Humility017:

can't we play afcon qualifiers and friendly match same week in Match...
at least play one on Friday the other on Tuesday....?

Icon4s:


I stated the proposed camping in Russia, though I did not add the word "early" because camping only depends on the completion of the European season. You cannot call for camping earlier than the European season closes. Secondly, reporting to camp early is not an issue with this crop as they have always reported to camp in good enough time.

forgiveness:


Take ya time so that you don't use family take do sacrifice oooo...because those boys go score pass 50%.

pyrex23:
costa rica is north america na

PDPGuy:


Yes, Peru is from CONMEBOL, Costa Rica is from CONCACAF.

Goke7:

What competitive games does Russia and Holland have before the world cup to snatch those boys from us? ayam not understand o

tbaba1234:


Rohr is looking to strengthen his team. Idowu and Ebuehi have made the decision to play for Nigeria and i believe they would for a long time. Netherlands were not interested in Ebuehi, Russia was not interested in Idowu.

korlahwarleh:
Any player that still choose to play for another country after these commitments shown towards them by Nigeria and vice versa is not serious. Such a player doesn't deserve US. It's a case of "good riddance to bad rubbish". So, stop all these unnecessary panics. Don't turn international football to summer transfer window.

tbaba1234:


Rohr is looking to strengthen his team. Idowu and Ebuehi have made the decision to play for Nigeria and i believe they would for a long time. Netherlands were not interested in Ebuehi, Russia was not interested in Idowu.

Mujtahida:

There's a certain naivete in your post about 'if he wants to play for us' that I find astonishing. That's how Alaba wanted to play for us and he's now in team Austria.
That was a slip on our part. Finito

ykalhaji:


Chief, Russia was not looking for a black player to play for them. Ebuehi was stylishly asked not to play for Nigeria by Netherlands. They are in an automatic rebuilding mode, so Ebeuhi will not want to waste time with them, since they are not going to the world cup, but with Russia, if they draw Nigeria in the group stages, the coach might invite Brian Idowu to the world cup camp, if he is not officially capped by then. He might not select him eventually but it will frustrate Nigeria's defensive plan. Plus because Brian Idowu plays and lives in Russia as a black person, it will be hard for him to reject a call up from Russia. Remember Russia is not like liberal western European nations, things can get pretty ugly for him in his everyday life if when called by Russia he picks Nigeria.

Please note that these are just speculations on my part.

tbaba1234:


New players will break in.. Idowu looks like he would break in, Uzoho too.. Rohr also talked about a German CB who has agreed to play for us. Then we have Sarenren Bazee.

Most of the team will come from the WC qualifiers though..

MetalJigsaw:
His final balls and decision is the problem

Mujtahida:

The point is simple. While you are right that they've talked up the others you have mentioned, fact is they would have talked up Nacho if he were English. He doesn't need to be at the level of those guys before he's talked up if he were English. That's the point.

No talk Solanke and Tammy ooo. Aina hang with one leg now ooo.

TheGoodJoe:


Alaba was seventeen. Not our fault.

As for Ebuehi, I am already impressed with his ease running up and down the flanks. However, loyalty is a big part of success. It depends on what Ebuehi wants. If he wants us, our hands and hearts are wide open.

Mujtahida:

I feel he'd go with us. That team spirit is magical. It's like a charm. That's one thing those who will not make the roster will miss badly
Ebuehi's movement like an antelope is something I like and he's really young with many years for us in him. I wish him all the best.

komekn:


They only way you get talked up is when you are performing. when KC was in City and free scoring as q sub he was talked up with all kinds of accolades.

Football memories are very short and rightly so. Being great requires continous consistent top classs performances. In football you are only as good as your last game, two months is a long time. A year history to be archived.

Marcus Rashford has been consistently performing even if he doesn't always score.

I did say that KC's baptism of fire would be when he leaves city. He has gone to Leicester and has been very far from impressive. As a result thier is nothing
to hype or even talk about he actually failing at Leiceste city.

