Solace Chukwu makes a compelling argument for why Nigeria should be looking to hire a foreign national team manager. For me, the most convincing point of his position is that of a thin field of Nigerians with the required credentials and experience to take over from the current incumbent, Stephen Keshi. Apart from the tried and tested (and found wanting?) - like Austin Eguavoen and Samson Siasia - the other options, like Sunday Oliseh, are at the other end of the spectrum; untested and inexperienced.
However, I am less convinced by Mr Chukwu's evaluation of Keshi's three-year tenure in charge of the Super Eagles. And, to be clear, this has nothing to do with being nationalistic or patriotic, nor does it have to do with any jingoistic tendencies. To quote Mr Chukwu, "when it comes to quality, nationality should not matter". Indeed, I do believe there's a strong case to be made for for putting a foreign coach - as long as it's a qualified one - in charge of the Super Eagles, and that is solely because "we" - the fans, the media, the federation, perhaps even the players - seem to hold the "Oyinbo" coach in higher regard, so it's easier to get the required cooperation and support for the job at hand.
Now, with regards to Keshi, it's hard to argue that one win in eleven matches is any basis to keep him on the job, but as with most stats - and big picture views - it's often useful to take a closer look beyond the numbers. For instance, another big picture view of Keshi's stewardship could quite easily point to a Nations Cup win and reaching the second round of the World Cup as clear signs of a successful tenure. Yet, a closer look would reveal less-than-stellar performances in World Cup qualifying - all those late goals, slender wins, an almost-home-loss to Kenya - as well as at the finals itself, especially against Iran.
It's worth noting then, that of those 11 matches, 6 were friendly matches (5 draws, 1 defeat) in which the result was frankly far less important than the opportunity to try out new faces or build fitness and team cohesion. It's better to have won, obviously, but that's not the primary purpose of friendlies and I wouldn't judge a coach primarily on that basis. I know that still leaves 5 competitive matches, and one win from five is still no ringing endorsement of Keshi's abilities - losing at home to Congo certainly does him no favours.
As for the World Cup finals, where the Super Eagles lost two of their four matches, the fact that their primary objective - reaching the second round - was achieved, must count for something, especially in a World Cup that saw the likes of Spain, Uruguay and England drop out at the first hurdle. Besides, regardless of how much a soccer power we think we are, there's no disgrace in losing close games to Argentina and France.
Beyond the results, the second point raised concerns Mr Keshi's tactical acumen and the assertion that he has only ever influenced a game with a tactical substitution on the one occasion. That may well be - I'm no expert - but there's something to be said for having the right tactical approach from the start of the match too, as, I would argue he did in the last three matches of that successful Nations Cup run.
The Eagles certainly had the number of Ivory Coast in a quarter final clash few people expected them to win. I also recall a very well organized, counter attacking display against Mexico in a Pre-World Cup friendly and even in Brazil, the Eagles more than matched France for the first 25 minutes in the second half of their round of 16 clash. Keshi's unexpected use of Michael Babatunde in that central midfield position against Bosnia is certainly worth a mention as well, and one can only imagine what might have been had he been fit to face France.,
I'm certainly not suggesting that Keshi is a tactical equal of, say, Louis Van Gaal or Joachim Low - of course, Nigeria's football administration and planning is no where near that of Holland and Germany either - but, on the evidence of his World Cup showing, he hasn't fared any worse than reputed Europeans like Fabio Capello, Cesare Prandelli or Paulo Bento.
There's always that argument about whether the team could have done better under a different manager, or with different players. It's a moot one though because we'll never know; it's simply a comparison with some hypothetical, untestable, unprovable "on-paper" scenario - unlike the real thing, where the players actually get on the field and play.
Besides, were it up to popular opinion the likes of Kenneth Omeruo, Ogenyi Onazi and Sunday Mba would never have usurped incumbents to play key roles in the Nations Cup winning team, nor would the much derided Babatunde have had a chance to shine at the World Cup.
That's not to say Keshi is infallible, or beyond criticism. Like everyone else, he will make his mistakes. The question is whether we are willing to give him a chance to show he can learn from those mistakes.
Beyond everything though, football is a results business, and if winning a Nations Cup and reaching the last 16 of the World Cup isn't enough to earn a coach more time, I'm not sure what would. What will the next guy be judged on?
In the same vein, failure to qualify for next year's Nations Cup finals would definitely cost Keshi his job - heck, despite winning it many want him gone!
After winning just one point from the first two games, that makes this weekend's game in Sudan even more crucial for Keshi and the Super Eagles.
We'll all be watching.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Nigeria 0 France 2: Eagles Best Not Good Enough
The Super Eagles saved their best for last, showing determination, composure and confidence, but it wasn’t good enough as France’ s superior quality and strength in depth eventually won the day well contested Second Round clash.
It took a 79th minute error from the usually dependable Enyeama to decide the game, the Lille ‘keeper – voted best in the French league last season – palming a Valbuena corner unto Pogba’s head for the opening goal. The Eagles pretty much collapsed after that, heads dropping all over the field, and the match was all over by the time Yobo deflected an injury time cross into his own net to put matters beyond doubt.
Prior to that though, Keshi’s team had given as good as they got, dominating the game for a large chunk of the second half and keeping out everything the French threw at them. In the end, it took a combination of tactical changes, and injuries to crucial players to turn the tide in France’s favour.
The Eagles started the game already depleted by an injury to the hitherto unheralded, but now important Babatunde, who’d suffered a broken wrist in the previous match against Argentina, but Keshi welcomed back Victor Moses, who started wide on the right, with Odemwingie taking Babatunde’s place in midfield.
French coach Deschamps opted to start Giroud as central striker with Benzema moving to the left flank and Valbuena on the right. Cabaye returned in midfield, flanked by Pogba and Matuidi, while Koscielny took the injured Sakho’s place in defence.
Both sides quickly settled into their rhythm, both winning corner kicks within the first five minutes. The commitment was undoubtedly to attacking play. Nigeria found much joy down their right flank early on with Benzema’s reluctance to track back leaving Ambrose with ample room and opportunity to push forward. France meanwhile concentrated their best efforts in central midfield where Pogba found much space and Valbuena often drifted inside to pressure the energetic Onazi.
For all that, the first 20 minutes hardly produced any clear chances. Emenike had a shot blocked in the 10th minute and blew another high and wide 7 minutes later. On the other end, Giroud had placed a header wide from a Valbuena cross early on and then shot high over the top from a Benzema pass in the 15th minute. Then in the 22nd minute, Pogba drove through Nigeria’s midfield, swopped passes with Valbuena and smashed a superb volley towards goal, only for the alert Enyeama to push wide for a corner kick.
There were a few other French openings. Pogba had another shot blocked after good work by Cabaye, and Debuchy shot wide from promising positions, especially after being set up brilliantly by Pogba in the 40th minute.
The Eagles hadn’t been docile though. The front four, ably backed by Onazi and Mikel, looked as always for the quick attack down the flanks, and won several corner kicks and free kicks for their trouble. They even had the ball in the net after 27 minutes, when Musa crossed for Emenike to prod past the diving Lloris.
But celebrations were short lived; a linesman’s flag had ruled the Fenerbahce man offside and the ref disallowed the “goal”. It was a close call, but ultimately the correct one – Emenike was just ahead of Evra in the French box.
A more contentious decision would come later, in the 35th minute, when Evra had his arms around Odemwingie preventing him from jumping to reach a promising corner kick from Musa. A penalty call would have been apt, yet American ref Geiger let it go – only to have a word with Evra afterwards. That was lenient to an extreme, and one can only wonder if he would have been as magnanimous had it been Benzema being “embraced” in the Nigerian area.
Odemwingie had another shot blocked in the 30th minute, and Emenike got even closer, forcing Lloris into a save just before half time.
