,here is not about winning arguement but exchanging ideas about football,i gain you gain and we move on.

Despite my histoical knowledge about Nigeria football i have learnt a lot here from good guys here who are in line with what is going on in modern day football.

Novice no dey here o

forgiveness:
Which one? The one Ronald missed with his head?

Or the one the ball went behind CR7? Which one?

No, you have one more chance to re-watch all of Ronaldo's misses to spot the incident I'm talking about...

Hint: The said incident starts from 0.28, observe very closely the defender who ball watched as a simple cross that was within his reach of interception somehow found it's way to CR7.

Ronaldo first half misses 😭😭😭😭😭

All these in just one half 😭 pic.twitter.com/3dOXPniK1k

— Otiga (@Otti129) June 10, 2026

dominique:
It was the bad blood between key players and the inept coach NFF hired that caused this. If we had started the qualifiers with a tactical coach like Eric Chelle, we would have qualified without a doubt.

They always love to get in the way of success. I wonder why they don't vet enough stick in the media. Always the coach.

Since 2022 now, almost half a dozen coaches and still no ticket.

EElopa:
There are 54 teams in Africa.

There will be three groups of 30 teams in the final round.

The top 24 teams automatically make it to the final round.

African teams ranked from 25 to 54 will go in the qualifying series for the 6 spots available to make it to the final rounds.

The final round will have 30 teams. The final round will consist of three groups: Group A, Group B, and Group C.

Each team will play a total number of 18 games, just as you have it in CONMEBOL.

The top three teams in each group automatically qualify for the World Cup.

The two best fourth-place teams among the three groups make it to the CAF playoff.

There will be a home and away match to determine the sole CAF representatives at the Intercontinental playoffs.

That CONMEBOL format go too long abeg. Especially with the way Africans already have issues with release from clubs. Perhaps the window for int friendlies but if club see they go injure their guy, wahala.

chrisooblog:
Off topic Kanyinsola ran 9.94 another sub 10s. 9th in his career.

@Supernerd @PDPGuy hope he can become the male torch bearer in the sprints which we have lacked for so long.

Same here. I’m hoping he wins medals at next year’s World championships

EElopa:
A limited player is a player that is not well rounded in all aspects of the craft required in his position. When scouts evaluate a player, there are parameters they are measuring. Abilities corresponding to the offensive side of the game (when the team is in position) and abilities to the defensive side of the game (when the team is out of position). Frank Onyeka, for example, is a limited player. He will work his ass off for the team, and he will run himself to the ground for the team. He reads the game very well. He is a very good box-to-box midfielder when the team is out of position because he has the engine of a V12 truck. Frank Onyeka will always have suitors, especially among some of the smaller teams in the top 5 leagues, because of what he brings to the table.

Some of the more ambitious teams, the bigger teams, will not look his way because of lack of technicality in his game. He does not have the technical skillset of some of the very good players that play in his position. He cannot carry the ball; he has limited passing range and can not control the tempo of the game. This is why I say he is a limited player. Mikel Obi was not a limited player. He had the ability that corresponded to the defense side of the game and the ability that corresponded to the offensive side of the game, and that was why he played for Chelsea for so many years. The same with Sunday Oliseh. There are levels to football.

"Limited" is not the appropriate word you would want to be using, because every player is limited, with no exception including Messi.
They are limited to their crafts,their abilities or their skills .

While some players are exceptional,but not without limitations,some are average,some are poor.

It's better you join the guy who uses the word "average" to describe some of our players .

Ajayi rusty or not rusty we know what he brings to the table. He's not a horrible defender but he's also not great.

As Eelopa so eloquently explained Ajayi is limited and will unlikely reach the heights of a great defender in contrast to Bassey and Benjamin who are on that path.

You're being economic with the truth suggesting Ajayi was the reason Benjamin didn't play CB against Congo. Have you forgotten so soon how us fans were clamoring for Fredricks to play RB due to how poor Osayi was during that period?

Novice player yet Chelle trusted him to play a position in a high stakes game like the WC qualifier a position he hadn't played before for the SE o!

I've seen Benjamin play high pressure WC qualifiers and he was consistently our best defender in all those games that's enough proof.

What does your last paragraph even mean? Ambrose has won AFCON and gone to WC is he better than Aina? Is Emenike better than Osimhen because he won AFCON?

Honestly SMH.

forgiveness:
Oga! Ajayi was rusty because he wasn't playing for his club. That's why he wasn't called in the first place. This was prior to the qualifiers.

When he got his foot back in his team, he got invited again. That's pure fact.

Now, concerning Congo match, he claimed if Benjamin was fit, Ajayi will seat but I used that as a reference point to prove otherwise.

Ajayi still played when Benjamin was fit. Why he played in that maych no concern me. How is that revisionism? Abi em no play?

Point is, it is the coach that determines which player plays in any game.

Fredrick is better even without doing anything for SE? Who go remember him better? Until he performs at AFCON and gets us a medal, we can say he is better but for now it is your wishful thinking and only on nairaland.com.

