mostob:
The small time he played, what impact did he made?

He actually made good impact, considering the limited time.

TheSuperNerd:







So far so good... NG Central Defence 2021.

✔Leon Balogun
✔William Troost Ekong
✔Semilogo Ajayi
✔Chidozie Awaziem
✔Kenneth Omeruo
✔Kevin Akpoguma (New! And Official)



Still Loading:

✔Jordan Torunarigha (Soon)

✔ Felix Ohis Uduokhai (A Little later)


Still available for us:

- Tosin Adarabioyo

Keen to see Jordan Torunarigha and Tosin Adarabioyo join, however I am not such a fan of Semi Ajayi.

lloydtruth:
He actually made good impact, considering the limited time.

well... if you say so

JohnBullMySon:
Hello, distinguished members of this thread. Been a silent follower. Now I want to ask. Why is it only akpoguma that is being talked about of recent, as regards to switching. I thought torunarigha was with him? Or did he change his mind?

Because only Kevin is the one Pinnick has opened the lid on. He hasn't talked about others, and while we believe there are others that are near completion, they don't exist until the federation says they do

World Cup 2018: 5 World Cup teams which should get better by Qatar 2022
sportskeeda.com Sep 26, 2020 10:21 PM

Russian President Putin meets with Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
Handing over ceremony for Qatar 2022
Now the World Cup is over, football fanatics like yours truly can get on with our lives and look forward to the next World Cup. No matter what you think about the hosts (Qatar) or the timing (November, in the middle of the traditional club season), Qatar 2022 still bodes to be a great World Cup.

Moreover, the timing may actually be beneficial considering that players won’t have the tiredness of a full club season behind them.

After the 2014 World Cup, many could have guessed the rise of France - they had the tournament’s best young player (Paul Pogba) and several other exciting players under 30. The same could have been said of the likes of Belgium (Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne).

Both of these teams improved to finish in the top three of the latest installment, with France obviously winning the title. So which are the teams that will indisputably be better in Qatar than they were in Russia?

#5 Germany
Germany v Azerbaijan - FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifier
The future for Germany
This almost seems like a very easy bet. Germany’s performance in Russia was historically horrible as they crashed out of the group stages for the first time in their World Cup history. The German youth system and the strength of the Bundesliga is simply too much for Germany to crash out at the group stage next time.

Meanwhile, unlike some other European superpowers (for example - Spain’s firing of Julen Lopetegui a day before the World Cup), the German federation tends not to make rash decisions.

Yet Germany’s place in this list is not because of simple faith in the team’s system. The talent Germany will have at their disposal in 2022 is incredible. In Russia, Germany went with nine players who were between 22 and 24 years old - players who will be right in the middle of their prime by the time Qatar comes along.

This includes the likes of Timo Werner, Julian Draxler, Leon Goretzka and Niklas Sule - players who are projected to be among the best in the world by that time.

Moreover, Joachim Low also left out several young players at home who are sure to make an impact in Qatar, with the most prominent example being Leroy Sane who will also be entering his prime by that time.

Germany’s lineup could look scary (feel free to poke fun at this in four years when their actual lineup looks very different) by the time Qatar rolls around as shown below (created courtesy of buildlineup).

Ger
Germany's speculated lineup for 2022
Topics you might be interested in:

#4 Serbia
Serbia v Brazil: Group E - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia
Savic - Serbian prodigy
In Russia, the Serbians were one of the unluckiest teams to be eliminated at the group stage. Yet in Qatar their potential may exceed that significantly. After all in 2015, the Serbians were world champions at the under-20 World Cup, when a side lead by the likes of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic won the youth title.

By the time Qatar comes around, most members of that side will be in the middle of their prime at 26 or 27 years of age. They will also likely be facing many of the players and teams they defeated in 2015.

Thus, one can see the potential of the Serbian side. Even in Russia, they sported several young players whose potential may be limitless. Chief among them is Savic, the Lazio midfielder has been linked with Europe’s top clubs and his combination of technical brilliance along with his physical attributes make him the ideal 10.

He could help provide assists to Alexander Mitrovic who was brilliant in Russia and has the physical tools to trouble any central defender.

These talents alongside Nemanja Matic, Adem Ljajic and Dusan Tadic - all of whom will still seemingly be effective in their early 30s could help Serbia. The Balkan side could make their first run into the quarter-finals as an independent country.

Topics you might be interested in:

#3 Nigeria
2018 FIFA World Cup group stage: Croatia vs Nigeria
The Super Eagles
The 2018 FIFA World Cup marked a setback for African football as it was the first tournament in a generation that did not feature an African side in the knockout stages. However, this does not mean that teams from the continent did not play well.