It had been an even first half, although the French had created the better chances. Nigeria had looked well organised at the back, even if the midfield still left too much space for Pogba and Matuidi to flourish – perhaps a consequence of playing a forward in midfield – and had looked to attack frequently, as evidenced by the five corner kicks they’d won.
They started the second half in great form too, Mikel finally speeding up his game and releasing his passes that much quicker. As in previous games, his sluggish play had been one of the drawbacks of the Eagles first half play.
The first 15 minutes of the second half was the Eagles’ best spell of the game, perhaps even their best spell of the entire World Cup campaign. They kept possession, passing the ball confidently and constantly keeping the French on the back foot. The French attack was clearly well subdued in this period; of their 13 attempts at goal, not a single one came between the 45th and the 70th minute of this game. Sadly, despite dominating possession the Eagles didn’t create many chances of their own. Emenike put one shot over the top from distance on the hour mark, and Odemwingie came closest, forcing Lloris into a good save from a left footed shot four minutes later.
Then the game turned on two incidents. In the 59th minute, Matuidi’s wild tackle on Onazi forced the Lazio man off the field on a stretcher, taking away a key component of the Eagles game plan. Keshi had Azeez all changed to take his place, but then changed his mind and sent on Gabriel instead. Whether Azeez would have been a better option is up for debate – we’ll never know – but Gabriel was clearly a downgrade on the impressive Onazi and the Eagles suffered as a consequence.
Then, Deschamps changed tack, taking off Giroud and sending on the more mobile Griezmann in the 62nd minute. Benzema moved to centre forward and Griezemann took charge of the left flank, giving Ambrose a bit more to worry about and stretching the Eagles defence much more. It wasn’t long before the tide turned and the French took back control of the game.
Within minutes, they’d found their groove and started a period of sustained pressure that would end in Pogba’s breakthrough goal. In the 70th minute, Griezmann put Benzema through in the Nigeria box but Enyeama got a hand to it and Moses cleared of the line. Three minutes later, Benzema blazed another effort wide, after taking a pass from Matuidi, and Koscielny’s header was blocked for a corner kick in the 76th minute. From that, Cabaye smashed a dipping volley against Enyeama’s cross bar, and then Benzema drew another fantastic save from Enyeama after connecting with a header from Valbuena’s cross.
The Eagles were reeling and a goal seemed inevitable. It duly arrived on the next corner kick, Enyeama’s faux pas gifting France the goal they would feel all their pressure had deserved.
For all the confidence and composure of this performance, particularly that spell after half time when they were dominant, the Eagles just didn’t create enough chances to win this game. It wasn’t for want of trying too; they certainly pushed hard – they just weren’t good enough to pry open a pretty good defence.
My one axe to grind is the lack of imagination with set pieces in general, and corner kicks in particular. The Eagles won 9 corner kicks in this game, yet it’s hard to recall even one of them troubling Lloris in the French goal. Musa took no less than five corner kicks in the first half, yet almost every one of them was easily cleared at the near post, not even clearing the first defender. Odemwingie took over in the second half, and hardly did any better. At this level, set pieces offer an opportunity to score from rehearsed routines – or at the very least make life difficult for your opponents and force errors – and, is it turned out on this occasion, can make all the difference in a close game. The Eagles didn’t even come close to doing either. In contrast, the French had 13 corner kicks – and scored from two of them.
Beyond that, Keshi’s squad just didn’t have the depth to cope with the injury-induced depletion of its first XI. Onazi’s departure was particularly telling, although in truth, even a full complement may still have ended on the losing side of this close game – the French simply had too many potential game-changers in their squad. In the end, the Eagles lost to a better, more complete team and there’s no shame in that.
For me, this game underlined one thing: when you find yourself dominating the game at this level, you have to make it count. The Eagles couldn’t do that on Monday night; France did.
That’s why one team is heading into the quarter finals and the other is heading home.
It took a 79th minute error from the usually dependable Enyeama to decide the game, the Lille ‘keeper – voted best in the French league last season – palming a Valbuena corner unto Pogba’s head for the opening goal. The Eagles pretty much collapsed after that, heads dropping all over the field, and the match was all over by the time Yobo deflected an injury time cross into his own net to put matters beyond doubt.
Prior to that though, Keshi’s team had given as good as they got, dominating the game for a large chunk of the second half and keeping out everything the French threw at them. In the end, it took a combination of tactical changes, and injuries to crucial players to turn the tide in France’s favour.
The Eagles started the game already depleted by an injury to the hitherto unheralded, but now important Babatunde, who’d suffered a broken wrist in the previous match against Argentina, but Keshi welcomed back Victor Moses, who started wide on the right, with Odemwingie taking Babatunde’s place in midfield.
French coach Deschamps opted to start Giroud as central striker with Benzema moving to the left flank and Valbuena on the right. Cabaye returned in midfield, flanked by Pogba and Matuidi, while Koscielny took the injured Sakho’s place in defence.
Both sides quickly settled into their rhythm, both winning corner kicks within the first five minutes. The commitment was undoubtedly to attacking play. Nigeria found much joy down their right flank early on with Benzema’s reluctance to track back leaving Ambrose with ample room and opportunity to push forward. France meanwhile concentrated their best efforts in central midfield where Pogba found much space and Valbuena often drifted inside to pressure the energetic Onazi.
For all that, the first 20 minutes hardly produced any clear chances. Emenike had a shot blocked in the 10th minute and blew another high and wide 7 minutes later. On the other end, Giroud had placed a header wide from a Valbuena cross early on and then shot high over the top from a Benzema pass in the 15th minute. Then in the 22nd minute, Pogba drove through Nigeria’s midfield, swopped passes with Valbuena and smashed a superb volley towards goal, only for the alert Enyeama to push wide for a corner kick.
There were a few other French openings. Pogba had another shot blocked after good work by Cabaye, and Debuchy shot wide from promising positions, especially after being set up brilliantly by Pogba in the 40th minute.
The Eagles hadn’t been docile though. The front four, ably backed by Onazi and Mikel, looked as always for the quick attack down the flanks, and won several corner kicks and free kicks for their trouble. They even had the ball in the net after 27 minutes, when Musa crossed for Emenike to prod past the diving Lloris.
But celebrations were short lived; a linesman’s flag had ruled the Fenerbahce man offside and the ref disallowed the “goal”. It was a close call, but ultimately the correct one – Emenike was just ahead of Evra in the French box.
A more contentious decision would come later, in the 35th minute, when Evra had his arms around Odemwingie preventing him from jumping to reach a promising corner kick from Musa. A penalty call would have been apt, yet American ref Geiger let it go – only to have a word with Evra afterwards. That was lenient to an extreme, and one can only wonder if he would have been as magnanimous had it been Benzema being “embraced” in the Nigerian area.
Odemwingie had another shot blocked in the 30th minute, and Emenike got even closer, forcing Lloris into a save just before half time.
It had been an even first half, although the French had created the better chances. Nigeria had looked well organised at the back, even if the midfield still left too much space for Pogba and Matuidi to flourish – perhaps a consequence of playing a forward in midfield – and had looked to attack frequently, as evidenced by the five corner kicks they’d won.
They started the second half in great form too, Mikel finally speeding up his game and releasing his passes that much quicker. As in previous games, his sluggish play had been one of the drawbacks of the Eagles first half play.
The first 15 minutes of the second half was the Eagles’ best spell of the game, perhaps even their best spell of the entire World Cup campaign. They kept possession, passing the ball confidently and constantly keeping the French on the back foot. The French attack was clearly well subdued in this period; of their 13 attempts at goal, not a single one came between the 45th and the 70th minute of this game. Sadly, despite dominating possession the Eagles didn’t create many chances of their own. Emenike put one shot over the top from distance on the hour mark, and Odemwingie came closest, forcing Lloris into a good save from a left footed shot four minutes later.
