SerVik:

One question, if Ramos and varane are better than umtiti and Pique, and navas is better than ter Stegan, then why has Barca conceded just 7 goals and kept 11 clean sheets while Madrid are busy conceding very basic goals?

Navas is so good yet Madrid is tapping up the bilbao goalie.
Top 5 goalies in Europe in no particular order.
Buffon
Neuer
De gea
Oblak
Ter stegan

No way navas is better than ter Stegan.

I would love to engage you on this but I wouldn't like to derail the thread. If you wish to continue, come to the Barca thread.

enomakos:
i did't know him either,he may be one of those home based who were uses as training material and dump before the arrival of the professional

Mickael2:



I am not sure you under my position in this case

tbaba1234:
Oliseh's Fortuna Sittard have won a Promotion play-off place by finishing top at winter break.

SerVik:

One question, if Ramos and varane are better than umtiti and Pique, and navas is better than ter Stegan, then why has Barca conceded just 7 goals and kept 11 clean sheets while Madrid are busy conceding very basic goals?

Navas is so good yet Madrid is tapping up the bilbao goalie.
Top 5 goalies in Europe in no particular order.
Buffon
Neuer
De gea
Oblak
Ter stegan

No way navas is better than ter Stegan.

I would love to engage you on this but I wouldn't like to derail the thread. If you wish to continue, come to the Barca thread.

goldfish80:


Navas, Neuer and Buffon were the top 3 goalkeepers in Europe. Rewatch the Ballon d'Or gala night if you're in doubt.

KevinDein:

Boss, I keep saying it and this El clasico reinforces my belief that there should never have been a debate on who is better between Messi and Ronaldo. I mean Messi does everything Ronaldo does (goal scoring), everything Iniesta can do (play making) and everything maradona did (dribbling)

He is basically a hybrid of Ronaldo, Iniesta, Maradona. It takes some human to be all these three rolled into one.

That said, I'd have to say kudos to the media, Madrid and FIFA for somehow convincing us that there should be a debate on who is better.

Daejoyoung:

Ronaldo is a lady's favourite, just like Beckham till this day, and with the elevation of Ronaldo, there would be a corresponding elevation of female interest, having said that l would still say that while Messi is a more artistic footballer than Ronaldo(and definitely more exciting to watch), Ronaldo has played in both Spain and England, and he became the world best in both leagues, l would really like to see Messi play in Mancity, BayernMunich, or even Juventus some day.

SerVik:

His club won the Champions League and La LIGA, he was bound to be there, Barcelona didn't make it past the quarter finals. Even Victor Valdes was nominated for fifa Balon d'Or goalkeeper of the year 2013.

No denying Navas was great last season but this season ter stegan is in the form of his life, many are tipping him to be the German first choice at the world cup. Although I see that as a tall dream, it is testament to how much he has improved.

Mujtahida:

i hate being misunderstood and i dont think it was a joke. i am not a starchy person, i know a joke when i see one and i know when i'm being misunderstood.

emmyspark007:

hahaha this Madrid fan just wants to defend his club by all means

According to you only messi and busquet are worthy of starting in a combined xi and iniesta, stegen, pique , Suarez, alba, umtiti are bench LMAO yet barca won Madrid 3nil and despite not having Madrid calibre of players, they are still topping madrid with 14points and they are unbeaten this season in all competitions whereas the star studded Madrid have lost wala this season.


This is the very first time am hearing Navas is better than stegen.i no even believe person go get mind compare both of them sef..And u even play benzema over suarez ...You are one of a kind
Na ur type dey watch back of their tv

http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/is-ter-stegen-the-best-goalkeeper-in-the-world-right-now/1vdmo9shh09c1q51bsz6w3c7j

MetalJigsaw:
SIMPLE SOLUTIONS AFFIRM ROHR'S SUPER EAGLES AS UNSTOPPABLE FORCE
15/11/2017

Solace Chukwu
Correspondent

A change in strategy hampered the team early on against Argentina, but by returning to what it knows best, Nigeria turned the tide in Krasnodar


To start at the beginning, one must wonder what exactly Gernot Rohr was thinking when he decided the Super Eagles would play a whole different formation. Having exclusively played a 4-2-3-1 all through his time in charge, the German plumbed for a 3-5-2 for the friendly against Argentina.
The results were mixed, although to what extent is determined by the context of his decision. If it was with a view to cultivating a different approach as the team begins preparations for next summer's World Cup, then it certainly was a peculiar circumstance within which to trial, being that there cannot have been more than a day of preparation with the system.

