OK first of all I don't think Chukwueze would have been a good fit for this game no.
I think Musa and Kalu were okay, the problem was with the tactics, Musa kept on running inside and Kalu too. Now imagine if Musa and Kalu both stay wide, as in very wide that means they will keep the two fullbacks very honest and they too will shift wide, then add the fact that Aina and Awaziem will be doubling up on the flanks then the Madagascans will have no choice but to push two extra players to the wings, so that means we have effectively pushed out four Madagascans from the middle, with Ndidi and Iwobi pushing forward to support Ighalo that means we will have three of our players against their six players, and if Etebo pushes high up the field too they will have to commit one player to him and that reduces it to 3 against 5 in their box, the bus effectively no longer exists. This is exactly what Manchester City does every single day, it is amazing that a top coach like Rohr does not know this basic bus breaking technique.
But the main problem is that the Madagascans did not exactly park the bus, they played counterattacking football, their striker was always in our half waiting for the ball and they had two players close to him all the time, so they effectively parked the bus with 7 players, for goodness sake Madagascar managed to shut out Nigeria for 90minutes with only 7 players. I think the commentator at some point said they will tire, but what they did was effective, since Nigeria only had one wide player on each flank, they kept on changing their own players that were marking them and their own players had enough time to recuperate, we did not make them suffer for this win, it was a comfortable win. But for Ezenwa's save and anticipation it could have been 4-1 and nobody would have said they didn't deserve it, because the only chance we got was a defensive error from them as well.
The bold was exactly what we did yesterday but it didn't work.
They should have brought in Osimhen or Onuacha for Ahmed Musa. Then you have two strikers in the box able to use their head to score.
IronGalaxy: lol, so obvious. Nail a Nigerian in a discussion and he'll bring Xenophobia in the mix. What's next? Your beloved "HIV"? Dude I used Barcelona, Madrid etc as an example, to mean a calibre of teams idiot. All of a sudden " Zambian" players are good.l, where do they play? I thought our league has crappy players? How come is Zambia out and we'll re in? How come we qualified for Afcon without being defeated in a group with includes your overrated team?
Egypt has 8 players in their afcon squad because they chose to select those players duh!!? You honestly think we didnt leave out European players as well? We don't worship Europe or oyinbo in South Africa, we don't call up a player because simply because he plays in some European backwater . Still Egypt and South Africa has most players playing in their respective domestic leagues
Which player did the EPL buy directly from your league?
Yes, Tshabalala moved to Europe at 34 so what? You said he was our " best" player didn't you? Which means he did the business whenever he was called up. You have players playing in Europe but rarely doing the job for the national team so playing in Europe alone is pointless.
As much as you can point out the likes of Aaron Mokoena, McCarthy, Radebe etc I can also point out that you had better players ions ago, the likes of Kanu etc al. Your current team is average.
You don't worship oyinbo but you use Oyinbo's achievement to front your success.
Do you mean Nigeria picked players from backwater's leagues?
Nigeria players don't do the business well but they have won gold silver and bronze in AFCON more than South Africa in her entire history.
IronGalaxy: Am I really? He use to miss more chances than he does now, he ran out of steam earlier, his decision making has improved as well as his confidence, all since playing abroad. Its an observation.
And you guys don't hype every Nigerian player that makes a sojourn to Europe?
Billiat has back to back Afcon but that proves what? Its the Zimbabwe team that got there not billiat. This is Tau' s first Afcon and wasn't he instrumental in getting us there?
If Tau and Billiat aren't mates why then did Brighton buy Tau and not Billiat and why was he the South African player of the year?
Brighton this Brighton that. Let him play for them first before you start beating your chest.
Why would Kahma a Zimbabwean win the South Africa player of the year? Keeping in mind that your people hate foreigners. There is no south African on Billiat's level bro and you know it.