Then the game turned on two incidents. In the 59th minute, Matuidi’s wild tackle on Onazi forced the Lazio man off the field on a stretcher, taking away a key component of the Eagles game plan. Keshi had Azeez all changed to take his place, but then changed his mind and sent on Gabriel instead. Whether Azeez would have been a better option is up for debate – we’ll never know – but Gabriel was clearly a downgrade on the impressive Onazi and the Eagles suffered as a consequence.
Then, Deschamps changed tack, taking off Giroud and sending on the more mobile Griezmann in the 62nd minute. Benzema moved to centre forward and Griezemann took charge of the left flank, giving Ambrose a bit more to worry about and stretching the Eagles defence much more. It wasn’t long before the tide turned and the French took back control of the game.
Within minutes, they’d found their groove and started a period of sustained pressure that would end in Pogba’s breakthrough goal. In the 70th minute, Griezmann put Benzema through in the Nigeria box but Enyeama got a hand to it and Moses cleared of the line. Three minutes later, Benzema blazed another effort wide, after taking a pass from Matuidi, and Koscielny’s header was blocked for a corner kick in the 76th minute. From that, Cabaye smashed a dipping volley against Enyeama’s cross bar, and then Benzema drew another fantastic save from Enyeama after connecting with a header from Valbuena’s cross.
The Eagles were reeling and a goal seemed inevitable. It duly arrived on the next corner kick, Enyeama’s faux pas gifting France the goal they would feel all their pressure had deserved.
For all the confidence and composure of this performance, particularly that spell after half time when they were dominant, the Eagles just didn’t create enough chances to win this game. It wasn’t for want of trying too; they certainly pushed hard – they just weren’t good enough to pry open a pretty good defence.
My one axe to grind is the lack of imagination with set pieces in general, and corner kicks in particular. The Eagles won 9 corner kicks in this game, yet it’s hard to recall even one of them troubling Lloris in the French goal. Musa took no less than five corner kicks in the first half, yet almost every one of them was easily cleared at the near post, not even clearing the first defender. Odemwingie took over in the second half, and hardly did any better. At this level, set pieces offer an opportunity to score from rehearsed routines – or at the very least make life difficult for your opponents and force errors – and, is it turned out on this occasion, can make all the difference in a close game. The Eagles didn’t even come close to doing either. In contrast, the French had 13 corner kicks – and scored from two of them.
Beyond that, Keshi’s squad just didn’t have the depth to cope with the injury-induced depletion of its first XI. Onazi’s departure was particularly telling, although in truth, even a full complement may still have ended on the losing side of this close game – the French simply had too many potential game-changers in their squad. In the end, the Eagles lost to a better, more complete team and there’s no shame in that.
For me, this game underlined one thing: when you find yourself dominating the game at this level, you have to make it count. The Eagles couldn’t do that on Monday night; France did.
That’s why one team is heading into the quarter finals and the other is heading home.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Nigeria v France: Tough Test Against French Favorites
It will be win-or- go-home for the Super Eagles when they take on France in Brasilia later today, as Stephen Keshi will attempt to go where no African coach has ever been and take a team into the last eight for the very first time.
Reaching the quarter finals would also be a first for Nigeria, of course, the Eagles’ previous best being second round exits in 1994 and 1998, and if Les Bleus exploits so far in Brazil are anything to go by, there’s a good chance 2014 will end In like manner.
Didier Deschamps’ side have been one of the form sides of this World Cup, scoring eight goals to finish unbeaten atop Group E and putting on a devastating counter-attacking clinic in their 5-2 demolition of Switzerland 10 days ago.
Blessed with impressive strength in depth, the French have options throughout their squad. Captain Hugo Lloris is likely to keep his place in goal, with full backs Mathieu Debuchy and Patrice Evra returning ahead of Bakary Sagna and Lucas Digne, who started the last match. Liverpool’s Mamadou Sakho has had injury trouble and may miss out this time – but Deschamps still has Laurent Koscielny, Raphael Varane and Eliaquim Mangala to call on.
They look even stronger in midfield, where orchestrator Yohan Cabaye will return from suspension. His supporting cast will include Blaise Matuidi and one of Paul Pogba or Moussa Sissoko. Karim Benzema will lead the attack again, with two of Mathieu Valbuena, Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud and Loic Remy backing him up.
Needless to say, none of those options indicate a significant drop in quality, and beyond the names on the team sheet, this team has displayed impressive cohesion and teamwork so far. Whatever team Deschamps puts out, Nigeria will be up against their toughest test yet at this World Cup.
That is not to say they cannot be beaten though. They showed some lapses in concentration in conceding two late goals against Switzerland – admittedly they were five up already - and were rather profligate in front of goal in their last group match – a goalless affair against Ecuador.
Besides, Nigeria presents a different challenge to what they faced against Honduras, Switzerland and Ecuador. For one thing, the Eagles are far less likely to throw all caution to the wind and leave themselves open to France’s rapid counter attacks. Secondly, Keshi’s team - despite shipping three goals against Messi and co. - is quite well organized defensively and should deny Benzema and co. the kind of room they need to wreak havoc.
That is if they play to the best of their abilities. For the Super Eagles are not without their problems, chief among which is the underwhelming form of key midfielder John Obi Mikel. The Chelsea man will need to improve on his recent showings – pass more decisively, protect the ball better, help more defensively – if the Eagles are to cope with France’s tireless midfield.
Keshi also faces one major selection problem; who to replace Michael Babatunde at the point of midfield. Victor Moses should return from injury and could play the role – or free Osaze Odemwingie to fill in. Beyond those two, Ramon Azeez, Michael Uchebo and Rueben Gabriel are other options, none of which particularly inspires confidence, but whoever plays will have to work hard to stifle Cabaye’s passing from deep.
A major positive for Nigeria is that the Eagles have improved from one game to the next here, and have the potential to step it up a tad more. They certainly ended the Argentina game in fine fettle. Nigeria will again look to defend well, pick on loose balls and transition quickly. The pace and power of Moses, Ahmed Musa and Emanuel Emenike will trouble any defense – if they get timely, accurate service.
At the back, the ever impressive Kenneth Omeruo will have another tough test in Benzema – he has had plenty of practice with Dzeko and Higuain though - and the Eagles will need to be particularly alert at set-pieces if the aerially-lethal Giroud starts. But the French also boast powerful runners from midfield in Sissoko, Pogba and Matuidi, and the Eagles will need a full team effort to keep them at bay.
Any which way you slice it – current form, players, strength in depth – the French start this one as favorites.
The World Cup is about upsets though, and Keshi and his team could well be on the verge of Nigeria’s finest football moment yet.
Reaching the quarter finals would also be a first for Nigeria, of course, the Eagles’ previous best being second round exits in 1994 and 1998, and if Les Bleus exploits so far in Brazil are anything to go by, there’s a good chance 2014 will end In like manner.
Didier Deschamps’ side have been one of the form sides of this World Cup, scoring eight goals to finish unbeaten atop Group E and putting on a devastating counter-attacking clinic in their 5-2 demolition of Switzerland 10 days ago.
Blessed with impressive strength in depth, the French have options throughout their squad. Captain Hugo Lloris is likely to keep his place in goal, with full backs Mathieu Debuchy and Patrice Evra returning ahead of Bakary Sagna and Lucas Digne, who started the last match. Liverpool’s Mamadou Sakho has had injury trouble and may miss out this time – but Deschamps still has Laurent Koscielny, Raphael Varane and Eliaquim Mangala to call on.
They look even stronger in midfield, where orchestrator Yohan Cabaye will return from suspension. His supporting cast will include Blaise Matuidi and one of Paul Pogba or Moussa Sissoko. Karim Benzema will lead the attack again, with two of Mathieu Valbuena, Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud and Loic Remy backing him up.
Needless to say, none of those options indicate a significant drop in quality, and beyond the names on the team sheet, this team has displayed impressive cohesion and teamwork so far. Whatever team Deschamps puts out, Nigeria will be up against their toughest test yet at this World Cup.
