Joebie:
What happened to Juwon Oshaniwa? he's been without a club for about a year now.

Let me direct this question to his senior advocate in the person of TheGoodJoe.

Boss, we need those nuggets now. They are very deliciously yummy and very good for your health. Won't you say?


O pari

Joebie:
All these your nuggets eh..hmm make i no talk

Icon4s:


When you gift your midfield away you will lose control of the game, starve your forwards of balls, plus your defense will come under serious threat and will capitulate. Na white washing be that.

The best approach is still to choke up the midfield, and try to shield your defense while also capitalizing on breaks to hit them on the counter.

choke up the midfield with more mobile midfielders , this will work for us

lexyman:


choke up the midfield with more mobile midfielders , this will work for us

Yes. Midfielders that can quickly turn defense into attack.

Icon4s:


We need two DMs in that game . One that will sit in front of the CBs and one that supports the midfield when on the attack and falls back as a DM when we lose the ball.

I think etebo can be the one that will support midfield when on the attack...he can pass well too.....
and keep the ball.

Joebie:
What happened to Juwon Oshaniwa? he's been without a club for about a year now.

It is more than a year now, i believe... It happens to players.

Icon4s:


When you gift your midfield away you will lose control of the game, starve your forwards of balls, plus your defense will come under serious threat and will capitulate. Na white washing be that.

The best approach is still to choke up the midfield, and try to shield your defense while also capitalizing on breaks to hit them on the counter.

Its amazing that you watch several matches every day but you seem ignorant of tactics teams deploy against each other. I bet that you see these tactics but just choose to remain stuck to some old school believe about football.

On this thread, several times in the past, it has been said here that football have evolved. The dynamics have changed. But it seems that many people are yet to come to full grasp about how football is currently played on their screens.

If we were both managers, i Nigeria's coach, you Croatia.... You play me from the middle and i will play you from the sidelines... At the end of the day, Baba i will beat you silly

Icon4s:


When you gift your midfield away you will lose control of the game, starve your forwards of balls, plus your defense will come under serious threat and will capitulate. Na white washing be that.

The best approach is still to choke up the midfield, and try to shield your defense while also capitalizing on breaks to hit them on the counter.

I will go with real poacher because judging from the sebia match....

I think we can't really match the crots in the midfield... best way to play them is through the flanks so a a Formation like 3-5-2 should be adopted...and passes should be spread to the wings....

the middle should be seldomly used not until they're under pressure...to make some deadly mistakes.....

you use the tactics you proposed up there can work effectively when we play Iceland...and not a team with world class midfielders like Croatia....

realpoacher:


Its amazing that you watch several matches every day but you seem ignorant of tactics teams deploy against each other. I bet that you see these tactics but just choose to remain stuck to some old school believe about football.

On this thread, several times in the past, it has been said here that football have evolved. The dynamics have changed. But it seems that many people are yet to come to full grasp about how football is currently played on their screens.

If we were both managers, i Nigeria's coach, you Croatia.... You play me from the middle and i will play you from the sidelines... At the end of the day, Baba i will beat you silly

bro...please calm down with your words...
we are all.learning no need for harsh words..simply because we don't agree on same stance...

his tactics will better work when we play a team like Iceland but I still fear...for us..regarding our difficulties in making good passes upfront...
but should mikel and iwobi, etebo or ogu get to play from the middle.....the passes will all come in...and the midfield can be choked...

Icon4s:


We need two DMs in that game . One that will sit in front of the CBs and one that supports the midfield when on the attack and falls back as a DM when we lose the ball.

having two defensive midfielders like ndidi and onazi gonna dry us in that game....
we should go with one...and make use of either etebo/ agu
I see nothing wrong playing mikel as a CM in that game while iwobi takes the AM role....

