So many people here are just been emotional.

I started Moses in my lineup and they were all hell out cos their favorite player was omitted.

AFCON is a tournament and not a league. You can only win by been defensively strong and Moses Simon was there to provide cover for the defense and he did it perfectly well.

The team played better today. I think the only missing link is the CMF position. Mikel should agree to play there.

I'll like us to keep that shape for the last group dead rubber game against Madagascar with few TWEAKS. AKPEYI for the confidence sake, Mikel for Etebo, then Henry, Victor and Kalu can lead the attack for proper assessment.

.... ...... AKPEYI........
Aina...... Kenneth...... Balogun...... Awaziem/Collins
................ Ndidi........ Mikel.........
Henry........... Iwobi.......... Kalu
................. Osimhen..........

Congrats to the guys for progressing.

My Team Line up(IF I WERE TO BE THE COACH)

.................... ..... ENZENWA.................. .
AINA........ BALOGUN.... EKONG..... COLLINS
............... ........ NDIDI......... MIKEL...............
M. SIMON.................IWOBI................ MUSA
............ ... ........ IGHALO........

SUB
HENRY
OSIMHEN
CHUCK
ETEBO
OGU

forgiveness:


I didn't see the third goal but there was nothing special about the Germans.

They do not have to be special to defeat Africans

forgiveness:


You mean those two lucky goals? I didn't see any gulf in the match except for some dirty tactics the Germans used to win the game.

Don't forget that 4 of our best players were not in that match and the injury during the match didn't help.

Joined @ the stoppage time. Was told the 2goals came from set pieces and the other one was a mistake. Which buttressed my point

forgiveness:


You mean those two lucky goals? I didn't see any gulf in the match except for some dirty tactics the Germans used to win the game.

Don't forget that 4 of our best players were not in that match and the injury during the match didn't help.

Joined @ the stoppage time. Was told the 2goals came from set pieces and the other one was a mistake.

Aina has greatly improved. No more ball watching.

Excellent crosses nice combo with Musa and Omuero on the left.

Dear Ighalo,
All the sins you committed at the World Cup are now forgiven.

Signed
Nigerians

AIG07:
The Germans do not need to be at their best to wreck havoc on African sides.

1.They are more technical than an average African side
2..They are taller. So expect them to keep whipping crosses into the box through out the 90mins of action
3.They are more dangerous on the set pieces. If they can't break you from open play, they will take advantage of Corners and free kicks.

Finally, not forgetting, they just whooped the ass of SA.

Cc: Forgiveness

The gulf in gap is too much.

Nice try SFs

How I wish we can have a road map to achieving success at the World stage.

Enjoy another Master Piece of this Master Technician.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLImuplifr4

Cc: The whole House.

Imagine Ronaldo in Pirlo's team.? Dude will hit 70 goals per season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vfxs8v67nbY

Cc: TheGoodJoe, Forgiveness
Enjoy one of football's finest technicians

@Forgiveness,
Dribbling in football is a technique.
BALL Controls like Chesting, trapping, use of abdomen to trap ball, inside foot, outside foot controls etc

PASSING:Use and knowing when to use various side of the foot to pass, heading, etc

SHOOTING:It is not just about hitting the ball hard but hitting it the right way. The feet has various sides which all give trajectory of the ball(same in passing).

CROSSING : same as above,

DRIBBLING:Moving the ball with all acceptable body parts. It involves using the part of the body coherently

JUMPING, HEADING etc are also part of football techniques.

TACTICS ON THE OTHER HAND, HAS TO DO WITH HOW A TEAM SETS UP, TEAM STRATEGY WHICH ARE ALWAYS INSTRUCTED BY THE COACHES.

forgiveness:


You mean the Germans can dribble and has good techniques? Huh!

Tactics wins games nowadays not techniques.

I thought the French has the tallest in the tournament?

you think all that is to football techniques Is dribbling.

What happens to BALL CONTROL, PASSING, SHOOTING, CROSSING? These are the techniques in soccer and the Germans are better.

The only above Average SFs technical player is Ordega. Then this young girl Okeke

forgiveness:


Do you mean tactical?