That is not to say they cannot be beaten though. They showed some lapses in concentration in conceding two late goals against Switzerland – admittedly they were five up already - and were rather profligate in front of goal in their last group match – a goalless affair against Ecuador.
Besides, Nigeria presents a different challenge to what they faced against Honduras, Switzerland and Ecuador. For one thing, the Eagles are far less likely to throw all caution to the wind and leave themselves open to France’s rapid counter attacks. Secondly, Keshi’s team - despite shipping three goals against Messi and co. - is quite well organized defensively and should deny Benzema and co. the kind of room they need to wreak havoc.
That is if they play to the best of their abilities. For the Super Eagles are not without their problems, chief among which is the underwhelming form of key midfielder John Obi Mikel. The Chelsea man will need to improve on his recent showings – pass more decisively, protect the ball better, help more defensively – if the Eagles are to cope with France’s tireless midfield.
Keshi also faces one major selection problem; who to replace Michael Babatunde at the point of midfield. Victor Moses should return from injury and could play the role – or free Osaze Odemwingie to fill in. Beyond those two, Ramon Azeez, Michael Uchebo and Rueben Gabriel are other options, none of which particularly inspires confidence, but whoever plays will have to work hard to stifle Cabaye’s passing from deep.
A major positive for Nigeria is that the Eagles have improved from one game to the next here, and have the potential to step it up a tad more. They certainly ended the Argentina game in fine fettle. Nigeria will again look to defend well, pick on loose balls and transition quickly. The pace and power of Moses, Ahmed Musa and Emanuel Emenike will trouble any defense – if they get timely, accurate service.
At the back, the ever impressive Kenneth Omeruo will have another tough test in Benzema – he has had plenty of practice with Dzeko and Higuain though - and the Eagles will need to be particularly alert at set-pieces if the aerially-lethal Giroud starts. But the French also boast powerful runners from midfield in Sissoko, Pogba and Matuidi, and the Eagles will need a full team effort to keep them at bay.
Any which way you slice it – current form, players, strength in depth – the French start this one as favorites.
The World Cup is about upsets though, and Keshi and his team could well be on the verge of Nigeria’s finest football moment yet.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Nigeria 2 Argentina 3: Eagles Undone by Messi and Set Pieces
In a nutshell, the Eagles were undone by two Lionel Messi goals and a set-piece, the very two things my match preview had warned about, but Nigeria gave a good account of themselves in this close game that secured a second round place for both teams.
Keshi stuck to the same line up, Babatunde continuing in midfield, and Yobo adding another cap alongside Omeruo in central defence.
Argentina were also unchanged, Alex Sabella sticking to the 4-3-3 that had served them well in qualifying.
The game had hardly settled before both teams struck, yet even the manner in which they scored foretold of the approach each team would take throughout this game. Argentina patiently passed the ball around looking to feed Messi in that pocket of space just ahead of the Nigerian defence. The Eagles pressed high up the field, forcing Fernandez to hit a long pass forward. Yobo’s header took the ball back to the centre circle and Mascherano quickly picked out di Maria, unmarked wide on the left – because right back Efe Ambrose had tucked in too far. Enyeama got a hand to the shot but when the rebound came back off the upright Messi was perfectly placed to strike a rising volley into the net. Just 3 minutes had gone by.
Another minute later, Messi’s attempt to dribble through the Nigerian back line was stopped, allowing Ambrose to march forward with the ball, and pass to Babatunde. As his run drew in Zabaleta from right back, Babatunde poked the ball wide to Musa and the speedy winger cut inside the retreating Zabaleta before curling an unstoppable shot past Romero.
And so it continued; Argentina patiently cycled the ball, with Mascherano the midfield fulcrum, and tried to spring Messi between the lines. And when the little no. 10 received the ball – and the inevitable attention he attracts – he looked to slip in passes for his teammates to profit from. He set di Maria up for a fierce 25-yard drive in the 8th minute, and put Higuain through in the Nigerian box just a minute later. Enyeama, at his brilliant best, was up to the task on both occasions.
Nigeria was all about the quick transition, just as they showed with that equalising goal. Onazi, in particular, looked to set up attacks as soon as the ball was won. He took a ball off di Maria in the 6th minute and tried to pick out Emenike right away, and another interception in the 10th minute led to another long pass in the direction of the Nigerian no.9.
The overly direct play meant that it took 20 minutes for Nigeria to have any period of prolonged possession in the Argentina half, and even that ended when Onazi elected to shoot wildly from 30 yards. Two minutes later, Babatunde tried to dink a pass over the top to Emenike, when it would have been wiser to go wide, and the ball ran out of play.
They showed much better patience around the 24th minute mark when Mikel, Emenike and Odemwingie worked the ball down the right flank and back to the middle, before the Chelsea man ultimately gave it away with a poor touch.
The Eagles showed better composure defensively though, and even if Enyeama was the busier of the keepers, he mostly had to deal with shots from distance, particularly from di Maria. The Real Madrid man sent one shot wide of goal in the 25th minute, and drew another fine save from Enyeama - from 30 yards – in the 30th minute.
Argentina’s narrow attack made the task more straightforward, but that changed when Lavezzi replaced the injured Aguero in the 38th minute and started stretching Oshaniwa on the right flank. Omeruo was majestic throughout though, his anticipation, timing and speed, helping to cut out several Argentine crosses and attacks.
Of course, he had no choice but to foul Messi to concede the free kick from which he scored Argentina’s second goal just before the break. Enyeama had saved a similar free kick just two mnutes earlier, but could do nothing about Messi’s perfect delivery.
Nigeria started the second half looking to impose their game more in the Argentina half. Full backs Ambrose and Oshaniwa appeared to have pushed further forward even in the two minutes played before Musa scored to tie the game. Again, it was direct running at the Argentina defence that yielded dividend as Musa swapped passes with Emenike before sending the Romero the wrong way from about 12 yards out. Musa’s speed has always put him in good positions, only for his finishing and general decision making to let him down. So it was particularly pleasing to see him hesitate long enough to send Romero diving – and compose himself – before putting this chance away.
If Messi’s second goal had come at the worst possible time for the Eagles, Musa’s rapid equaliser came at a very good time. But it didn’t last. Lavezzi continued to stretch the Eagles on the flank and it was a foul on him, by Omeruo, that ultimately led to the winning goal just three minutes later. Messi’s free kick was well defended by Emenike’s header but Ambrose made a mess of the clearance, effectively passing the ball to di Maria, whose 25 yard drive was tipped over by Enyeama.
It was from the ensuing corner kick that Rojo, inadvertently, scored the winner, making it three straight World Cup games in which Argentina have beaten Nigeria with a goal scored from a corner kick.
The Eagles had more possession after that, with Argentina sitting back and looking to hit them on the break, stretching the Eagles with di Maria and Rojo on the left, and Lavezzi down the right. They came close too: Higuain had another effort saved by Enyeama in the 58th minute, after Messi gave Onazi the slip, and Messi himself went close from a Rojo cross after good work by di Maria.
Omeruo was prominent again, stopping a dangerous di Maria counter in the 61st minute, and nipping in to cut out some fancy passing between Lavezzi and Alvarez in the 69th.
Mikel had missed a glorious chance from a corner kick earlier, in the 61st minute, when he tried to lob the keeper from just six yards out - or was that a cross? Sometimes - as Luis Suarez showed against England - it’s just best to put the laces through the ball and see what happens.
The Eagles best spell of the match came in the last 25 minutes or so – after Messi left the game. That they won 3 of their 4 corner kicks during this spell is telling. They showed a little more patience, kept possession for longer spells in the Argentina half, and produced a few scoring opportunities. Onazi almost profited from another quick transition in the 68th minute, just leaving the ball behind after a pass from Emenike; Musa, under pressure, blazed a half-volley over the top from 20 yards in the 73rd minute, after Onazi stopped di Maria and fed Odemwingie to cross; and another quick transition, after Uchebo stole the ball off Mascherano, and involving Odemwingie and a superb through ball by Emenike, saw Musa’s shot blocked by a lunging Zabaleta with 11 minutes left.
