goldfish80:

But Kalu Orji have demonstrated competence over the past 3 months more than Leon Balogun. I stand to be corrected

Sir Goldfish80 it's "Leon Balogun" that you typed.

Do u mean the same Leon we saw against Cameroon? Who I think a Zambian once said he is the best CB in Africa.

Icon4s:


It is comments like these that will make me break my keyboard.

Sir,it hasn't gotten to that.We are just saying that one or two should be "invited" for the friendlies, which doesn't mean they will get to play.But if they are good enough, why not?

Is not like we re saying they should be in plane to Russia.We are just saying they should be given a chance since we have a lot of friendlies lined-up for us.

Or in which other way can you reward their hardwork?

Humility017:

how will it be unfair....?
super eagles invitation should be base on competence and not sentiment.

let them earn it......even the ezenwa have not been living up to expectation that much.

Don't tell me that in a team that won two of their group matches and drew one, you can't "consider" just one of them for the match friendlies.

Including one or two of them in the call-up for the friendlies will serve as a morale booster for players who will be playing in the next CHAN.If not, we should just opt-out like Egypt and SA because there is no need for CHAN.

It would be unfair to the CHAN eagles if one of them apart from Ezenwa is not invited for the March friendlies.

TheGoodJoe:


An easy cop out but the fact is that they were good and not given the right atmosphere to excel. If they had no ability or quality to improve the team, would the management of Chelsea sign them?

The fact is very simple. A player can be good and left on the bench.

When you make a move to a new club , you try as much as possible to give ur best.

The thing is that they were not able to adapt to Chelsea's system back then.

So, its more of a problem of adaptation and also competition for positions.

For e.g Nacho is quality, but found it difficult to adapt to the Leicester system.Competion for the No. 9 position didn't even help matters.

MetalJigsaw:
So you don't know that Moses has been drafted to the AM at some point in some of our WCQ matches?

That doesn't make him an AMF.

goldfish80:

FAI face competition from Nigeria for underage Ireland star after Premier League debut at just 17

[img]https://cdn-03.independent.ie/incoming/article36515559.ece/bdf27/AUTOCROP/w620h342/1397039.jpg [/img]
John Fallon
January 22 2018 9:18 AM

THE FAI are facing competition from Nigeria for the international allegiances of Michael Obafemi, who made his Premier League debut for Southampton yesterday.
Still only 17, the striker’s exploits in the Saints youth team earned him a place on the bench against Tottenham and he almost scored the winner during the 10 minutes he got on the pitch.
With the game deadlocked at 1-1, Mauricio Pellegrino threw the rookie on and he came within inches of turning a cross home but for once his prolific finishing touch deserted him.

Obafemi was born in Ireland to Nigerian parents before relocating to England at a young age. He spent his formative years at Leyton Orient before being snapped up by the Saints.
Having been spotted by the FAI’s London-based scout Mark O’Toole, he declared for Ireland last year and was called into the U-18 squad for the Slovakia Cup. His debut, though, didn’t come until September when he played twice for the Under-19s in their first phase UEFA qualifiers in Waterford.

The next phase of the qualifiers take place in Portugal during March but, should his ascent continue, Obafemi may be fast-tracked into the U-21 squad for their Euro qualifier against Azerbaijan in the same week or even the senior training camp in Turkey.
Nigeria will have other ideas. In contrast to Ireland, they have qualified for the World Cup and will be eager to pitch themselves to a Premier League newcomer.

Another player eligible for both nations, Limerick’s in-demand striker Chiedozie Ogbene, has indicated he will declare for the Golden Eagles.
"It’s a special feeling as I have dreamed of this since I was a kid," said Obafemi following yesterday’s bow, which made him the second youngest player after Luke Shaw to make his top-flight debut for the Saints.

"I’m just thankful to the club and all the staff that made it happen.
"I came into training on Saturday believing I would be playing for the under-18s. The manager stopped me and said that I would be training instead and would maybe be in the first-team squad.

"When the chance came, I should have used my left foot but I hope I will get another opportunity to prove I can make it at this level.
"I was nervous but the welcome from the supporters was brilliant and the senior guys told me to just relax and prove myself. I want to move on from here and keep working hard.

