Joebie: Bro, even if we played SA in a friendly today in a neutral ground expect to see the same. With Rohr I know what to expect. And we should all know this if we threw out all sentiments. I know he can win games but I know a tactical coach will always pose him problems.
Well let me take on the issues u seemed to be quoting me. Firstly I never said we will not get to the QF. But I consider getting to the QF an achievement over AFCON qualification.Why? Nigeria is easily among the top 8 teams in Africa or at least should always come out of the group at an AFCON competition. I’m not even setting the bar high here. It’s just the reality, and even our TRUE Team B should be able to pull that off. That’s the bare minimum. I’m saying I’ts far reasonable celebrating that than an AFCON qualification. Those saying we failed to qualify in the past can we be sincere enough to compare the circumstances. Our failures were purely caused by administrative lapses in the glass house. Even Yusuf would qualify us for the AFCON given him the right working environment Rohr has enjoyed. You guys failed to realize that Rohr has enjoyed the backing of the NFF than any coach has ever had. I want to applaud Pinnick for that, and he also gave Oliseh that kind of support. Siasia only had a stint. Or did u guys think Rohr would have qualified us in that Siasia circumstance? Every coach deserves support. I will say it again, if Nigeria can promote an atmosphere of excellence we will exceed expectations in all walks of life within this country.
Rohr has shown us his best, but his best will not bring out the best we can get considering what we have. I’m afraid at this timing we have to manage him. Even if he were an indigenous coach, I would say the same. It’s not the right time to send him out, because he still has the results going well for him. However I can already smell the coffee. That day will come, because he will not do more than he has already demonstrated. For one thing he will not exceed Keshi’s achievement. Now can you ask yourself, don’t we deserve better than Keshi’s achievement? The time will come you all will realize it’s time to move on.
Nobody is asking we play like Barca. But it’s simply unacceptable that we can hardly string passes from defense to attack without losing possession in a CARELESS manner. Or am I exxagaratimg here? Somebody tell me.
If the altitude is high, you reduce your running and let the ball do the running. But how is this possible when ur passing game is suspect. We still have that all-important key pass strength in us, which is why we beat their defense and scored (wrongly disallowed) in two occasions. However, we can do better as a team considering SA isn’t even a great team.
Rohr should be able to spot this problem and fix it. Will he?
Modified Rohr will not even match Keshi’s achievement. You can bookmark this
Like I said in the first paragraph of my submission, I'm not absolving Rohr of any wrongdoings. Yes, like in every team not just the SE there are still loose ends to tighten up and records to equal and hopefully surpass but let's throw in our opinions in a manner that won't seem to be rubbishing his current achievements and efforts.
About the QF stuff, yes it was your statement I was referring to and thanks for making your point clearer.
All I'm hammering on is let's not become armchair critics with high level of pessimism.
Tactical Analysis – How Nigeria Frustrated South Africa By The Goal Team...
Goal breaks down the tactical battle that was, between two giants of African football as they played out to a 1-1 draw on Saturday
This game was a crucial clash in the race for African Cup of Nations 2019 qualification, with the home side needing a win to secure their path to the showpiece with a game to spare. Away side, Nigeria, needed just a draw to progress by virtue of their head-to-head record against Libya, having beaten the North Africans 4-0 and 3-2, the latter a mightily impressive victory away from home. A draw or a defeat for South Africa would make little difference if Libya won away in the Seychelles – which they did by an incredible 8-1 margin in the end – as both results would mean that Stuart Baxter’s men would need a draw away to Libya in March to make it to Cameroon 2019.
Team Selection:
Bafana Bafana came into this game with some serious question marks over their engine room, with all of Dean Furman, Bongani Zungu and Kamohelo Mokotjo out injured, as well as Keagan Dolly. Baxter decided to go with his safest and most experienced available pairing in front of the back four, selecting the Mamelodi Sundowns duo of Hlompho Kekana and Tiyani Mabunda. A riskier selection would have been to plump for Fortune Makaringe, whose extra athleticism and ability to drive forward from deep areas, due to his early days as a winger, would have tested a weakened Super Eagles midfield. The other major calls from Baxter were to go for Thamsanqa Mkhize over Ramahlwe Mphahlele at right back, and to start Thulani Serero, whose return to the squad has come after some strong form for Vitesse as a deep-lying playmaker. Percy Tau and Lebo Mothiba were both selected, but a genuine front two is rarely favoured by the current coach, so Tau’s position was a question mark pre-game.
Nigeria were also missing several of their usual starters, with goalkeeper Francis Uzoho out with a rib injury, Wilfred Ndidi missing through suspension, John Obi Mikel not selected and Odion Ighalo, with six goals in the last three qualifiers, withdrawing through injury. This added to the question marks over the side’s formation, at fullback, and over the position of Alex Iwobi. In the end, coach Gernot Rohr switched to a 3-5-2 formation, using Kenneth Omeruo on the left of the back three and winger Samuel Kalu as a right wingback. This change allowed both a three-man central midfield, with Iwobi in a central role again, as he was for the last two qualifiers, and two strikers. Ahmed Musa was able to play as a wide forward, where he could focus on attacking and not tracking the opposition right back, with Kelechi Iheanacho as Ighalo’s replacement. Israel-based, John Ogu was Ndidi’s replacement as defensive midfielder, and in goal, Chippa United’s Daniel Akpeyi was expected to start. But Rohr made a big call by selecting Ikechukwu Ezenwa ahead of both Akpeyi and club teammate Theophilus Afelokhai, who is Enyimba’s usual first choice.
