tbaba1234:


I also think Balogun was very nervous in the game. He even cried after.. I think that nervousness affected him in the first half especially.

Ekong has always had that passing problem. It has gotten much better now sef. I think he sometimes panics under pressure.

Mujtahida:

Guy there was tension that day. I really didn't enjoy watching the match. In fact I felt we were poor. But after the match I rewatched the match and I saw that we weren't poor. Only there was too much pressure, too much expectation and the Zambians were dogged. The fact is the match was interesting with wave after wave of attack alternated by both sides. What the Zambians did was to make sure they broke up our passing game by upping the tempo of the game. It made us erratic and unsettled. It affected Balogun more than any other player in the first half. By the second half the Zambians naturally dropped some bit on the energy. That goal came through 15 passes from our end and very tight ones in the last seven that led to the goal.

The key is to not let Nigeria get into their rhythm. Once we do, we score. All our matches bear this out.

realpoacher:


We need a keeper?... Better say only you need a keeper more because as for me. Ik ezenwa is our best bet outside Ikeme & Enyeama

Because of just one error, you people have changed tune. Forgetting that ezenwa stats so far has been top notch.

What else do we want?... All keepers in the world must concede and will still continue to concede until tomorrow.

Ezenwa is good and tested, his calmness and confidence is top notch and will come in handy in the world cup.

You guys should stop calling for players head after any "not too good" match.

Our present team players are top notch and good enough.

Icon4s:


Lol at 'Ighalo classily jumped over' is he not even the one that others should be jumping over for him to score?

Both Iheanacho and Ighalo have received a fair share of my criticism.

I am not in the habit of practicing selective criticism.

Icon4s:


Yeah, Balogun, particularly in that first half.

Pace is his challenge. Rohr needs to work on that.
It means he has to work on his positioning to compensate of that lack of pace. Uche Okechukwu was not the quickest of defenders but he made up for it with his excellent positional abilities. Same goes for Martesacker of Arsenal.

Our midfield remains our major strength. Rohr just made a wrong choice of introducing Agu instead of Etebo. He have depth in that midfield. Though introduction of quality new blood will further boost that department.

Joebie:
maybe we have a different understanding as regards the terminology, pressing.

tbaba1234:
Weaknesses in our team

Alternatives to the Oyibo Wall..
A new left back
Limited Striking Options

Potential Solutions

I. Awaziem is 3rd choice but he is very green. Omeruo can be decent on his day but does not always inspire confidence. I think both players can do the job but i 'd like to see us chase Felix Udoukhai. That boy has been outstanding in the bundesliga, also a green horn but it is only a matter of time before Germany come calling. He is that good.

2. Elderson has sometimes been unfairly targeted but it is obvious that the Zambian team saw his wing as the weak point. He needs to be replaced. Ola Aina can certainly do a great job there. No one is displacing Shehu at RB, he has been world class. Needs to move out of cyprus.


3. Ighalo can blow hot and cold. Dessers is an exciting option to me. He has declared for Nigeria so why not? If Tammy is willing, he should also be invited.

Mujtahida:

Ezenwa 's calmness is ever so reassuring. And I think he's been spoken to regarding his being dramatic. The defence worked tirelessly to shield him. Truth is he was resting on that day but Dude was alert few times the Zambians tested him.

TheGoodJoe:


Keep in mind when Agu got his role in the script right, Balogun excelled. Just like I pointed out during the crucifixion of Awaziem that poor cover from the full backs and defensive midfielders can make a good defender seem poor.

I am glad that Rohr notices it too and I agree that Mikel Agu is learning the role. The second half showed it.

I think that is why I did not even notice Balogun being poor in that first half. I was watching the positioning of the midfielders.

I wish. I really wish Onazi does it. He would have been as big as Ngolo Kante or even bigger. But, he is interested in the forward play too much. Just as the position he was when he got injured.

adegwurulez:

Our forwards should press as a unit. Presently, only Iheanacho does that upfront.

At a point in the Algeria game he was starting to look stupid, I think someone even coined it as "running up and down like a headless chicken.

I like Iheanacho and etebo for this. You can never overstate the immense pressure the opposing side face when every member of a team plays a part in pressing. If you watched pep's barca, you'd appreciate this.

Icon4s:


Good points.

Let me just touch on the onyibo wall. The Zambians have really helped us by exposing that weakness.

They are still our best CB pairing. I don't think we have alternatives yet, as Awaziem is not ready and Omeruo's career has seen it's better days.

The two weaknesses: Balogun is a slow player and Ekong is not much of a good ball passer. Balogun's case can be solved by excellent positioning. Uche Okechukwu and Yobo had that issue but made up for it with positioning. It is an early warning signal to us. Age is no longer on Balogun's side.

On Ekong's occasional wrong passes, such happens mostly due to two reasons: 1. Over confidence. 2. Lack of confidence. The team's psychologist needs to help us out here. Cos we know Ekong is better than those errors.

Icon4s:


Go back and watch that first half. It did not completely have to do with Agu. His one on one positioning with the Zambian strikers was poor and his build up play was also sluggish even in the second half.