EElopa:
Please, I don't want to make this a Semi Ajayi bashing day. Semi Ajayi has been a championship-level player throughout his career for a reason, mate. He is a limited player. If we want a Super Eagles that will continue to struggle to impose themselves against the elite teams in the world, then we should continue to invite players with limited technical ability, like Semi Ajayi and Sanusi. I am trying not to be disrespectful to you and Semi Ajayi, but if you simply cannot see that Semi Ajayi is not a ball-playing defender, then I don't see the point of arguing with you because I am not sure you actually understand the game you are watching.

Agreed, Semi Ajayi has been a Championship level player throughout his career after he left Arsenal academy though he once played in the EPL. However, if you purview the argument based on this then he has played at the highest level above Benjamin. If Benjamin has quality and no limitation, he should be playing for Brentford na.

Ajayi limitation didn't stop us from almost winning AFCON. Abi it was due to his limitation we lost those matches?

You lied he doesn't thread the ball forward but this Ajayi does consistently. We saw that against Portugal.

Which limitation are you talking about again? Because this your submission doesn't fly. Na lie.

I am here to debunk your false submission not here to argue.

Egbon you're now getting the point we're making. Due to the limitation of 60-70% of our players our national team will never reach the heights we dream and hope for.

Yes SE is not like club football where you can discard and buy players but we need to sharpen our scouting and squad selection skills to get to the next level.

The players we currently are only good enough to maybe win AFCON. I say maybe because Senegal, Morocco, and Ivory Coast are improving everyday and will leave us in the dust if we don't wake up.

Kog45:
Oga going by your explanation 60% of our players should be discarded cuz they are limited...see football is a game that only tactics wins it....Cameroon players in Italian 90 are very limited and what happened..see football goes beyond limitation,coaches uses what they have to win simple.

chrisooblog:
Ajayi rusty or not rusty we know what he brings to the table. He's not a horrible defender but he's also not great.

As Eelopa so eloquently explained Ajayi is limited and will unlikely reach the heights of a great defender in contrast to Bassey and Benjamin who are on that path.

You're being economic with the truth suggesting Ajayi was the reason Benjamin didn't play CB against Congo. Have you forgotten so soon how us fans were clamoring for Fredricks to play RB due to how poor Osayi was during that period?

Novice player yet Chelle trusted him to play a position in a high stakes game like the WC qualifier a position he hadn't played before for the SE o!

I've seen Benjamin play high pressure WC qualifiers and he was consistently our best defender in all those games that's enough proof.

What does your last paragraph even mean? Ambrose has won AFCON and gone to WC is he better than Aina? Is Emenike better than Osimhen because he won AFCON?

Honestly SMH.

You lack comprehension skills or you are deliberately twisting my point.

At no point did I say Ajayi was the reason Benjamin didn't play CB against Congo. The point is, Ajayi played even when Benjamin was fit. EOD.

Eelopa submission lacks substance. It can't stand the test of truth. He was prejudiced in his submission because we saw Ajayi thread the ball forward many times. Na only agenda people go come here they lie. Infact, Ajayi loves doing that alone. Watch match.

Benjamin is better in recovery because he is young and pacy while Ajayi is getting older and slower.

Ambrose better pass Aina for that in Green white green. Osimhen is better because of APOTY. Spot the difference.

Napoleon55:


I wonder who you dey refers to as football novices, certainly not Elder Kog45,baba Forgiveness, or even me.

Abi you just manage watch two AFCON editions,and you automatically turn to football aficionado.

My chairman abeg make una no vex, I extend my apologies to my ogas whom I might have unwittingly disrespected with my choice of word. I shouldn't have used the word novice and I take it back 🙏🏿

forgiveness:
You lack comprehension skills or you are deliberately twisting my point.

At no point did I say Ajayi was the reason Benjamin didn't play CB against Congo. The point is, Ajayi played even when Benjamin was fit. EOD.

Eelopa submission lacks substance. It can't stand the test of truth. He was prejudiced in his submission because we saw Ajayi thread the ball forward many times. Na only agenda people go come here they lie. Infact, Ajayi loves doing that alone. Watch match.

Benjamin is better in recovery because he is young and pacy while Ajayi is getting older and slower.

Ambrose better pass Aina for that in Green white green. Osimhen is better because of APOTY. Spot the difference.

At the highlighted, bros do mind throwing more light on these games Ajayi played when Benjamin was fit? are you aware Benjamin only made his debut in the previous unity cup and literally walked into the starting XI and started benching a whole Ekong who was captain? and went on to play in almost all the high stake world cup qualifier games afterwards? Ajayi was never in competition with Benjamin cause they aren't even in the same age gap and belong to different generations, so that assertion of yours is weird.

Benjamin is the reason why Ekong realized his best days were behind and did the honorable thing by retiring...