"I can’t stop here, this is just the beginning
https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/international-soccer/fai-face-competition-from-nigeria-for-underage-ireland-star-after-premier-league-debut-at-just-17-36515562.html

Try again.

MetalJigsaw:
Agu was brought in to defend while Moses took over Mikels role. You keep mentioning Agu scoring at clubside, of what use is he or has he been to the team

Is Moses an AMF?

If you fail to attack by creating chances for the forwards you are exposing your defence, and when an AMF fails in his duties the DMF and CMF will be the ones to suffer it.

Why do u think our team usually have problems with creating chances and scoring whenever Mikel is absent?

realpoacher:


Stories for Ahmadioha...

Of what use is Mikel Agu to that team?

We have seen enough of him, Ogu with his snail speed plays better and stood his ground against better teams. He can shoot and score as well from his defensive duties.

Agu is as Slow as Ogu

Agu can't defend, can't dribble, can't drive attack and can't score, but Ogu can do all these...

So what exactly is Agu needed for?

Do you mean his goals in turkey are not goals?

Agu was brought in for Mikel Obi which is not a like for like sub.We are yet to see Agu in the DMF position.

If Agu was not injured, he would have started against Algeria.

Probably, we will get to see him in one of the friendlies.

MetalJigsaw:
Agu?.. you pick Agu ahead of John Ogu?

Ogu is a good DM but lacks pace.We can't afford to have two slow mid-fielders in Mikel and Ogu because our strength lies in our quick counter-attacks.

Junior Ajayi scored today.

tbaba1234:
Onazi played 80 minutes, did not complete 1 successful tackle but had a 85% pass percentage. Not a great performance. In fairness, he did not play as a DM.

We might end up with Ndidi -Mikel Agu combo for our mid-field.We also have Joel Obi.

Iwobi scores.

eazyjakes:


Nah....We were lucky to win as we really didn't play too well....zambia n Morocco are d best teams in dis tourney.....a number of d players played against us in Uyo....we will need to improve massively to stand any chance against dem!

Na so we been think say we go chop am against Libya but that wasn't the case.

Our boys will hold their own against those two teams.

There is also 60% probability that they will lose against us.

Modified:Luck is only a factor it is not a decider.

Naijaphobia:
Not until I rewatch this match horrible Faleye remains unfortunately deadlier than Moses Simon.

Is Onyekuru not better than Moses Simon?

One thing you should know is that S.Moses is ahead of them because he played the qualifiers and even scored a goal against Cameroon.So dropping him will be difficult.

eazyjakes:


The Libyans were actually poor too.....most of dia efforts were long range Shots dat neva troubled ezenwa....dia build up play was nothing to take home.....a beta team wud obviously best our poor team!

If we could beat Libya, Zambia is no match for us.We win big games.

Nacho scores.

Modified

This is his second time of scoring after getting a yellow card.

Isahalbash:
Mikel Agu scores for Bursaspor

This is one of the reasons Rohr keeps inviting this guy.

Probably, he will get to start in one of our friendlies.

Is this his first match after recovering from injury?

Isahalbash:
Mikel Agu scores for Bursaspor

I think this is one of the reasons Rohr keeps inviting this guy.

Probably, he will get to start in one of our friendlies.

Icon79:
My friend, go answer the question I asked you a long time ago ... and quit telling me what to do (or in this case, what not to do)

If he doesn't want me to call him a mo-ron, then he should stop acting like one. How can a mature adult come here to post something he knows nothing about? Does he think we come here to tell cock and bull stories


O pari

Take corrections bro.

The guy is just new here.

MetalJigsaw:
ROAD TO RUSSIA: Is England Friendly Ideal For Super Eagles?

The Nigeria Football Federation and England’s Football Association on Wednesday confirmed that there will be a friendly between the Super Eagles and the Three Lions in London on 2 June.

Both teams will be looking to use the Wembley match as preparation towards the Russia 2018 World Cup which starts few days after the game.

