Berti Vogts and the Super Eagles: So Far So Mixed

Before I get into Berti Vogts’ preliminary Nations Cup list, just a few words about my impressions of his tenure so far.

I know Vogts has his critics in Nigeria, not least those who believe he knows nothing about African soccer and hence couldn’t possibly know the first thing about coaching the Super Eagles. I have to disagree with that.

Knowledge of African soccer is certainly not a prerequisite for successfully coaching an African team. Clemens Westerhoff knew exactly zilch about our continent before taking on the Nigeria job in 1989. Yet, his five year stint remains the Super Eagles’ most successful spell in fifty years of international soccer.

Then there’s the question of Vogts’ not so impressive stint as manager of Scotland, especially in light of the Scots recent exploits in Euro 08 qualifiers. With Walter Smith and then Alex McLeish leading Scotland to the verge of Euro qualification – in a group including France and Italy – Vogts’ failures with the same team certainly appear ever so glaring. But there’s another side to that argument: Vogts’ laid the foundation for this new lease of life in Scottish fortunes - capping youngsters like Craig Gordon, Jamie McFadden and Darren Fletcher - but got fired before his best laid plans came to fruition.

Okay, no matter its merits, I wouldn’t spend too much time defending that position either. Let’s just put that period down as a black period in an otherwise decent resume.

Vogts, afterall, did lead Germany to glory at Euro 96, and was also at the helm when they lost to Denmark in the final of Euro 92. His World Cup record isn’t quite as impressive – quarter final losses to Bulgaria and Croatia in 94 and 98 respectively surely mark a departure from the Germans’ appearance in the previous three finals between 1982 and 1990.

On the whole, it’s not a bad resume and surely there can’t be any doubts about the German’s pedigree. It certainly beats that of any coach we’ve ever had, bar none.

But that’s all history. It’s the here and now that counts and after just 8 months on the job it’s fair to say that the jury is still out on Mr Vogts. A handful of Nations Cup qualifiers and friendly matches seem a little thin to base a decent conclusion on. On the plus side, Nations Cup qualification was achieved with room to spare, yet the two Uganda matches – especially that loss in Kampala - left much to be desired. But, the upcoming Nations Cup would be the real test of Vogts’ mettle – he would have had time to work with his squad so there’ll be little room for excuses. My impressions so far are quite the mixed bag. I’ve liked a few things about his regime, but I am bothered by a couple of things as well.

Here’s what I’ve liked:

1) For the first time in several years, Vogts has dug deeper into the increasingly growing pool of Europe-based players available for national duty. Hence, the blooding of the likes of Danny Shittu, Dickson Etuhu, Ike Uche, Ifeanyi Emeghara, Manasseh Ishiaku and the return of Rabiu Afolabi. That can only be a positive development for the Eagles – more competition should ensure that only the very best make the cut.

2) For once the Eagles are actually playing friendly matches on a regular basis – Romania, Mexico, Australia and Switzerland, all in the last two months. There’s even word that we have two more games lined up before the Nations Cup kicks off in 5 weeks time. What a big change from the good old days when all we did was talk about friendlies and went into major tournaments with poorly prepped teams.

3) Everyone’s on notice now. No more waltzing into camp at will and expecting to play regardless. Vogts has imposed a much needed dose of professionalism and discipline to the squad and that can only be a good thing. The players have even agreed to a bonus schedule with the NFA well ahead of the finals, so we should avoid the usual distracting money squabbles in Ghana.

And here’s what bothers me:

1) Vogts insistence on managing the Eagles from his base in Europe is certainly far from ideal. Sure, that’s where the talent is these days but there are certainly some areas of the squad that could benefit from some new blood from the local league. Not good enough? Give me a break. If Taiye Taiwo could stroll into Marseilles’ first team direct from the local league, what’s to say there aren’t many more like him just waiting for the chance? Don’t get me wrong, I am all for Europe-based players. There’s no better preparation for the international ranks than the improved coaching, exposure and competition that Europe’s top leagues offer. If Vogts can find a Europe-based player to fill any position on his team, I have no problems with giving that player a first crack at making it his own. What I am against is the persistent fitting of square pegs in round holes when the foreign-based pool offers no obvious fit for certain positions. In particular, consider the Eagles’ wide midfield positions. Since the period between 1993 and 2002 when the likes of Finidi George, Tijjani Babangida and Emmanuel Amuneke graced the Eagles flanks, the team has been conspicuously lacking in those areas. In their stead, over the last five years, we’ve seen the flank positions filled by strikers – John Utaka, Osaze Odemwingie, Obinna Nsofor - good players no doubt, but all playing out of position. And there are other positions too: Taiwo is the only natural left back in the Eagles set up, and, since Chidi Odiah’s injury, we’ve lacked a convincing replacement at right back. Now, if Vogts spent a little time checking out the local league, who knows what he might unearth.