It really would a sub-optimal way to build a tactic, at the worst possible time, and against the worst possible type of opposition in Argentina, who were always likely to monopolize possession. Being the first friendly, one might have expected it to serve a diagnostic purpose, rather than an experimental one.


On the other hand, viewed as a one-off decision to combat Argentina, it worked surprisingly well, especially in a second period where Nigeria just looked sharper and more lucid than the Albiceleste .
Before we got to the fun though, there was the slapstick.

Daniel Akpeyi, whose last appearance in goal on the international stage came in what is still, to date, Rohr's only loss since taking charge, was given an opportunity to redeem himself. One less charitable might say it was one chance too many.

His error for the opening goal of the game, scored by Ever Banega, was a bizarre comedic set to rival stand-up; he first seemed unable to decide whether he wanted to take a free kick or roll the ball out and kick it. The assistant referee had, in the preceding attack, flagged for offside on a ball over the top.

However, as the ball went all the way through to the goalkeeper, the centre referee let it go, not wishing to disrupt the flow of the game.

Akpeyi then proceeded to roll the ball just outside his penalty area, presumably to take a free kick that was never given, before then panicking at Sergio Aguero suddenly bearing down, and picking the ball up. Even following his defensive argument, it was hard to understand.

The referee, again lenient, elected not to send him off, but then he completely wrong-footed himself on the ensuing free kick, as if to underline his haplessness.
He may excuse himself by saying the entire team looked rather bereft in that opening half, and while it would not hold up as a caveat, it was true, no doubt.

The decision to commit to a high press was a surprising one, as it has not been a cornerstone of the defensive strategy for this team.

With three centre-backs and Banega deep, Argentina toyed with the front three of Alex Iwobi, Kelechi Iheanacho and John Obi Mikel, while their shuttlers in midfield – Lo Celso and Perez, took up positions outside of Wilfred Ndidi and John Ogu, creating space for Paulo Dybala to work in.

Pressing is a double-edged sword: executed well, and it will create danger for the opponent; execute badly, and it will create danger for yourself.

However, if this Argentina team has a weakness (besides Messi-dependence), it is a lack of pace in the defensive line.
By dropping deeper in the second half, forcing Argentina to commit more resources to attack and lose their structure a bit, Nigeria isolated the outside centre-backs and worked the channels outside of them: Iheanacho peeling off Nicolas Otamendi, and Iwobi doing similar on the other side with Javier Mascherano. The result was some almost telepathic riffing, as well as a brilliant combination to level the tie, and yet another to set up debutant Bryan Idowu on his very first touch.


And that was what was truly remarkable about this turnaround: that sometimes, the solution to a complex problem can be starkly simple.

From the end of the first half to the third goal, Rohr made three changes: one at goalkeeper, and two new wing-backs – Idowu and Tyronne Ebuehi. Crucially, unlike those they replaced, both were naturals in their position. Occam's razor: the simplest answer proved the right one.

That aside, the entire team simply went up a couple of notches. Most notable in this regard was Iheanacho who, oddly, only truly began playing well after scoring.


On the whole, that searing second half perhaps best encapsulates the fundamental truth this friendly has affirmed: this is a team whose best components all do their best work at pace on the break, and it is in reinforcing this identity that this team begins to emerge as something truly fearsome.

forgiveness:


To be frank with you, Ejike was the third choice behind Kayode and Uche Nwofor.

forgiveness:

And who was the first?

BascoVanVeli:
Such a sad story. I am very sorry for Henry. I pray he has the strength to recover and push on.

Mujtahida:

i often write from an informed background and not just because i want to write. first, i remember watching analysis of our WC group by pundits on tv just immediately after the draws and right there one of the commentators in his first comments about iceland played some really good history teacher and mentioned the Vikings. And then this evening i read on FIFA.com 'five reasons why Iceland can shock the world' and right there again the vikings were mentioned and that's where i lifted the quote i posted. the viking chant is considered an aspect of the team so much so that special emphasis is laid on it as can be seen in videos on youtube which i watched before making that posts.

