TheGoodJoe:
Did anyone notice that Mikel did more of the pressing of the defence and keeper than Ighalo who was leading the line? I wonder what is the craze of this big powerful line. It does not even offer movement upfront.

Mujtahida:

You see things in black and white terms-a one track mind. For you Ighalo is all black. Iheanacho is all supreme. You condemn totally and exonerate totally-no room for shades of grey, for nuances, for subtleties (for eg compare your views on the Tammy issue with that of Joebie). I don't look at things that way. That goal against Cameroon is the mark of a marksman. Again I say Ighalo has it. Dude just needs to be more clinical.

adegwurulez:

Ighalo was thinking like me. Slow down, else you get into an offside position.
But just like you and tbaba have pointed out, a run to the left would have solved this little dilemma.
Do I blame him? No, I don't.

Afobear:
i wont engage you now the great islamic law scholar,come up against a quality opposition and watch here turn to a river of tears

soetanoreoluwa:
[img]


England U21's Tammy Abraham flattered by Nigeria interest

11:52 PM WAT
PA Sport

David Davies/PA Images via Getty Images
Tammy Abraham admits he is flattered by Nigeria's interest but vowed to stay focused on the England Under-21s.

The striker is expected to spearhead the Young Lions' attack when they travel to Andorra on Tuesday to continue their Euro 2019 qualifying campaign.

Abraham scored and grabbed an assist in Friday's 3-1 win over Scotland Under-21s having already denied he was planning to switch allegiances to Nigeria.

Under-21 boss Aidy Boothroyd is wary of losing his players, with Sheyi Ojo and Dominic Solanke also eligible for Nigeria, but Abraham remains happy with England.

"There are a lot of things going on and for me that is a sign you are doing something right, if Nigeria are fighting for you and England want you as well," said Swansea's on-loan Chelsea forward.

"I'm happy right now and I just want to keep playing my football. Nothing has happened [in terms of the Nigeria FA contacting]. I'm not too sure what is going on."

And Abraham is ready to take on Andorra, who lost 6-0 to Ukraine last month, at the Estadi Comunal in Andorra la Vella.

"We're in control of the group but we can't take our foot off the gas. We need to take confidence into every game and make sure we get the results we need," he said.

Boothroyd reiterated the point, warning his side they are not basketball team the Harlem Globetrotters and that they must respect Andorra.

The Young Lions boss wants his team to ensure they have the substance before they turn on the style as they aim to maintain their position at the top of Group 4.

He said: "My players are so skillful and comfortable on the ball that one of my biggest concerns is that sometimes they can be too elaborate on the ball.

"I keep telling them that we are not the Harlem Globetrotters and we are not here to do tricks.

"We can express ourselves by all means, but we are here to play as a team and we know when we come up against the big-hitters there will be no time for all that.

"We have some deadly players up front. My biggest challenge is to turn them into a team and a squad that is bigger than the sum of its parts." [/img]


http://kwese.espn.com/football/england-u21/story/3225023/england-u21s-tammy-abraham-flattered-by-nigeria-interest

Icon4s:


I am also not pleased with Ighalo's performance in that game.

1 goal in 3 matches is not acceptable for a top striker IMHO.

If we want to go really far in that world cup we need a very prolific number 9.

Tammy Abraham is in blistering form. Pinick needs to relaunch a bid for him.

Afobear:
i know you wont be saying this if that zambian goal stood

Icon4s:


I am also not pleased with Ighalo's performance in that game.

1 goal in 3 matches is not acceptable for a top striker IMHO.

If we want to go really far in that world cup we need a very prolific number 9.

Tammy Abraham is in blistering form. Pinick needs to relaunch a bid for him.

forgiveness:


Although, Tammy fall hand but the boy is good. If Kayode prove himself in Spain then he should be considered.

TheGoodJoe:


Agu was good in the second half. Ighalo was poor in the match. Finito.

Mujtahida:

3 goals in nine matches is fair for Tammy(earlier you said blistering form) which one can say on average is one goal in three matches yet for Ighalo one goal in three matches is not fair enough? Now I am not trying to denigrate Tammy or excuse Ighalo but I just want you to examine your submission on both of them based on my observation.

Icon4s:


I am also not pleased with Ighalo's performance in that game.

1 goal in 3 matches is not acceptable for a top striker IMHO.

If we want to go really far in that world cup we need a very prolific number 9.

Tammy Abraham is in blistering form. Pinick needs to relaunch a bid for him.

Mujtahida:

Sir Icon4s your last paragraph here says Tammy is in blistering form that's why in my post I said 'earlier you said... '

Kog45:
Rohr must be a liar for saying Mikel Agu had a very disappointing match and u must be correct for saying Ighalo had a awful match.

Joebie:
relaunch wetin? him and he papa never collect form? We have done enough as regards Tammy.

