Kog45:
Pls Martz101 and TheSuperNerd let us be civic here and talk football.God bless you guys.

Noted Sir

hi guys haven't commented much because i wanted to watch the two friendly games before giving my own opinion.

first of on yesterday's result it happens like i said with the SA match when we lost this is not the time to panic but to logically and calmly look at our deficiencies/mistakes and find ways to solve them.

now i will look at our performances from a holistic and individual performance point of view. the defence i will score 65% for both games. we showed good organization and tenacity in our defending. still struggle with crosses and are abit suspect with opposing team's set pieces. yesterday's goals conceded was mostly down to errors here and there and not necessarily a problem of defensive structure. it's a pity the Awaziem-Ekong partnership conceded twice again because i think the partnership did fairly well up until those goals. overall all our defensive options i reckon are the best we can gather for now. idowu at LB yes was tested but i fill he came through barely admittedly. he's no marcelo or alaba but definitely an upgrade on elderson. yes echeijile has experience but like most posters have rightly said his form has bad deteriorated. if it was elderson of 2013 one could have managed him but of 2018? mbanu! tyrone had an uncharacteristic bad game but he will bounce back. seems RB starting spot is still up for grabs. seems balogun is our most vital player if we hope to do well defensively pray he stays fit till and during the world cup.

midfield i will give 40% and that 40 is largely down to ndidi performance. the other midfielders on show didn't pull their weight. joel obi disappointed me the most i was one of those who hyped him but my eye don clear say he may not be the solution. i wasn't expecting visionary passes and pinging long balls but as a CM i wanted to see some level of midfield control from him. against poland i thought ok he played deeper and midfield was abit overwhelmed with polish midfielders but against serbia at least an extra man in onazi added support but for some reason he couldn't click. if ndidi who is not the most technical of players can be outshining you in that aspect then you really need to look at yourself. truth be told unless his game changes drastically his inclusion or exclusion from the final world cup squad wouldn't make a difference. ogu's lack of pace especially yesterday was exposed. onazi was onazi fighter, battler but his technical ability still needs sharpening i'm optimistic that the return of mikel (especially) and etebo will return sharpness to the midfield.

attack 20% total lack of creativity a bit of hustle but no brain or inventiveness although v.moses should some application but he can be erratic too often to be relied upon all the time. iwobi nice touches and flashes which flatter too deceive needs to get serious. musa still all pace no brain it's not cute anymore. ighalo hold up play with no attacking threat. KC who is most clinical doesn't always make the right runs plus his invisible man act is no longer endearing. people we need backup thought we could cope with this forward line alone going to world cup but we need atleast one more striker who know carries that goal threat. onyekuru is back to fitness, kayode not totally out of it, desserrs and even martins. yes martins like most people i agree may not be the solution but if he's scoring goals in run up to the world cup omo! i will put aside my ego, swallow my pride and support his call up. attack needs serious work.

goalkeeper 50% uzoho did well for a third choice rookie goalie but the situation being what it is we may have no other option but to make him number 1. even if we decide to go beg enyeama he has to want to come back history (rufai france 1998) should teach us that forcing someone to come back is not the best not matter how well intentioned. goalkeeping lots to be done

overall we all need to manage our expectations about this upcoming world cup in russia like mujtahida has kept hammering we have AVERAGE going to just above and below AVERAGE PLAYERS. you cannot get a cook from folorunsho cooking institute and expect 5 star gourmet chef meals. give realistic criticisms and back the team win or lose. nigeria was playing football before the world cup and will continue to do so after the world cup. i'm optimistic the super eagles will do well and go far into the knockout stages i don't know about any troll or plastic fan but whatever the result i'm 110% with them no matter what


LET'S GO SUPER EAGLES!!!!!

TheSuperNerd:
He decided to be such an ass and I am putting him in his sorry place. He addressed me rudely and I told him to not repeat that when next he quotes me because if I do same he will cry foul... but the dollophead proceeded to repeat his nonsense albeit in a weak shade... that really shows the dude was looking for trouble... and now he remembers he wanna talk football. How really silly of him.

Nigga stop crying and wipe your tears

Martz101:


[s]I know your type E-warrior, introvert that believe the right place to vent their anger for been bullied all there life is on internet, My friend go out there, make friends and stop being a weak man[/s]

Back to football, Okocha influence to our national team can't be compared to Mikel and we still lose some games with him..

Hahahahahahahahaha.... Why do they always feel like they can know me? I really am a mystery to these clueless bunch... Looolll

I really don't have time for a clueless neanderthalic dollophead.... Elder Sir Kog45 have motioned to me so I will just do this to your post..... Better served in that bin.... Adios Dollopmartz

on a lighter note the argentine goalkeeper who conceded 4 against us must be singing how he is serving a living God after watching last night's performance

chrisooblog:
on a lighter note the argentine goalkeeper who conceded 4 against us must be singing how he is serving a living God after watching last night's performance

Yeah... because of those four goals he conceeded, sampaoli left him out of the squad for the March friendlies. He (marchessin I think) was later interviewed in the media and he said he cannot be faulted for all four goals because no other goalie would have stopped them.

