₦airaland Forum

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.

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.

forgiveness:
Are you talking about this cross? Who was the player that was nearest to the crosser?

Who was closer between Ajayi and Akpan?

Where was Bassey?

Na lie full una mouth.

You just singled out Ajayi out of 4 players. Wow!!!

Goalkeeper self mess up. Him for run out.

I'm not talking about this one...

Kog45:
Oga so to you Ogbu,Fernadez and Nwaiwu are ahead of Ajayi?Oga you do not rate Ajayi simple,we have players some of us don't rate here....are you talking about another Ajayi abi no be the same Ajayi that paired Bassey during Afcon.....

Stop it,Ajayi and Bassey are billed to start Portugal match,forget Ogbu injury

Right now Fernandez is ahead of Ajayi
Maybe not Ogbu but Nwaiwu is definitely going to displace him soon...now when Benjamin Frederick returns, both of us know what that means for Ajayi.

forgiveness:
You don't know football. Besides, that ball didn't evade him, rather it frozen Bassey and the LB. Watch ball deviod of bias.

The same Ajayi intercepted a ball through pass to CR7. Didn't you see that? Na only one inconsequential one you dey see.

You too dey yarn nonsense, ogbeni go and watch the replay of the cross and CR7 miss again, observe the defender who froze in his tracks and let the ball somehow evade him when he was in a better position to intercept the ball before it landed in CR7's path...except all of us are blind not to have seen it was Ajayi who messed up there, then I don't know what else to tell you.

I

forgiveness:
Which Ajayi was rusty against Portugal? Most of you watch faball through bias or sentiment which is clouding your judgment.

Dude played well against Portugal. His interception, clearance etc were obvious for all eyes to see.

Benjamin and Fernandez does not possess the experience Ajayi possess currently. Do you thing they will fare well in a competitive tournament like AFCON? Time will tell.

Besides, the 2 goals we conceded has nothing to do with Ajayi. All had to do with the RB and LB. So make you na stop this joke of giving a dog bad name to hang it. Na lie.

The RB was Akpan... and yes he had a very nervy game because Chella threw him into the thick of battle against a world class team so we can cut the kid some slack (not every debutant has the calm and composure of a Bewene), our LB was Zaidu, who has no business making the team.

Lmao Oga, if Benjamin Fredrick was fit you and I know Ajayi won't smell that starting XI under Chelle, and you can bet your two kidneys that the same Benjamin who is back with Brentford will definitely send Ajayi back to the bench once he's back for the September AFCON qualifiers. You talk of experience? Benjamin Frederick literally announced himself in a big way during the last unity cup and went on to have MOTM performances in those tough qualifiers we played that saw us make the playoffs, while your Ajayi was subpar against DR Congo, Benjamin who was played out of his natural position still outperformed him and even had to clean up some of the mistakes Ajayi made, so which yeye experience nonsense are you talking about?

I like Ajayi and think he has earned his stripes as one of our reliable defenders over the years, but right now if we go by the pecking order of our CBs at least under Chelle> it will easily be Bassey, Benjamin Fredrick, Fernandez, Igoh Ogbu, Nwaiwu and then Ajayi. The only reason Ajayi even played that Portugal game was because Ogbu was injured and Fernandez had a slight groin injury.

Sugarboyy:
So you think these Japan and S/Korea that you mentioned won't be scared playing Nigeria?
Yes, Portugal dominated the SE without Osimhen, Lookman and with a debutant and inexperienced right back, why they had their full squad. Did you watched how Portugal totally dominated Chile? Or you think just the presence of a player like Osimhen wouldn't have changed a narrative in the match?

I don't know why this is so hard for these people to grasp, the absence of one or two top level players significantly affects the dynamics of a game...if we had Felix Agu, Aina, Nwabali, Osimhen, Lookman, Benjamin, Nwaiwu and even Femi Azeez...our odds of converting those chances Akor, Chukwueze and Moffi missed would have been higher. The presence of these aforementioned players would have made that game more cagey and competitive...the fact that we didn't field our best backline (Akpan was too green, Zaidu is not good enough to be our starting LB, Ajayi was rusty and is behind Benjamin and Fernandez in the order now) yet limited a world class Portuguese attack to shots outside of our box actually shows we did better than expected.

oloriooko:
when was this posted?
If Eric is leaving then it's a confirmation of what i've always said: NFF is the problem of our football and 9ja football may never see progress again

It was posted yesterday, check his IG...not sure what to make of that post cause it seemed ambiguous.