Both Senegal and Nigeria were extremely hard done by as they were eliminated by the ‘fair play’ rule and a freak Marcus Rojo goal respectively. This will likely not be the case in 2022 when Nigeria will have an extremely talented side that may be able to have a major impact.

The Super Eagles have a young talented core which will be far better in four years. In Francis Uzoho, they have a brilliant young goalkeeper who will be 23 in Qatar. In 2022, Uzoho will be almost certainly supported by defenders Kenneth Omeruo and William Trost-Ekong, both of whom will be in their prime.

Similarly, 21 year old Wilfrid Ndidi is one of the world’s best young defensive midfielders - he averaged more interceptions in Russia than any other player. In Qatar, Ndidi will likely be partnered with Onazi, another promising midfielder who will be in his prime when Qatar comes along.

Yet it isn’t just the defense and midfield which will be solid. Nigeria have a young enterprising attack with the likes of Arsenal winger Alex Iwobi, Oghenakaro Etebo (who made more dribbles than all but four players in Russia) and striker Kelechi Iheanacho.

All of these players will be in their primes in Qatar. Nigeria may have the potential of making a Croatia-like run in 2022.

Topics you might be interested in:

#2 England
Belgium v England - FIFA World Cup 2018 - Third Place Play Off - St Petersburg Stadium
The Three Lions
Before the World Cup, most expected the Three Lions would have a marginal impact on the World Cup as they came in with a young side, having no regular starter having more than 30 caps.

Instead, England embarked on a brilliant run that had their fans believing that 'the World Cup is coming home'. In the end it was not to be, as they were vanquished by a more experienced Croatia side in the semi-finals. Nonetheless, England has the potential to be even better in 2022.

By the time Qatar comes around, the likes of Harry Kane, Eric Dier, John Stones, Jordan Pickford, Harry Maguire, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling and Dele Alli will be between 26 and 29 years old, right in the middle of their primes.

This core will be supported by several talented young players, as England’s prolonged investment in academies seems to have paid off.

After all, England are reigning World Champions in both the U-17 World Cup and the U-20 World Cup - having won both tournaments in 2017. Those players will be 22 and 25 respectively in 2022.

Young players like Phil Foden, Dominic Solanke, Ademola Lookman and Dominic Calvert-Lewin might also manage to make an impact in that tournament.

The below English lineup would indeed be a scary one, and would give England a good chance of bringing the World Cup home (in Gareth Southgate’s preferred 3-5-2 formation):

Potent
Potential lineup for England in 2022
Topics you might be interested in:

#1 France
French President Emmanuel Macron Receives The France Football Team At Elysee Palace
Champions!
Yes, the World Champions will be even better in 2022. Having gone with one of the youngest and most sprite teams in Russia, Les Blues’ young talented attackers will be entering their primes by the time Qatar comes along (with the exception of Kylian Mbappe who will still only be 23 years old).

The only regular French starters who were over thirty years old were Hugo Lloris, Blaise Matuidi and Oliver Giroud.

As a goalkeeper, Lloris could play well into his late 30s and may continue to captain Les Blues in Qatar. Otherwise, Giroud and Matuidi were arguably the least important players to France’s eventual victory in Russia.

Meanwhile, France had the best defense in Russia and that unit will only be better in Qatar as Benjamin Pavard, Samuel Umtiti, Raphael Varane and Lucas Hernandez will be in their primes at that point.

Similarly, their brilliant midfield of Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante will likely continue to be effective as both players will still be at the tail-end of their primes in Qatar.

Yet what makes Les Blues so scary is how the attack will look in 2022 - Mbappe will be 23 (imagine him with four more years of experience), Ousmane Dembele will be 25, Thomas Lemar will be 26 and Nabil Fekir will be 28. That core will be supported by those who were left at home like the mercurial Manchester United winger Anthony Martial.

This combination of a solid defence, a brilliant midfield and attacking dynamism made France champions in Russia.

Considering that all of these aspects will be better in Qatar, France will be favorites to win two consecutive World Cups since Brazil in 1958 and 1962. Other teams better get their acts together, otherwise France could dominate international football for a generation.

MetalJigsaw:
World Cup 2018: 5 World Cup teams which should get better by Qatar 2022
sportskeeda.com Sep 26, 2020 10:21 PM



#3 Nigeria
2018 FIFA World Cup group stage: Croatia vs Nigeria
The Super Eagles
The 2018 FIFA World Cup marked a setback for African football as it was the first tournament in a generation that did not feature an African side in the knockout stages. However, this does not mean that teams from the continent did not play well.