Argentina showed great game management though, taking their time in possession, and carefully choosing their moments to attack. They created a couple of chances too – Enyeama saved a Lavezzi volley after a well worked free-kick routine, and Garay headed wide when left unmarked in the box.
At the other end, the Eagles created one more opening, with three minutes left, after more patient approach play involving Onazi and Emenike released Ambrose in the box only for his shot to be deflected for a corner kick.
Overall, it was decent performance against a good team. The Eagles didn’t do too much wrong on the defensive end, evidenced by all those long range efforts the Argentines had to resort to. On the few occasions on which they got through, they found Enyeama in solid form. Messi, for all his menace, had a total of 4 shots with three on target. Of those three, two were from direct free kicks and the other was for the first goal. Of course, at this level, even the smallest of slips could be costly and, Messi being Messi, those small numbers were enough to do the damage.
On the offensive end, the Eagles showed what a threat they could pose when they marry quick, accurate passing with the pace and power they carry up front – especially if they can also finish like Musa did, with composure and precision.
As the first half showed, though, they’ll have to balance the speed of their transition play with accuracy and patience. And Mikel will need to stop turning the ball over at the slightest hint of pressure.
Man of the Match honours would surely go to Ahmed Musa for those two well-taken goals, but also deserving of special mention are Ogenyi Onazi, for his energy and positive play, and Kenneth Omeruo, for another imposing display at the back.
Keshi stuck to the same line up, Babatunde continuing in midfield, and Yobo adding another cap alongside Omeruo in central defence.
Argentina were also unchanged, Alex Sabella sticking to the 4-3-3 that had served them well in qualifying.
The game had hardly settled before both teams struck, yet even the manner in which they scored foretold of the approach each team would take throughout this game. Argentina patiently passed the ball around looking to feed Messi in that pocket of space just ahead of the Nigerian defence. The Eagles pressed high up the field, forcing Fernandez to hit a long pass forward. Yobo’s header took the ball back to the centre circle and Mascherano quickly picked out di Maria, unmarked wide on the left – because right back Efe Ambrose had tucked in too far. Enyeama got a hand to the shot but when the rebound came back off the upright Messi was perfectly placed to strike a rising volley into the net. Just 3 minutes had gone by.
Another minute later, Messi’s attempt to dribble through the Nigerian back line was stopped, allowing Ambrose to march forward with the ball, and pass to Babatunde. As his run drew in Zabaleta from right back, Babatunde poked the ball wide to Musa and the speedy winger cut inside the retreating Zabaleta before curling an unstoppable shot past Romero.
And so it continued; Argentina patiently cycled the ball, with Mascherano the midfield fulcrum, and tried to spring Messi between the lines. And when the little no. 10 received the ball – and the inevitable attention he attracts – he looked to slip in passes for his teammates to profit from. He set di Maria up for a fierce 25-yard drive in the 8th minute, and put Higuain through in the Nigerian box just a minute later. Enyeama, at his brilliant best, was up to the task on both occasions.
Nigeria was all about the quick transition, just as they showed with that equalising goal. Onazi, in particular, looked to set up attacks as soon as the ball was won. He took a ball off di Maria in the 6th minute and tried to pick out Emenike right away, and another interception in the 10th minute led to another long pass in the direction of the Nigerian no.9.
The overly direct play meant that it took 20 minutes for Nigeria to have any period of prolonged possession in the Argentina half, and even that ended when Onazi elected to shoot wildly from 30 yards. Two minutes later, Babatunde tried to dink a pass over the top to Emenike, when it would have been wiser to go wide, and the ball ran out of play.
They showed much better patience around the 24th minute mark when Mikel, Emenike and Odemwingie worked the ball down the right flank and back to the middle, before the Chelsea man ultimately gave it away with a poor touch.
The Eagles showed better composure defensively though, and even if Enyeama was the busier of the keepers, he mostly had to deal with shots from distance, particularly from di Maria. The Real Madrid man sent one shot wide of goal in the 25th minute, and drew another fine save from Enyeama - from 30 yards – in the 30th minute.
Argentina’s narrow attack made the task more straightforward, but that changed when Lavezzi replaced the injured Aguero in the 38th minute and started stretching Oshaniwa on the right flank. Omeruo was majestic throughout though, his anticipation, timing and speed, helping to cut out several Argentine crosses and attacks.
Of course, he had no choice but to foul Messi to concede the free kick from which he scored Argentina’s second goal just before the break. Enyeama had saved a similar free kick just two mnutes earlier, but could do nothing about Messi’s perfect delivery.
Nigeria started the second half looking to impose their game more in the Argentina half. Full backs Ambrose and Oshaniwa appeared to have pushed further forward even in the two minutes played before Musa scored to tie the game. Again, it was direct running at the Argentina defence that yielded dividend as Musa swapped passes with Emenike before sending the Romero the wrong way from about 12 yards out. Musa’s speed has always put him in good positions, only for his finishing and general decision making to let him down. So it was particularly pleasing to see him hesitate long enough to send Romero diving – and compose himself – before putting this chance away.
If Messi’s second goal had come at the worst possible time for the Eagles, Musa’s rapid equaliser came at a very good time. But it didn’t last. Lavezzi continued to stretch the Eagles on the flank and it was a foul on him, by Omeruo, that ultimately led to the winning goal just three minutes later. Messi’s free kick was well defended by Emenike’s header but Ambrose made a mess of the clearance, effectively passing the ball to di Maria, whose 25 yard drive was tipped over by Enyeama.
It was from the ensuing corner kick that Rojo, inadvertently, scored the winner, making it three straight World Cup games in which Argentina have beaten Nigeria with a goal scored from a corner kick.
The Eagles had more possession after that, with Argentina sitting back and looking to hit them on the break, stretching the Eagles with di Maria and Rojo on the left, and Lavezzi down the right. They came close too: Higuain had another effort saved by Enyeama in the 58th minute, after Messi gave Onazi the slip, and Messi himself went close from a Rojo cross after good work by di Maria.
Omeruo was prominent again, stopping a dangerous di Maria counter in the 61st minute, and nipping in to cut out some fancy passing between Lavezzi and Alvarez in the 69th.
Mikel had missed a glorious chance from a corner kick earlier, in the 61st minute, when he tried to lob the keeper from just six yards out - or was that a cross? Sometimes - as Luis Suarez showed against England - it’s just best to put the laces through the ball and see what happens.
The Eagles best spell of the match came in the last 25 minutes or so – after Messi left the game. That they won 3 of their 4 corner kicks during this spell is telling. They showed a little more patience, kept possession for longer spells in the Argentina half, and produced a few scoring opportunities. Onazi almost profited from another quick transition in the 68th minute, just leaving the ball behind after a pass from Emenike; Musa, under pressure, blazed a half-volley over the top from 20 yards in the 73rd minute, after Onazi stopped di Maria and fed Odemwingie to cross; and another quick transition, after Uchebo stole the ball off Mascherano, and involving Odemwingie and a superb through ball by Emenike, saw Musa’s shot blocked by a lunging Zabaleta with 11 minutes left.
Argentina showed great game management though, taking their time in possession, and carefully choosing their moments to attack. They created a couple of chances too – Enyeama saved a Lavezzi volley after a well worked free-kick routine, and Garay headed wide when left unmarked in the box.
At the other end, the Eagles created one more opening, with three minutes left, after more patient approach play involving Onazi and Emenike released Ambrose in the box only for his shot to be deflected for a corner kick.