Eric Chelle posted this on his Instagram account, hope it's not what I'm thinking sha?

TheSuperNerd:
The best player Mexico brought to this World Cup is on the bench and he is only 17yrs old. Gilberto Mora.

If he steps in, you go see ball.

Mora? That kid is good abeg

South Africa have exhausted all their attacks on foreigners.

minfelix:
I refuse to b emotional for SA😅😅…but their national anthem draws some kinda worldcup goosebumps for Africa…anyways after national anthem make mexico pound them like tiff🤣🤣🤣

That's the only thing I genuinely like about them, their national anthem is actually truly beautiful and sends chills down your body until you remember they are xenophobic losers

charlesemeka85:
⏳ Francis Onyeka is on the verge of joining SV Elversberg.

The 19 y/o forward is set to join the Bundesliga newcomers on loan from Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Talks between the clubs are in the final stages as per @berger_pj. 🇩🇪 🇳🇬

Na this kind players Chelle suppose to dey scout, catch them now before they become hot commodity.

My hate watching starts today, today I'm Mexican 🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽

yinkeys:
Super Eagles : a step behind Portugal
Chelle obviously knows he’s got work to do
I think it should have been 3 - 1
That ball crossed the line entirely

Nah it didn't, it was a close margin but pause your video from the point the ball struck the bar and landed on the goal line paint, it was just few inches away from crossing the line...we literally have goal line technology even in friendly games that would have decided if it were a goal.

forgiveness:
Ajayi washed? Which match you watch yesterday?

Go re-watch the game again, watch Ajayi's poor positioning in several of the chances Portugal got including the one where he froze in a daze as a ball that was crossed in his path somehow evaded him and found CR7 on a sitter (thank God the GOAT isn't the same anymore cause that was horrible defending by Ajayi).

Kog45:
Oga in a competitive match can you stake Nigeria beating Portugal?

YES, call me a delusional mad man but YES I would.

Kog45:
Oga in a competitive match can you stake Nigeria beating Portugal?

With a full Nigerian squad (taking out washed players like Simon, Zaidu and Ajayi etc) the odds of us losing to them are significantly slimmer so a draw would be high on the stakes, so yes I will stake my bet on a slim perhaps lucky Nigerian win in a competitive game. Note that only two teams in Africa can manage to beat this Portugal team right now...Morocco and maybe Ivory Coast (I don't trust Senegal).

Chuks4041:
I am a strong osimhen fan. Honestly the solution to this is to find a perfect replacement. His attitude is not pretty. This game actually needed him.

I don't blame him, if Nigeria didn't turn itself to Osimhen fc with all our talent pools and huge population, we wouldn't have to keep depending on Osimhen while recycling players like Moffi and Onuachu who are dedicated players (God bless their efforts) but are limited in the system we play. That's why Chelle shouldn't use this summer break to just relax, he should keep beaming his radar on young strikers like George Ilenikhena whom he has mentioned already, there are also several undiscovered Nigerian talents in the lower rungs of Europe especially the Czech league that seems to be the new talent factory for Nigeria.

lbrichman2:
We did well in that regard, yes
But truthfully, the respectable score line was majorly because Ronaldo missed like 3-4 clear cut opportunities he would usually score..
Make we no lie, the scoreline flattered us
But somehow we didn't fold, we kept trying to do something in the game, we stayed positive..
But the difference in quality was too much to overcome

Brosky we are saying the same thing, call it moral victory or self-consolation...but the scoreline at the end was 2:1, and it will go on the record books that Portugal with it's full complement of world class players failed to drub a considerably second string Nigerian side at their backyard. That's why it pains me the likes of Osimhen and Lookman (especially Osimhen) always find ways to avoid top draw games like this. I'll still insist and bet any amount that if we had Osimhen, Lookman, Benjamin, Azeez, Aina and Nwabali...this should have on any odds being a 2-2 type of scoreline. Remember Akor missed a good opportunity to score from a break and Dele Bashiru killed a counter that should have led to a goal, not forgetting Chukwueze's gaffe as well...put Osimhen, Lookman or Azeez at the end of those counters...we might have seen a different outcome.