First Half – Baxter Solves Initial Problems
Nigeria looked the better of the two sides in the game, not only taking the lead in the 9th minute, but having another clear opportunity as Iheanacho played Musa through on goal, but an offside flag had been erroneously raised. Bafana were clearly confused by Nigeria’s shape – the fullbacks, Hlanti and Mkhize were reluctant to close down the wingbacks, for fear of leaving their centre backs two vs. two against Nigeria’s pacey strike pairing. Additionally, Kekana and Mabunda were both sitting deep against Iwobi, which gave Etebo and Ogu plenty of space to build play against just Serero, especially with the away side also having three central defenders against a lone striker in Mothiba. The latter problem was a result of Tau’s usage as a wide player, often finding himself in very deep positions to help Hlanti, including one example was when he was shoved off the ball by Iheanacho 15-yards into his own half. Tau has played mostly on the left at club level this season, but it is far from his most effective position. When the goal did come, it was as a result of Hlanti being left isolated against the pacey Kalu. With neither of Bafana’s defensive midfielders comfortable in shifting over to help as they were aware of Iwobi’s threat, as well as the possibility of Iheanacho dropping into deep areas (as he had done in creating Musa’s “offside” chance), it meant Kalu could blaze past Hlanti and force Buhle Mkhwanazi into an own goal.
The major change by Baxter around the 15-minute mark was to switch Tau over to the right side where he was on the side of Jamilu Collins, a less threatening wingback than Kalu. Tau immediately started to get on the ball, and on the right flank, he could carry the ball inside on the furthest foot from the defenders and protect it from pressure with his right arm. With Mhkize and Hlanti now instructed to bomb forward, Nigeria had real issues in wide areas as Omeruo looked uneasy having to move wide to face Tau on that flank, and with Balogun forced to stay narrow to help Ekong, Kalu was stationed much deeper. Brilliant play from Tau created the equaliser as he showed his class coming inside to link with Themba Zwane. With those two players now able to cut inside with the full-backs offering width, their chemistry from Sundowns came to the fore. Nigeria were still massive threats as twice Khune had to race off his line to beat speed merchant Musa to the ball, and with Nigeria’s front two, plus Iwobi, stopping Khune from playing short from goalkicks, the goalkeeper had to try risky dinked passes into midfield and one such delivery saw a turnover and The Super Eagles had a clear open opportunity wasted by a heavy Iheanacho touch with just Khune to beat. The rest of the half petered out somewhat as the 32-degree heat took its toll. Despite long delays over throw-ins and several fouls, the referee played no additional time and the sides went in level. Nigeria had been the bigger threat, but Tau’s growing influence and impressive assist had pulled Bafana back into the game. Baxter’s move after 15 minutes had worked well.
Second half – tempo drops, Tau supply cut
At the start of the second half, Tau was initially back on the left, but was later moved into a role just off Mothiba as Thembinkosi Lorch replaced Thulani Serero after an hour, and moved out onto the right flank. Nigeria had made a crucial switch in dropping Iwobi deeper to a role in a flatter three-man central midfield, where he could shore up the left flank and give some protection to Omeruo and Collins. This meant that Kekana and Mabunda began to get more chances to receive the ball and face forward, but neither generally played the driven, floor passes into Tau that he needed, but rather longer diagonals out to the full-backs or over the top. This led to numerous attacks breaking down.
With the tempo of the game now much lower, and the ball spending lots of time out for throw-ins, Nigeria looked settled defensively, but also less of a threat on the break with South Africa playing deeper to protect themselves against Musa. Once Isaac Success came on for Iheanacho, Nigeria had more of a route one option and his ability to hold the ball up and draw fouls, allowed the sting to be taken out of the game even further. By the 75-minute mark, Bafana had run out of ideas and energy, and desperately needed some inspiration from the bench by Baxter. Instead, the game drifted away and possible match-winners like Vincent Pule and Dino Ndlovu were left to watch from the sidelines.
Nigeria easily saw out the game, dealing well with South Africa’s constant long passes to try to find Tau or Mothiba. Omeruo, who had struggled against Tau in the first half, barely had to deal with him in the second period and was able to rather fight in the aerial duels instead of being exposed on the ground. Nigeria saw themselves incorrectly flagged offside again in the latter stages when Musa finished past Khune, which was a goal that should have stood.
Summary
This draw for Bafana had the same effect that a defeat would have had – Baxter’s men now need to draw against Libya in the final game. For this reason, the conservative second half was a massive disappointment.