Mujtahida:

Here's an interesting article on Bryan Idowu. I'll still post another one

---

BRIAN IDOWU'S JOURNEY FROM ST PETERSBURG TO NIGERIA MAY END AT WORLD CUP

"I am an African with a Russian heart," Nigeria's Brian Idowu said in 2011. The story of the Russia-born defender who made his debut for the Super Eagles on Tuesday against Argentina, and could play at the 2018 World Cup in the country of his birth, is unique.
Idowu acted as a translator at Nigeria's news conference ahead of the fixture in Krasnodar earlier this week because he speaks perfect Russian. The defender then proved his worth on the pitch as well, scoring just eight minutes after coming on at half-time, as Nigeria completed a sensational comeback to beat their illustrious opponents (who were without Lionel Messi) 4-2.
It was a magical moment for the 25-year-old as, just a few years ago, his career seemed to be going nowhere.
When Russia were announced as future World Cup hosts in 2010, Idowu harboured hopes of representing them at the tournament.
He was eligible because he was born in St Petersburg (where his parents met while attending university; his father studied architecture, while his mother is a doctor) and his maternal grandmother Olga is Russian. His other three grandparents are Nigerian and, when Idowu was three, the family moved to Nigeria to live in the southern city of Owerri for three years before returning to Russia.
When they came back, Idowu had to learn Russian quickly before going to school -- where he eventually excelled at Russian literature -- and at the same time joined the football academy at Zenit. Inspired by watching Ronaldo and Roberto Baggio at the 1998 World Cup, he started out as a striker, then tried being a goalkeeper, before settling as an attack-minded right-back at the age of 12. He was considered one of the best talents in his age group, and was included in some provisional squads of the Russian Under-16 national team, but never played for them.
As time went by, it became apparent that he wouldn't get an opportunity to break into the senior Zenit squad, and he chose to leave for Amkar Perm, in the Ural mountains, in 2010.
When playing on loan at second division Dinamo St Petersburg in 2013, Idowu explained his reasons for leaving his hometown: "When I studied at school, people kept telling me that I would be the first black player for Zenit. But then, when I trained with the reserves, nobody told me anything. I was tired of waiting and joined Amkar. Later my agent openly told me that Zenit don't accept black players.
"I think it's not about the club policy, but rather about fans. They want to be different from the big rivals Spartak [Moscow] and CSKA [Moscow] who won their titles with the help of black players. Zenit fans are proud to be different, and the club doesn't want to disappoint them."
With little experience of first-team games, Idowu only made his full debut for Amkar in May 2012, a few days before his 20th birthday, and spent another season in the reserves before getting some playing time at Dinamo.
It took until the end of 2015 before Idowu finally proved himself at Amkar under the guidance of veteran coach Gadzhi Gadzhiev. He gradually improved his game and became the starting right-back in a team known for its defensive organisation (Amkar conceded 29 goals in 30 games in 2016-17, and 12 goals in 16 matches this term). That form was noticed and his first contact from Nigeria came soon after.
["Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr contacted me and told that he is following me," Idowu said in November 2016. "He wanted to invite me to the squad, but that was impossible because I don't have a Nigerian passport.
"Gadzhiev said that such a call is not incidental, and I should keep progressing. He advised me to wait and see if I get called by Russia as well. I don't see why I can't play for Russia if I keep getting better, but they have good players like Mario Fernandes [CSKA's Brazilian-born right-back] in my position. They don't miss me."
But with Russia yet to make a move, Rohr was keen to revisit Idowu's nationality switch -- made more complex by the fact he could have lost his place in the Amkar team because, according to Russian FA rules, each club can only field six foreigners [in a 6+5 system] at the same time.
"A year ago, Idowu was invited to the national team, but then he did not play because of the difficulty with the limit on the foreign players in the Russian championship,'' Rohr told Sport Express Russia ahead of the Argentina game. ''But now the situation has changed ... I look forward to Brian not only as a good interpreter in Russia, but also as a fully-fledged player who will make the World Cup roster.''
Amkar have more Russian players in the squad this season, which has made Idowu's situation easier, but there is a still a chance of a U-turn if he gets a call from Stanislav Cherchesov and only plays for Nigeria in friendly matches until the World Cup. Though, after his debut performance in the 4-2 win over Argentina, the chances are that will Russia will lose out on a top talent to the Super Eagles.
"I feel great [with Nigeria] I have been well received by both players and coaches," he said. "The atmosphere is very positive. For me this is a huge chance and experience.
"As for why I'm not playing for Russia, I shouldn't be asked this question. I want to go to the World Cup with Nigeria, because they believed in me."

---

From Balogun to Iwobi now to Idowu they always say the same thing about acceptance, about believe, about the connection.
Joebie take note of the first bolded.