I am still waiting for a friendly iwobi gets to play the AM and mikel the CM role...hopefully against England...

both players in the middle...with a striker like nancho upfront gonna birth goals...as nancho and iwobi can both interchange roles depending on who is with the ball.....

my only problem wit mikel...playing the CM role is his inability to shoot from a distance....

after watching iwobi deployed as a midfielder against burnley yesterday it occurred to me that he is the number 10 we have been clamoring for all this years. i urge rohr to experiment a midfield trio of ndidi(defensive midfielder), mikel obi(central midfielder) and iwobi( attacking midfielder/supporting striker). with this three in the middle, etebo can come in from the flank because his robust style of play when be helpful when the team is attacking or defending

Humility017:

having two defensive midfielders like ndidi and onazi gonna dry us in that game....
we should go with one...and make use of either etebo/ agu
I see nothing wrong playing mikel as a CM in that game while iwobi takes the AM role....

I am still waiting for a friendly iwobi gets to play the AM and mikel the CM role...hopefully against England...

both players in the middle...with a striker like nancho upfront gonna birth goals...as nancho and iwobi can both interchange roles depending on who is with the ball.....

my only problem wit mikel...playing the CM role is his inability to shoot from a distance....

nice observation bro. onazi no doubt brings enough energy to the team but he adds nothing moving forward. he tends to perform better when we face African oppositions. mikel can be deployed as a central midfielder who's sole responsibility is to coordinate the team's play and also help alex create openings for our strikers to score

realpoacher:


Wrong strategy, you can't "match" a team in the midfield who is presently obviously stronger than you in that regard, that will be tantamount to suicide because they will definitely take the midfield away from you and punish you. Remember they are better than you as you said.

What you should do as a weaker opponent in the midfield is to gift them the midfield but limit their time ⌚ on the ball. How do you do that, its simple, spread or stretch them in the middle and at their defense line. If you can successfully do that, you make their midfield control useless.

How do you spread or stretch a team who plays possessive football in the middle?

- Best formation against such is 4-3-3 or 3-5-2

- Best strategy is mass attack - mass defense

Now with either of those formations with the strategy i spoke of, your players will have to gift the middle to their opponents, its not a contest, whether you gift it willingly or not, they will still take it by force, so it is better you gift it by choice and concentrate your energy where it matters most.

When the middle is gifted, your midfielders will spread out to the touch lines when in possession and keep the ball there, they will extend it forward to the opponents final third, to the wings, from the wings, your forwarders can easily cut-in, or pull out, or do whatever.

When out of possession, your midfielders will just form a wall around your 18 yard, such a wall would be very difficult to break, and when your opponent loses possession to you in such location, Bros trust me, your counterattack will be deadly.

Real live Simulation:

I have watched European matches alot to know what i am saying. Lets look at Real Madrid.

Their most used formation 4-3-3.

Real Madrid rarely play possession football. I mean, they are good in the midfield, very good, no doubt about that. But many times in the UCL, they have come against teams who are better compared to them yet they keep winning. If you compare player to player, most times, they fall short in ability compared to their opponents, but guess what,? They keep winning... For two years now!

Their secrets is simple, they gift their opponents the middle.!! Full stop!!.. They mostly outplay their opponents from the sidelines in the midfield, and wings from the attack. They spread you out in the middle, and wear you out. Make no mistake, if you dare to match them on the sidelines, they quickly switch to the middle because they can as well play from the middle too.

But many times you prove stubborn from the middle, they leave you to it and focus on the sidelines and wings. They combine this with a deadly counter attack too with C. Ronaldo leading the strike force. They use cutbacks alot alongside with pin point crossing. By the time you settle down, you are already a goal or two down. Such a demoralizing predicament.

From there on, your insistence on equalizing, the pressure, etc will make you increase your possessive play and also your frustration... Before you know it, you are exposed to deadly counterattacks at will for the rest of the match.