Any supporter watching the game would not have known from the home side’s attitude that they needed to win. South Africa’s coach admitted his side’s lack of ideas in his post-match interview saying: “in the second half, we started going really long”, but it begs the question why he didn’t risk bringing on Teboho Mokoena for Mabunda to improve passing in deeper areas, or give Pule – a high-risk, high-reward player who shoots and crosses constantly – at least 15 minutes to try to force a winner. Nigeria had a tough period from the 15th to 45th minute, but still created clear chances during that time, and when the two blatantly wrong offside calls are factored in, the away side were far more worthy of winning the game than Bafana Bafana. Rohr did a good job of reorganising his side in the second period by asking more defensively of Iwobi, and his side showed excellent game management by slowing proceedings down and breaking any momentum for the home side by making fouls and drawing fouls.
TheSuperNerd: Tactical Analysis – How Nigeria Frustrated South Africa By The Goal Team...
Goal breaks down the tactical battle that was, between two giants of African football as they played out to a 1-1 draw on Saturday
This game was a crucial clash in the race for African Cup of Nations 2019 qualification, with the home side needing a win to secure their path to the showpiece with a game to spare. Away side, Nigeria, needed just a draw to progress by virtue of their head-to-head record against Libya, having beaten the North Africans 4-0 and 3-2, the latter a mightily impressive victory away from home. A draw or a defeat for South Africa would make little difference if Libya won away in the Seychelles – which they did by an incredible 8-1 margin in the end – as both results would mean that Stuart Baxter’s men would need a draw away to Libya in March to make it to Cameroon 2019.
Team Selection:
Bafana Bafana came into this game with some serious question marks over their engine room, with all of Dean Furman, Bongani Zungu and Kamohelo Mokotjo out injured, as well as Keagan Dolly. Baxter decided to go with his safest and most experienced available pairing in front of the back four, selecting the Mamelodi Sundowns duo of Hlompho Kekana and Tiyani Mabunda. A riskier selection would have been to plump for Fortune Makaringe, whose extra athleticism and ability to drive forward from deep areas, due to his early days as a winger, would have tested a weakened Super Eagles midfield. The other major calls from Baxter were to go for Thamsanqa Mkhize over Ramahlwe Mphahlele at right back, and to start Thulani Serero, whose return to the squad has come after some strong form for Vitesse as a deep-lying playmaker. Percy Tau and Lebo Mothiba were both selected, but a genuine front two is rarely favoured by the current coach, so Tau’s position was a question mark pre-game.
Nigeria were also missing several of their usual starters, with goalkeeper Francis Uzoho out with a rib injury, Wilfred Ndidi missing through suspension, John Obi Mikel not selected and Odion Ighalo, with six goals in the last three qualifiers, withdrawing through injury. This added to the question marks over the side’s formation, at fullback, and over the position of Alex Iwobi. In the end, coach Gernot Rohr switched to a 3-5-2 formation, using Kenneth Omeruo on the left of the back three and winger Samuel Kalu as a right wingback. This change allowed both a three-man central midfield, with Iwobi in a central role again, as he was for the last two qualifiers, and two strikers. Ahmed Musa was able to play as a wide forward, where he could focus on attacking and not tracking the opposition right back, with Kelechi Iheanacho as Ighalo’s replacement. Israel-based, John Ogu was Ndidi’s replacement as defensive midfielder, and in goal, Chippa United’s Daniel Akpeyi was expected to start. But Rohr made a big call by selecting Ikechukwu Ezenwa ahead of both Akpeyi and club teammate Theophilus Afelokhai, who is Enyimba’s usual first choice.
First Half – Baxter Solves Initial Problems
Nigeria looked the better of the two sides in the game, not only taking the lead in the 9th minute, but having another clear opportunity as Iheanacho played Musa through on goal, but an offside flag had been erroneously raised. Bafana were clearly confused by Nigeria’s shape – the fullbacks, Hlanti and Mkhize were reluctant to close down the wingbacks, for fear of leaving their centre backs two vs. two against Nigeria’s pacey strike pairing. Additionally, Kekana and Mabunda were both sitting deep against Iwobi, which gave Etebo and Ogu plenty of space to build play against just Serero, especially with the away side also having three central defenders against a lone striker in Mothiba. The latter problem was a result of Tau’s usage as a wide player, often finding himself in very deep positions to help Hlanti, including one example was when he was shoved off the ball by Iheanacho 15-yards into his own half. Tau has played mostly on the left at club level this season, but it is far from his most effective position. When the goal did come, it was as a result of Hlanti being left isolated against the pacey Kalu. With neither of Bafana’s defensive midfielders comfortable in shifting over to help as they were aware of Iwobi’s threat, as well as the possibility of Iheanacho dropping into deep areas (as he had done in creating Musa’s “offside” chance), it meant Kalu could blaze past Hlanti and force Buhle Mkhwanazi into an own goal.