Icon79:
My brother, help me ask them o. In addition, Ebuehi is clearly invested in Nigeria program now and I don't see him dumping Nigeria for Holland. We're just arguing over a non-issue. A faceless blogger (not their coach or their FA) claimed that Holland may still cap Ebuehi and some folks want to twist themselves into a thistle. Holland has so many quality players, I don't see them acting like England.


O pari

forgiveness:


My 35 man list

Gk

Vincent Enyeama
Dele Aiyenugba
Francis Uzoho
Dele Alampasu
Daniel Akpeyi


DF
Leon Balogun
Troost Ekong
Chidozie Awaziem
Shehu Abdullahi
Tyronne Ebuehi
Ola Aina
Elderson Echiejile
Brian Idowu
Kenneth Omeruo
Deji Beyreuther



MF
Mikel Obi
Joel Obi
Ogenyi Onazi
Wilfred Ndidi
John Ogu
Sone Aluko
Michael Agu
Raheem Lawal
Abdul Ajagun
Tega Etebor


AT
Odion Ighalo
Kelechi Iheanacho
Simon Moses
Victor Mose
Alex Iwobi
Ahmed Musa
Sarenren Bazee
Kayode Olanrewaju
Onyekuru
Obafemi Martins

From here I will draw my list though I will still consider the three players NFF are pursuing in England.


I no go reveal dem name before those English vulture come spoil show again.

Joebie:
This is what we've been saying.. talking about engagement. Others are talking about patriotism. Can't we see from these many examples...?

Mujtahida:

Just that simple word 'I am following you' is good enough to lead to something good. Not too much paraphernalia and ceremony. Just tap into the human need for relevance, acceptance and glory.

Joebie:
11 LESSONS TO DRAW FROM NIGERIA’S WIN OVER ARGENTINA
Add Comment 3 hours ago by Bryan Efe



After due consideration of various commentaries, in the aftermath of the Nigeria-Argentina friendly, I feel obliged to present my opinion. I have waited patiently for the emotions to die down, carefully considering three perspectives -- the loser's, the winner's, as well as that of those who did not have any stake on that match-day -- to make the most objective submission possible, on the lessons Nigeria can draw from that unexpected victory.

1. A friendly is what it is -- a friendly

One should expect that referees are usually less strict at this competitive level. The Super Eagles would have paid dearly for one of their player's costly mistake, notably, Daniel Akpeyi's handling the ball outside his area. In a World Cup situation, that event would have been a game changer in favor of the Argentines, as Akpeyi would have been sent off, and a forced substitution would have been made to pave way for a second choice goalkeeper. Argentina, a team that depends a lot on high possession, pressing and passing game will make any opponent with an inferior numerical strength, pay dearly. Thank goodness it was just a friendly! Hence, the Super Eagles must not rest on its oars.

2. Argentina missed Lionel Messi

Nigeria benefited immensely from the absence of Messi in the Argentina squad. Now this is no excuse for Argentina. To say Messi has been influential for the La Albiceleste will be an understatement. The five-times Ballon d'or winner carried Argentina on his shoulders on the road to their world cup qualification. This is rather a lesson to learn for Argentina, as the coach rightly insinuated in the post-match press conference, that a one-man team is a bad idea, and it played against them in the loss. Messi is the kind of player that can make a difference. Need I make this argument? With what we saw from Nigeria's performance especially in the first half, Argentina would have wrapped up the game early had an in-form Messi been on the pitch, and this would have affected the Nigerian players, psychologically. A fight back for the Super Eagles would have been difficult -- although still possible.  So what's the lesson here? In the World Cup proper, teams will be looking to punish us early, and their strategy may be to hold on to the lead by defending and relying on counter attacks. Let's keep this in mind as we have been in a similar situation in the world cup stage in the past.

3. Super Eagles showed boldness and determination

This point may sound contradictory to the second, but what I'm presenting here is an all encompassing submission. Granted, some teams will punish you early, but the Super Eagles players, showed character by starting the fight back in the first half through Kelechi Iheanacho's free-kick goal. That goal made the job easier for Gernot Rohr at the break. There is a big difference, talking to your players about getting back from two goals down versus motivating them to get back from just a goal down. The players already had the believe that they could draw level, they just needed directection. Gernot Rohr, as director-in-chief, did just that at the break, with timely instructions and substitutions.