Mujtahida:

Shehu as well as all the players needs thorough competition. Apart from Felix there's Torunarigha and I think Akpoguma. Torunarigha plays as a left back. If we can secure him it would do us good. Aina should battle Shehu. Nothing to lose. It would either mean Shehu keeps posting excellent performances or Aina replaces him.

Icon4s:


Those teams you make reference to that excel at world cup are more offensive because they have the quality to be more offensive.

Being offensive or defensive depends a great deal on the nature of the opposition. IE your quality vs the quality of your opponent

Let Togo go and play Brazil and you expect Togo to play offensive football.

I am even going far sef. If Nigeria is to play Brazil expect us to play offensive football.

Mujtahida:

That guy was rampant on Saturday though not as effective in his runs like at other times. Truly he is the one that drives our attack. He defends too and he never tires out. I wonder where his reserve of strength and power comes from. If he has a good left back who combines with him on the left it would really be prime football. Aina showed some attacking flair, combining beautifully with Moses but I still prefer Aina playing on the right.

daveP:
Are we screaming down his neck to that effect? We both know that if we don't settle the midfield issue now, twill be detrimental at the world cup. Mikel 'Humility' Obi isn't the agile player he once was(must we wait 4 his retirement b4 replacement?). Besides these 2 are good, younger than him. Stop doing asif you didn't notice lapses during that game in Uyo. (a controller will string passes with teammates to keep longer possession, frustrating opponents 2 ruin their gameplan if possible; Iwobi caused the longest passes that led to the goal=15) A call for a better fix CANT BACKFIRE!! Simple and straightforward. arggh.

Icon4s:


In modern day football, Full backs over-lap a lot. So it is common sight seeing CBs covering for one LB or RB that overlapped out of position and could not recover quickly enough.

I think it is age related. Balogun is ageing.

TheGoodJoe:


Keep in mind when Agu got his role in the script right, Balogun excelled. Just like I pointed out during the crucifixion of Awaziem that poor cover from the full backs and defensive midfielders can make a good defender seem poor.

I am glad that Rohr notices it too and I agree that Mikel Agu is learning the role. The second half showed it.

I think that is why I did not even notice Balogun being poor in that first half. I was watching the positioning of the midfielders.

I wish. I really wish Onazi does it. He would have been as big as Ngolo Kante or even bigger. But, he is interested in the forward play too much. Just as the position he was when he got injured.

Mujtahida:

Iwobi has his place right in the middle of the park-though Moses Simon can easily be pocketed. Mikel is always in the midfield. The headache is who plays between Onazi and Ndidi cos if Iwobi retains his touches by the World Cup he would make us flourish in the midfield with Mikel player deeper.

TheGoodJoe:


We are talking of Nigeria. Not Togo. We have the right mix of players, maybe even an overload of players to play a more offensive pattern. I even feel the conservative pattern hinders our best mix of players to excel.

tbaba1234:


Shehu has competition. Aina and Ebuehi are competition. Shehu is just unbenchable now.

Torunarigha's dad said he should not play for 9ja.

Kog45:
Balogun is ageing? just coz of Zambia match.

This is a guy that had wonderful outings against Algeria, Cameroon in both legs even got nominated as d best CB in d last Africa XI world cup qualifying matches.

Kog45:
Rohr should just pick between Ndidi and Onazi,honestly good to have two of them in d squad meaning we are covered in DMF but it seem Rohr is okay having Ndidi and Onazi in his starting lineup..

Kog45:
Balogun is ageing? just coz of Zambia match.

This is a guy that had wonderful outings against Algeria, Cameroon in both legs even got nominated as d best CB in d last Africa XI world cup qualifying matches.

Mujtahida:

Ekong is improving gradually. I read that he had to accept pay cut at his new club just so he can have regular playing time. I pray he keeps improving so that by the World Cup he'd be ripe.

Icon4s:


At least I still made reference to Nigeria in that post.

You cannot be playing against teams like Brazil, Germany, France, Spain etc and come all out offensive. You'll get punished.

We do not have the equality to match there's so we have to remain compact and avoid being over-run and then hit them on the break. That is the way to play such teams.

Mujtahida:

Iwobi has his place right in the middle of the park-though Moses Simon can easily be pocketed. Mikel is always in the midfield. The headache is who plays between Onazi and Ndidi cos if Iwobi retains his touches by the World Cup he would make us flourish in the midfield with Mikel player deeper.

Icon4s:


Dude is 29 and would be 30 during the WC. He should depend more on positional ability more than speed now.

Icon4s:


Dude is 29 and would be 30 during the WC. He should depend more on positional ability more than speed now.

Kog45:
Rohr should just pick between Ndidi and Onazi,honestly good to have two of them in d squad meaning we are covered in DMF but it seem Rohr is okay having Ndidi and Onazi in his starting lineup..

Mujtahida:

That's just it. So that Mikel steps back and we have a more vibrant AM and Iwobi would be deadly from there.