The major change by Baxter around the 15-minute mark was to switch Tau over to the right side where he was on the side of Jamilu Collins, a less threatening wingback than Kalu. Tau immediately started to get on the ball, and on the right flank, he could carry the ball inside on the furthest foot from the defenders and protect it from pressure with his right arm. With Mhkize and Hlanti now instructed to bomb forward, Nigeria had real issues in wide areas as Omeruo looked uneasy having to move wide to face Tau on that flank, and with Balogun forced to stay narrow to help Ekong, Kalu was stationed much deeper. Brilliant play from Tau created the equaliser as he showed his class coming inside to link with Themba Zwane. With those two players now able to cut inside with the full-backs offering width, their chemistry from Sundowns came to the fore. Nigeria were still massive threats as twice Khune had to race off his line to beat speed merchant Musa to the ball, and with Nigeria’s front two, plus Iwobi, stopping Khune from playing short from goalkicks, the goalkeeper had to try risky dinked passes into midfield and one such delivery saw a turnover and The Super Eagles had a clear open opportunity wasted by a heavy Iheanacho touch with just Khune to beat. The rest of the half petered out somewhat as the 32-degree heat took its toll. Despite long delays over throw-ins and several fouls, the referee played no additional time and the sides went in level. Nigeria had been the bigger threat, but Tau’s growing influence and impressive assist had pulled Bafana back into the game. Baxter’s move after 15 minutes had worked well.
Second half – tempo drops, Tau supply cut
At the start of the second half, Tau was initially back on the left, but was later moved into a role just off Mothiba as Thembinkosi Lorch replaced Thulani Serero after an hour, and moved out onto the right flank. Nigeria had made a crucial switch in dropping Iwobi deeper to a role in a flatter three-man central midfield, where he could shore up the left flank and give some protection to Omeruo and Collins. This meant that Kekana and Mabunda began to get more chances to receive the ball and face forward, but neither generally played the driven, floor passes into Tau that he needed, but rather longer diagonals out to the full-backs or over the top. This led to numerous attacks breaking down.
With the tempo of the game now much lower, and the ball spending lots of time out for throw-ins, Nigeria looked settled defensively, but also less of a threat on the break with South Africa playing deeper to protect themselves against Musa. Once Isaac Success came on for Iheanacho, Nigeria had more of a route one option and his ability to hold the ball up and draw fouls, allowed the sting to be taken out of the game even further. By the 75-minute mark, Bafana had run out of ideas and energy, and desperately needed some inspiration from the bench by Baxter. Instead, the game drifted away and possible match-winners like Vincent Pule and Dino Ndlovu were left to watch from the sidelines.
Nigeria easily saw out the game, dealing well with South Africa’s constant long passes to try to find Tau or Mothiba. Omeruo, who had struggled against Tau in the first half, barely had to deal with him in the second period and was able to rather fight in the aerial duels instead of being exposed on the ground. Nigeria saw themselves incorrectly flagged offside again in the latter stages when Musa finished past Khune, which was a goal that should have stood.
Summary
This draw for Bafana had the same effect that a defeat would have had – Baxter’s men now need to draw against Libya in the final game. For this reason, the conservative second half was a massive disappointment.
Any supporter watching the game would not have known from the home side’s attitude that they needed to win. South Africa’s coach admitted his side’s lack of ideas in his post-match interview saying: “in the second half, we started going really long”, but it begs the question why he didn’t risk bringing on Teboho Mokoena for Mabunda to improve passing in deeper areas, or give Pule – a high-risk, high-reward player who shoots and crosses constantly – at least 15 minutes to try to force a winner. Nigeria had a tough period from the 15th to 45th minute, but still created clear chances during that time, and when the two blatantly wrong offside calls are factored in, the away side were far more worthy of winning the game than Bafana Bafana. Rohr did a good job of reorganising his side in the second period by asking more defensively of Iwobi, and his side showed excellent game management by slowing proceedings down and breaking any momentum for the home side by making fouls and drawing fouls.
Source: Goal
Excellent game management. That was it. We created more of the chances and deserved a win. But the result is what it is. We move on.
TheSuperNerd: Tactical Analysis – How Nigeria Frustrated South Africa By The Goal Team...
Goal breaks down the tactical battle that was, between two giants of African football as they played out to a 1-1 draw on Saturday
This game was a crucial clash in the race for African Cup of Nations 2019 qualification, with the home side needing a win to secure their path to the showpiece with a game to spare. Away side, Nigeria, needed just a draw to progress by virtue of their head-to-head record against Libya, having beaten the North Africans 4-0 and 3-2, the latter a mightily impressive victory away from home. A draw or a defeat for South Africa would make little difference if Libya won away in the Seychelles – which they did by an incredible 8-1 margin in the end – as both results would mean that Stuart Baxter’s men would need a draw away to Libya in March to make it to Cameroon 2019.
Team Selection:
Bafana Bafana came into this game with some serious question marks over their engine room, with all of Dean Furman, Bongani Zungu and Kamohelo Mokotjo out injured, as well as Keagan Dolly. Baxter decided to go with his safest and most experienced available pairing in front of the back four, selecting the Mamelodi Sundowns duo of Hlompho Kekana and Tiyani Mabunda. A riskier selection would have been to plump for Fortune Makaringe, whose extra athleticism and ability to drive forward from deep areas, due to his early days as a winger, would have tested a weakened Super Eagles midfield. The other major calls from Baxter were to go for Thamsanqa Mkhize over Ramahlwe Mphahlele at right back, and to start Thulani Serero, whose return to the squad has come after some strong form for Vitesse as a deep-lying playmaker. Percy Tau and Lebo Mothiba were both selected, but a genuine front two is rarely favoured by the current coach, so Tau’s position was a question mark pre-game.