Overall, it was decent performance against a good team. The Eagles didn’t do too much wrong on the defensive end, evidenced by all those long range efforts the Argentines had to resort to. On the few occasions on which they got through, they found Enyeama in solid form. Messi, for all his menace, had a total of 4 shots with three on target. Of those three, two were from direct free kicks and the other was for the first goal. Of course, at this level, even the smallest of slips could be costly and, Messi being Messi, those small numbers were enough to do the damage.
On the offensive end, the Eagles showed what a threat they could pose when they marry quick, accurate passing with the pace and power they carry up front – especially if they can also finish like Musa did, with composure and precision.
As the first half showed, though, they’ll have to balance the speed of their transition play with accuracy and patience. And Mikel will need to stop turning the ball over at the slightest hint of pressure.
Man of the Match honours would surely go to Ahmed Musa for those two well-taken goals, but also deserving of special mention are Ogenyi Onazi, for his energy and positive play, and Kenneth Omeruo, for another imposing display at the back.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Nigeria v Argentina: Eagles Must Stifle Messi Magic
He had a below performance against Bosnia, their five man midfield and close marking depriving him the space he needs to do damage. Yet, when it came down to it, he wove his magic and scored the game winner. The Iranians did even better, often parking 10 men behind the ball and keeping the little man quiet for all of 90 minutes. Still, he found a way to win the game, curling the most sublime of shots into the far corner in the 91st minute.
Given that, it would surprise no one if my conclusions with regards to Nigeria’s Group F clash with Argentina on Wednesday night read as follows:
Number one: the Eagles have to stop Lionel Messi.
Number two: Lionel Messi cannot be stopped.
Okay, maybe I am overstating the case – on number two, at least – but, going by Argentina’s last two matches, not by much. As for number one, if you’re expecting to find out exactly how they are to achieve that from this blog, you might as well stop reading now. It’s a question that has kept many better qualified people awake for many nights. Suffice to say, if the Eagles really want to avoid defeat here, they’ll have to, at the very least, find ways to minimise the influence of the Argentina no. 10.
Interestingly, the key to success for Nigeria may well lie in the two matches I cited above. Let’s face it; both Bosnia and Iran did enjoy some success in their attempts to stifle Argentina and the world’s best player – the single goal margin in each game tell a story - and perhaps the Eagles can learn from them and succeed where they failed. Of course, there are things you can’t mitigate for – some would include those two incredible goals – yet all the Eagles can do is go out and play their part in making it as difficult as possible for their opponents. Then, if you get beaten by magic, well, you get beaten by magic.
Stephen Keshi’s team need at least one point from this game to make qualification a certainty, although they would still qualify in defeat as long as Bosnia avoid defeat to Iran. But they can’t have that on their minds when they take the field in Porto Alegre on Wednesday.
They should take great confidence from their performance against Bosnia last Saturday, even if they’ll face a far different challenge than that posed by Dzeko, Ibisevic, Pjanic and Misimovic. Having reverted back to 4-3-3, Alex Sabella’s team will most likely have Messi operating behind Kun Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain, or Ezequiel Lavezzi, in a much more mobile and interchanging forward line than the one anchored by a single, less mobile centre forward on Saturday.
The possible return of Godfrey Obaobona – back in training after injuring his foot against Iran - may serve the Eagles well in this regard. The 24-year-old Turkey based centre back is a more mobile option than 33-year-old captain Joseph Yobo, and despite the skipper’s decent showing against Bosnia, it wouldn’t surprise me if Obaobona returned against Argentina.
Argentina will also look to profit from the flanks where over-lapping fullbacks Pablo Zabaleta and Marcos Rojo love to get forward and whip crosses in behind the back line. Osaze Odemwingie showed on Saturday that he had the legs and discipline to track back and that should provide adequate support for Efe Ambrose down the right.
It’s the other side, where the impressive Zabaleta holds sway, which leaves me with some concern. Ahmed Musa, if he starts, would have to improve on his defending if the Eagles are to cope. We might see the return of Victor Moses, in his stead though.
Much of the Eagles defensive work will have to be in midfield though. Javier Mascherano and Fernando Gago dictate the distribution from deep, Angel di Maria begins his driving runs from here and Messi loves to drop deep in search of the ball and pockets of opportunity. The Eagles will need Ogenyi Onazi at his energetic best, and John Mikel Obi will have to keep his positional discipline and protect the ball a little better than he did last time.
The key position, for both defending and attacking, may be that third midfield role again. Michael Babatunde showed lots of promise on Saturday, but Keshi may consider him a little inexperienced to face the savvy Argies – not that this has ever bothered the brave coach in the past. We may well see a return of Odemwingie as a number 10, with Moses and Musa out on the flanks. He’s shown that he has the discipline and versatility to cope in a variety of roles, and I think playing him closer to the front improves the Eagles scoring chances.
For all their attacking menace though, Argentina can be vulnerable at the back, where Monaco reserve Sergio Romero is between the sticks behind Ezequiel Garay and Frederico Ferrnandez. Iran exposed some of those weakness on Saturday, when they came close to scoring from some direct attacking football and the Eagles could do some damage if they play with the same composure and aggression as last time and improve their off-the-ball movement and decision making. After Emmanuel Emenike’s bruising number on Emir Spahic on Saturday, I doubt there’s any defender at the World Cup finals that would relish a 90 minute tussle with the Eagles number 9 right now. The Eagles have to use that pace and power as much as possible.
A final word on set pieces: Nigeria has faced Argentina at the World Cup finals on three occasions, losing each time. The interesting thing is that every single goal the Argentines have scored against the Eagles in World Cup action has come from a set-piece. Peter Rufai parried a free kick into the path of Claudio Cannigia for their first in 1994, and a quickly taken free kick slipped Cannigia in for the winner in that same game. The 2002 game was settled by a Sebastian Veron corner kick nodded in at the far post by Gabriel Batistuta, and Veron repeated the trick in 2010, this time knocking a corner kick in for Gabriel Heinze to head past Vincent Enyeama.
Addressing that may be even more important than stopping the best player in the world.
Given that, it would surprise no one if my conclusions with regards to Nigeria’s Group F clash with Argentina on Wednesday night read as follows:
Number one: the Eagles have to stop Lionel Messi.
Number two: Lionel Messi cannot be stopped.
Okay, maybe I am overstating the case – on number two, at least – but, going by Argentina’s last two matches, not by much. As for number one, if you’re expecting to find out exactly how they are to achieve that from this blog, you might as well stop reading now. It’s a question that has kept many better qualified people awake for many nights. Suffice to say, if the Eagles really want to avoid defeat here, they’ll have to, at the very least, find ways to minimise the influence of the Argentina no. 10.
Interestingly, the key to success for Nigeria may well lie in the two matches I cited above. Let’s face it; both Bosnia and Iran did enjoy some success in their attempts to stifle Argentina and the world’s best player – the single goal margin in each game tell a story - and perhaps the Eagles can learn from them and succeed where they failed. Of course, there are things you can’t mitigate for – some would include those two incredible goals – yet all the Eagles can do is go out and play their part in making it as difficult as possible for their opponents. Then, if you get beaten by magic, well, you get beaten by magic.
Stephen Keshi’s team need at least one point from this game to make qualification a certainty, although they would still qualify in defeat as long as Bosnia avoid defeat to Iran. But they can’t have that on their minds when they take the field in Porto Alegre on Wednesday.
They should take great confidence from their performance against Bosnia last Saturday, even if they’ll face a far different challenge than that posed by Dzeko, Ibisevic, Pjanic and Misimovic. Having reverted back to 4-3-3, Alex Sabella’s team will most likely have Messi operating behind Kun Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain, or Ezequiel Lavezzi, in a much more mobile and interchanging forward line than the one anchored by a single, less mobile centre forward on Saturday.
The possible return of Godfrey Obaobona – back in training after injuring his foot against Iran - may serve the Eagles well in this regard. The 24-year-old Turkey based centre back is a more mobile option than 33-year-old captain Joseph Yobo, and despite the skipper’s decent showing against Bosnia, it wouldn’t surprise me if Obaobona returned against Argentina.