Right now he would be smiling to himself with a smirk at Sampaoli like this.....

chrisooblog:
on a lighter note the argentine goalkeeper who conceded 4 against us must be singing how he is serving a living God after watching last night's performance

Are you serious that he was dropped cos of that game?
Sampoali f-up if so..

Teekim:
Friendlies are to test players. Look for the best you have & test them if they can perform in the GWG... It is not a waste of time.

Or do you want the team to keep runing around without shots at goal.

We conceded 4goals in two friendlies though 2 were cancelled & we score only 1.

What will happen when the competition starts proper. Let's keep emotional sentiments aside & give the best players equal opportunities.

N/B: Not all players, THE BEST PLAYERS equal opportunities to prove themselves.

Up Super Eagles

as we have seen, you will need more than one friendly to determine if a player is good enough for the team, but do you know how many friendlies we have before the coach has to submit a list for the World Cup? ONE

So, while, in theory, it is good to give the best players equal opportunities, in practicality, we don't have time to test anyone else. It will take an EXCEPTIONAL player to gatecrash this team, and Martins is not exceptional.

Anyone that hasn't been called up during Rohr's time as coach, will have to wait until after the world cup to make this team

chrisooblog:
on a lighter note the argentine goalkeeper who conceded 4 against us must be singing how he is serving a living God after watching last night's performance

Lol I read an interview which he said no Goalkeeper will be able to stop the goals he conceded against us. That match really pained him. He was almost sounding like Akpeyi when he said he will continue to fight.

One really don't need this article to know that Odogwu Mikel is the heartbeat of this team and very much as influential in this team as Okocha was to the team in the early-mid 2000s.

Without Mikel, our passing is close to absent, no melody in our plays, and no creativity and someone who claims to "talk football" comes here to ask if Mikel's absence is among major reasons why we lost..... If that is not the height of Blindness and Ignorance, then I don't know what that is really. We have been following this team from day one since Rohr took over and noticed a pattern every time Mikel is not playing for us yet pesin still dey ask silly question. Funny confused lots I tell you.



Finally, Yes... Iwobi can be Mikel 2.0

We really need one who is already integrated into the team's rhythm and flow. Iwobi van take up this Mikel role if need be with Simon Moses taking up his place on one of the wings.

Yes, Mikel can go thru the mundial without a scratch but we must be prepared for any eventuality. Iwobi can deputise for Mikel at least for this upcoming World cup. Time is not on our side anymore. We cannot be trying anyone else EXCEPT such a player is EXCEPTIONALLY Exceptional..... We have 77 days (in 2 mins that will be so) to go now before the kickoff in Russia.

In all, this defeat is a lesson I believe Rohr will take very seriously ahead of Russia 2018. He had seen where some trials of his worked and where it also failed. Rohr knows about 90% of his team already, I am sure... The remaining 10% is based on his gauging and doing a final tactically deep check with his crew on who and who will be truly relevant to the team's cause in Russia

TheSuperNerd:

Nigeria 0-2 Serbia: Hot talking points

Gernot Rohr suffered only his second loss in 14 matches as Super Eagles coach when Nigeria went down 2-0 to Serbia in London on Tuesday.

Beyond the result, there was plenty to unpack in this unexpected capitulation, with the West Africans learning some tough lessons with the World Cup less than three months away.

Here are the hot talking points from Nigeria's Serbian setback as the Road to Russia continues.




Nigeria's passing must improve

It's hard to remember too many occasions against Serbia in which Nigeria managed to string more than three passes together.
Without captain John Mikel Obi for the second game in succession, the Nigerians looked like they had no concept of the basic fundamentals of a passing game.

Moves constantly broke down, especially under high pressing, because players appeared unable to pick out a teammate under pressure.

It's not just the player in possession who was to blame, with a lack of movement off the ball also limiting options.
We have seen this team pass the ball better, against African opposition and against Argentina, but without Mikel, they lacked cohesion and confidence with the ball at feet.

When his team gets back together in May, Rohr will have to fashion out a way to have his players keep possession better, move the ball better and create chances.




Rohr shows flexibility with tactical tweak

Tuesday's starting XI represented something of a surprise as Rohr diverted from his usual approach.
In his previous 13 games with Nigeria, the German tactician has always started with a leading big man flanked by wide forwards in what was essentially a 4-2-3-1.

That line-leading position has been played by Odion Ighalo, Kelechi Iheanacho and Anthony Nwakaeme.

Against Serbia, however, he chose to go with Ahmed Musa in that central position in a more traditional 4-3-3. It would seem to appear that the Nigeria coach wanted to see if he could exploit the somewhat slow Serbian defence with pace and a bit of guile.

Musa's pace did trouble Branislav Ivanovic and his partners, but the trouble was that in deploying Wilfred Ndidi as the most advanced midfielder, Rohr sacrificed a creative link to those forwards.

Perhaps Joel Obi would have been better served up there, even though he misplaced a slew of passes by trying to do too much.
Could have also have deployed Alex Iwobi in this role?
Rohr ultimately discarded the experiment after 45 minutes, replacing Victor Moses with Ighalo and reverting to type.




Iwobi can be Mikel 2.0

Iwobi may not have been detailed to play there, but the Arsenal man regularly nipped centrally, to orchestrate play. He skipped away from opposing players with fancy footwork, played combination balls and generally conducted proceedings.