Nigeria were also missing several of their usual starters, with goalkeeper Francis Uzoho out with a rib injury, Wilfred Ndidi missing through suspension, John Obi Mikel not selected and Odion Ighalo, with six goals in the last three qualifiers, withdrawing through injury. This added to the question marks over the side’s formation, at fullback, and over the position of Alex Iwobi. In the end, coach Gernot Rohr switched to a 3-5-2 formation, using Kenneth Omeruo on the left of the back three and winger Samuel Kalu as a right wingback. This change allowed both a three-man central midfield, with Iwobi in a central role again, as he was for the last two qualifiers, and two strikers. Ahmed Musa was able to play as a wide forward, where he could focus on attacking and not tracking the opposition right back, with Kelechi Iheanacho as Ighalo’s replacement. Israel-based, John Ogu was Ndidi’s replacement as defensive midfielder, and in goal, Chippa United’s Daniel Akpeyi was expected to start. But Rohr made a big call by selecting Ikechukwu Ezenwa ahead of both Akpeyi and club teammate Theophilus Afelokhai, who is Enyimba’s usual first choice.
First Half – Baxter Solves Initial Problems
Nigeria looked the better of the two sides in the game, not only taking the lead in the 9th minute, but having another clear opportunity as Iheanacho played Musa through on goal, but an offside flag had been erroneously raised. Bafana were clearly confused by Nigeria’s shape – the fullbacks, Hlanti and Mkhize were reluctant to close down the wingbacks, for fear of leaving their centre backs two vs. two against Nigeria’s pacey strike pairing. Additionally, Kekana and Mabunda were both sitting deep against Iwobi, which gave Etebo and Ogu plenty of space to build play against just Serero, especially with the away side also having three central defenders against a lone striker in Mothiba. The latter problem was a result of Tau’s usage as a wide player, often finding himself in very deep positions to help Hlanti, including one example was when he was shoved off the ball by Iheanacho 15-yards into his own half. Tau has played mostly on the left at club level this season, but it is far from his most effective position. When the goal did come, it was as a result of Hlanti being left isolated against the pacey Kalu. With neither of Bafana’s defensive midfielders comfortable in shifting over to help as they were aware of Iwobi’s threat, as well as the possibility of Iheanacho dropping into deep areas (as he had done in creating Musa’s “offside” chance), it meant Kalu could blaze past Hlanti and force Buhle Mkhwanazi into an own goal.
The major change by Baxter around the 15-minute mark was to switch Tau over to the right side where he was on the side of Jamilu Collins, a less threatening wingback than Kalu. Tau immediately started to get on the ball, and on the right flank, he could carry the ball inside on the furthest foot from the defenders and protect it from pressure with his right arm. With Mhkize and Hlanti now instructed to bomb forward, Nigeria had real issues in wide areas as Omeruo looked uneasy having to move wide to face Tau on that flank, and with Balogun forced to stay narrow to help Ekong, Kalu was stationed much deeper. Brilliant play from Tau created the equaliser as he showed his class coming inside to link with Themba Zwane. With those two players now able to cut inside with the full-backs offering width, their chemistry from Sundowns came to the fore. Nigeria were still massive threats as twice Khune had to race off his line to beat speed merchant Musa to the ball, and with Nigeria’s front two, plus Iwobi, stopping Khune from playing short from goalkicks, the goalkeeper had to try risky dinked passes into midfield and one such delivery saw a turnover and The Super Eagles had a clear open opportunity wasted by a heavy Iheanacho touch with just Khune to beat. The rest of the half petered out somewhat as the 32-degree heat took its toll. Despite long delays over throw-ins and several fouls, the referee played no additional time and the sides went in level. Nigeria had been the bigger threat, but Tau’s growing influence and impressive assist had pulled Bafana back into the game. Baxter’s move after 15 minutes had worked well.
Second half – tempo drops, Tau supply cut
At the start of the second half, Tau was initially back on the left, but was later moved into a role just off Mothiba as Thembinkosi Lorch replaced Thulani Serero after an hour, and moved out onto the right flank. Nigeria had made a crucial switch in dropping Iwobi deeper to a role in a flatter three-man central midfield, where he could shore up the left flank and give some protection to Omeruo and Collins. This meant that Kekana and Mabunda began to get more chances to receive the ball and face forward, but neither generally played the driven, floor passes into Tau that he needed, but rather longer diagonals out to the full-backs or over the top. This led to numerous attacks breaking down.
With the tempo of the game now much lower, and the ball spending lots of time out for throw-ins, Nigeria looked settled defensively, but also less of a threat on the break with South Africa playing deeper to protect themselves against Musa. Once Isaac Success came on for Iheanacho, Nigeria had more of a route one option and his ability to hold the ball up and draw fouls, allowed the sting to be taken out of the game even further. By the 75-minute mark, Bafana had run out of ideas and energy, and desperately needed some inspiration from the bench by Baxter. Instead, the game drifted away and possible match-winners like Vincent Pule and Dino Ndlovu were left to watch from the sidelines.