Against Croatia ��

Our Formation 3-5-2
Our strategy: Mass attack - Mass defense

We must resist the temptation to choke the middle with too much original DMs, Ndidi or Onazi alone will be okay. A double pivot AM of Iwobi and Mikel should be encouraged or A CM in Ogu and AM in Mikel should suffice. We must gift them that midfield and play from the sidelines inorder to catch them on the break(counterattack) !!

But if we decide to match them kick for kick, man for man in the middle then i am sorry, we will be whooped! No two ways about it.

I just hope Rohr and his technical crew are listening to this analysis. Bro I enjoyed every bit of this analysis full of passion. I think I concur with you.. it's logical

Humility017:

I will go with real poacher because judging from the sebia match....

I think we can't really match the crots in the midfield... best way to play them is through the flanks so a a Formation like 3-5-2 should be adopted...and passes should be spread to the wings....

the middle should be seldomly used not until they're under pressure...to make some deadly mistakes.....

you use the tactics you proposed up there can work effectively when we play Iceland...and not a team with world class midfielders like Croatia....

if rohr will deploy mikel as the team's central midfielder he will help steady the team'splay and composure against the crots. onazi maybe to erratic with his tackles which may cost the team if he is booked.

realpoacher:


Its amazing that you watch several matches every day but you seem ignorant of tactics teams deploy against each other. I bet that you see these tactics but just choose to remain stuck to some old school believe about football.

On this thread, several times in the past, it has been said here that football have evolved. The dynamics have changed. But it seems that many people are yet to come to full grasp about how football is currently played on their screens.

If we were both managers, i Nigeria's coach, you Croatia.... You play me from the middle and i will play you from the sidelines... At the end of the day, Baba i will beat you silly

Firstly, please keep this discussion as civil as possible. No need for the use of provocative words. We are only rubbing minds and discussing tactics.

Now, back to the discussion. Yes I watch matches almost everyday mostly club matches. And during international breaks I watch national team matches across different continents.

What most of us here don't understand is the national team setting is usually different from club settings. Club coaches find it convenient staying with coaching of clubs while national team coaches find it convenient coaching the national teams.

Look at the way national teams play and look at the way clubs play. Dont you notice any difference in the approaches?

With clubs a coach can come up with any form of tactics and go out in search of players they feel can fit into such tactics but for the national team you are only limited to the players you have. You cannot buy a ready made player to come and play for you.

National teams are set up such that if you don't win don't lose because the chances to redeem yourself after losing a game are so few. The WC is held every 4years. Unlike Clubs that play weekly at times twice a week. You get whipped on Wednesday you have another competition on Saturday to correct your wrongs.

National team tactics are mostly conservative!

Watch how national teams play and Watch how clubs play and you will understand. You now wonder why so many AFCON and WC group games end in draws. And penalty shoot-outs at knock out stages.
Yes, football is dynamic and has evolved over time but the national teams would always adopt the safest approach. You are citing cases of Real Madrid do we have the kind of quality those clubs have?

To your point, you are saying we should gift them the midfield and follow the wings. I hope you don't see the midfield as only the center circle. For your information, part of the wings are also part of the midfield. When you lose possession of the midfield how will you get the balls across to the wingers?

Hold on to your beliefs and let me hold on to mine. No one gets a trophy for winning any arguments here. But once again try remain civil in your comments.

I think this is what Rohr tried against Serbia Poland. we didn’t lose the Serbia game at the midfield.
Mikel and Ndidi playing as pivot DMs would neutralize the midfield threat of the Croats. Let’s not forget the duo also have attacking instincts. Our ability to switch up play will be crucial — counter attack being our strong point.

Icon4s:


We need two DMs in that game . One that will sit in front of the CBs and one that supports the midfield when on the attack and falls back as a DM when we lose the ball.

Onuachu is back with a bang

Joebie:
I think this is what Rohr tried against Serbia Poland. we didn’t lose the Serbia game at the midfield.
Mikel and Ndidi playing as pivot DMs would neutralize the midfield threat of the Croats. Let’s not forget the duo also have attacking instincts. Our ability to switch up play will be crucial — counter attack being our strong point.