The trouble was, he was not supposed to be there, and kept bumping into the hapless Wilfred Ndidi. It was an impressively exquisite performance of ability, skill...and ill-discipline.

Over two games, the Super Eagles suffered from not having a player with the authority to control the play, to stabilise the game and ease pressure under unrelenting attacks.

That player is usually Mikel. On Tuesday, Iwobi showed that while he does not have Mikel's calm maturity to stabilise the play - at least not yet - he does have the ability to dictate play.

His quick passing, close control, skilled getaways from tight marking and combination passing were not perfect, but they provided a glimpse into what is possible if he were to be employed in this role.

On Tuesday, he showed tactical indiscipline by drifting inside too often rather than stretching the play.
However, it's not impossible that Rohr might opt to use Iwobi inside and employ Moses Simon and Moses in wide areas to offer pace on the flanks.
Lack of success aside, Rohr's choices showed that the coach is actively exploring the possibility of surprising some of his opponents.

This certainly bodes well for the hopes of a multifunctional player like Joel Obi to gatecrash the Russia party.





Uzoho isn't yet ready

Francis Uzoho: Talented? Yes. Future prospect? Yes. Current first choice? Absolutely not!

The wonderkid is growing in stature, but as expected, Uzoho is nowhere near ready to be the Super Eagles' number one goalkeeper going into the World Cup.

After 225 minutes of football, the 19-year-old still looks like the inexperienced goalkeeper that he is.

He mistimed crosses, misjudged balls and for the second time in two games, showed butter fingers as he let an effort slip under him and over the goalline.

Fortunately, there was no goalline technology to rule the effort in.

One area he did excel in was shot-stopping. On the occasions when he faced down strikers one on one, Uzoho read the threat brilliantly and smothered efforts with panache and confidence.

It would appear Uzoho is heading to Russia with the Super Eagles, and while he deserves to make the trip, he'd be a clear weak link if he starts.


Source: http://kwese.espn.com/football/blog-football-africa/story/3434536/nigeria-0-2-serbia-hot-talking-points?device=featurephone

Russia 2018 WC Countdown: 78 days 1 hour 3 mins to go

What's all this fuss about a loss?
2 losses in 14games spanned over 19months is not only fair but an amazing result that shows that the Super Eagles has changed and evolved into a better side.

Their continuous victories and good showings has turn us to spoil brat(I don't know when we turned to Spain/Germany overnight).

Everyone is blaming the coach, the players, the administrators and even the fans on ground for not playing their respective roles to ensure another victory against the Serbs.

I have never seen anyone here blame the ball used. No one has show concern since it's the same ball type will be used at the mundia.

We all need to give the team and coaches some break. No need for all these unnecessary pressure the fans are putting on the team.

Finally, I personally, still believes in this team and coaching crew to deliver at the tournament proper. So, they've got ma back.

NO DOUBT EAGLES WILL SOAR AT THE WORLD CUP.

Read to comprehend sir. my statement was a question, not an assertion.

Martz101:


My guy football is not mathematics, we might whoop them if we get to meet them in world cup

WC Opponents watch

Argentina Coach Sampaoli Accepts Responsibility For 6-1 Mauling By Spain




Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli says he accepts responsibility for the side’s 6-1 hammering at the hands of Spain in Tuesday’s friendly encounter at the Wanda Metropolitan Stadium.

Spain ran riot in the game courtesy of Isco’s hat-trick with Diego Costa, Thiago and Iago Aspas also getting on the scoresheet.

“I take the blame for the goals, don’t point to the players,” he accepted in front of the media after the game.

“The difference [between the sides] in the game wasn’t as large as the result.

“We have to learn from this. It cannot happen in the World Cup.”
Lionel Messi’s absence was keenly felt by the visitors and the Argentina boss paid tribute to the striker’s commitment in spite of his absence.
“Messi trained with us, but then he felt tired and couldn’t play,” added Sampaoli.
“He was with the group all the time because he is very involved for the World Cup.
“He has kept close proximity to the national team, helping the new guys out.”

The defeat equaled Argentina’s heaviest loss in an international game.



Source: https://www.completesportsnigeria.com/argentina-coach-sampaoli-accepts-responsibility-for-6-1-mauling-by-spain/


Russia 2018 WC Countdown: 77 days 23 hours to go

You surely have reading issues sir, no pun intended. read slowly what you quoted again sir.

How can you misinterpret 2 comments within minutes of eachother in the quest to reply everything!

Martz101:


you are just contradicting your self, I said foot ball is not logic and you said is logic, maybe you don't know the meaning of logic, if Morocco can beat Serbia 2-1 And we lost to Serbia 2-0... that means we will lose to Morocco 3-0 or 4-1.

every game is different, so many factors can affect a game, Germany defeating Brazil at maracana defeat logic, always argue with direction my dear friend, and don't forget Serbia team is not common

Mikel Sends Message Of Encouragement To Eagles, Vows To Return Against England




Former Chelsea star John Obi Mikel has sent a message of encouragement to the Super Eagles in the wake of their 2-0 loss to Serbia in a pre-World Cup friendly on Tuesday, March 27.

The Nigeria Football Federation informed that the Tianjin Teda number ten pulled out of the squad owing to his inability to renew his work permit in China.

