₦airaland Forum

jalether:
excellent post . Case in point . . . . Germany vs Australia last night. The germans won and won convincingly. their players were extremely fit and young

these 2 factors played a key role in their outstanding performance and victory last night. nuff said

I played competitive soccer, even though at the collegiate level in Yankee, but one certainty is that an unfit football player who is on the field hurts the team. Football is not child's play, especially at a world's stage, and that is one thing I like about Siasia: he never fields unfit players (I am sure because as an ex player, he knows the importance of fitness in football). I would even argue that fitness is about 70-80% of football.

Only in Nigeria will a player like Kanu, Yobo, Shittu make the team at the exclusion of other fit players, and I'm sure they lobbied, rather than play, their way into the team. I am still convinced the NFF influenced Lars's selection.

Sagamite,

Your analysis are good on paper, and I can tell you have never played "competitive soccer" from your analysis. I think you may be overemphasizing the lack of commitment on the part of our players, but the fact is that, while commitment is essential in any sport, in soccer, fitness is the foundation on which all other qualities like commitment can be built.

If you have as part of your back four at least two defenders, Danny Shittu, who has never played a competitive match this season, and Joseph Yobo, who barely plays for Everton, because of lack of competitive matches, they are most likely not match fit, and, even if they had the commitment, will not be able to effectively commit because they are unfit.
I can go and on and on as to the number of unfit players on that team.

Fitness is the first thing for any football player. Even if they were committed, Danny Shittu and Yobo should be in our defense.

Why is this on NL, especially on front page? Who gives a hoot about Ghana's economy doing bad? We need to worry first about our own economy.

mrjingles:
Haba! Una never tire? Sagamite Vs NLand is still raging on? Am sure you guys will be at this long after the world cup ends. Until one of you keyboard coaches on both sides of this meaningless argument handles an amateur team to your state challenge cup I wont take any of you serious. professionals are doing the biz in South Africa, you are all here yapping. Have you guys not noticed that even the studio analysts are guys who have played and/or coached at the top level? That tells you that except you have played/coached at the top any analysis is just grammar!

Analysts come coaches of Nland start by coaching your sunday sunday teams! Abeg i tire! Shape, structure, movement, compact, this and that! How many of una really understand all those words? Just repeating things you hear on tv does not make you an "expert". Enuf already!

Go and play outside

Sagamite,

Commitment is Ok, but there is a limit  to how much commitment you can give when your opponent can outrun you. I just think Korea Republic will show our guys hell. I feel sorry for them. They will need every level of commitment in their blood to withstand the speed and fitness of the Koreans.

jalether:
@ sagamite. The senegal 2002 team that reached the QF were relatively young and inexperienced.

Thank you.
I have no problem with experienced guys, but if and only if they are fit and show that they can still run. And even if the experienced players can't run, you need a team that has at least 5 -6 players who can run. Our current squad does not really have anyone who can run, save for Martins and Osaze and maybe Kalu.

Sagamite:
Here is their team list for ANC.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Africa_Cup_of_Nations_squads#.C2.A0Ghana

Only 8 out of the 23 were U-20 in the last 2 years, I think it will fall to less than 4 if you take the last one year. 10 would have qualified for U-20 in the last year.

Yes, 10 would have qualified, and 10 players did come from, their U 20 squad. That is a lot of players who moved up the ranks from the junior team. But consider, I belive 7 out of that 10 that qualified did start against Nigeria (I can't remember clearly). But bottom line is that the core of their team was built around their then U-20 team. That is exactly my point.

Sagamite:
Here is Ghana's WC team:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghana_national_football_team#Current_squad

Only 4 out of 23 players were in U-20 in the last 2 years.

It is not everytime you get the opportunity to score first goal and defend. That is not even a reasonable tactic to aspire for.

They won but Nigeria dominated the game, created tons more chances and wasted them. If Nigeria had equalised or score first, I did not see that Ghanian team equalising. They obviously came to play for a draw excpet for Gyan.



You don't aspire to take a team your hope is they score one goal and hopefully defend it to WC to play Brazil, Argentina, Germany, England, Portugal etc.

Please don't say that. We all know that under Amodu the Super Eagles barely could maintain a lead for one minute. Once they scored, expect them to loose focus and concede a goal within a minute.

OK, what do you think is the problem with the current Eagles? Since you have so much opinion, offer a solution.

AjanleKoko:
Bro,
You too get am.
Only in Nigeria does crime pay, and luck is a major dependency

What more do you want our U 17 players to do? They all passed the MRI Scan instituted by FIFA, and it was that same scan that half of the U 17 players who reported to camp failed initially. So why can't we trust our own if they passed the same test all the other players passed.

Honestly, I think Sani Emmanuel, Ajagun, and the rest look youthful. Pastor Joshua who signed Sani Emmanuel said he knew his life history. So what more do you guys want?

dayokanu:
Despite using their U23 players they still beat the Eagles

They did not even use their U 23 to beat the Eagles; they used their U 20 to beat the Eagles. Sagamite does not know what he is talking about. I told him our problem is that we are using players who can't run. Football has changed. If you don't have fit players, there is so much experience will get you.