In Billiat's first AFCON he single handedly destroyed Algeria don't try to say that it was the team.
charlesemeka85: its funny many here saying tau is better than iwobi. arsenal have seen enough which made them retain alex and even they decide to sell him tomorrow he wont lack suitors. last summer the likes of wolves and lazio expressed interest in having him which arsenal turned down.
alex is just 22 and still have enough time to development. when he gets to taus age he will get better but for now he is miles better and rated than tau abi pau.
i wonder the year a player from the belgian 2nd tier will make the super eagles roster.
Percy Tau should be compared to Godwin Saviour who plays in that same league. If Iwobi were south African he would be wearing a number 10 with the captains band
IronGalaxy: Nope I'm using Tau' s impact on the SA national team vis-a vis your own Iwobi who's always missing on your national games and is nowhere to be seen at Arsenal. Dude is mad overrated and average and that's how I see it, I don't get why I'm vilified for a having a different opinion. Whether Moses or whoever played in Belgium and performed is irrelevant, I'm comparing the two players' ability.
Ekstein chose to play in Azerbaijan because he wanted to, duh!! I'm simply stating that South African players are very choosy where the play in general, maybe they are spoilt I don't know but it's a fact.
Whether Akpeyi is highly related or not it's irrelevant he's still your number one in a major tournament, you are still the ' mighty super eagles" with a whole population playing in Europe aren't you?lol. You shouldn't struggle to replace Ikeme then but alas you chose a South African based player. He's also not rated this side as well btw. Yes, iwobi plays for Arsenal and is two years younger than Tau but didn't he moved there when he was four? Come on now.
Percy Tau stats in lowly Belgium second division - snapshot
Alex Iwobi stats in EPL with ARSENAL the 2017/2018 EUROPA cup finalists (Iwobi scored the only goal) - snapshot
Philosopher1979: We need kelechi nwakali in that team. He is a good attacking midfielder. Players like lukman Haruna and rabiu ibrahim should have been invited for the friendlies to see if they are still good. The team lacks attacking midfielders and creative players. The problem is the players we need are not playing for top european clubs and we make this mistake of thinking that once a player is not in leicester he is not good. We even have an attacking midfielder in our local league (i have forgotten his name). The creative side of our game needs to be worked and this fixation with European football needs to end.
I also suggest that we need to play with two attacking midfielders and not one. I mean kelechi nwakali can compliment Iwobi in midfield so as to increase our creativity. Our Journalists need to celebrate creative players and not just wingers and goalscorers. The team is not technically balanced. Also, there is a strange dependence we have on Mike Obi which is outdated and based on his performance in 2005. This is dragging back our football. Having the best striker in the world is useless or limiting if you do not have creative midfielders. Players like kevin de bruyne and lucas modric are needed in this team and NOT players like Gabriel Jesus. You dont get good tires when the engine of your car is not working.
Football is about technical depth and balance and not star players. We have lacked creative players since Okocha and this is psychological. We often REFUSE to invite creative players into our team because of "Mikel Obi mentality". This loss is a blessing in disguise. Rohr should have learnt. When the team played with Iwobi as an attacking midfielder for a year, we played well.
We are wasting Kelechi Nwakali right now because he does not have a good club. This is funny. WE NEEd CREATIVITY IN OUR MIdFIELd. at least for now, iwobi and maybe chukwueze should be encouraged. At lease, they are the most creative players we have. Mikel is a defensive midfielder/deep laying playmaker and NOT A PLAYMAKER. We need to get over this Mikel mentality. If not, he should be dropped. Egyt has won the nations cup with home based players. There is an urgent need to search for, encourage and groom creative players for our national teams. If not even Ronaldo will not help this team. Just look at Juventus in the champions league with Ronaldo.
Kelechi Nwakali and Lukman Haruna for the SE? In this 2019?.
Mikel jumps at the Trabzonspor deal seeing that a move to a Sheffield or Norwich is no longer feasible with his dire showing in the AFCON so far. Practically, had to call Trabzonspor officials over the phone to strike a deal. No medicals, nothing.
You are right. EGYPT awaits the winner of Nigeria vs 2nd group F. That is scary. I only rechecked the schedule several hours ago..