We’ve been here before too. In the early days of the “soccer drain” – back in the late 80s when the player exodus to Europe really got under way – this same eagerness to fit in all the foreign-based players gave us lop-sided, unbalanced teams that consistently failed to succeed. Clemens Westerhof broke the pattern, primarily with the introduction of a then home-based Finidi back in 1991. I think Mr Vogts should look to do the same, particularly for those positions in which his squad is so clearly lacking.

2) Along the same lines is Vogts seeming reluctance to call up players from the U-20 and U-23 teams. That was certainly a big concern when I started thinking about this write-up 8 weeks ago. Those sentiments have been partially assuaged by the participation of Nsofor in the Switzerland game and the inclusion of Efe Ambrose and Oladapo Olufemi in the preliminary Nations Cup squad. And I say partially because I think he could have done much more and earlier too. Onyekachi Apam was not a resounding success in his run out against Mexico, but that’s just one game. He’s playing on a decent Nice team in France and can only improve with time. How about calling Uwa Echiejile to under-study Taiwo at left back? He was one of the very few to impress at the U-20 World Cup last summer and we are not exactly overflowing with talent in that position given the disappearance of erstwhile regulars Celestine Babayaro and Ifeanyi Udeze.

3) I have to say, this is only based on the Switzerland game in which many regulars were missing, and what I know of the players in the squad, but I am yet to be convinced that we have the right players for Vogts’ preferred 4-3-3 formation. I hope to be convinced by February, but I’ll talk more about tactical matters in my next post when I’ll sink my teeth into that preliminary squad and the Super Eagles chances in Ghana.

Have a merry Christmas.

Bojan:Another Barca Phenom

I guess everyone’s heard about Bojan Krkic by now. If you caught any part of the recent Fifa U-17 World Cup Finals in China then his name should be familiar to you. Or maybe you’ve been fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of his few appearances in La Liga with Barcelona.

For those who haven’t had the pleasure, Bojan – as he is know for obvious reasons – was Spain’s best player and top scorer at China 07 where he weighed in with 5 goals in 5 matches, including the extra time winner that secured his country’s place in the final. Of course, he finished that game in tears after picking up a yellow card that would rule him out of the final against Nigeria.

The Spaniards felt their team was highly handicapped by his absence – they lost to Nigeria on penalties – and, based on what I’ve seen of this kid so far, I have to agree. It’s not that Nigeria did not deserve to win, they were certainly the real deal over the entire competition, but Golden Eaglet’s task would have been that much harder with Bojan on the pitch.

The 17-year-old came on at the break against Recreativo Huelva several Sundays ago and proceeded to turn a hitherto flaccid Barcelona into 3-0 winners. He scored an excellent goal after being set up by Thierry Henry, and was a thorn in the side of the visitors’ defence for the 45 minutes he was on the field. For one so young, Bojan shows maturity beyond his years, and if he reaches his full potential, La Liga – and Champions League – clubs must be dreading a future Bojan-Messi Barcelona striker force.

Watching this latest Barcelona phenom, it occurred to me that the Catalan club is hardly given enough credit for its youth development program. Not surprising, given the usual procession of big name imports: from Stoichkov, Koeman and Romario in the early 90s, through Ronaldo, Figo and Rivaldo, and now Ronaldinho, Eto’o, and Deco.

But consider this; of the current first team squad at Barcelona, no less than seven players have come up through the ranks: Olegeur Pressas , Carles Puyol, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Bojan, Leo Messi, and Giovanni dos Santos. It’s true that the latter two are from Argentina and Mexico respectively, but they’ve both been at Barcelona since they were barely out of diapers. Of course, Barcelona have also produced a couple of youngsters that have since flown the coop – Arsenal duo Cesc Fabregas and Fran Merida, both scooped away prematurely by the wily Arsene Wenger. Fabregas, just 20, is already proving his worth in the Arsenal first team while Merida, still only 17 has yet to make the breakthrough. Then there’s the “Little Buddha”, Ivan De La Pena, now pulling the midfield strings at Espanyol. He also came through as a teenage wonder at Barcelona in the mid-90s before traipsing all over Europe and finally settling down at the other Barcelona club.

I can’t think of any other top European club with such an impressive turn out of young talent.