TheSuperNerd:
Five takeaways from Nigeria's Nations Cup draw in South Africa
By Colin Udoh, Special to ESPN

NIGERIA PRESSING IS A CONTINUED PROBLEM

It has always been evident, but with the Nations Cup approaching, Rohr might need to spend more time working on his team's pressing.
It is a recurrent problem, but one which does not appear to be seeing any progress. Not even the introduction of the big John Ogu helped matters.
The players press haphazardly, no coordination, no teamwork. As a result, they get bypassed with a single ball, or a skingle move.
No time was it more evident than when Tau walked his way in behind a flat line to set up Mothiba for the goal.


Source: KweseESPN

Joebie:
Where is that moniker who said they were offsides?

Joebie:
Where is that moniker who said they were offsides?

charlesemeka85:
The head of the officiating team of yesterday’s AFCON 2019 Qualifiers between South Africa and Nigeria Bakary Papa Gassama has apologised to the Nigerian team after wrongly denying them two goals due to wrong offside calls.


Ahmed Musa put through Kelechi Iheanacho who tapped home believing he has given Nigeria the lead but Musa who supplied the pass was judged by the assistant referee as been in an offside position, something which turned out to be wrong after video replays.

In the second half with less than five minutes to go, Musa was once again at the receiving end of another poor referee decision as he was once again flagged offside incorrectly after slotting home what could have given Nigeria all three points.

The game ended 1-1 with Nigeria sealing her passage to next year Africa Cup of Nations but officials of the Nigeria Football Federation ( NFF) still expressed their unhappiness to Gassama over the poor decision which cost Nigeria a win.

Gassama admitted the error and even went a step further by sending his apologies to Musa over the incident although he admitted that such errors are sometimes unavoidable particularly due to the non-availability of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR)

Icon4s:


Just like how Siasia needed just a 2-1 win to qualify. We were already leading 2-1 but he kept on pushing forward to get a 3rd so as to secure a comprehensive win while toping the group and Bam! Guinea hit us on the counter and eqaulized and we crashed out.

Rohr is conservative yes but he has continued to achieve results. He is a very cautious coach.

If it is left to some of u here we will be parading different 11 players for each game. Imagine people proposing Success, Chukwueze and Onyekuru on starting line up for a game of this magnitude.

I was only disappointed in the officiating otherwise the boys got the job done.

I wonder if u people would have been saying these things u are saying if that Musa's goal had stood.

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.

Happy Sunday fam! please pardon my long epistle

oloriooko:
I can't see falcons going far with this lack luster display maybe cuz this is their first match, I hope they improve with every match

somehow:
After rewatching clearly, i came here to change my view. you no see am oga Joe?

do4luv14:



bro, SOMEHOW don repent oooo,
e say make we forgive am

komekn:


We seem to have over estimated ourselves.

When we talk about talent are we talking in the context of a world standard or our own local standard.

If we intend to be competing at the highest level then we need to use the standard applicable for making a deduction of outstanding quality talent. Otherwise we will be in delusion and enthrone mediocrity in the name of supporting our talent.

It's that misguided blinded bias that made people here to equate KC, to Mbappe, Aguero, Gabriel, etc, etc.

There is a need for realism we don't have any Kanu, Okocha , Finidi , Oliseh, Taribo, Yakubu, Yekini, Amokachi, etc. Anymore in my opinion we have regressed in the quality of players available to the SE currently. A lot more has to be done.

We have very limited talents as it stands not an abundance of talents.

Considering we called Kelechi Nwakali a SPECIAL TALENT and when I said there was no evidence to support that deduction. I was called hater and a lot worse.

So let's hail Rohr for a job well done with very limited talents.

fabyom:
We have some ex internationals that can handle this team. Why import a non entity white man? Menn, I shame for us!

Icon4s:


Just like how Siasia needed just a 2-1 win to qualify. We were already leading 2-1 but he kept on pushing forward to get a 3rd so as to secure a comprehensive win while toping the group and Bam! Guinea hit us on the counter and eqaulized and we crashed out.

Rohr is conservative yes but he has continued to achieve results. He is a very cautious coach.

If it is left to some of u here we will be parading different 11 players for each game. Imagine people proposing Success, Chukwueze and Onyekuru on starting line up for a game of this magnitude.

I was only disappointed in the officiating otherwise the boys got the job done.

I wonder if u people would have been saying these things u are saying if that Musa's goal had stood.

komekn:


We seem to have over estimated ourselves.

When we talk about talent are we talking in the context of a world standard or our own local standard.

If we intend to be competing at the highest level then we need to use the standard applicable for making a deduction of outstanding quality talent. Otherwise we will be in delusion and enthrone mediocrity in the name of supporting our talent.

It's that misguided blinded bias that made people here to equate KC, to Mbappe, Aguero, Gabriel, etc, etc.

There is a need for realism we don't have any Kanu, Okocha , Finidi , Oliseh, Taribo, Yakubu, Yekini, Amokachi, etc. Anymore in my opinion we have regressed in the quality of players available to the SE currently. A lot more has to be done.

We have very limited talents as it stands not an abundance of talents.

Considering we called Kelechi Nwakali a SPECIAL TALENT and when I said there was no evidence to support that deduction. I was called hater and a lot worse.

So let's hail Rohr for a job well done with very limited talents.

Joebie:


Haha my elder bro, as an expatriate, went with his white subordinates to Equatorial Guinea to handle a project. All the girls where circling his white boy boys. He just kept laughing in his mind. They never knew the black guy in thier midst was the master.

If the environment we create promotes excellence, some of our ingenious coaches will perform beyond our expectations.

TheGoodJoe:


No one is saying Rohr should play to the gallery but for Christ sake, set up the team to have a little bit of bravery. It is not so long fake thugs last. We were outplayed in all factors of the game. Hiding behind we got results will not take us far when we meet a series of quality oppositions.

You can celebrate parking bus and docking our tails like scared kittens against a weakened South African side. Not me. We are well above that with our quality of talents.

Congrats we qualified but I will not fail to say we are way above that mediocre display we showed against South Africa.

chrisooblog:
brother just say you were not emotionally satisfied with the performance of the team but please stop saying they dominated in every aspect when the facts on ground don't support your assertion

Joebie:
Was it you?

Humility017:


so unfortunate...
the only thing really working for rohr..is integrity at least he is less corrupt when compared to Nigeria coaches..

I am still suspecting him and Baxter have one kind of naughty relationship that made him give up this match so easily.

had it been he raised eyebrows after the first disallowed goal....he really take time talk to the refree and lines men...
the second won't have repeat itself.

somehow:
No sir, it was Someone

TheGoodJoe:


When we talk our quality of talents, we are talking with respect to the South African side, not Aguero and Messi.

Kelechi Nwakali is a special talent. That is not even up for debate. The case where Kelechi Nwakali is concerned is nurturing his talent to become a top quality player.

tbaba1234:
More.

fabyom:
Southie 1 naija 0. What a disgraceful and shambolic display.

COOL10:
.

Calm down Oga. No need for the racist comment.