By the way, France has taller players but they did nothing against us.

No, Technical.

The French Taller? I don't think so.
Are you comparing the height of the French to the Germans or what?

Icon4s:
See how these girls just make people papa dey work calculations since on Monday.

Well, thank God my calculator no burn due to over heating. Let me save it for the AFCON.

Taliban and others kudos for keeping up with the calculations. We will need you guys for this AFCON too

Congratulations Nigeria.

Now, girls back to the drawing board.
The way Dennerby will approach the Germany game will determine whether he will stay or not.

you Don talk am finish. He did well against France. Hope he gets the attack to gel this time around.

maidaboi:
trust this thread at your own peril

The Germans do not need to be at their best to wreck havoc on African sides.

1.They are more technical than an average African side
2..They are taller. So expect them to keep whipping crosses into the box through out the 90mins of action
3.They are more dangerous on the set pieces. If they can't break you from open play, they will take advantage of Corners and free kicks.

Finally, not forgetting, they just whooped the ass of SA.

AIG07:
The Cameroonians are delight to watch!

Penalties!

I'll like Cameroon to qualify for the World Cup alongside Nigeria. If they continue this way I see him causing upset at the World Cup proper.

Saw this long ago.

Congratulations to our dear SFs and our African sisters the Lioness of Cameroon

AFCON begins today!

Even Thailand stands a chance.
They'll be hoping against all hopes that they win, while others draw.

The saying that the enemy of one's enemy is one's friend can never be truer than it was displayed by Nigerians in the Argentina VS Scotland match.

For the very first time Nigerians kept vigil only to wish their perennial FOE (ARGENTINA) HALF SUCCESS

I am so sure that the numbers of Nigerians that watch that match will exceed the Argentines and Scottish population put together.

The beauty of the round leather game.

Female football has improved over the years. The quality of what is been dished to fans and the spectators is amazing.

Good Job FIFA
It's high time Africans join this wave of possitive development else they will get left behind like in the male tournament.

Mickael2:


Truly I never viewed it from the security angle although I really don't think so. However other countries played in the open so it may be that their own location isn't exactly safe. I don't really know what could have caused that.

We have only read the report from the Nigerian media, of course they will be biased but at least they have pointed out that we created chances, that is a positive that can be worked on. Etebo hitting the crossbar with a freekick means he may have been working on that too, another positive. Friendlies are just to learn, once chances are created that means the play was good at least in patches and that can be worked on, although I really really really think Musa is the best second striker we have in the Eagles when playing a 3-5-2, after him should be Onyekuru before Samu, these guys are goalscorers, Samu isn't a natural goalscorer at all.

Then finally I am not saying Ighalo is terrible. Yes, it is arguable that he is our best striker ATM, 15goals in the season in the EPL isn't easy at all. But the problem I have with his crew is the believe that a half fit Ighalo is the best option we can muster, I don't think so. Naturally I don't concern myself with Ighalo but an unfit Ighalo IMHO is worse than Awoniyi.

Nostalgic feelings. This was what this thread was known for long time ago...

Sentiments done to the thread to politisport... Na parties people de form for here. Pro Nacho, Anti Ighalo, pro uzoho anti Musa as if they are not playing for same team.

No win in 2 matches!

A deja vu? Only time will tell.

Well, me yaf stop watching Nigeria football as a fan after the world cup shame. I watch now as a Spectator!

All the best to them. May the best team win.

Happy for the Malians!

If you see the way I shouted goal. You go think se na naija score that equalizer

andrew444:


Not the senegal i watch in this tournament, maybe mali

The senegal i watch cant stand usa or south korea

time will tell

forgiveness:



I think we played better than Senegal and Mali. It was just unfortunate the coach kept Tijani on the field.

hahaha. BETTER you say? Oh no! Both teams are miles ahead of us.

Wetin we play sef?

See how the Malians are balling. They have matched the Argentines in all aspect.

It seems the best players have left the shore of our land.they've got a good goalkeeper and a master set piece taker in Koita...

One of Mali and Senegal might end up lifting this trophy.