While everybody agrees that this is a high-profile friendly for the Super Eagles given the calibre of opponent and the venue, eye brows have been raised in some quarters regarding the usefulness of the match.

Those against the friendly argue that the Super Eagles need to play countries with styles similar to Russia 2018 group phase opponents Argentina, Croatia and Iceland to give the Nigerian side a sense of what they will come up against at the World Cup.

England do not play like any of these teams, but those in support of the friendly believe the Super Eagles will benefit from playing against a grade A side with top players who will give the Nigerians a tough physical battle just days before the World Cup.

Which side are you on? Is the England friendly ideal for the Super Eagles or not? Why do you hold this view?


https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/road-russia-england-friendly-ideal-super-eagles/

You never know who we will meet beyond the group stage.

TheGoodJoe:


Puel changed strategy from the dross he was playing. Praise the man for building confidence and doing the right thing than try to make it look as if Puel played this way always.

You are even saying this is the first time your seeing Ndidi averaging such stats.

Months ago under Shakespeare, I even pointed out that Ndidi was metamorphing into more creative player and Shakespeare was holding him back. Yesterday was a testament of my cries. The negative tactics is not only holding our players back but the team.

I hope Puel embraces it and continue encouraging his players to play in a brave fashion.

By the way, did anyone see Ndidi pull off the turn Mikel Obi usually makes in tight situations? Got me clapping.

Ndidi could perfect Mikel's style of play but it will take time.

He is the Super Eagles Pogba.

Tamunotonye22:
News about Ndidi mass me happy

And someone will still say Onazi is better than this guy.

But I have a question, Ogu does well with Ndidi,Agu performs well with Ndidi.

Does this in any way mean that both Onazi and Ndidi are CMFs?

Mujtahida:

Dear Super Eagles, I see your weaknesses in the goalkeeping department- Uzoho has no experience, Ezenwa is a bouncing ball, Akpeyi is a pain in our chest. I know that Balogun is slow. I know that Ekong gives away the ball sometimes and that Omeruo is error prone, I know that Echiejile lacks attacking instincts and Shehu has not faced fine wingers in the ilk of Mbappe.I know also that Idowu, Ebuehi and Aina are greenhorns as far as international football is concerned

I know also that Ndidi is said to not have good passing ability. I know that Mikel Obi and John Ogu are slow. I know that Iwobi can disappoint sometimes. I know also that Simon Moses' final balls are sometimes ineffective. I know that Vicmo is said to be selfish and Ighalo is erratic in his performances for Nigeria. I know Iheanacho and Musa are struggling with getting game time at their respective clubs. In short I know you guys are an average team and perhaps - to sate the appetite of sceptics - even less than average. I looked for you guys in Man Utd, Real, Barcelona, PSG, Inter Milan, Juve, Bayern Munich I found none. Some of una dey chill for China, some - as one of our venerable sceptics likes to say - are in the backwater leagues of Turkey, Holland and Belgium. Some are on the bench saving it from cold with their asses.

I will not speak of your strength, no I will not. Your faults, your inadequacies, your deficiencies is what I want to look at with an uncompromising eye and I have seen plenty of it to to make me play safe with my hopes and expectations of you.

But I swear that notwithstanding your faults I can't fit stop believing in you guys. It's impossicant for me. I believe because you guys have given me reason to believe even though I know I might be disappointed, yes bitterly and utterly disappointed at the end, crushed to the heart if you fail to fly beyond the second round. I do hope you work on your lapses but whether, whether not I still believe. You have stirred up wildness in my heart and your faults cannot tame it.

So here's my heart, it beats for you. Here's my heart - if you like shatter it into a thousand pieces but what I cannot do is to stop believing in you.
See you in Russia.
From yours faithfully
mujtahid on behalf of all believers in this team.

Nice write-up.

Teekim:
Am not good with knowing the Nigerian players, but in our game against France, a certain Ramom Azeez came on for Onazi when he got the ankel knock. We lost the the game some minutes later and most Nigerian fans attributed the lose to onazi not being on the pitch but if the truth be told; Enyaema gifted France the win on that day and it had nothing much to do with Onazi's absence. Well, I loved the holding of the ball and the passes in center of the pitch when Ramon Azeez came in, but I don't know if his current form is good enough for SE.