4. With Gernot Rohr, there is time for everything

Gernot Rohr may have well been misunderstood during the World Cup qualifiers. Many commentators have been of the opinion that he is a conservative coach. Rohr's change of formation from the overused 4-2-3-1 to a never used 3-5-2 in a friendly of such magnitude shows the Franco-German tactician is open to experimentation at the right moment, considering the match was not a must win.

5. A Lesson or two as regards Aina and Shehu

A three center back formation relies heavily on pacy and dogged wing backs, who should have the capability of performing their duties for 90 minutes. Nigeria's wing backs at the first half, fell short in this regard. Olaoluwa Aina and Abdullahi Shehu did not perform to expectation, especially as they did not offer much options going forward. Nigeria must now learn never to deploy the aforementioned players as wing backs unless the players positioned at left-center-back, and right-center-back, are instructed to make up for spaces should they forward. Even in this case, Aina and Shehu must improve in their recovery if they must be considered to start in this formation, going forward. they also lacked tenacity in attack.

6. Iheanacho, on set pieces

Kelechi Iheanacho is composed enough to take Nigeria's set pieces. He should be our man for spot-kicks, free kicks and corner kicks, as long as he is on the pitch. He's never showed a lack of confidence with his left foot, in those situations. And let me also chip this in. The Leicester forward is beginning to show that he still has the instinct for brilliant key passes, considering his double assist against Argentina -- reminiscent of his Golden Eaglet days.

7. Victor Moses is replaceable at least...

Chelsea wing-back, Victor Moses, is not indispensable at least when Nigeria is playing with three men at the rear. With the formation against Argentina, Tyronne Ebuehi showed dynamism with a solid defensive display and with impressive fast movement going forward, characteristic of world class wing backs. He completely commanded his area while defending. With sweeping tackles and timely blocks he withstood everything that was thrown at him for 45 minutes with aplomb. Ebuehi, with his performance against Argentina, showed us he can replace Victor Moses, easily, as wing back. At least, this is debatable.

8. In Idowu, Nigeria may have just solved a lingering problem.

Left wing back, Bryan Idowu was simply the truth against Argentina. He had a debut every debutant would die for, scoring with his first touch, to put Nigeria ahead in the game for the first time, and doing all the necessary at the rear. For years, since the prime days of Celestine Babayaro, the Super Eagles has endured a lack of good options in the left back defense department. Although it may be too early to conclude that Bryan Idowu has knocked out super regular Elderson Echiejile from contention, a repeat performance from the Russian-Nigerian will definitely put an end to Echiejile's reign as the Super Eagles left back king.

9. Perfecting the false nines.

The most lethal sides today rely heavily on dynamism in attack, with all forwards ever-switching positions during the run of play, and all capable of scoring -- hence, false nines. Against Argentina, Nigeria showed such dynamism. Two-goal hero, Alex Iwobi, who has mostly played as a winger for Nigeria, continued to show he is more lethal drifting in, to the middle. All Iwobi's four goals for Nigeria have come from the center of the attack line. Kelechi Iheancho -- who scored a goal, and provided two assists for Nigeria against Argentina  -- likewise,  have also been deadly for Nigeria, drifting in the front. Team captain, John Obi Mikel, who is not a center forward, supplied 3 goals for Nigeria during the qualifiers. Therefore, Nigeria survived the world cup qualifiers without a true nine, except for Odion Ighalo who only managed a goal during the qualifiers. Nigeria's precise execution at the front against Argentina, shows the team may have just perfected the science of dynamism with false nines.

10. Hard tackling as strength and weakness

The Super Eagles is a physical side -- an asset that played to Nigeria's advantage in the win. However, it could also be a weakness in more serious competitions like the world cup, as some referees will not hesitate to flash yellow cards at will, especially against sides showing physical superiority -- West African countries especially. A noteworthy event was Kelechi Iheanacho elbowing Argentina's Nicolas Otamendi. That would have attracted a red card in a more competitive game. Gernot Rohr must check his boys on discipline, going forward.

11. Mikel's indispensability, a risk.

John Obi Mikel must not advance when Nigeria is not in possession. His momentary lack of positional awareness, created a gap Argentina exploited in their quick build up to the second goal. Even Wilfrend Ndidi and John Ogu could not stop the Argentines. This goes to show that Nigeria will always feel Mikel's absence. Something needs to be done about this quickly. No player should be indispensable to an extent that their absence can easily spell doom. This is a danger sign. Can Mikel ever be deputized? Please leave your comments or recommendations.