Joebie:
Over 3 games Ighalo have performed really well.
1 goal and an assist is pretty decent.
He could have had a couple more assists, showing he worked hard for the team all round. At a point, I remember seeing him in defense.
Could he have scored more? Yes!
But I can only fault him on one occasion for not anticipating Simon's cross in that direction and reacting quickly. But he barely missed it.

Let's not also forget that the goal he scored he almost singlehandedly made it happen. Can't take anything from him. However, he needs a formidable competition. Competition is healthy in every position in SE.

Kog45:
Rohr must be a liar for saying Mikel Agu had a very disappointing match and u must be correct for saying Ighalo had a awful match.

Kog45:
It seems we are blowing d issue of this striker out of proportion.

I remember it was on this thread despite Nacho goal ratio, a lot said he was not a typical top 9 referring to Algeria match and later South Africa match.

Later d castigated Ighalo which i personally don't even rate was recalled back and had a great outing against Cameroon in both legs,though against Zambia he should have done better.

Now u said 1 goal in 3 matches is not ideal for a good striker,this is debatable coz we need to put a lot of things into consideration,what was his total contribution in those matches apart from goal scoring.

I can tell u his performance against Cameroon in both legs was spectacular,his first goal against Cameroon gave us a breakthrough and his dummy gave us 2nd goal scored by Mikel.

In Yaounde i can tell u Ighalo powerful play gave us d needed goal against Cameroon, pls go and watch Simeon Moses goal and u appreciate his contribution.

Pls we u drop Ighalo Odion for any striker against Zambia?also w Nacho perform better than Ighalo in that match?I have said i rate Nacho highly but for Rohr to drop Nacho to d bench he must have his reason.

Did u know it reached a stage Rohr doesn't reckon with Ighalo and Ideye again,against Algeria he prefer Nacho as top 9 than natural Ighalo and Ideye who had a good outing in Lusaka.

The same Rohr again now preferred Ighalo over Nacho due to South Africa match when Nacho had below per performance and i w not deceive u Rohr w be happy he made that decision coz he was able to get Nigeria a WC slot.

I w not deceive u i keep on wondering which striker w come in and upstaged Ighalo and Iheanacho, people talk about Nwakaeme and i keep on laughing, am not saying he is not good but does he better than Ighalo and Iheanacho

Boss u have been in football biz for so long,pls how many goals do we want from our striker in d WC?In most WC highest scorer sometimes scores 7 goals, 6 or 5 goals,so what do we expect from our striker even mighty Yekini had a goal in two world cup appearances.

Honestly what i expect from Rohr is simple,u have a striker in Nacho who has a very good goal ratio for Eagles, why not have a good formation that w suit him, may be play him behind your top 9 or play him as twin striker.

I don't see any reason for panicking our stats shows that we are not lacking in goals,11 goals in 5 matches with different scorers like Moses V,Iheanacho, Iwobi, Simeon,Ighalo,and a odd player when it comes to goal scoring Mikel meaning we are very potent.

I don't see any reason why we always castigate our strikers or do we want to go back to Yekini era when we always put our hope on him.

We should not repeat what happened in US 94 when Yekini went goal dry,thanks to Daniel Amokachie,Emma Amuneke,Finidi George,Samson Siasia that rose to d occasion.

A lot were saying Tammy,truly d guy is good but i cannot say is better than Nacho or Ighalo.We should take thing easy regards players invitations,i laugh when some people were saying Nwakaeme w be d answer,are we now saying Nwakaeme is better than Nacho or Ighalo.

It reach a point Aron Samuel was being considered, this is a guy that was not even making his club squad but find his way to national team at d expense of players like Oyekwuru and Kayode.

Hope u heard what Peter Crounch said recently, he said d era of traditional top 9 has gone,what we have now is modern day striker who read d game very well and move to spaces and even create chances for others to score.

Icon4s:


Firstly I did not say Tammy is in blistering form. I said we need a striker that will be in blistering form going into the World cup.

Now comparing goals ratio of 3 in 9 and 1 and 3, mathematically they are the same. But football is no mathematics.

You know how difficult the EPL is and worst still playing for a lowly club like Swansea who typically against top oppositions play to avoid defeat rather than winning and hence not creating much scoring chances.

In the last 3 WC qualifiers we played 3 games: 2 home and 1 away. Scoring 6 goals. Yekini that I knew would have scored 3-4 of those goals. The Yakubu that I knew would have scored 2-3.

Look at those silly misses Ighalo had against Zambia.

Nigeria has a rich history of producing top strikers, Ighalo is far short of the standards we have always had .

Put Ighalo into this pool and be the judge: Yekini, Martins, Yakubu, Osaze, Utaka, Ike Uche.

Ighalo seems to have resumed on his goals drought. I hope he proves me wrong.

cc: Kog45

Icon4s:


Firstly I did not say Tammy is in blistering form. I meant we need a striker that will be in blistering form going into the World cup.

Now comparing goals ratio of 3 in 9 and 1 and 3, mathematically they are the same. But football is no mathematics.

