isan:
Ebi can partner zogg in defense the ogbonna na time bomb

Form permitting, Zogg and Okeke should be the first choice center-back pairing from the 2023 WC onwards.

isan:
Ebi can partner zogg in defense the ogbonna na time bomb

True. She was good, especially her long balls.

Okeke is a right back and she's better there because of her energy running up and down

PDPGuy:

Form permitting, Zogg and Okeke should be the first choice center-back pairing from the 2023 WC onwards.

PDPGuy:

Form permitting, Zogg and Okeke should be the first choice center-back pairing from the 2023 WC onwards.

Not Possible we still have Ohale till date and Ebi might play till the next World Cup but the Possible pair at the back would be
Onyinyechi Zogg 24yrs of Zurich FC Switzerland and Ashleigh Plumptre 23yrs of Leicester City, England...

Okeke should be talking of how to keep her spot at the right side...

The most interesting part is having two Superb Players in one particular Spot..

That Attacking Midfield...

Ngozi Okobi vs Tony Payne...


What we lack right now is a Central Midfielder, Halimatu Ayinde is injured, out till next year..

She ruptured her ACL (Anterior cruciate ligament)

Hi, everyone.
Was in the stadium on Thursday and the only two HB players worth mentioning were Vivian Ikechukwu and Tosin Demehin. The others were terrible.
Okeke is not good enough. She made far too many mistakes and simply is not smart enough to play on the back line.
For a 19 yr old playing her first ever international match, I think Demehin played very well - I actually focused on her in particular, as well as Zogg.

BTW, thanks for your intel, Schemerkhiz. How is Demehin doing? Looks like she twisted her ankle in the second half and had to leave. And is Oshoala and Ebi in camp now?

Schemerkhiz:


Not Possible we still have Ohale till date and Ebi might play till the next World Cup but the Possible pair at the back would be
Onyinyechi Zogg 24yrs of Zurich FC Switzerland and Ashleigh Plumptre 23yrs of Leicester City, England...

Okeke should be talking of how to keep her spot at the right side...

Going with Randy Waldrum picks at the Central Back.....

Onyinyechi Zogg for Osinachi Ohale
Ashleigh Plumptre for Onome Ebi

I don't think Okobi can hold a candle to Payne...She is not in Payne's class.
The problem I see is trying to replace an aging Chikwelu (slow and getting old) and Halimat (torn ACL, as you stated). We need to start looking for credible replacements for both players. Chikwelu kept getting dominated in the midfield by the white Jamaican girl. She really made Rita look old and outdated on Thursday.

Schemerkhiz:
The most interesting part is having two Superb Players in one particular Spot..

That Attacking Midfield...

Ngozi Okobi vs Tony Payne...


What we lack right now is a Central Midfielder, Halimatu Ayinde is injured, out till next year..

She ruptured her ACL (Anterior cruciate ligament)

AkinDS:
I don't think Okobi can hold a candle to Payne...She is not in Payne's class.
The problem I see is trying to replace an aging Chikwelu (slow and getting old) and Halimat (torn ACL, as you stated). We need to start looking for credible replacements for both players. Chikwelu kept getting dominated in the midfield by the white Jamaican girl. She really made Rita look old and outdated on Thursday.

Hahaha... The Battle between Okobi and Payne is a complex one,
We already have Christy Ucheibe 20yrs old Benfica SL, Portugal as the next DM of the team but haven't been able to turn up the few times she has been called up..

In the course of time, I think Demehin MIGHT be one to watch also. I know you had mentioned her previously (and that's why I focused on her during the game). I was particularly impressed with her awareness and overall field generalship.
For someone that young making her debut on an intimidating stage like the BBVA stadium, she held her own and acquainted herself well. She did make mistakes, but that was to be expected.

Schemerkhiz:
Going with Randy Waldrum picks at the Central Back.....

Onyinyechi Zogg for Osinachi Ohale
Ashleigh Plumptre for Onome Ebi

I have seen her play a few times in for Benfica and I think she is okay (not spectacular). The issue I have with her is her limited speed. I think she will be ready in the next 2 years or so.
Frankly, Nigeria needs to scout the US for players. I was pleasantly surprised by how well Esther Okoronkwo and Michelle Alozie fit in like a glove in the team. That shows we have a massive lake of talent here in the US - we just need to find and convince them to play for Nigeria.

Schemerkhiz:


Hahaha... The Battle between Okobi and Payne is a complex one,
We already have Christy Ucheibe 20yrs old Benfica SL, Portugal as the next DM of the team but haven't been able to turn up the few times she has been called up..

AkinDS:
In the course of time, I think Demehin MIGHT be one to watch also. I know you had mentioned her previously (and that's why I focused on her during the game). I was particularly impressed with her awareness and overall field generalship.
For someone that young making her debut on an intimidating stage like the BBVA stadium, she held her own and acquainted herself well. She did make mistakes, but that was to be expected.

Is going to be tough for her against the like of Ashleigh Plumptre the 23yrs old Leicester City Women FC Center Back, if she gets cleared ASAP then we would get her by September to come play...

AkinDS:
I have seen her play a few times in for Benfica and I think she is okay (not spectacular). The issue I have with her is her limited speed. I think she will be ready in the next 2 years or so.
Frankly, Nigeria needs to scout the US for players. I was pleasantly surprised by how well Esther Okoronkwo and Michelle Alozie fit in like a glove in the team. That shows we have a massive lake of talent here in the US - we just need to find and convince them to play for Nigeria.

Have been in touch with Esther Okoronkwo in particular since last year, she made mention she's not ready to play for Nigeria after a lot of conviction, She actually opted to play for the US at first but here she's finally....