Nigeria easily saw out the game, dealing well with South Africa’s constant long passes to try to find Tau or Mothiba. Omeruo, who had struggled against Tau in the first half, barely had to deal with him in the second period and was able to rather fight in the aerial duels instead of being exposed on the ground. Nigeria saw themselves incorrectly flagged offside again in the latter stages when Musa finished past Khune, which was a goal that should have stood.
Summary
This draw for Bafana had the same effect that a defeat would have had – Baxter’s men now need to draw against Libya in the final game. For this reason, the conservative second half was a massive disappointment.
Any supporter watching the game would not have known from the home side’s attitude that they needed to win. South Africa’s coach admitted his side’s lack of ideas in his post-match interview saying: “in the second half, we started going really long”, but it begs the question why he didn’t risk bringing on Teboho Mokoena for Mabunda to improve passing in deeper areas, or give Pule – a high-risk, high-reward player who shoots and crosses constantly – at least 15 minutes to try to force a winner. Nigeria had a tough period from the 15th to 45th minute, but still created clear chances during that time, and when the two blatantly wrong offside calls are factored in, the away side were far more worthy of winning the game than Bafana Bafana. Rohr did a good job of reorganising his side in the second period by asking more defensively of Iwobi, and his side showed excellent game management by slowing proceedings down and breaking any momentum for the home side by making fouls and drawing fouls.
You missed o. I watched every single minute of every game. That was my introduction to watching us play qualifiers, and hence my high expectations of any team in gwg.
Abi weren't you happy and glad at heart when dem Amokachi and friends were doing g this at Atlanta 96 and years before? We won so we are more sensible than Spain in that regard! Spain may still be learners in winning, not us
You sef deep down you wan see that sleekness too joor. lol
You missed o. I watched every single minute of every game. That was my introduction to watching us play qualifiers, and hence my high expectations of any team in gwg.
No not me. I was asking TheGoodJoe.
SE were fun to watch in the early 90s because they were almost sure to deliver and were so dominant on the continent.
No more Qualifiers Calculators palava; Team Quality pool evolution
No more If Team Z loses to Team B by X number of goals and if Team B draws us 1-1 at least, we move on to Ghana 2081... Lol... Those days are over.
Twice now in major competition qualifiers with a game in hand, Rohr has delivered even in the midst of some flaws in his somewhat conservative approach and certain decision makings. But on the overall, he is getting the job done alongside his continual blooding in of more young quality talents which I expect to continue even in the new year ahead of the Summer's Afcon.
There was no Moses Simon on the official matchday squad while Aina missed out due to Injury picked up before the game while in camp. Chukwueze made the bench but Osimhen did not. Remember this is a team that was without regulars in Uzoho, Ighalo, Mike Obi, Shehu Abdullahi, Ndidi and even Onazi. Our best choice RB/RWB, Tyronne Ebuehi of Benfica is still waiting in the wings to make his comeback once his injury period has elapsed. This should tell you that some players who made the bench against SA would also not have made it at all in some of the above listed players' presence. Such is the growing depth of this young squad and we hope it continues and lead us to better times as a football nation.
Honestly, with the way this team is going, we could have some major omissions in the final 23 for the Afcon in Cameroun. The team is getting even more competitive as time goes on. In all like I love to say, "Time will tell.."..
TheSuperNerd: No more Qualifiers Calculations palava, Team Quality pool evolution
Twice now in major competition qualifiers with a game in hand, Rohr has delivered even in the midst of some flaws in his somewhat conservative approach and certain decision makings. But on the overall, he is getting the job done alongside his continual blooding in of more young quality talents which I expect to continue even in the new year ahead of the Summer's Afcon.
There was no Moses Simon on the official matchday squad while Aina missed out due to Injury picked up before the game while in camp. Chukwueze made the bench but Osimhen did not. Remember this is a team that was without regulars in Uzoho, Ighalo, Mike Obi, Shehu Abdullahi, Ndidi and even Onazi. Our best choice RB/RWB, Tyronne Ebuehi of Benfica is still waiting in the wings to make his comeback once his injury period has elapsed. This should tell you that some players who made the bench against SA would also not have made it at all in some of the above listed players' presence. Such is the growing depth of this young squad and we hope it continues and lead us to better times as a football nation.
Honestly, with the way this team is going, we could have some major omissions in the final 23 for the Afcon in Cameroun. The team is getting even more competitive as time goes on. In all like I love to say, "Time will tell.."..
So is it Dawn yet or we are still awaiting the dawn.?
TheSuperNerd: No more Qualifiers Calculations palava, Team Quality pool evolution
Twice now in major competition qualifiers with a game in hand, Rohr has delivered even in the midst of some flaws in his somewhat conservative approach and certain decision makings. But on the overall, he is getting the job done alongside his continual blooding in of more young quality talents which I expect to continue even in the new year ahead of the Summer's Afcon.