--Spotkik

Goke7:

imagine folks are already giving rohr the sticks for not playing ebuehi earlier, why are we so emotional like this, Nigerians are just too difficult to please abeg and what if ebuehi decides to dump Nigeria after all, he will just give shehu and another RB very easy chance to russia, na so the boy stupid reach? dumping a country that did not qualify for the world cup for a country that did not. once again ayam not understand o

Joebie:
right!

Danielnino00:
After finally watching the game,I gotta say,this 3-5-2 formation shouldn't he our main formation at the WC.. We can try it when we play attacking minded teams like Germany, Spain and France,so we can park the bus and hit with our newfound "sexy counter attack'


I don't support those saying VicMo should be used as a wingback!! he is one of our best player and we can't let him waste in that role...

for a three man defence u would suggest thus lineup (3-4-3)


GK(anybody wey make am )

LCB- Awazeim
CB- Balogun
RCB- Ekong


LWB- Idowu
MF- Ndidi
MF- Mikel
RWF- Ebuehi

AMF- Moses
CF- Iheanacho
AMf- Iwobi

I'm adding Idowu and Ebuehi,cus at the moment,Shehu and Aina aren't used to the Wingback role..

TheGoodJoe:


No one said, do not contact. No one said do not enquire. The point is trying to convince a player who prefers to play for another country is bad for our image and we are fighting for players who might not be devoted to our course.

When Rohr said he is following Idowu, Idowu did not say, I do not feel Nigerian or I want to wait for Russia.

Joebie:
11 LESSONS TO DRAW FROM NIGERIA’S WIN OVER ARGENTINA
Add Comment 3 hours ago by Bryan Efe



After due consideration of various commentaries, in the aftermath of the Nigeria-Argentina friendly, I feel obliged to present my opinion. I have waited patiently for the emotions to die down, carefully considering three perspectives -- the loser's, the winner's, as well as that of those who did not have any stake on that match-day -- to make the most objective submission possible, on the lessons Nigeria can draw from that unexpected victory.

1. A friendly is what it is -- a friendly

One should expect that referees are usually less strict at this competitive level. The Super Eagles would have paid dearly for one of their player's costly mistake, notably, Daniel Akpeyi's handling the ball outside his area. In a World Cup situation, that event would have been a game changer in favor of the Argentines, as Akpeyi would have been sent off, and a forced substitution would have been made to pave way for a second choice goalkeeper. Argentina, a team that depends a lot on high possession, pressing and passing game will make any opponent with an inferior numerical strength, pay dearly. Thank goodness it was just a friendly! Hence, the Super Eagles must not rest on its oars.

2. Argentina missed Lionel Messi

Nigeria benefited immensely from the absence of Messi in the Argentina squad. Now this is no excuse for Argentina. To say Messi has been influential for the La Albiceleste will be an understatement. The five-times Ballon d'or winner carried Argentina on his shoulders on the road to their world cup qualification. This is rather a lesson to learn for Argentina, as the coach rightly insinuated in the post-match press conference, that a one-man team is a bad idea, and it played against them in the loss. Messi is the kind of player that can make a difference. Need I make this argument? With what we saw from Nigeria's performance especially in the first half, Argentina would have wrapped up the game early had an in-form Messi been on the pitch, and this would have affected the Nigerian players, psychologically. A fight back for the Super Eagles would have been difficult -- although still possible.  So what's the lesson here? In the World Cup proper, teams will be looking to punish us early, and their strategy may be to hold on to the lead by defending and relying on counter attacks. Let's keep this in mind as we have been in a similar situation in the world cup stage in the past.

3. Super Eagles showed boldness and determination

This point may sound contradictory to the second, but what I'm presenting here is an all encompassing submission. Granted, some teams will punish you early, but the Super Eagles players, showed character by starting the fight back in the first half through Kelechi Iheanacho's free-kick goal. That goal made the job easier for Gernot Rohr at the break. There is a big difference, talking to your players about getting back from two goals down versus motivating them to get back from just a goal down. The players already had the believe that they could draw level, they just needed directection. Gernot Rohr, as director-in-chief, did just that at the break, with timely instructions and substitutions.