Mikel has promised to attend the remaining preparatory games against Democratic Republic of Congo, England and Czech Republic at the end of the European season.


Writing on Instagram, the Super Eagles captain stated :

''You don't lose, you learn �� Looking forward to being back on the pitch for our remaining preparation games #SoarSuperEagles.''

Gernot Rohr's side have lost two matches without their inspirational captain, against South Africa and Serbia, since the German was appointed coach in 2016.

Mikel made his debut for the senior national team thirteen years ago after starring for the Golden Eaglets and Flying Eagles.


**Ifeanyi Emmanuel


Source: http://www.allnigeriasoccer.com/read_news.php?nid=27136


Russia 2018 WC Countdown: 77 days 23 hours 39 mins to go

Gave Nigeria a mention... Considers the Super Eagles among the likely dark horses


World Cup 2018: Only five real favourites to win in Russia
By Ian Darke, Soccer



The World Cup is less than three months away. If that does not quicken the pulse, you're probably better off with a good book while for the rest of us, the guessing games and predictions start here. Late injuries to key players could still upset calculations but for this observer, there are only five teams with a realistic chance of lifting the trophy.

Top of that list would be defending champions Germany, who have a squad stacked with top players and a coach in Joachim Low with course and distance form. The Germans realise complacency and over-confidence might be their biggest enemies. That's why the team bus has the slogan "Best Never Rest" emblazoned on the side. They won last year's Confederations Cup in Russia with a virtual reserve team but be warned: the stats men will tell you that winners of the "warm-up" tournament never follow up by lifting the World Cup.

Another issue for Germany might be who gets the goals. There is no ace predator like Miroslav Klose or Jurgen Klinsmann here, which is why old warrior Mario Gomez is still in contention with Timo Werner and Sandro Wagner. In friendly action this past week, Germany drew 1-1 with Spain and lost 0-1 to Brazil.
All told, I still consider the Germans strong favourites ahead of Brazil.

The five-time World Cup winners ran away with the tough South American qualification group once Tite took over from the hapless Dunga. Romantic visions of Samba football can be set aside as this is a team that mixes flair with organisation.
The 2014 Brazil edition drowned in its own emotion in that 7-1 mauling from Germany, but Tite has instilled a better approach for coping with the ridiculous levels of expectation, which always surround Brazil.

The big question is whether Neymar will be fully fit as he races against time to recover from a broken metatarsal. But if he is ready to go, the blend of silk (Willian, Philippe Coutinho, Jesus, Neymar) and steel (Casemiro, Fernandinho, Marquinhos, Miranda) looks powerful. Add in two top goalkeepers in Alisson and Ederson, plus flying full-backs Dani Alves and Marcelo, and you have to give Brazil a big chance of repeating what they did in 1958: win a World Cup on European soil.

There is a tendency to believe Spain are yesterday's men but might they be tomorrow's as well? Led by Sergio Ramos, they still have massive experience and technical excellence, as Italy found to their cost in qualifying. A rival coach observed: "They move the ball with one touch at devilish speed."
Look at the impressive names in that team: David De Gea, Sergio Busquets, David Silva, Isco, Ramos, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Thiago Alcantara, Andres Iniesta and possibly a fresh Diego Costa up top. As Lionel Messi said: "You'd rather not face them."

France seem to have an embarrassment of riches though that might be a problem for coach Didier Deschamps, who captained his nation to victory in 1998 (the last hosts to win, by the way).
Antoine Griezmann was the leading scorer (six goals) at Euro 2016 and might be a decent bet to repeat that trick in Russia. Then there's the brilliant youngster Kylian Mbappe, N'Golo Kante's energy in midfield and a very decent centre-back pair of Raphael Varane and Samuel Umtiti.

Paul Pogba will play despite his problems at Manchester United. He is a key man for France and might find pulling on that blue shirt galvanises him again. The worry for France is that they flopped when it mattered in the final of Euro 2016, were held by Belarus and Luxembourg in qualifying and recently blew a 2-0 lead in losing to Colombia.
Very talented but a little erratic must be the verdict. That last bit is a concern in a knock-out tournament where one bad day can doom you.

Argentina must be in contention even if coach Jorge Sampaoli admits he doesn't have enough time to get this team playing exactly the way he likes. He also says, a little dramatically, that Messi will be playing "with a revolver to his head," such is the pressure on him to cement his reputation by delivering the World Cup as Diego Maradona did in 1986.
Argentina have such a wonderful array of high-class forwards that they may go without Paulo Dybala of Juventus and Mauro Icardi of Inter. Few other nations could afford such a luxury. But Argentina were often disjointed in qualification and only made it on the final day thanks to a Messi hat-trick.

Sampaoli's penchant for wanting to play with his full-backs pushed up might also expose a less than pacy central defence. On balance, you might think this team could be found out at some point in the knockout stages.

The 6-1 friendly defeat against Spain, with Messi out injured, will have rung alarm bells in Buenos Aires. Clearly, this side is still a work in progress ... with time running out.

Of the rest, Belgium will be a major player if Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard are at their brilliant best. But they have been fancied at the last two big tournaments only to turn in disappointing performances.