Both Senegal and Nigeria were extremely hard done by as they were eliminated by the ‘fair play’ rule and a freak Marcus Rojo goal respectively. This will likely not be the case in 2022 when Nigeria will have an extremely talented side that may be able to have a major impact.

The Super Eagles have a young talented core which will be far better in four years. In Francis Uzoho, they have a brilliant young goalkeeper who will be 23 in Qatar. In 2022, Uzoho will be almost certainly supported by defenders Kenneth Omeruo and William Trost-Ekong, both of whom will be in their prime.

Similarly, 21 year old Wilfrid Ndidi is one of the world’s best young defensive midfielders - he averaged more interceptions in Russia than any other player. In Qatar, Ndidi will likely be partnered with Onazi, another promising midfielder who will be in his prime when Qatar comes along.

Yet it isn’t just the defense and midfield which will be solid. Nigeria have a young enterprising attack with the likes of Arsenal winger Alex Iwobi, Oghenakaro Etebo (who made more dribbles than all but four players in Russia) and striker Kelechi Iheanacho.

All of these players will be in their primes in Qatar. Nigeria may have the potential of making a Croatia-like run in 2022.

How old is this article?

lloydtruth:


Keen to see Jordan Torunarigha and Tosin Adarabioyo join, however I am not such a fan of Semi Ajayi.

Jordan and tosin/udokahai will be a hit
It would be nice havinga stopper and a ball playing defender and also a master of ground duel and aerial duel..talents are trooping to SE I just pray rohr knows how to utilize them.

TheSuperNerd:







So far so good... NG Central Defence 2021.

✔Leon Balogun
✔William Troost Ekong
✔Semilogo Ajayi
✔Chidozie Awaziem
✔Kenneth Omeruo
✔Kevin Akpoguma (New! And Official)



Still Loading:

✔Jordan Torunarigha (Soon)

✔ Felix Ohis Uduokhai (A Little later)


Still available for us:

- Tosin Adarabioyo

have Tosin's switch been initiated?

TheSuperNerd:







So far so good... NG Central Defence 2021.

✔Leon Balogun
✔William Troost Ekong
✔Semilogo Ajayi
✔Chidozie Awaziem
✔Kenneth Omeruo
✔Kevin Akpoguma (New! And Official)



Still Loading:

✔Jordan Torunarigha (Soon)

✔ Felix Ohis Uduokhai (A Little later)


Still available for us:

- Tosin Adarabioyo

Excellent Nerdy! We just need a few of those guys to get back into first division football and we're on our way

elunico:
Edouard Mendy looks like a genuinely young lad. I'm happy to see an African in the EPL after a long time. The last person was Kingston of Ghana. Ikeme could have broken the jinx earlier, no thanks to cancer.

@Bolded it's because he's foreign born, at 28 he's looking younger than some African players who're supposed to be younger than him. He looks good also, Calm and composed.

Meanwhile, Leicester are close to signing Wesley Fofana from Saint Etienne..He is a centre back.

Ndidi won't have to worry about playing CB when he returns..
Now,I'm curious to see how the trio of Mendy, Choudary and Amartey can keep him on the bench when he recovers like somebody here is trying to make us believe he isn't indispensable in the Leicester team

Stormtrooper11:
Make dem start to dey bench am

.

Is this bad belle or what??

barackodam:



How old is this article?

Lol expecting the likes of Chuks osmhen ejuke Kali n others to be mentioned too

TheSuperNerd:







So far so good... NG Central Defence 2021.

✔Leon Balogun
✔William Troost Ekong
✔Semilogo Ajayi
✔Chidozie Awaziem
✔Kenneth Omeruo
✔Kevin Akpoguma (New! And Official)



Still Loading:

✔Jordan Torunarigha (Soon)

✔ Felix Ohis Uduokhai (A Little later)


Still available for us:

- Tosin Adarabioyo

I heard Dominic iorfa junior too has finally agreed to play for us

MetalJigsaw:
Lol expecting the likes of Chuks osmhen ejuke Kali n others to be mentioned too

I had to ask o, because Onazi didn't even play Nations Cup for us, so the article must have been written in '18

lloydtruth:


Keen to see Jordan Torunarigha and Tosin Adarabioyo join, however I am not such a fan of Semi Ajayi.