John Ogu and Ramon Azeez will be a good add up to Mikel and Onazi in the center of the pitch. That's if Ramon's current form is good enough.

Is like you are not getting this.No matter how good a goal-keeper or defence is , a poor mid-field will expose them and make them look average or even poor.

The game is won and lost in the middle.

France identified Onazi's input to super Eagles mid-field and sought to eliminate him.Even after the match their coach even said"I watched the Eagles previous matches and observed that Onazi contributes more than Mikel, I told my players, if we are to win this match you must pay special attention to Onazi"He also said he never told them to maim Onazi.

krattoss:
lol .. u have come again with this una ajagunle talk ...

I suggest we make due with what we presently have...
when worst comes to worst,we can drift in iwobi, or better still, change tactics where instead of playing mikels holding AM, a SUPPRTING STRIKER kinda formation will be deployed where either of nacho,iwobi, or vic Moses gets to fit in.. (this is if when worst comes to worst)

but if a mikel kinda holding AM must be played, i will suggest a certain JOHN OGU to fill in the gaps and space cos he has similar kinda play like mikel...

please where those ajagun kum lawal plies their thread?

I don't think your suggestion will work, we need a good AM who like Mikel is a good ball holder and can create for the young forwards to score.

Ogu was present against Algeria, were we able to boss the mid-field with him?We only exposed our defence which in turn exposed Ezenwa.

A team which lacks a good AM will get their defence exposed, no matter how good the CM and DM may be.Keep in mind that the best way to defend has always been to attack.

Will it be over for the Super Eagles should Mikel get injured?

Whenever we play without Mikel we either lose or draw.

I suggest we find a good back-up for Mikel.

Etebo has failed,Agu has failed.It's time to try Raheem lawal and Abdul Ajagun.I would have preferred Joel Obi but he is currently injured.

You can suggest other players who can play Mikel's role should he get injured in one of our pre-WC or WC matches.

Some teams might take us unawares by deliberately injuring Mikel knowing that we have no one as good as him on the bench.We should recall what happened to the team when Onazi got injured against France in 2014 WC.

junnyjake:
Under the new coach, Aina has consistently been playing at LB. And has been winning MOTM awards from that position too.

I pray he improves on his game so he can make that position his in the GWG shirt.

Aina,Echiejile and Idowu for LB.

Can one of the 3 fill the remaining CB slot?

Humility017:

we already have some players too...
bazee, oshimen, kayode...success isaac if he starts playing
though one of orji, yinka and kalu inclusion won't be bad

I would love to see your 30-man provisional squad.

chimzyblack:
EVERTON DOCTORS SAYS ONYEKURU'S INJURY NOT SERIOUS

Everton doctors have determined that Henry Onyekuru’s knee injury is not grievous as was widely reported. The young striker will be out for only six weeks and not six months.
Onyekuru
The player was reportedly examined by Everton doctors and the MRI scans of the injury have revealed that he may not be needing surgery but minor treatment. Onyekuru has been allowed to return to Belgium to recuperate.
Onyekuru hurt his knee at the weekend during a league game with Anderlecht at former club KAS Eupen.
Initial media reports suggested his season was effectively over and that could also mean his hopes of playing at the World Cup in Russia.

This boy's future is bright.

He now needs to play with more caution.

@Chimzy Thanks for the update.

bengine:


We have a world cup in 6months bro..he needs to play actively!!! If there was no WC, I would have suggested he stay there..

You need to remember, no matter how much you learn, you need exam or a test to see how far you have learned...exams are like game time..the more game the better he gets at correcting some of his weakness, that doesn't mean he doesn't work on those weakness on the training ground. He needs game to give him confidence that he is perfecting some of his perceived weakness..

Who even gave that pass that resulted to Idowu's goal which KC failed to trap?

It's obvious the "bench" is not doing him any good.

tbaba1234:
Onyekuru scored a consolation goal for Anderlecht

Why should the coach sub-in Lukasz Teordocyzk for Adrien Trebel who is a CM?