At the end we were lucky, but we competed well...another team would have been annihilated by Portugal.

Bassey has finally grown into a proper senior man, he really showed LEVELS in this game and showed he belonged. Ajayi on the other hand just showed why he needs to be respectfully phased out, AFCON should be his send off tournament.. thanks for your services.

lbrichman2:
Baba that goal na clean goal

It wasn't a goal

lbrichman2:
That's good enough
You no see their midfield yesterday?
On another day, we for don chop 5 goals for first half

That high line pressing game we played was really a bad idea, but honestly if we had Osimhen, Lookman, Femi Azeez, and Benjamin/Nwaiwu partnering Bassey...we should have drawn this match, the backline save for Bassey was as bad as any makeshift backline can get so we did well to hold arguably the best team in the world to a 2-1 game.

Ajayi
Zaidu
Simon Moses

All need to go, even Onyedika and FDB are too average so they can go as well, let's stick to the midfield we used at the unity cup under the leadership of Ndidi and Iwobi till they retire after the next AFCON.

My main worry now is that there is no certainty NFF have any plans to renew Chelle's contract, after the September games for the AFCON qualifiers, it won't be far above NFF to pull a shocker and frustrate Chelle out of the job...those idiots are very predictable.

CR7 is done, those misses were shocking.. Maduka had a good game all things considered.

Iwobi isn't fit, don't know why Chelle started him except it's for his 100th cap.

See camp vibes like a true family, imagine this team with Chelle at the world cup, we would have made headlines everyday lol

One thing truly unique about Éric Sékou Chelle and this group of players is the unity and brotherhood he has built within the team. Beyond the tactics, there’s a clear bond, togetherness, and fighting spirit among the boys.

I also love the transformation in Samuel Chukwueze ;… pic.twitter.com/yGKRZ5XR6l

— Ojora Babatunde (@ojbsports) June 10, 2026

TheSuperNerd:
🗣️“I'm 27 now, in the next World Cup I'll be 31, and most of the squad will be in their 30's as well. It's almost impossible for us to be there if we're being totally honest…

“For some of us, we might have to watch from home. How do we tell our children that we had two chances to be at the World Cup and we didn't take it?

“It's horrible to think about.”

via AySuga YT Channel below...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbsSs-CZuNM?si=cNLmEoHXym4rr-v_



NB: In the end, Elyte, they know they messed up. And they will live with it for the rest of their lives. The next WC will see the likes of Benjamin Frederick, Zadok Yohanna, Fernandez and Nnadi leading a younger and hungrier generation with only a handful of experienced men like Osimhen, Iwobi and a few more tagging along as the Effective Team Elders

Winning the next AFCON will be the best and most poetic type of parting gift these generation of players can use to pacify us, only few of them will likely stick around after the next two AFCONs to provide that experience and leadership for the next generation and retire after the next world cup. Those are the mainstays like Osimhen, Iwobi, Ndidi, Lookman, Aina and Nwabali.

The next generation will be defined by the likes of Bassey, Arthur Okonkwo, Benjamin Fredrick, Nwaiwu, Fernandez, Bewene, Samuel Isife, Zadok, Femi Azeez, Nnadi, Tijani, Suleiman Sani, David Moses etc.

Osimhen has to win an AFCON title and see at least one world cup in his playing career before he retires.

TheSuperNerd:
Friendly today....

DR Congo 1-2 Chile.

The only time I'll never forgive Chelle for failing to beat this boring DRC team is from that playoff, the tactical mistakes he made down to the bad selection of his PK takers still lingered in my mind for a long time...we had this qualification on a platter after FIFA gave us some ojoro points to squeeze us in, and we still bleeped it up after all that hard work against Benin republic and Gabon.

No wahala sha, many of us are already used to heartbreak as Nigerians.

charlesemeka85:
👀 OM is interested in Akor Adams! 🔵⚪

According to the Andalusian press, the Marseille club is closely following the Sevilla FC striker.

🔥 Grégory Lorenzi is even considering an offer including Neal Maupay + a financial indemnity to convince the Spanish club.

#TeamOM #MercatOM

Big move for Akor, OM are champions league regulars as well.

Omo... I hope Christian Eriksen is doing alright sha, that was scary.