My man, Blackjack.... Whatever will happen, let it happen abeg. We have put ourselves in this position. If we wanna win the Afcon, then we must cross these mighty bridges. It is as straightforward as that.
theblackjack76: Hard to tell who'll come second in Ghana's group. Still quite open. It can still be any of the 3 - Cameroon, Ghana or Benin.
In any case, the winner of our next game will meet Egypt (if they win their round of 16 game) in the QF. That doesn't sound like dodging a bullet to me. And if Algeria keeps winning their games, they'll be next in line for the semis. If Morocco and Cameroon top their groups, we'll not be in their path to the finals. Same as Senegal. Well, to win a tournament, you have to contend with the best teams at some point. And maybe I'm looking too far ahead - let's win the next game first!
On a more hopeful note, concerning the victorious 2013 Super Eagles squad, I'm not sure most of us were greatly optimistic of the team during the group stage. They were not quite inspiring and only managed draws against BFaso and Zambia. They came second in their group. Confidence was restored when they defeated the Ivory Coast in the QF. That came as a shock to many. But the team were motivated to prove critics wrong after they had been written off by many. And they went on to claim the grand prize.
So maybe, just maybe, we are in for a pleasant surprise. I don't know how, but this would not be the first.
IronGalaxy: lol, so obvious. Nail a Nigerian in a discussion and he'll bring Xenophobia in the mix. What's next? Your beloved "HIV"? Dude I used Barcelona, Madrid etc as an example, to mean a calibre of teams idiot. All of a sudden " Zambian" players are good.l, where do they play? I thought our league has crappy players? How come is Zambia out and we'll re in? How come we qualified for Afcon without being defeated in a group with includes your overrated team?
Egypt has 8 players in their afcon squad because they chose to select those players duh!!? You honestly think we didnt leave out European players as well? We don't worship Europe or oyinbo in South Africa, we don't call up a player because simply because he plays in some European backwater . Still Egypt and South Africa has most players playing in their respective domestic leagues
Which player did the EPL buy directly from your league?
Yes, Tshabalala moved to Europe at 34 so what? You said he was our " best" player didn't you? Which means he did the business whenever he was called up. You have players playing in Europe but rarely doing the job for the national team so playing in Europe alone is pointless.
As much as you can point out the likes of Aaron Mokoena, McCarthy, Radebe etc I can also point out that you had better players ions ago, the likes of Kanu etc al. Your current team is average.
bro I may not know of any EPL team buying players from Nigeria but I know Barcelona bought imoh Ezekiel from a club in Nigeria presently one of our academy boys that played in U-20 makanjuola is currently on the radar of leceister city.
alekside: The first stat is impressive why the second is poor.
Look well.
Percy Tau played as a SS while Iwobi as a winger. Based on this, Iwobi's stats is far better and because he did it in a very very very very very very very very very very very very very very superior league.
Percy Tau played as a SS while Iwobi as a winger. Based on this, Iwobi's stats is far better and because he did it in a very very very very very very very very very very very very very very superior league.
21 goals contribution in 22 games is quite impressive for a Second striker. Not like I care about the player though.
However, Iwobi's stats need improvement. Saying a player is a winger is no longer a valid excuse for low end products in football these days.
Philosopher1979: We need kelechi nwakali in that team. He is a good attacking midfielder. Players like lukman Haruna and rabiu ibrahim should have been invited for the friendlies to see if they are still good. The team lacks attacking midfielders and creative players. The problem is the players we need are not playing for top european clubs and we make this mistake of thinking that once a player is not in leicester he is not good. We even have an attacking midfielder in our local league (i have forgotten his name). The creative side of our game needs to be worked and this fixation with European football needs to end.
I also suggest that we need to play with two attacking midfielders and not one. I mean kelechi nwakali can compliment Iwobi in midfield so as to increase our creativity. Our Journalists need to celebrate creative players and not just wingers and goalscorers. The team is not technically balanced. Also, there is a strange dependence we have on Mike Obi which is outdated and based on his performance in 2005. This is dragging back our football. Having the best striker in the world is useless or limiting if you do not have creative midfielders. Players like kevin de bruyne and lucas modric are needed in this team and NOT players like Gabriel Jesus. You dont get good tires when the engine of your car is not working.