Lively outsiders might include European Champions Portugal, Nigeria, Croatia and -- whisper it -- Gareth Southgate's improving England. But you have to fear for hosts Russia, whose very average team might struggle in a group alongside Uruguay and Mo Salah's Egypt.

For now, three months out, it would be a surprise if the winners came from outside of Germany, Spain, France, Brazil and Argentina.


Source: http://kwese.espn.com/football/fifa-world-cup/4/blog/post/3433930/world-cup-2018-only-germany-brazil-argentina-france-spain-have-chance-to-win?device=featurephone

Russia 2018 WC Countdown: 77 days 23 hours 30 mins to go

Mikel Obi has been absent in Gernot Rohr's two losses as SE coach. Is Mikel to Super Eagles what Messi is to Argentina?

Are we testing to drop them or to have people who can replace them incase they pick up a knock or get carded?

Goke7:


Even the ebuehi is yet to convince many of us that he is better than Shehu. Ogu has been tested right from the days of coach Stephen keshi. Okay?

Leon Balogun, John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses are keys to our success @ the World Cup.

Their fitness and form should be paramount to the coaching crew.

I'm so happy Rohr had the guts to take Moses out. The decision did exposed the team's weakness that needs be worked on. Moses is undisputably an extra man on the pitch. His new found role in the blues has helped improve is stamina, strength and defensive skills. These will come handy when the tournament begins.

Simple, if Ebuehi wasn't fit, Rohr won't use him for a full match, stop trying to sound too smart sir. Balogun didn't play, you know why? Etebor didn't play either, you also know why so you think Rohr would rather risk Ebuehi for a full match if he wasn't fit?

If you don't have time for argument, why not just stop quoting because the excuses are getting lame, if it was another player, i bet some of you wouldn't make excuses for him. all these bias should stop! i am not against Ebuehi!

Mujtahida:

Prove what?I have put information out but instead of you to confirm or negative the information, you are asking me to prove it when you have not even moved a finger to find out if what I said is true or not. Abeg go do research since you seem not to know about Keshi playing with when not fully fit or Zidane and Beckham in 2000 . Google is there. Make good use of it. kennysville has backed up my assertion on Oliseh by referring to an interview Oliseh granted. Abi you did not read forgiveness mentioning Obagoal coming in limping and scoring a goal? Abeg I don't have time for argument.

So it's FIFA ranking again? we always refer to FIFA ranking when it suits us? lol oga go rest.

Mujtahida:

Abeg go and find out about their FIFA ranking and compare with that of Super Eagles then you'd know who is common. Step out of your box.

You think Serbia is common because you are most likely unaware of their history. Croatia, Serbia Bosnia are break away nations from the former Yugoslavia. Unless you are unaware of Yugoslavia I'm sure you won't call them common. These three nations carry that history and heritage.

somehow:
Simple, if Ebuehi wasn't fit, Rohr won't use him for a full match, stop trying to sound too smart sir. Balogun didn't play, you know why? Etebor didn't play either, you also know why so you think Rohr would rather risk Ebuehi for a full match if he wasn't fit?

If you don't have time for argument, why not just stop quoting because the excuses are getting lame, if it was another player, i bet some of you wouldn't make excuses for him. all these bias should stop! i am not against Ebuehi!

Ebuehi was not fully fit and he was used because Shehu was out with am injury as well.

Clementoke:
Mikel Obi has been absent in Gernot Rohr's two losses as SE coach. Is Mikel to Super Eagles what Messi is to Argentina?

yes, he is.

TheSuperNerd:
Gave Nigeria a mention... Considers the Super Eagles among the likely dark horses


World Cup 2018: Only five real favourites to win in Russia
By Ian Darke, Soccer



The World Cup is less than three months away. If that does not quicken the pulse, you're probably better off with a good book while for the rest of us, the guessing games and predictions start here. Late injuries to key players could still upset calculations but for this observer, there are only five teams with a realistic chance of lifting the trophy.

Top of that list would be defending champions Germany, who have a squad stacked with top players and a coach in Joachim Low with course and distance form. The Germans realise complacency and over-confidence might be their biggest enemies. That's why the team bus has the slogan "Best Never Rest" emblazoned on the side. They won last year's Confederations Cup in Russia with a virtual reserve team but be warned: the stats men will tell you that winners of the "warm-up" tournament never follow up by lifting the World Cup.

Another issue for Germany might be who gets the goals. There is no ace predator like Miroslav Klose or Jurgen Klinsmann here, which is why old warrior Mario Gomez is still in contention with Timo Werner and Sandro Wagner. In friendly action this past week, Germany drew 1-1 with Spain and lost 0-1 to Brazil.
All told, I still consider the Germans strong favourites ahead of Brazil.

The five-time World Cup winners ran away with the tough South American qualification group once Tite took over from the hapless Dunga. Romantic visions of Samba football can be set aside as this is a team that mixes flair with organisation.
The 2014 Brazil edition drowned in its own emotion in that 7-1 mauling from Germany, but Tite has instilled a better approach for coping with the ridiculous levels of expectation, which always surround Brazil.