whether its the word Vikings that nettles some i dont know but go beyond the word. its a metaphor that speaks about their history and the truth is every team will come to the tournament with a flavor of their national character. i just watched a Gary Lineker documentary about brazil and they talked about brazil playing football like they play samba and sure only a brazilian like ronaldinho could have done some little salsa on the ball before scoring a goal. not many know that Maradona's infamous 'hand of god' goal was an aspect of argentinian culture on display which considered such sleek cheating as an artform. so while the plain englishmen were appalled at such a gross unsporting display, argentines hailed maradonna for displaying what to them is some fine sense

the point is not where Iceland have been all this while. the point is this is the mentality they will bring to the stage now that they have arrived. it doesnt matter how long you stay away from this thread- anytime you come you going to bring the essence of your personality into your posts, your view points and anaylsis.
so we should look at our opponent with a fuller eye and i think one of the monikers here commended rohr for being the first coach to analyse things from a pyschological, cultural, geographic and tactical angle. for one thing its even more interesting to do so.

safarigirl:
mine was a joke sha. I don't read anything that's too lengthy, you have to read something to misunderstand it.

I also hate misunderstood, hence the reason I get into long arguments with people, so if anyone knows about that, it's me

Anyway, I'm sorry if you were offended, and don't tell me you weren't, because your words imply that. Nobody writes long epistles if thwy didn't feel slightly offended by being misunderstood

Happy Sunday

mazimee:

Swiss-born Nigerian: Super Eagles need a goalkeeper like me
.com Dec 24, 2017 10:27 AM

SC kriens star, Sebastian Ogenna Osigwe has expressed his desire to help the Super Eagles in the goalkeeping department ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The 23-year-old, who was born to a Nigerian father and a Swiss mother is currently enjoying a fine season in the 1. Liga Promotion in Switzerland, having kept six clean sheets in 17 appearances.

Interestingly, Sebastian's dad, Vitalis Osigwe represented Nigeria in the past as he was part of the 1985 Golden Eaglets squad but only missed out on the U17 World Cup following an injury against Poland in a preparatory game.


The Super Eagles were the first African team to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup but the biggest dilemma facing the Gaffer, Gernot Rohr is identifying a reliable first choice
goalkeeper after the retirement of Vincent Enyeama and absence of Carl Ikeme, who is currently undergoing treatment for cancer.

The number one spot have been rotated between Ikechukwu Ezenwa and Daniel Akpeyi while Deportivo La Courna's Francis Uzoho made an impressive debut against Argentina in a recent friendly but Sebastian feels he has a lot to offer the Three-time African Champions.
Speaking exclusively to SportingLife, he said: "If I get a call-up to the Super Eagles, it will be a dream come true.

"The team really needs a goalkeeper like me and I'll love to help. Perhaps follow
in the footsteps of my dad who also represented this great nation, Nigeria.

"I followed the qualifiers closely and appreciate the work done by the likes of Ezenwa, Akpeyi and recently Uzoho. Goalkeepers need experience and consistency and I believe it's something I can bring to the team."


Sebastian has played for the Switzerland U15,16 and 18's but narrowly missed out on representing Nigeria at U20 level after initially making the 30-man provisional squad for the 2013 World Cup in Turkey.

SC Kriens sit top of the league table with 39points from 17 matches before the winter break.



http://thenationonlineng.net/sebastian-eagles-need-goalkeeper-like/

congo4ka:


Any stats and info on this guy? He is ours too and if good should be given an opportunity.

tbaba1234:


Osigwe, eligible for Nigeria already, played with the under 20 in 2013.

Still playing in the 3rd division in Switzerland, his team is top at winter break.

He has 6 clean sheets in 17 games.

Icon4s:


That 2013 U20 squad was pretty decent with players like:
Wilfred Ndidi
Shehu Abdulahi
Kingsley Madu
Uche Agbo
Michael Olaitan
Emem Uduok
Christian Pyagbara
Moses Simon
Olanrewaju Kayode
Abdul Jeleel Ajagun
Edafe Egbedi
Chidi Osuchukwu
Aminu Amar
Johnbosco Amaefule.

They lost narrowly in the 2nd round to Uruguay who went on to play in the final.

tbaba1234:


Osigwe did not even make the final team but he played the friendlies leading up to the tournament.

We recycled too many players in 2013 from 2011. Ajagun, Egbedi, Kayode etc

Icon4s:


Yeah I recall one Usman and Felagha were our two goalkeepers.


As per recycling, nothing wrong with that as long as they were still within the age bracket. Our 2011 U17 team was a catastrophe and so no new breeds to build from. Obu had to fall back on his boys that were still within the age.

Aguero also played U20 twice for Argentina

Mickael2:



2011? The one that we lost to France abi? How come you removed Sani Emmanuel? I know Sani Emmanuel was the first sub in that France game followed by Ejike, Kayode did not even smell that match