Argentina will also look to profit from the flanks where over-lapping fullbacks Pablo Zabaleta and Marcos Rojo love to get forward and whip crosses in behind the back line. Osaze Odemwingie showed on Saturday that he had the legs and discipline to track back and that should provide adequate support for Efe Ambrose down the right.
It’s the other side, where the impressive Zabaleta holds sway, which leaves me with some concern. Ahmed Musa, if he starts, would have to improve on his defending if the Eagles are to cope. We might see the return of Victor Moses, in his stead though.
Much of the Eagles defensive work will have to be in midfield though. Javier Mascherano and Fernando Gago dictate the distribution from deep, Angel di Maria begins his driving runs from here and Messi loves to drop deep in search of the ball and pockets of opportunity. The Eagles will need Ogenyi Onazi at his energetic best, and John Mikel Obi will have to keep his positional discipline and protect the ball a little better than he did last time.
The key position, for both defending and attacking, may be that third midfield role again. Michael Babatunde showed lots of promise on Saturday, but Keshi may consider him a little inexperienced to face the savvy Argies – not that this has ever bothered the brave coach in the past. We may well see a return of Odemwingie as a number 10, with Moses and Musa out on the flanks. He’s shown that he has the discipline and versatility to cope in a variety of roles, and I think playing him closer to the front improves the Eagles scoring chances.
For all their attacking menace though, Argentina can be vulnerable at the back, where Monaco reserve Sergio Romero is between the sticks behind Ezequiel Garay and Frederico Ferrnandez. Iran exposed some of those weakness on Saturday, when they came close to scoring from some direct attacking football and the Eagles could do some damage if they play with the same composure and aggression as last time and improve their off-the-ball movement and decision making. After Emmanuel Emenike’s bruising number on Emir Spahic on Saturday, I doubt there’s any defender at the World Cup finals that would relish a 90 minute tussle with the Eagles number 9 right now. The Eagles have to use that pace and power as much as possible.
A final word on set pieces: Nigeria has faced Argentina at the World Cup finals on three occasions, losing each time. The interesting thing is that every single goal the Argentines have scored against the Eagles in World Cup action has come from a set-piece. Peter Rufai parried a free kick into the path of Claudio Cannigia for their first in 1994, and a quickly taken free kick slipped Cannigia in for the winner in that same game. The 2002 game was settled by a Sebastian Veron corner kick nodded in at the far post by Gabriel Batistuta, and Veron repeated the trick in 2010, this time knocking a corner kick in for Gabriel Heinze to head past Vincent Enyeama.
Addressing that may be even more important than stopping the best player in the world.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Nigeria 1 Bosnia-Herzegovina 0: Fortune Favors Keshi's Brave Eagles
Fortune, it would appear, does favor the brave. It’s hard to conclude otherwise after watching the Super Eagles secure its first win at Brazil 2014 –heck, this was Nigeria’s first World Cup win since 1998 - and take a giant step towards qualification for the round of 16.
Lady luck was certainly smiling on Keshi’s team when Dzeko breached the Eagles defence and slotted past Enyeama after 21 minutes. Up went the offside flag though, and a perfectly good “goal” – a straggling Ambrose played Dzeko onside – was chalked off.
Then, on 29 minutes when the bustling Emenike fought his way past a sprawling Spahic and got free in the Bosnia box, the ref allowed play to continue – as did the assistant ref, who had the best view to make a decision – and the Fenerbache man squared for Odemwingie to score the game’s only goal.
Now, to be fair, I have seen the replays of this goal ad nauseum and I remain convinced it was the right call – or non-call, if you prefer – but I’ve also seen enough football to know that more often than not, a foul would have been given.
As for the bravery, let’s start with the Eagles’ line up for the night; Odemwingie kept his place after his cameo against Iran, as did Yobo, who’d replaced the injured Oboabona. The big call though was Keshi’s decision to include the relatively unknown and much maligned Babatunde, and handing him the all-important attacking midfield role. Given all the disappointment induced venom sent in the direction of the manager and his team over the previous five days, for Keshi to go ahead and pick that young man in that role in a game of such importance – a loss or draw would have meant elimination – sure took guts.
And was he rewarded. Babatunde stepped up and showed exactly why Keshi had such confidence in him, putting in a performance full of running, intent and versatile endeavour, especially in a second half that included two very good shots on the Bosnian goal. Sure, he’s still raw and made some mistakes, but he brought more to the role than Azeez had on Monday, and played a key part in this important victory.
The Eagles started the game with far more energy this time, pushing forward right from the off, and winning the game’s first corner kick after just 3 minutes after Mikel had picked out Emenike from deep. They looked for quick transitions, pressing the Bosnians high up the pitch and using their pace to latch on to any loose passes. Musa sprang forward to pick off one such pass from Spahic in the 6th minute, and Medjanin picked up the first yellow card for blocking his path to goal. Another intervention by Babatunde led to Onazi forcing Begovic into a save after 14 minutes.
The passing quality was much improved too, and with much of the build-up play coming down the right flank, the Eagles tried to use Musa’s pace, off the left, to get behind the Bosnian defence. That led to some good openings: In the 9th minute, some neat passing between Babatunde, Odemwingie and Emenike culminated in a sweeping cross to pick out an unmarked Musa in the Bosnia box, only for the speedy winger to fluff his lines. Then, in the 13th minute, Onazi picked out Musa’s run, and the ball was eventually worked to Mikel via Emenike, but his shot flew wide of Begovic’s right hand post. Then, Odemwingie’s long ball picked out Musa’s run but the winger fell over after chesting the ball down, claiming some sort of interference by the Bosnian defenders.
For all the Eagles’ good work though, there were problems in the middle of the park. Mikel and Onazi, the deepest sitting midfielders were being bypassed way too easily, partly because they kept carelessly giving the ball away, but it wasn’t until close to the 20 minute mark that the Bosnians really started capitalising on the gaps they were leaving in front of the back four.
They got their first corner kick after Mikel coughed up possession high up the field, and Oshaniwa blocked Besic’s attempted cross from the right. From the corner kick, Misimovic sent a curling shot just wide of Enyeama’s post. Two minutes later, from another turnover, Pjanic slipped an astute pass to Dzeko to score that wrongfully disallowed goal.
It was a recurring theme for about 10 minutes: Mikel giving up possession, the Bosnians marching upfield and either forcing a save from Enyeama – Hjarovic in the 23rd minute; Dzeko in the 24th minute and Pjanic in the 27th minute – or just missing that final pass, as in the 26th minute when Dzeko failed to control a slightly over hit pass from Misimovic.
But then came Odemwingie’s goal, started when Onazi dispossessed Misimovic just outside the Nigeria box in the 29th minute. What is most impressive about the goal is the amount of ground Odemwingie covered. He had run the ball from the Eagles’ half of the field, sent it wide to Emenike and then kept on going to finish the move.
The Eagles regained their poise after the goal and they saw out the first half quite comfortably, moving the ball around with impressive composure, yet carrying that sense of controlled aggression as they picked their moments to burst forward. The constant interchanging and movement among the forward four was particularly pleasing – Emenike often popping up on the right wing, where Spahic, who endured a torrid 90 minutes, had trouble handling his persistent pace and strength, and Odemwingie roving all across the forward line, while never neglecting his defensive responsibilities.
They looked even more composed as the second half got underway, and with Bosnians needing to score to stay in the finals, the game opened up even more, allowing the Eagles to further demonstrate their pace and power and create more scoring opportunities. Babatunde, looking more and more impressive as the game wore on, stung Begovic’s palms with superb strike on 54 minutes, and repeated the trick in the 60th minute, after skillfully tricking his way past two defenders just outside the Bosnia box. A minute later, Odemwingie controlled a Mikel pass into the path of Emenike whose prodded effort from six yards was well saved by Begovic.