The big question is whether Neymar will be fully fit as he races against time to recover from a broken metatarsal. But if he is ready to go, the blend of silk (Willian, Philippe Coutinho, Jesus, Neymar) and steel (Casemiro, Fernandinho, Marquinhos, Miranda) looks powerful. Add in two top goalkeepers in Alisson and Ederson, plus flying full-backs Dani Alves and Marcelo, and you have to give Brazil a big chance of repeating what they did in 1958: win a World Cup on European soil.

There is a tendency to believe Spain are yesterday's men but might they be tomorrow's as well? Led by Sergio Ramos, they still have massive experience and technical excellence, as Italy found to their cost in qualifying. A rival coach observed: "They move the ball with one touch at devilish speed."
Look at the impressive names in that team: David De Gea, Sergio Busquets, David Silva, Isco, Ramos, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Thiago Alcantara, Andres Iniesta and possibly a fresh Diego Costa up top. As Lionel Messi said: "You'd rather not face them."

France seem to have an embarrassment of riches though that might be a problem for coach Didier Deschamps, who captained his nation to victory in 1998 (the last hosts to win, by the way).
Antoine Griezmann was the leading scorer (six goals) at Euro 2016 and might be a decent bet to repeat that trick in Russia. Then there's the brilliant youngster Kylian Mbappe, N'Golo Kante's energy in midfield and a very decent centre-back pair of Raphael Varane and Samuel Umtiti.

Paul Pogba will play despite his problems at Manchester United. He is a key man for France and might find pulling on that blue shirt galvanises him again. The worry for France is that they flopped when it mattered in the final of Euro 2016, were held by Belarus and Luxembourg in qualifying and recently blew a 2-0 lead in losing to Colombia.
Very talented but a little erratic must be the verdict. That last bit is a concern in a knock-out tournament where one bad day can doom you.

Argentina must be in contention even if coach Jorge Sampaoli admits he doesn't have enough time to get this team playing exactly the way he likes. He also says, a little dramatically, that Messi will be playing "with a revolver to his head," such is the pressure on him to cement his reputation by delivering the World Cup as Diego Maradona did in 1986.
Argentina have such a wonderful array of high-class forwards that they may go without Paulo Dybala of Juventus and Mauro Icardi of Inter. Few other nations could afford such a luxury. But Argentina were often disjointed in qualification and only made it on the final day thanks to a Messi hat-trick.

Sampaoli's penchant for wanting to play with his full-backs pushed up might also expose a less than pacy central defence. On balance, you might think this team could be found out at some point in the knockout stages.

The 6-1 friendly defeat against Spain, with Messi out injured, will have rung alarm bells in Buenos Aires. Clearly, this side is still a work in progress ... with time running out.

Of the rest, Belgium will be a major player if Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard are at their brilliant best. But they have been fancied at the last two big tournaments only to turn in disappointing performances.

Lively outsiders might include European Champions Portugal, Nigeria, Croatia and -- whisper it -- Gareth Southgate's improving England. But you have to fear for hosts Russia, whose very average team might struggle in a group alongside Uruguay and Mo Salah's Egypt.

For now, three months out, it would be a surprise if the winners came from outside of Germany, Spain, France, Brazil and Argentina.


Source: http://kwese.espn.com/football/fifa-world-cup/4/blog/post/3433930/world-cup-2018-only-germany-brazil-argentina-france-spain-have-chance-to-win?device=featurephone

Russia 2018 WC Countdown: 77 days 23 hours 30 mins to go

Our attack in blunt. Anthony Okpotu anyone?

Kog45:
Pls Martz101 and TheSuperNerd let us be civic here and talk football.God bless you guys.

Agreed unreservedly

Yea!...Yes!!... Yes!!!

My submissions from the game last night....

Walahi, na head I take waka comot from viewing center last night with serious heartbreak!

-Joel obi fall my hands big time. Offensively poor, defensively OK, but we don't need more DM/CM. What we need is the link between the defence and the attack and that was why we clamoured for Joel obi. We didn't ask him to come and play alongside Mikel, we asked him to come and do Mikel's job in Mikel absence, and in that regard he failed woefully.

He couldn't connect any long pass forward, couldn't remove his marker, he can't shoot and he fucccking couldn't throw. Poor, poor, poor for me,... Rohr should drop him ASAP!. OGU can do all he does ,and Ogu can score too with his terrific shots. .. Thank you Mr. Joel Obi and Goodbye

- Ebuehi is overrated here. Position wise he is excellent but his overall defensive abilities is not better than Shehu. Offensively Ebuehi is better than Shehu, Defensively Shehu trumps Ebuehi.

My Verdict: Shehu should start ahead of him

- Playing 3 DMs as CM,DM and AM cannot work for us. With it we lacked bite. No creativity at all. No one among the 3 of them could take up the responsibility of driving the attack. First half, Ndidi was DM, Obi was CM and Onazi was AM. Onazi failed woefully at AM. In the second half, Onazi swapped places with Ndidi and went to DM while Ndidi went to AM. Ndidi too failed woefully there while Onazi went AWOL at DM.

Verdict: Joel Obi out, Ogu can do his job and even better. Onazi is slowly overstaying his welcome in this team. Ndidi is the current warlord at our DM/CM. He should stay put there and shouldn't bother about AM at all.