You know how difficult the EPL is and worst still playing for a lowly club like Swansea who typically against top oppositions play to avoid defeat rather than winning and hence not creating much scoring chances.

In the last 3 WC qualifiers we played 3 games: 2 home and 1 away. Scoring 6 goals. Yekini that I knew would have scored 3-4 of those goals. The Yakubu that I knew would have scored 2-3.

Look at those silly misses Ighalo had against Zambia.

Nigeria has a rich history of producing top strikers, Ighalo is far short of the standards we have always had .

Put Ighalo into this pool and be the judge: Yekini, Martins, Yakubu, Osaze, Utaka, Ike Uche.

Ighalo seems to have resumed on his goals drought. I hope he proves me wrong.

cc: Kog45

Mujtahida:

Surely he's not as deadly as those you mentioned. Let's see him out at least one or two more matches before we run the rule on him.

soetanoreoluwa:
Nigeria: Eagles Get Adebutu's N50 Million As Rohr Turns Attention to World Cup

By Christian Okpara
Members of the senior national team, Super Eagles, were all smiles on Saturday following the avalanche of rewards that came with their qualification for the Russia 2018 World Cup at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo.

Nigeria defeated Zambia 1-0 to book its place in the 32-nation FIFA World Cup billed for Russia next June.Coming moments after defender, Shehu Abdullahi got N1 million and 10 bags of rice for his man of the match performance, multi-millionaire business mogul, Chief Kensington Adebutu rewarded the entire team with the sum of N50 million for becoming the first African country to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

While presenting his cheque to the team, Adebutu praised the Super Eagles for their determination, professionalism and commitment throughout the qualifying campaign, which saw them overhaul the so-called Group of Death with a game to spare.

Speaking with the duo of midfielder Ogenyi Onazi and match winner, Alex Iwobi, the successful businessman urged the team not to rest on its oars, but to prepare hard to be worthy ambassadors of Nigeria and Africa at the FIFA World Cup finals in Russia next year summer.

Meanwhile, Super Eagles' Manager, Gernot Rohr has revealed that the team would begin preparation for the World Cup immediately.

Nigeria has won four matches, including the 2-1 defeat of Zambia in Ndola on match day one, 3-1 victory over Algeria in Uyo, 4-0 bashing of Cameroun also in Uyo and Saturday's 1-0 win in the reversed fixture against Zambia on Saturday. The team's only draw came against Cameroun in Yaoundé.



The Super Eagles will go to Algeria for the final game of Group B already assured of a place in Russia.Speaking after Saturday's game against Zambia, Rohr said: "It is not over yet. We need to build a solid team for the World Cup.

"We won four of the five matches played. With the quality of teams in the group, I didn't think it would be possible."On the game against Zambia, Rohr acknowledged that "it was a very difficult game... in fact the most difficult for us in the qualifying series because of what was at stake; because we knew a win would take us there and we were eager to finish it off.

"I commend the Zambians for their spirit. They fought very hard. This team was different from the one we defeated in Ndola last year; this was a much better and stronger team.

"I am very happy for the players and for this great nation, for us to qualify with a match in hand. It is a good feeling and after this night, we will begin to plan about how to prepare for the World Cup."But we have the final match in Algeria next month, and perhaps we can have a friendly within that window as well and begin the preparation for Russia 2018."

http://allafrica.com/stories/201710090880.html

TheGoodJoe:


Ighalo's had other flaws apart from anticipating a cross. He missed chances too. I repeat, if Iheanacho had that exact performance, he would have been crucified here.

Joebie:
Over 3 games Ighalo have performed really well.
1 goal and an assist is pretty decent.
He could have had a couple more assists, showing he worked hard for the team all round. At a point, I remember seeing him in defense.
Could he have scored more? Yes!
But I can only fault him on one occasion for not anticipating Simon's cross in that direction and reacting quickly. But he barely missed it.

Let's not also forget that the goal he scored he almost singlehandedly made it happen. Can't take anything from him. However, he needs a formidable competition. Competition is healthy in every position in SE.

Kog45:
My man I got your point, pls where are d strikers that are better.

In your word until we see better player no replacements. Pls tell me a striker that is better than Iheanacho and Ighalo presently.

Joebie:
which chances did he miss? oya list the occasions

Kog45:
Rohr must be a liar for saying Mikel Agu had a very disappointing match and u must be correct for saying Ighalo had a awful match.

Mujtahida:

I scoured various news outlets online after the match. I didn't read where Rohr said Agu had a very disappointment match.

Icon4s:


One or two more matches?

We have seen him aplenty abeg.

We need strikers that score goals. Why do you think I also personally kicked against Brown Ideye?

I would even pick Iheanacho ahead of Ighalo in the WC team.

Kog45:
Jobie to me Ighalo and Iheanacho are good for WC,enough of this that striker is good.If Tammy is ready fine if he is not,no issue.