Shame we paraded a poor squad.

Let me enjoy the second half jare

How quickly people forget things.

One player I won't like to see miss out of this tournament is Moses Simon. Dude has been underrated recently. He is a balanced player. His ability to track back to help the fullbacks puts him ahead of others.

If I'm to select our flank players, I'll have them ranked in this order

Musa, (VC)
Moses Simon
Henry,
Chukwueze
Samuel Kalu.

The abundance of talents covering this position has made everyone forget about V. Moses.

+

Wishing you quick recovery @Icon4s

eazyjakes:


Very true....but they will need far better coaching and must work to improve themselves massively to achieve such a height....overall, dis team is a reflection of a mentally lazy, tactically inept and sentimental coaching!

@what age?!

Utin the acclaimed best left back in the NPFL look so ordinary through out the tournament...
How some folks believed that he was the solution to SEs LB woes still baffles me.

Bashir has potential. He made some good moves and initiated few attacks for the little time he was on the pitch.

I wasn't disappointed...

Please don't expect to much from the falcons too.

Rohr's decision making will be the major determinant in Egypt. I still have trust that man.

*SMILES*
NOT DISAPPOINTED.

You can't give what you don't have!

Untill the NFF TECHNICAL TEAM fashion out a STYLE/PATTERN OF play that will be adopted by the whole National Teams, we will continue to underperform @ the biggest stage...

One word for this team - 'CLUELESS'

Hello house,

I think it is high time we all agree to a particular unit/system of measurement when it comes to certain issues like player rankings.

The words below average, average, above average, top player, excellent player, world class, legend etc should be well defined and where possible mathematically proofed/backed up.

Reason for this is simple.
I believe anyone who has grouped our players into classes has done so using his/her personal metrics which is based on their understanding and perception which might not be generally acceptable.

The rating done in football is often on scale of {0-10} or {0%-100%} which afford the no 5 and 50 to be average mark.

A pundit who uses 0-10scale can easily group players in to 5 classes {POOR(0-2.49), BELOW AVERAGE (2.50-4.99), AVERAGE(5), ABOVE AVERAGE(5.10-7.49) AND WORLD Class (7.5-10) while any one who uses just 1-3 or will likely have (BELOW AVERAGE, AVERAGE And WORLD Class) which is limited when the pool of players is much and wide.

If I were to use the 0-10 scale,

None of our players will make it to the World Class group. I repeat none. I'll place Ndidi in the 'top' of THE ABOVE AVERAGE group alongside Mikel, Iwobi slightly below them in the same group,
The rest bunch of average and below average players.

The World Class tag should only be left for the very few players that are consistently churning out great stats season in season out. The likes of Aguero, KDB, Modric, Chielini, VVD, Ramos, Kante Neymar, Cavani Suarez, Ibrahimovich, De Gea, Lloris, Mbappe, Salah, etc led by Messi and Ronaldo who occupy the very Top.) won't class the likes of Pogba, Vardy, Auba, as World Class,they might be close but they ain't.

On the other hand. The word LEGENDARY IS RELATIVE! A player does not necessarily have to be world class to be a Legend. Even Green Forest FC(smiles) have their own Legends. Legendary status can be achieved via Loyalty, No of years of service, contribution etc. It can be attained either at club level or international level. Some players are lucky to have both. Bobby Charlton, Pirlo, Maradona, Pele etc

Morgan, Vardy, are Leicester Legends but not world class, Keshi, Mikel are Nigeria legends but not world class!

I hope this proposition and examples will help resolve various misconception and also save us from series of back and forth arguments.

As much as we do not like to admit it, komekn and his friend have always been right...
From Iheanacho, to bribery allegations against our local coaches, to league rankings, these two guys have been spot on... We often think they are sentimental in their discourse. Some tag them haters, tribalists, English asslikers... and so on.

But repeatedly, they've been vindicated... I like how komekn handles those who oppose him. He back up and defend his opinions without resorting to insults and name callings... I think it will be good if forgiveness too can do same.

TIME, overtime has proven these guys right. Still watching Solanke... The only thing they both seem not to get right yet.