- Alex Iwobi could be the AM that we seek. Dude is so useless on the wings BUT very effective from the attacking center half. He can dribble, take his man out, pass, drive attack, and snick in to score too. When he paired Ndidi in the second half at AM, he had two shots on target apart from his dribbles, while he was quiet all through the first half.

Verdict:
Iwobi should be played henceforth from AM, with time he would blend, grow some stamina and his mojo will come out.

- Uzoho is confirmed first choice with his excellent reflexes, awareness and positioning. The goals he conceded was none of his faults or errors. As a matter of fact, many top keepers will get beaten by those balls. But I'd love to see Ezenwa keep either England or Czech friendlies.

- Overall , Rohr will have to train our boys to keep the ball. Hold the ball, heck we can kidnap the ball for all I care because counter attack will not work all the time. If we keep ballooning the ball, the day we meet a team that is selfish with the ball we are toast. Just like Serbia, they played the ball on the ground. They played us from the middle. At the end, we were well beaten both in possession and in goals.

- Mikel and Moses are the talisman we have in this team but with distinct qualities. Mikel does his own with eagle eyed pinpoint passes and ball retention techniques while Moses does his own with superb dribbling skills and attacking driving runs. Iwobi can be our third talisman but he is been wasted on the wings.

Long story short...
We should stop clamoring for players because from what we have seen, no one out there currently does it better than the guys we currently parade. So let's groom what we have at hand presently into what we desire.

Therefore, all this noise about Ajagun, Martins, Aluko, Dessers, Bonaventure, Sadiq should stop. Only Henry Onyekuru who has been in the mix during the qualifiers can be allowed in to slug it out with the 35 man list.

Thank you!!!

chrisooblog:
hi guys haven't commented much because i wanted to watch the two friendly games before giving my own opinion.

first of on yesterday's result it happens like i said with the SA match when we lost this is not the time to panic but to logically and calmly look at our deficiencies/mistakes and find ways to solve them.

now i will look at our performances from a holistic and individual performance point of view. the defence i will score 65% for both games. we showed good organization and tenacity in our defending. still struggle with crosses and are abit suspect with opposing team's set pieces. yesterday's goals conceded was mostly down to errors here and there and not necessarily a problem of defensive structure. it's a pity the Awaziem-Ekong partnership conceded twice again because i think the partnership did fairly well up until those goals. overall all our defensive options i reckon are the best we can gather for now. idowu at LB yes was tested but i fill he came through barely admittedly. he's no marcelo or alaba but definitely an upgrade on elderson. yes echeijile has experience but like most posters have rightly said his form has bad deteriorated. if it was elderson of 2013 one could have managed him but of 2018? mbanu! tyrone had an uncharacteristic bad game but he will bounce back. seems RB starting spot is still up for grabs. seems balogun is our most vital player if we hope to do well defensively pray he stays fit till and during the world cup.

midfield i will give 40% and that 40 is largely down to ndidi performance. the other midfielders on show didn't pull their weight. joel obi disappointed me the most i was one of those who hyped him but my eye don clear say he may not be the solution. i wasn't expecting visionary passes and pinging long balls but as a CM i wanted to see some level of midfield control from him. against poland i thought ok he played deeper and midfield was abit overwhelmed with polish midfielders but against serbia at least an extra man in onazi added support but for some reason he couldn't click. if ndidi who is not the most technical of players can be outshining you in that aspect then you really need to look at yourself. truth be told unless his game changes drastically his inclusion or exclusion from the final world cup squad wouldn't make a difference. ogu's lack of pace especially yesterday was exposed. onazi was onazi fighter, battler but his technical ability still needs sharpening i'm optimistic that the return of mikel (especially) and etebo will return sharpness to the midfield.

attack 20% total lack of creativity a bit of hustle but no brain or inventiveness although v.moses should some application but he can be erratic too often to be relied upon all the time. iwobi nice touches and flashes which flatter too deceive needs to get serious. musa still all pace no brain it's not cute anymore. ighalo hold up play with no attacking threat. KC who is most clinical doesn't always make the right runs plus his invisible man act is no longer endearing. people we need backup thought we could cope with this forward line alone going to world cup but we need atleast one more striker who know carries that goal threat. onyekuru is back to fitness, kayode not totally out of it, desserrs and even martins. yes martins like most people i agree may not be the solution but if he's scoring goals in run up to the world cup omo! i will put aside my ego, swallow my pride and support his call up. attack needs serious work.

goalkeeper 50% uzoho did well for a third choice rookie goalie but the situation being what it is we may have no other option but to make him number 1. even if we decide to go beg enyeama he has to want to come back history (rufai france 1998) should teach us that forcing someone to come back is not the best not matter how well intentioned. goalkeeping lots to be done

overall we all need to manage our expectations about this upcoming world cup in russia like mujtahida has kept hammering we have AVERAGE going to just above and below AVERAGE PLAYERS. you cannot get a cook from folorunsho cooking institute and expect 5 star gourmet chef meals. give realistic criticisms and back the team win or lose. nigeria was playing football before the world cup and will continue to do so after the world cup. i'm optimistic the super eagles will do well and go far into the knockout stages i don't know about any troll or plastic fan but whatever the result i'm 110% with them no matter what


LET'S GO SUPER EAGLES!!!!!

Agreed without changing gear.

It's often said your attack is your best defence.