AkinDS:
Hi, everyone.
Was in the stadium on Thursday and the only two HB players worth mentioning were Vivian Ikechukwu and Tosin Demehin. The others were terrible.
Okeke is not good enough. She made far too many mistakes and simply is not smart enough to play on the back line.
For a 19 yr old playing her first ever international match, I think Demehin played very well - I actually focused on her in particular, as well as Zogg.

BTW, thanks for your intel, Schemerkhiz. How is Demehin doing? Looks like she twisted her ankle in the second half and had to leave. And is Oshoala and Ebi in camp now?

Not Certain about Oshoala and Ebi availability but Mr Sam told me they're already on their way to Houston....
Their arrival would be a major boost..

Schemerkhiz:


Not Certain about Oshoala and Ebi availability but Mr Sam told me they're already on their way to Houston....
Their arrival would be a major boost..

I checked their IG pages, and I haven't seen anything to indicate that they travelled.

AkinDS:
I don't think Okobi can hold a candle to Payne...She is not in Payne's class.
The problem I see is trying to replace an aging Chikwelu (slow and getting old) and Halimat (torn ACL, as you stated). We need to start looking for credible replacements for both players. Chikwelu kept getting dominated in the midfield by the white Jamaican girl. She really made Rita look old and outdated on Thursday.

I don't think so. Okobi is good with through passes oh. I remember watching her at Afcon and the World Cup.

Schemerkhiz:
Going with Randy Waldrum picks at the Central Back.....

Onyinyechi Zogg for Osinachi Ohale
Ashleigh Plumptre for Onome Ebi

The Super Falcons version of the Oyinbo wall

JohnBullMySon:
I don't think so. Okobi is good with through passes oh. I remember watching her at Afcon and the World Cup.

We can actually play both together if we can get a very good DM. I mean, the NDIDI type.

The forward positions are getting crowded already. So sad KANU couldn't make it to this tournament. She is a player I rate so much .

Schemerkhiz:


Not Possible we still have Ohale till date and Ebi might play till the next World Cup but the Possible pair at the back would be
Onyinyechi Zogg 24yrs of Zurich FC Switzerland and Ashleigh Plumptre 23yrs of Leicester City, England...

Okeke should be talking of how to keep her spot at the right side...

Yea

The center back pairing could also be Plumptree/Zogg and Ohale at the next Nations and world cups. I wouldn’t risk fielding a 40 yr old center back at the World Cup against some of the fastest and skillful attackers in the world.

As we have seen with Chikwelu, who knows whether Ebi’s pace would slowed down by next year or the year after.

PDPGuy:


Yea

The center back pairing could also be Plumptree/Zogg and Ohale at the next Nations and world cups. I wouldn’t risk fielding a 40 yr old center back at the World Cup against some of the fastest and skillful attackers in the world.

As we have seen with Chikwelu, who knows whether Ebi’s pace would slowed down by next year or the year after.

Both Veteran Players pace have really slowed down but Ebi especially makes up with her Experiences, game reading abilities and Positioning...

That Physical, ruthless and Pacey Chikwelu we used to know is no Longer there, let just hope we get to see a younger and better Midfielder who can fit in..

mostob:
The forward positions are getting crowded already. So sad KANU couldn't make it to this tournament. She is a player I rate so much .

Kanu will always make the final list for any tournament... This girl is the female version of Ronaldo in the Superfalcons. She has really improved a lot in Sweden..

JohnBullMySon:
I don't think so. Okobi is good with through passes oh. I remember watching her at Afcon and the World Cup.

She edge Tony Payne in this aspect, by the way both player are excellent, like one of us just said with a Legit CDM we can play both of them but the Problem is it would be difficult to sit out an inform and energetic Central/Box-to-Box Midfielder like Halimatu Ayinde...

Schemerkhiz:


Kanu will always make the final list for any tournament... This girl is the female version of Ronaldo in the Superfalcons. She has really improved a lot in Sweden..

Yea..I'm just afraid a new player may take advantage of her inability to make this tournament and displace her.

mostob:
Yea..I'm just afraid a new player may take advantage of her inability to make this tournament and displace her.

You don't need to be scared on a normal day she will always make the team..

She's ahead of the likes of Ihezuo, Ajibade, Anam IMO any day any time...

Schemerkhiz:


Not Certain about Oshoala and Ebi availability but Mr Sam told me they're already on their way to Houston....
Their arrival would be a major boost..

by Sam,you mean Samuel ahmedu?

mostob:
We can actually play both together if we can get a very good DM. I mean, the NDIDI type.

yes I agreed

mostob:
The forward positions are getting crowded already. So sad KANU couldn't make it to this tournament. She is a player I rate so much .

Is she injured?

As Oshoala and Ebi only arrived Houston today, they definitely won’t feature in tomorrow’s game vs Portugal. It’s best to let them recover from jet lag and field them on Wednesday

mostob:
Yea..I'm just afraid a new player may take advantage of her inability to make this tournament and displace her.

uchenna is still head above all the rest strikers we have currently

PDPGuy:
As Oshoala and Ebi only arrived Houston today, they definitely won’t feature in tomorrow’s game vs Portugal. It’s best to let them recover from jet lag and field them on Wednesday

I think the coach may likely field them tomorrow

PDPGuy:


Yea

The center back pairing could also be Plumptree/Zogg and Ohale at the next Nations and world cups. I wouldn’t risk fielding a 40 yr old center back at the World Cup against some of the fastest and skillful attackers in the world.

As we have seen with Chikwelu, who knows whether Ebi’s pace would slowed down by next year or the year after.

let watch Rita again tomorrow and see if she had lost her mojo,me think Thursday game was just a bad day for her