There was no Moses Simon on the official matchday squad while Aina missed out due to Injury picked up before the game while in camp. Chukwueze made the bench but Osimhen did not. Remember this is a team that was without regulars in Uzoho, Ighalo, Mike Obi, Shehu Abdullahi, Ndidi and even Onazi. Our best choice RB/RWB, Tyronne Ebuehi of Benfica is still waiting in the wings to make his comeback once his injury period has elapsed. This should tell you that some players who made the bench against SA would also not have made it at all in some of the above listed players' presence. Such is the growing depth of this young squad and we hope it continues and lead us to better times as a football nation.
Honestly, with the way this team is going, we could have some major omissions in the final 23 for the Afcon in Cameroun. The team is getting even more competitive as time goes on. In all like I love to say, "Time will tell.."..
So is it Dawn yet or we are still awaiting the dawn.?
So make e comot him clothes expose him 60 something year old yansh dey run round dey shout ojoro ojoro before una happy abi? make he protest offside calls from sidelines, when has protesting referee decisions from the sidelines ever changed anything? Make una no dey do like this na haba
and you're a man u fan o... Lemme just stop there and use your favorite smiley.
TheSuperNerd: No more Qualifiers Calculators palava; Team Quality pool evolution
No more If Team Z loses to Team B by X number of goals and if Team B draws us 1-1 at least, we move on to Ghana 2081... Lol... Those days are over.
Twice now in major competition qualifiers with a game in hand, Rohr has delivered even in the midst of some flaws in his somewhat conservative approach and certain decision makings. But on the overall, he is getting the job done alongside his continual blooding in of more young quality talents which I expect to continue even in the new year ahead of the Summer's Afcon.
There was no Moses Simon on the official matchday squad while Aina missed out due to Injury picked up before the game while in camp. Chukwueze made the bench but Osimhen did not. Remember this is a team that was without regulars in Uzoho, Ighalo, Mike Obi, Shehu Abdullahi, Ndidi and even Onazi. Our best choice RB/RWB, Tyronne Ebuehi of Benfica is still waiting in the wings to make his comeback once his injury period has elapsed. This should tell you that some players who made the bench against SA would also not have made it at all in some of the above listed players' presence. Such is the growing depth of this young squad and we hope it continues and lead us to better times as a football nation.
Honestly, with the way this team is going, we could have some major omissions in the final 23 for the Afcon in Cameroun. The team is getting even more competitive as time goes on. In all like I love to say, "Time will tell.."..
So is it Dawn yet or we are still awaiting the dawn.?
So is it Dawn yet or we are still awaiting the dawn.?
Going by the 24-hr clock, We are still maybe a few hours or less than an hour off that dawn Dad.... Believe me, when it fully dawns, you will know for sure. It will shine so bright but right now, that morning sun still approaches. It is not yet fully dawn. Russia 2018 was the new and young generation's baptism of fire. Their first international competition since Rohr took over. With that experience, they move forward to keep building upon it in order to become a true Golden Force like the Super Eagles of the 90s and early 2000s. This team's showing at Afcon 2019 will be the certain moment to know if that dawn is set fully for 2019 or whether it will wait a bit more till later 2020. This team is showing lots of promise but it is not yet dawn... Only the stars are beginning to align to usher it in but that full bright dawn has not yet come.....
So is it Dawn yet or we are still awaiting the dawn.?
It is Dawn to me o. We just need to checkmate our expectations. The dawn will not come the way we want it to, but like a thief in the night. Lo, it is Dawn!!!! Inhale the smell of dewed earth!!
Going by the 24-hr clock, We are still a few hours off that dawn Dad.... Believe me, when it fully dawns, you will know for sure. It will shine so bright but right now, that morning sun still approaches. It is not yet fully dawn. This team's showing at Afcon 2019 will be the certain moment to know if that dawn is set fully for 2019 or whether it will wait a bit more till later 2020. This team is showing lots of promise but it is not yet dawn... Only the stars are beginning to align to usher it in but that bright dawn has not yet come.....
Only those who understand my message get what I mean. I need not talk much. This team's dawn is near but it is not time..... We are in that period between pre-dawn/last dark moments and the first light of a new day. And even dawn does take time to fully mature into a bright light seen before Full sunrise. That is where this young SE team is now. The dawn is not yet come in full.... My kind of dawn is the one with a light so bright even when captured in the distance.
Not much. I was in boarding school at that time. Little to know TV was the order of the day during that time. Nope. Although I watched Tunisia 94 and some of Senegal 92.
Only those who understand my message get what I mean. I need not talk much. This team's dawn is near but it is not time..... We are between that short period of pre-dawn/last dark moments and the first light of a new day. That is where this young SE team is now. The dawn is not yet come in full.
O pari...
We await Afcon 2019.
Oga drop the serious mode joor. didn't you get that when I added the to my question. switch on the funny mode again joor. ah!
Excellent game management. That was it. We created more of the chances and deserved a win. But the result is what it is. We move on.
More like Rohr was scared to his boxers and decided no adventurous play or he lacks the capability of building a strong setup to tear up tough oppositions. Either way, our display yesterday was close to atrocious.
Chukwuemeka007: I never thought that this game will make me come out of my ghost mode after nearly two years of ardent followership.
First of, I think the stern attacks on Rohr's person, intellect and coaching tactics is way out of proportion though I'm not absolving him of any wrongdoings.