Football is about technical depth and balance and not star players. We have lacked creative players since Okocha and this is psychological. We often REFUSE to invite creative players into our team because of "Mikel Obi mentality". This loss is a blessing in disguise. Rohr should have learnt. When the team played with Iwobi as an attacking midfielder for a year, we played well.
We are wasting Kelechi Nwakali right now because he does not have a good club. This is funny. WE NEEd CREATIVITY IN OUR MIdFIELd. at least for now, iwobi and maybe chukwueze should be encouraged. At lease, they are the most creative players we have. Mikel is a defensive midfielder/deep laying playmaker and NOT A PLAYMAKER. We need to get over this Mikel mentality. If not, he should be dropped. Egyt has won the nations cup with home based players. There is an urgent need to search for, encourage and groom creative players for our national teams. If not even Ronaldo will not help this team. Just look at Juventus in the champions league with Ronaldo.
Kelechi Nwakali who struggled to make a lowly second division Portuguese league yet you think he's good enough to make the Nigerian national team.
Are you for real?
If you are looking for creative players, we have them in abundance but the problem is Rohr who refuses to bring them into the team.
Eze Eberechi and Josh Onomah are the two players that are good enough for the creativity.
If Abdul Ajagun returns to Belgium pro League or gets a better team then he should be given a chance after he must have performed in the new team or league.
Lukman Haruna and Rabiu Ibrahim are forgotten players. We don't seem to need them.
Kelechi Nwakali who struggled to make a lowly second division Portuguese league yet you think he's better good enough to make the Nigerian national team.
Are you for real?
If you are looking for creative players, we have them in abundance but the problem is Rohr who refuses to bring them into the team.
Eze Eberechi and Josh Onomah are the two players that are good enough for the creativity.
If Abdul Ajagun returns to Belgium pro League or gets a better team then he should be given a chance after he must have performed in the new team or league.
Lukman Haruna and Rabiu Ibrahim are forgotten players. We don't seem to need them.
Kelechi Nwakali and Lukman Haruna for the SE? In this 2019?.
Some people analysis sha
How can anybody with half � common sense suggest Kelechi Nwakali.
The basis for SE selection is your club performance not past youthful glories. This boy is not even a first team regular for the reserve team.
He was demoted essentially from the Eredivisie to the 2nd tier of Dutch football. Then further regressed to play youth football in Porto B and then to he further diminishes because he is not first choice.
The SE is for professional first team players irrespective of the league that are putting in consistent continous and out outstanding performances not youth players.
Aigbogun still qualified Nigeria to U20 world cup.
I learnt his team placed 2nd in the NPFL and h was crucial part of Enyimba's success this season.
The problem I see with local coaches is selection.
if you want a local coach... ogunbote will do better...
Lol... Let him do something with other small and unknown clubs in the NPFL and I will take him serious. kadiri Ikhana achieved winning the NPFL with the highest point ever with enyimba and he even had the highest unbeaten record... you didn't recommend him but go ask for Aigbogun who could not make tactical sub and changes in the last cadet world cup and even read games for the super eagles....
you baffles me....
enyimba is the Barcelona or the bayern Munich of the NPFL...any average coach can achieve anything like the 2nd place team with them.... so that's not a feet.
TheSuperNerd: You are right. EGYPT awaits the winner of Nigeria vs 2nd group F. That is scary. I only rechecked the schedule several hours ago..
My man, Blackjack.... Whatever will happen, let it happen abeg. We have put ourselves in this position. If we wanna win the Afcon, then we must cross these mighty bridges. It is as straightforward as that.
SuperNerd, Na me remain wey never welcome you back. Football is a funny old game. The so called Ghana and Egypt when we meet them will be beaten soundly.
The call for Rohrs sack is premature. What the NFF should do is get him a sound tactical adviser to assist. Like Kalila was to Siasia. I watched the game again this morning. When the game started, the Madagascans were jittery and showed us a lot of respect and I think their game plan was to play for a draw. That's why we have to score early whenever we play so called minnows.