SymphonyRad:
My chairman abeg make una no vex, I extend my apologies to my ogas whom I might have unwittingly disrespected with my choice of word. I shouldn't have used the word novice and I take it back 🙏🏿

No wahala

[quote author=SymphonyRad post=139695773]No, you have one more chance to re-watch all of Ronaldo's misses to spot the incident I'm talking about...

Hint: The said incident starts from 0.28, observe very closely the defender who ball watched as a simple cross that was within his reach of interception somehow found it's way to CR7.

Ronaldo first half misses 😭😭😭😭😭

All these in just one half 😭 pic.twitter.com/3dOXPniK1k

— Otiga (@Otti129) June 10, 2026

you mean this one? Only Ajayi was ball watching? The rest were well positioned, abi?

Who was that player closer to CR7?

Do you mean he just escorted CR7 come field? Dude was also a culprit.

This showed your prejudice against Ajayi else you would have had something reasonable to say about that player watching CR7 sneaked into that space on challenged. Your poor judgment is legendary.

SymphonyRad:
You said it all, I'm tired of breaking it down for this football novices that pointing out Ajayi's glaring limitations which you brilliantly elucidated isn't a campaign against his outstanding service to Nigeria...thanks for taking your time to deliver this submission cause I no get power to dey explain.

Well! Your opinion.

And you're standing logic on its head.

So if you're saying Ajayi played CB when Benjamin was fit what does that imply Mr. Comprehension skills?

If you can't grasp what EElopa explained that's your problem not mine.

Ajayi was porous for the SE when he was younger so I that your shalaye about better recovery when younger won't fly.

Ambrose that played highest in Scotland is better than Aina?

I no follow argue with you again. If you like say Ajayi is the best defender we've had in 20 years na you know.

forgiveness:
You lack comprehension skills or you are deliberately twisting my point.

At no point did I say Ajayi was the reason Benjamin didn't play CB against Congo. The point is, Ajayi played even when Benjamin was fit. EOD.

Eelopa submission lacks substance. It can't stand the test of truth. He was prejudiced in his submission because we saw Ajayi thread the ball forward many times. Na only agenda people go come here they lie. Infact, Ajayi loves doing that alone. Watch match.

Benjamin is better in recovery because he is young and pacy while Ajayi is getting older and slower.

Ambrose better pass Aina for that in Green white green. Osimhen is better because of APOTY. Spot the difference.

SymphonyRad:
At the highlighted, bros do mind throwing more light on these games Ajayi played when Benjamin was fit? are you aware Benjamin only made his debut in the previous unity cup and literally walked into the starting XI and started benching a whole Ekong who was captain? and went on to play in almost all the high stake world cup qualifier games afterwards? Ajayi was never in competition with Benjamin cause they aren't even in the same age gap and belong to different generations, so that assertion of yours is weird.

Benjamin is the reason why Ekong realized his best days were behind and did the honorable thing by retiring...

Benjamin played in the second match at the unity game which happened to his debut but was benched in the final whichhappenedto be the next match. That doesn't show sequence as you claimed. Ajayi still played in that same final. Was Benjamin not fit for the next match?

Ajayi was not available in the next match which happened to be the qualifiers because he wasn't playing games for his club. EOD.

If they not in the same age gap, why are you claiming Benjamin is above Ajayi?

Who is weird now?

EElopa:
Some of you guys can't seem to understand that there are levels to football. If Nigeria's Super Eagles are serious about winning the AFCON or perhaps making a deep run in the 2030 World Cup, a player like Semi Ajayi needs to be weeded out of the team. I have nothing against Semi Ajayi; he has represented his country well and, to be honest with you, has performed better than significantly more talented players in that position. There are levels to this game, mate. Did you even watch the South Korea game yesterday? Did you not see how every single South Korean player on that team was completely comfortable on the ball and could run and advance with the ball and how they all could thread the ball comfortably to the midfielders without aimlessly booting the ball down the field? Semi Ajayi is not a ball-playing defender, and every time he gets the ball, he simply does not have the ability to comfortably carry the ball and thread in a pass to a midfielder. Go back and watch Nigeria vs. Morocco and see how the Moroccan coach specifically tasked his players to press hard against Nigeria every time the ball goes to Semi Ajayi. Benjamin Fedricks, Emmnuel Fernandez, and Chibuike Nwaiwu are ball-playing defenders. These are the kind of players that take a team to a different level because they can advance with the ball and they can thread a pass to a midfielder in behind a hard press. This is the reason Emmanuel Fernandes is attracting interest from Dortmund; Benjamin Fredricks will soon be a starter at Brentford and Bayer. Laverkusen submitted 20 million euros for Nwaiwu, which Trabzonspor rejected. Seyi Ajayi has done well for Nigeria, but he is a limited player, and there are levels to this game, mate. If Nigeria wants to get back to the levels we were in in the 90s, players like Semi Ajayi and Sanusi should be thanked for their services and retired from the national team. Good guys but are simply limited players.

A player who has played as a CB, RB, and DM cannot be called a limited player.