We need good quality fire power to add to what we have. We are effectively going to be in the World Cup with only one bonafide striker. That simply is not good enough if we are serious about progressing from the group stage.

realpoacher:
Yea!...Yes!!... Yes!!!

My submissions from the game last night....

Walahi, na head I take waka comot from viewing center last night with serious heartbreak!

-Joel obi fall my hands big time. Offensively poor, defensively OK, but we don't need more DM/CM. What we need is the link between the defence and the attack and that was why we clamoured for Joel obi. We didn't ask him to come and play alongside Mikel, we asked him to come and do Mikel's job in Mikel absence, and in that regard he failed woefully.

He couldn't connect any long pass forward, couldn't remove his marker, he can't shoot and he fucccking couldn't throw. Poor, poor, poor for me,... Rohr should drop him ASAP!. OGU can do all he does ,and Ogu can score too with his terrific shots. .. Thank you Mr. Joel Obi and Goodbye

- Ebuehi is overrated here. Position wise he is excellent but his overall defensive abilities is not better than Shehu. Offensively Ebuehi is better than Shehu, Defensively Shehu trumps Ebuehi.

My Verdict: Shehu should start ahead of him

- Playing 3 DMs as CM,DM and AM cannot work for us. With it we lacked bite. No creativity at all. No one among the 3 of them could take up the responsibility of driving the attack. First half, Ndidi was DM, Obi was CM and Onazi was AM. Onazi failed woefully at AM. In the second half, Onazi swapped places with Ndidi and went to DM while Ndidi went to AM. Ndidi too failed woefully there while Onazi went AWOL at DM.

Verdict: Joel Obi out, Ogu can do his job and even better. Onazi is slowly overstaying his welcome in this team. Ndidi is the current warlord at our DM/CM. He should stay put there and shouldn't bother about AM at all.

- Alex Iwobi could be the AM that we seek. Dude is so useless on the wings BUT very effective from the attacking center half. He can dribble, take his man out, pass, drive attack, and snick in to score too. When he paired Ndidi in the second half at AM, he had two shots on target apart from his dribbles, while he was quiet all through the first half.

Verdict:
Iwobi should be played henceforth from AM, with time he would blend, grow some stamina and his mojo will come out.

- Uzoho is confirmed first choice with his excellent reflexes, awareness and positioning. The goals he conceded was none of his faults or errors. As a matter of fact, many top keepers will get beaten by those balls. But I'd love to see Ezenwa keep either England or Czech friendlies.

- Overall , Rohr will have to train our boys to keep the ball. Hold the ball, heck we can kidnap the ball for all I care because counter attack will not work all the time. If we keep ballooning the ball, the day we meet a team that is selfish with the ball we are toast. Just like Serbia, they played the ball on the ground. They played us from the middle. At the end, we were well beaten both in possession and in goals.

- Mikel and Moses are the talisman we have in this team but with distinct qualities. Mikel does his own with eagle eyed pinpoint passes and ball retention techniques while Moses does his own with superb dribbling skills and attacking driving runs. Iwobi can be our third talisman but he is been wasted on the wings.

Long story short...
We should stop clamoring for players because from what we have seen, no one out there currently does it better than the guys we currently parade. So let's groom what we have at hand presently into what we desire.

Therefore, all this noise about Ajagun, Martins, Aluko, Dessers, Bonaventure, Sadiq should stop. Only Henry Onyekuru who has been in the mix during the qualifiers can be allowed in to slug it out with the 35 man list.

Thank you!!!

You hit the nail on the head,God bless you my broda

I know Shehu is injured, but Aina was on the bench same with Omeruo, both can play RB. enough of these excuses, he had a bad day yesterday.

safarigirl:
Ebuehi was not fully fit and he was used because Shehu was out with am injury as well.

AIG07:
What's all this fuss about a loss?
2 losses in 14games spanned over 19months is not only fair but an amazing result that shows that the Super Eagles has changed and evolved into a better side.

Their continuous victories and good showings has turn us to spoil brat(I don't know when we turned to Spain/Germany overnight).

Everyone is blaming the coach, the players, the administrators and even the fans on ground for not playing their respective roles to ensure another victory against the Serbs.

I have never seen anyone here blame the ball used. No one has show concern since it's the same ball type will be used at the mundia.

We all need to give the team and coaches some break. No need for all these unnecessary pressure the fans are putting on the team.

Finally, I personally, still believes in this team and coaching crew to deliver at the tournament proper. So, they've got ma back.

NO DOUBT EAGLES WILL SOAR AT THE WORLD CUP.

Actually 3 losses. We lost to Algeria 3:0

somehow:
So it's FIFA ranking again? we always refer to FIFA ranking when it suits us? lol oga go rest.

somehow:
Simple, if Ebuehi wasn't fit, Rohr won't use him for a full match, stop trying to sound too smart sir. Balogun didn't play, you know why? Etebor didn't play either, you also know why so you think Rohr would rather risk Ebuehi for a full match if he wasn't fit?

If you don't have time for argument, why not just stop quoting because the excuses are getting lame, if it was another player, i bet some of you wouldn't make excuses for him. all these bias should stop! i am not against Ebuehi!

I still don't have time to waste on you jare. And stop sweating @all the exclamations. Pele