We played a team who had their backs against the wall (a loss would put them on a bad position) in front of their home crowd. It's expected they do the initial gra-gra stuff.
If not for poor officiating, we were 3-1 winners. We also tend to forget the altitude issues over there resulting to a thin layer of oxygen. "overdoing" yourself will lead to early gassing out. I think it was Ecuador that thrashed Argentina 6 nil in a world cup qualifier played in Quito (a place of high altitude and low atmospheric pressure. A few Argentine players even fainted on that day)
We have taken to commonizing qualifying for the AFCON because Rohr qualified us forgetting that we failed to qualify on two occasions back-to-back even as defending champions in 2015. Our African Guardiola and our Special One couldn't.
For the first I'm seeing the Super Eagles qualify for the World Cup and AFCON without needing calculators nor praying for the downfall of another team though we faced though oppositions. PS I'm in my early 20s can't say about the 90s.
Even if we go ahead to win the AFCON some of us will still come here to say:
"forget he won the AFCON, Rohr can't take us anywhere. He's inept and by the way what's AFCON for a whole Nigeria?" forgeting that a "whole" Ghana last won a trophy in 1982 (pls correct me if I'm wrong) and not even an Avram Grant could get them another.
We exalt the way SA played saying they had "free-flowing and sexy game". But I'm 100% sure that if the SE played same yesterday we would still come here to say
"the team played rubbish, all runnings and not bite, no shots and no final balls just headless chicken runs and long irrelevant balls"
All I'm saying is this: Yes, coach Rohr isn't 100% of what we desire in a coach but he's giving us results! results! he's doing his job. so these over-blown criticisms and insults are funny to me. Asides the unfortunate loss to SA, we're unbeaten against African oppositions.
On a final note, to those prophets of doom who drop doomsday prophecies before our matches just so they can come back after the match to say "didn't I say it?" una weldone, more grease to your keypads.
Some are already predicting a Quarter final last bus stop for the SE for a competition that will commence in 7 months' time. SMH
Same way some started singing before the World cup that "Nigeria will not win or draw Argentina" and they came here to say the "didn't I tell you?"
Some say: with the array of talents at Rohr's disposal, we shouldn't be struggling at all so at that Rohr should be shown the exit door. I wonder what'd have happened to the coaches of Germany, Portugal and Spain following their early exit from the WC despite their "sexy and sleek football" plus huge arsenal of talents if they were Nigerians or employees of the NFF.
daveP: Oga drop the serious mode joor. didn't you get that when I added the to my question. switch on the funny mode again joor. ah!
I am serious when it comes the possibility of a second Golden generation in Nigerian soccer because it has been my dream and my cry since 2015 when I walked in here on NL sports. I want to experience what a Nigerian Golden Generation feels like and for a longer duration too... I hope you understand why this is so personal to me Dave. I didn't enjoy the first Golden Generation in the 90s and 2000s because all the best moments of that generation took place when I was still a baby in 94 and a toddler in 96. I felt only the screams and shouts as a little baby boy but never understood what it was for.... I missed that Golden Generation and only know so much about it bcoz I read and watched lots of clips about those periods.
Even in the mid-2000s with the Yak, Martins the WMD (weapon of mass destruction), Osaze, a young Mikel Obi and Ik Uche, I yearned for so much from them but got disappointed. It was only in 2013 I got to taste what a combination of our best graduates from our youth system (U-17s and U-20s and U-23s) could come together in one generation to achieve. For the first time I understood what it truly felt to be an African Champ and see live as we lifted that trophy... That year was total vindication for me as I was the only one in my medical college who predicted an Afcon Title and a CIV defeat in the QFs. Since that day I had a new nickname at Med School added to the ones I got for my academic prowess... I became known as Mr. Nigeria amd my opinions on Sports and SE matters became respected by all at Med School when in the common room or at viewing centers within or around the campus areas.
Dave, as regards Nigerian football success in this new age, I have a dream... And I believe this new Super Eagles can make it come true.... The talents are much... The potentials are endless... Holland is rising again and it is coinciding with our rise too. Holland haven't replaced Robben yet even with their rise so far... But they have a Frenkie De Jong who is a total reminder of the Franz Beckanbeaur of old and is sure to be a great in years to come and also a De ligt who could one day become among the best all round CBs in world football someday. But they don't have a Robben-like player... Why is that? Well it is because that Robben-like super talent have been given to Nigerian Football by the football gods in the person of a 19 yrs old kid called Chukwueze.... It is only once in a generation or maybe a lifetime you see the rise of a talent quite 90-100% similar to a previous great and sometimes, it could rise in another nation. Germany and the rest of the world are seeing a new Beckanbeaur rising not in the Germany NT but in the Holland NT in Frenkie... Just as we are seeing a new Robben-like high yield potential super star in the beastly daring talents of Samuel Chimeranka Chukwueze.
It is no coincidence that dutch football's approaching new dawn is coinciding with Nigeria's. I watch the times and I am observant because I make it my business to be observant... I have a dream.... And I hope to see it manifest in full with the talents coming through in Naija soccer today.
These New Generation Eagles youngsters must mature and soar....
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