And some one is saying we should gift them the midfield and go through the wings. Are wings not part of midfield?

charlesemeka85:
if rohr will deploy mikel as the team's central midfielder he will help steady the team'splay and composure against the crots. onazi maybe to erratic with his tackles which may cost the team if he is booked.

exactly bro...we need an experienced mikel to play the CM role...together with ndidi I trust the interceptions and tackles to be neat and less rash....

Humility017:

exactly bro...we need an experienced mikel to play the CM role...together with ndidi I trust the interceptions and tackles to be neat and less rash....

By deploying Mikel to the CM you are reducing the potency of our attack. Yet you are agreeing we should gift out our midfield.

charlesemeka85:
nice observation bro. onazi no doubt brings enough energy to the team but he adds nothing moving forward. he tends to perform better when we face African oppositions. mikel can be deployed as a central midfielder who's sole responsibility is to coordinate the team's play and also help alex create openings for our strikers to score

God bless you..... the best way to frustrate the crots...is massive attack...massive defense....the defense should be aggressive as much as they can...and the wing backs be mobile and swift join the attack when need be....

Icon4s:


By deploying Mikel to the CM you are reducing the potency of our attack.

iwobi can as well play the AM role...

should we go with mikel as AM...it means onazi has to sit on the bench for one of ogu, etebo....
taking look at the Croatia midfield...you will agree with me...those men are experienced bones.. that only experienced players like mikel and ndidi can match...

He is only speaking from the scenario when we are controlling the game. What if they have a better possession? Who keeps
possession more dictates more were
the ball is played. We’ve been more likea counter attack team

Icon4s:


And some one is saying we should gift them the midfield and go through the wings. Are wings not part of midfield?

Humility017:

iwobi can as well play the AM role...

should we go with mikel as AM...it means onazi has to sit on the bench for one of ogu, etebo....
taking look at the Croatia midfield...you will agree with me...those men are experienced bones.. that only experienced players like mikel and ndidi can match...

We all have agreed that the counter attacking approach would be best for the team. That is why we need Mikel as the AM. Those killer passes that will set our strikers apart for a kill.

Iwobi does not have that kind of eye for killer passes as Mikel does.

Joebie:
He is only speaking from the scenario when we are controlling the game. What if they have a better possession? Who keeps
possession more dictates more were
the ball is played. We’ve been more likea counter attack team

How do you control a game that you have already gifted out the midfield?

In terms of possession, how
do u control the game from the wings?

Icon4s:


How do you control a game that you have already gifted out the midfield?

Humility017:

exactly bro...we need an experienced mikel to play the CM role...together with ndidi I trust the interceptions and tackles to be neat and less rash....

mikel will sparkle if deployed as a central midfielder or a deep laying play maker (the andrea pirlo/michael carrick role).mikel lacks the speed and shooting ability to operate as a number 10. i believe alex iwobi is blessed with the skill set to metamorphose into a mercurial attacking midfielder. another player who should be nurtured for that role is qpr's eberechi obi after the mundial

Icon4s:


And some one is saying we should gift them the midfield and go through the wings. Are wings not part of midfield?

I think this was keshi's strategy at the last World Cup and we were piss poor against France and Argentina, if not for enyeama Benzema abs Di Maria would have destroyed us in both games

Icon4s:


We need two DMs in that game . One that will sit in front of the CBs and one that supports the midfield when on the attack and falls back as a DM when we lose the ball.

u too much.

Icon4s:


We need two DMs in that game . One that will sit in front of the CBs and one that supports the midfield when on the attack and falls back as a DM when we lose the ball.

U too much bro

Joebie:
In terms of possession, how
do u control the game from the wings?

The ball will just vanish and find itself at the wings without going through the midfield.

MetalJigsaw:
U too much bro

Thanks man. We need to contain the Croats in the midfield and don't be surprised we may even dominate them to it that day.