Sagamite:
Ghana is using U-23 not U-17.

And when they met a team like Nigeria in the ANC, all they could do was defend for 80 mins.

Ghana is using U-20 not U-23. It was the U-20 team that won the U-20 World Cup last year. Get your facts right. THere is no U-23 tournament, except for the OLympic football tournament which is the defacto U-23 tournament.

And even if they defended for 80 mins, they still won. Isn't football about winning. And if many say our U 17 players are older than their age, then it would mean that they are at least younger than all these fat, out of shape players we are currently featuring, and we expect them to chase Argentine players for 90 mins. I feel sorry for them when they meet S Korea.

Amodu caused this problems. He had so much time to build a team comprised of fit players, but he didn't. Lars at least did not have time on his hand, even though Lars has screwed up too. How I wish they gave Siasia the job.

AjanleKoko:
In the last ten years, we have won the U-17 once, picked up an Olympic silver,as well as an U-21 silver. That in itself should put our guys in the top flight, no? I mean, chaps like Alves, Messi, Iniesta, are the best in the world today, and they all played with our guys in these same championships. Why aren't they signing up our guys?

Methinks we have largely been fielding overage players for all these competitions, and the big teams know. Which is why our boys disappear after major youth tournaments (can anybody explain what the heck happened to Macaulay Chrisantus) and are never heard from again.

Macaulay Christanus did not get a chance to play because "Baba Kanu" aka "Papillo" took his spot. Why do you blame the players and not blame the Nigerian system that does a terrible job in harnessing the talent of guys from the junior level.

Sagamite,

remember you were saying that our U 17 will get whooped bad if they played in this World Cup. Can't you see Ghana?  They disbanded their senior team and built a new team comprising of 90% players from their U 20 team and they are doing well. They can run and are fit.

I pity your Super Eagles when they play against S Korea, for S Korea comprising of young players who are fit and quick. I pity Yobo and Shittu as they chase those S Koreans around.

Ghana is leading 1-0. Youthful players who have given Serbia hell all through the game. I have told you guys, until we take youthful players who can run for 90 mins,  your super chickens would have a hard time winning. I feel sorry for the super chickens when they play S Korea. Korea will show them pepper.

Ajayi123:
[quote author=Princek12 link=topic=452348.msg6206969#msg6206969 date=1276440620I am not disagreeing with you. All I am saying is that then we should start taking our U 17 teams since they will not be too old. I think, however, that Martins, Osaze, and Anichebe are their true ages, and ironically, they are among our fastest players.

Ahhhhhhhh! @Princek12. na there I disagree with you. Martins can never be 25. All those quick pace you see him try to pull off is just to keep up with the scam. You'll see if he continues like that he may soon pull up a hamstring or seriously damage his ligaments in this competition and then before you know it he will try and recuperate for a few months and then play for a year or two and announce his retirement from active football at the age of 27 like his predecessors oliseh and co. Na only for naija na im 27 year old dey retire from football. Besides all that "anywhere belle face" pace that Martins has got is no use to us really. We need someone with a productive pace, controlled ad purposeful. Not the one wey go just dey run after ball for field because he hear say people wey dey play ball dey run afetr am.

Ajayi, at least Martins fit run, and im dey score goals. Our only shot goal na from Martin. Wetin Shittu, Iya-kubu, Yobo, Etuhu, and all the other guys fit do? Dem no fit run.

omar22:
Look Agahowa and Xavi both played in Nigeria 99, the Agahowa i saw at Wigan 2 seasons ago looked like a player who started playing the same time Rashidi Yekini started playing,  David Moyes of Everton now is making fun of Yakubu's age, Avram Grant joking said Kanu is 55, but in his heart he would know that Kanu is not 33

I am not disagreeing with you. All I am saying is that then we should start taking our U 17 teams since they will not be too old. I think, however, that Martins, Osaze, and Anichebe are their true ages, and ironically, they are among our fastest players.

omar22:
Thats what you get when you a take knife to a gun fight!!!   Our age cheating is catching up with us very fast how do you expect an old man to run an average of 10 miles per game

So if what you are saying is true, and assuming it's true, then the bulk of our team should have been our "U-17" players; at least we can safely assume that they are not older than 25. And whatever their age is, we at least know they can run for 90 mins.

sage:
Why are you guys not focusing on the more troubling issue of the decline of quality players coming from Nigeria?