4. With Gernot Rohr, there is time for everything

Gernot Rohr may have well been misunderstood during the World Cup qualifiers. Many commentators have been of the opinion that he is a conservative coach. Rohr's change of formation from the overused 4-2-3-1 to a never used 3-5-2 in a friendly of such magnitude shows the Franco-German tactician is open to experimentation at the right moment, considering the match was not a must win.

5. A Lesson or two as regards Aina and Shehu

A three center back formation relies heavily on pacy and dogged wing backs, who should have the capability of performing their duties for 90 minutes. Nigeria's wing backs at the first half, fell short in this regard. Olaoluwa Aina and Abdullahi Shehu did not perform to expectation, especially as they did not offer much options going forward. Nigeria must now learn never to deploy the aforementioned players as wing backs unless the players positioned at left-center-back, and right-center-back, are instructed to make up for spaces should they forward. Even in this case, Aina and Shehu must improve in their recovery if they must be considered to start in this formation, going forward. they also lacked tenacity in attack.

6. Iheanacho, on set pieces

Kelechi Iheanacho is composed enough to take Nigeria's set pieces. He should be our man for spot-kicks, free kicks and corner kicks, as long as he is on the pitch. He's never showed a lack of confidence with his left foot, in those situations. And let me also chip this in. The Leicester forward is beginning to show that he still has the instinct for brilliant key passes, considering his double assist against Argentina -- reminiscent of his Golden Eaglet days.

7. Victor Moses is replaceable at least...

Chelsea wing-back, Victor Moses, is not indispensable at least when Nigeria is playing with three men at the rear. With the formation against Argentina, Tyronne Ebuehi showed dynamism with a solid defensive display and with impressive fast movement going forward, characteristic of world class wing backs. He completely commanded his area while defending. With sweeping tackles and timely blocks he withstood everything that was thrown at him for 45 minutes with aplomb. Ebuehi, with his performance against Argentina, showed us he can replace Victor Moses, easily, as wing back. At least, this is debatable.

8. In Idowu, Nigeria may have just solved a lingering problem.

Left wing back, Bryan Idowu was simply the truth against Argentina. He had a debut every debutant would die for, scoring with his first touch, to put Nigeria ahead in the game for the first time, and doing all the necessary at the rear. For years, since the prime days of Celestine Babayaro, the Super Eagles has endured a lack of good options in the left back defense department. Although it may be too early to conclude that Bryan Idowu has knocked out super regular Elderson Echiejile from contention, a repeat performance from the Russian-Nigerian will definitely put an end to Echiejile's reign as the Super Eagles left back king.

9. Perfecting the false nines.

The most lethal sides today rely heavily on dynamism in attack, with all forwards ever-switching positions during the run of play, and all capable of scoring -- hence, false nines. Against Argentina, Nigeria showed such dynamism. Two-goal hero, Alex Iwobi, who has mostly played as a winger for Nigeria, continued to show he is more lethal drifting in, to the middle. All Iwobi's four goals for Nigeria have come from the center of the attack line. Kelechi Iheancho -- who scored a goal, and provided two assists for Nigeria against Argentina  -- likewise,  have also been deadly for Nigeria, drifting in the front. Team captain, John Obi Mikel, who is not a center forward, supplied 3 goals for Nigeria during the qualifiers. Therefore, Nigeria survived the world cup qualifiers without a true nine, except for Odion Ighalo who only managed a goal during the qualifiers. Nigeria's precise execution at the front against Argentina, shows the team may have just perfected the science of dynamism with false nines.

10. Hard tackling as strength and weakness

The Super Eagles is a physical side -- an asset that played to Nigeria's advantage in the win. However, it could also be a weakness in more serious competitions like the world cup, as some referees will not hesitate to flash yellow cards at will, especially against sides showing physical superiority -- West African countries especially. A noteworthy event was Kelechi Iheanacho elbowing Argentina's Nicolas Otamendi. That would have attracted a red card in a more competitive game. Gernot Rohr must check his boys on discipline, going forward.

11. Mikel's indispensability, a risk.

John Obi Mikel must not advance when Nigeria is not in possession. His momentary lack of positional awareness, created a gap Argentina exploited in their quick build up to the second goal. Even Wilfrend Ndidi and John Ogu could not stop the Argentines. This goes to show that Nigeria will always feel Mikel's absence. Something needs to be done about this quickly. No player should be indispensable to an extent that their absence can easily spell doom. This is a danger sign. Can Mikel ever be deputized? Please leave your comments or recommendations.

--Spotkik