I hv never rated semi ajayi. Can't wait for the German bois and tosin to get on board. Also iorfa jnr should be considered as well

elyte89:



I heard Dominic iorfa junior too has finally agreed to play for us

that's since na

Bolowolowo:


Excellent Nerdy! We just need a few of those guys to get back into first division football and we're on our way

I best pick for our cb position

AKPOGUMA - HOFFEINHEM
EKONG- WATFORD
TOSIN ADARABIOYO- MAN CITY
TORUNARIGHA- HERTHA BERLIN
FELIX UDUOKHAI- AUGSBURGl

charlesemeka85:


I best pick for our cb position

AKPOGUMA - HOFFEINHEM
EKONG- WATFORD
TOSIN ADARABIOYO- MAN CITY
TORUNARIGHA- HERTHA BERLIN
FELIX UDUOKHAI- AUGSBURGl

Tosin that isn't good enough for EPL?

Abi na another guy?

sheyishemba:


Jordan and tosin/udokahai will be a hit
It would be nice havinga stopper and a ball playing defender and also a master of ground duel and aerial duel..talents are trooping to SE I just pray rohr knows how to utilize them.

both will be mad combo in the hrt of our defence line


Another combo I would love to see is adarabioyo and ekong

barackodam:


Tosin that isn't good enough for EPL?

Abi na another guy?

tosin is good and the best ball playing defender among the CBs available to us.

Ajayi got capped wen playing for a lowly rated championship side so I see no reason why tosin shouldn't be tried

charlesemeka85:
tosin is good and the best ball playing defender among the CBs available to us.

Ajayi got capped wen playing for a lowly rated championship side so I see no reason why tosin shouldn't be tried

Ajayi got capped when we were short of options. Or more succinctly, we didn't have a lot of options.

We can not have the German boys, together with a championship playing player.

O wrong naa

barackodam:



Ajayi got capped when we were short of options. Or more succinctly, we didn't have a lot of options.

We can not have the German boys, together with a championship playing player.

O wrong naa

but our assistant captain is now a championship playing player, abi his own championship is different from the championship that we know.

Christology:


but our assistant captain is now a championship playing player, abi his own championship is different from the championship that we know.

Gbam

barackodam:



Ajayi got capped when we were short of options. Or more succinctly, we didn't have a lot of options.

We can not have the German boys, together with a championship playing player.

O wrong naa

Tosin i watched is good for Eagles

Wait, who is next in line for captaincy after Ekong?

charlesemeka85:


I best pick for our cb position

AKPOGUMA - HOFFEINHEM
EKONG- WATFORD
TOSIN ADARABIOYO- MAN CITY
TORUNARIGHA- HERTHA BERLIN
FELIX UDUOKHAI- AUGSBURGl

We can only take four CB for a major completion

charlesemeka85:


I best pick for our cb position

AKPOGUMA - HOFFEINHEM
EKONG- WATFORD
TOSIN ADARABIOYO- MAN CITY
TORUNARIGHA- HERTHA BERLIN
FELIX UDUOKHAI- AUGSBURGl

Only TORUNARIGHA- HERTHA BERLIN is the worthy addition in centre back in the current Super Eagles set up for now. FELIX UDUOKHAI- AUGSBURG could be deployed to play in the Leftback position bringing in more competition for COLLINS, SANUSI & AINA whilst AKPOGUMA - HOFFEINHEM will be in the rightback position bringing in more competition for AWAZIEM, AINA, SHEHU, EBUEHI & EHIZIBUE in rightback position.

lloydtruth:

Onyeka was the player of the year for a team that won the Danish league. We already know what Azeez can offer the team, let's see what Onyeka can offer.

Danish league is a low quality league.

However, you say Onyeka was outstanding, then why has he remained at FC Midtjylland he has been there for four seasons.

When you are outstanding in your club and league, clubs take notice and you move on.

Frank Onyeka will be getting paid peanuts in comparison to better leagues and clubs. From what's been published he earns a paltry €180k a year.

I know players in English league two that earn €300k a year.

I don't believe he has some emotive sentiment based loyalty to the club, he is a Nigerian he will not be that foolish.

So why is a claimed outstanding quality player still in a mediocre league getting paid peanuts.

WHY has nobody put in a substantive offer to take him to at least a top 10 league.

barackodam:



Because only Kevin is the one Pinnick has opened the lid on. He hasn't talked about others, and while we believe there are others that are near completion, they don't exist until the federation says they do

There are others that he visited on England and talked to directly and or with their agents.

Then he takes his recommendations to the NFF for discussions, that's when lots of opinions are expressed it is not a one man show.