Amodu is no coach and Lagerback might not be much better (we are gonna find out soon) but the bigger issue here points to the decline of quality players coming out of Naija

Quality players abound in Nigeria. The problem is that we are not harnessing our young talent and featuring them in the National team. You don't have to wait till our young talent age before we introduce them; you feature them right away and mix them with the experienced and fit players. You don't choose people like Yobo, Kanu, Shittu, and the rest just because they are on the roster of some foreign team, especially if they never play or rarely play, which means that they will be invariably unfit. This World Cup should have been the opportunity to expose some of our young talent so they can have the experience ahead of the next World Cup. But no, they are bringing Yobo and Kanu, players who have passed their prime. I would have loved to see how our preeminent "youngsters" like Stanley Okoro and Sani Emmanuel would have fared on the world stage if given a chance. People forget that Ronaldo was taken to USA '94 when he was 18 or so. At least we know they can run for 90 minutes.

A team is greater then each of its individual part, so what the Super Eagles lacked in terms of quality of individual players should have been compensated for by their tenacity, hunger, and willingness to win. Those qualities were missing from our boys, at least yesterday, and too many of our players are not fit for fast pace football.

Sagamite,

Even though we differ in opinions on some issues, I agree with you wholeheartedly about yesterday's game. Enyeanma saved us from a national embarrassment, for our defenders were too sluggish to defend Messi and his teammates. The Argentines passed the ball around with practically no pressure from our boys, they had ample time to think of strategies, and they penetrated at will, without pressure. If not for Enyeanma, I am sure we would have conceded at least 4 goals.

The main problem is that Lars screwed up tactically by starting Shittu and Yobo (you know those guys don't deserve to be in the World Cup) while keeping Osaze, Martins, and Kalu on the bench (and it seems those are our three fastest players). So Lars started 10 sluggish guys against an Argentine team that featured players with speed. Result, our boys were watching the Argentine pass the ball and make runs, and we did not have the gumption to put pressure on them.

I have said earlier and will continue to say it repeatedly: we need a blend of youth and experience, or at least feature guys who are in shape and can run. We have plenty of guys in the local leagues, on the former U-17 team, and a couple of guys from the current squad.

I still don't know why they won't deregulate this power sector? Why did they allow private cos into the mobile phone market? Why didn't the govt. run the mobile phone cos and forbid privatization? If they can allow private cos in the mobile phone sector, why not use the same rationale and allow private cos in the electricity sector? They stand to make more money than the mobile phone cos.

Nigeria will generate power from power in 2050! Tales by Moonlight.

mama-gee:
[color=deeppink]Exactly!

He's the only player except the goalkeeper that looked hungry for victory, other sucked.

With those terrifying shots![/color]

You are right; the other players sucked. They came to admire Messi, not to play.

Sagamite:
I can't judge a man that has not been given an environment to give his best.

My gripe with some here is their weak attempt to quickly claim improvement when there is none.

You don't need 5 months to teach your players that they should pursue the opponents and pressure them when they have the ball. I can teach that in one training session.

Sagamite:
I am looking at highlights again on ITV.

Whilst our players are shoving around on one spot when the Argies have the ball, World player of the year and other world class players are chasing like dogs before the ball even touches our players leg before they recieve a pass.

I hope you are not just noticing it in the highlights; I have been saying the same thing from the beginning of the game.

mama-gee:
[color=deeppink]Nigerian Players are a bunch of disgrace!!!

And to think they weren't serious in the match. . .[/color]

CHei, Nigerian players don make mama-gee vex. Their own don finish.

tayo_ast:
[color=#00688B]Yes[/color]

Good for you, then. I suggest you teach your students; I am not your student!

Sagamite:
I expected them to go out and fight to try and, at least, get a draw, even if they don't achieve it.

Not go on the pitch resigned to being raaped but that is OK as long as the d[i]ck is not be too big sha.

Then some people come here and claim it is an improvement and impressive performance.

South Korea will trash the Argentina of today.

They showed no signs of fighting. I'll rather have you fight on the pitch and give it your all, even if you loose.

tayo_ast:
[color=#00688B]one goal?[/color]

I am sure you knew it was a typo. it was meant to be "on" goal. Why make a big fuss about typo. You be Eng teacher?

Sagamite:
That sounds a bit better. I thought you said you would build your team round the "U-17".

That said, you need experienced and seasoned players to form the BULK of your team to undertake WC.

You don't put 29 year old used to struggling with 16 year olds by cheating as strikers to score against two 2010 Champions League centrebacks with over 150 caps between them.

Or put most in midfield to play the worlds best player that is a dribbler, 3 front players with 150 goals in one season, an Argentina player of the year for the past 2 seasons with over 80 caps and a bull dog DM that is hot cake.

Nah. My point is that I will not pick a player just by the mere fact that he plays for an European team. I would select them based on fitness. But the core of the players will be around the current Eagles. Players like Kanu, Yobo, Shittu, Kaita, Etuhu, and all the other non-regulars will be axed out of the team. That is why I like Siasia; he picks players based on fitness and talent, even if he has to bring them from the local league, for many players in our local leagues play regularly and are fit. Look at the Korean team, for example, they don't have many players in European leagues,  but most of their players feature regularly for their respective Asian clubs, which is why they are extremely fit.

Today, the Nigerian team had one shot one goal.