The Stoke City stopper also had to be alert to another low shot from Emenike, at his near post in the 65th minute, and a fierce drive from Onazi following a free-kick in the 82nd minute.
If there was one negative to the Eagles attacking play in this half, it would be that they didn’t add to the score. The high pressing and quick transitions worked just fine, except that too often, just one man – often Emenike – would force their way into the box or to the goal line, and the supporting cast would be way behind the play, there’d be no one to square to and the opportunity would be gone. It carries its own risk, but a little better anticipation – getting into position, just in case - could have converted some of those breaks into goals
All that attacking intent further underlines the courage I alluded to earlier. With the clock winding down and a slender lead in hand, many coaches would have considered it prudent to batten down the hatches by sending on an extra defender or pulling the team back. Not Keshi. Instead, the Eagles bravely attacked even more and when Musa was withdrawn with 25 minutes to play, on came another striker, Ameobi, in his place. Furthermore, when Babatunde was forced out injured shortly afterwards, another untested youngster, Uzoenyi came on in his place. On another day, with another result, many critics would call this reckless. On a day when fortune was benevolently shining down, it proved a masterstroke.
For all that though, there was nothing remotely reckless about the Eagles approach to this game. They were very deliberate and picked their moments to attack. Indeed, it was defensively that the Eagles really impressed me in that second half. For one thing, Mikel and Onazi were less profligate with possession and stuck closer to the back four and their defensive duties. Onazi, in particular had a superb second half, breaking up attacks and winning the ball on numerous occasions. Secondly, Omeruo did a fantastic job man-marking the dangerous Dzeko, and the evergreen Yobo looked just as committed beside him.
But beyond the individuals, it was the defensive organisation that won the day. As soon as they lost possession, the wide attackers pulled back – Odemwingie, surprisingly, was particularly impressive in this regard winning many tackles in the right back position – allowing the full backs to tuck in alongside the centre backs and clog up the channels. With the double pivot in front of that, and Babatunde (or Ameobi) putting in a shift ahead of them, it meant a well set up nine-man block was often in place to repel anything the Bosnians had to throw at them. It didn’t work to perfection – Musa wasn’t as defensively adept on the left flank, often leaving Oshaniwa on his own – but no one would raise any patronising talk about Africans and “naïve defending” after watching this.
They were well tested too, especially after Susic threw Ibisevic into the mix for the last half hour or so. He almost had an immediate impact, running on to another Pjanic through ball, but Enyeama was out swiftly to claim the ball. He also came close from a free header at a corner kick in the 74th minute, but the real drama came in the last frantic minutes. Yobo had already blocked a close range Ibisevic shot, and Omeruo had already pressured Dzeko into directing a soft header directly at Enyeama from another Pjanic cross, but it is Enyeama’s last-ditch save, with his foot, and then off a post, that will rightly take all the plaudits.
Enyeama was brilliant, but that was fortune’s final act of the day, gloriously rewarding our brave Eagles.
Friday, June 20, 2014
Nigeria v Bosnia: Underdog Status May Suit Eagles Better
There has been a lot of talk about calculators and permutations since the final whistle blew on Nigeria's goalless draw with Iran on Monday. Yet, the situation facing the Super Eagles as they take on Bosnia-Herzegovina in Cuiaba on Saturday night is pretty straightforward: a win will guarantee progress to the next round, a defeat or draw means they can start packing up for the long journey home.
Okay, I've made some assumptions there which, given the way this World Cup is going, could be a foolhardy thing to do. But if wagering against Iran picking up three points from two matches against Argentina and Bosnia - the only scenario that could derail the Eagles if they win - is foolhardy, then it's a risk I'm happy to take.
Of course, winning, as we found out on Monday, is easier said than done, and if anything, the Bosnians should be even tougher to beat. They'll certainly present a different kind of challenge to the defensive puzzle the Eagles faced on Monday.
For one thing, the Bosnians are unlikely to take a defensive approach into this game. They need the points, and will believe they have the players to beat a Nigerian team that hardly covered itself in glory last time out.
That means Coach Safet Susic is likely to revert to his preferred two-pronged forward line of Edin Dzeko, who started as a lone striker against Argentina, and Vedad Ibisevic, who came off the bench to grab a late consolation goal.
There's not much else to say about Dzeko, whose exploits in England have put him firmly in the spotlight over the past three years. His 29-year old partner, on the other hand, keeps a lower profile, but could be of even greater concern to the Eagles defense. A deadly goal machine, Ibisevic once hit 18 goals in half a Bundesliga season (17 matches), helping newly promoted Hoffenheim to the top of the table in 2008/09, before a ruptured cruciate ligament wrecked his season and set his career back. He has since bounced back and now plays for VfB Stuttgart, where he's scored 33 goals in the last two seasons. More importantly, Ibisevic has scored 21 times in 56 appearances for his country, including the goal that sealed a place in Brazil and Bosnia's first- ever goal at the finals. So a man with a penchant, not just for scoring, but for scoring big goals could cause problems for Nigeria.
Besides their accomplished strike duo Bosnia also have two top quality providers in midfield. Zvjezdan Misimovic may be 32 now and earning his keep in China, but it's not that long ago that he inspired Wolfsburg to the Bundesliga title - teeing up many goals for Dzeko. Beside him will be the younger, but no less accomplished Miralem Pjanic, only 24 but a Champions League veteran, after four years at Lyon, and now with Roma in Serie A.
That's enough to give the Bosnians the confidence to take the game to Nigeria, and frankly, if I were Bosnian, I'd fancy my team's chances.
Yet, it's that very mindset that could play perfectly into Nigeria's hands, and bring out the best in the Super Eagles. As we saw on Monday, Keshi's team, playing the way they did, will struggle to break down a deep-sitting defence. On the other hand, a team blessed with pace and power to burn and a fondness for the long pass could benefit from playing an opponent committed to attacking football. Put in other terms, the Eagles might thrive better as underdogs than they did as favourites.
It wouldn't surprise me to see Bosnia dominate possession while the Super Eagles soak up pressure and look to strike back through quick transitions, even if Susic starts with one striker as he has hinted he will. In fact, we may have seen this before. When the Eagles played Mexico in that goalless friendly in March, that's exactly what they seemed to have in mind. I remember the full backs pinching in to block the channels, and those pacy wingers - Moses and Musa - play deeper than usual, as the Mexicans attacked in waves. And then as soon as possession was won back, the Eagles stormed furiously forward in search of goals.
It worked up to a point on that day, even if the Eagles failed to score - partly thanks to some great saves by the now world famous Guillermo Ochoa - and it took some heroic saves by Enyeama and Ejide to preserve the clean sheet. But it was a vigorous, energetic display by Keshi's team and, if they can play like that again, it could work a treat on Saturday.
A couple of things would have to happen for it to work, though. First, the team has to be optimally organized defensively to keep the Bosnian attack out. There can be no room for silly mistakes or basic errors. No failing to track back or losing your man - like we saw against the US in May. Soaking up pressure can be a risky business, especially against skilled opposition and if they score first, they might retreat as well and that means the game plan is out of the window.
Second, there can be no wasteful coughing up of possession, and squandering of goal-scoring opportunities when they arrive. That will mean making better decisions - at least a few times - especially in the final third, and avoiding the kind of selfish, blind runs we have to come to expect from Moses, when he heads up those dark alleys and refuses to pass the ball.
Can these happen? For the first, losing Oboabona and Echiejile doesn't help, but the energy of Onazi will be crucial and having Enyeama as last line can only be comforting. As for the second, well, one can only hope.
As for the personnel, I doubt we'll see a vastly different team from last Monday's starters. Oboabona's absence means Yobo will continue his century quest, and the only key decision has to be if Azeez retains his place in midfield - I don't think he showed enough against Iran - or Odemwingie gets to build on his promising cameo. From an attacking point of view, the latter would be my preference but could cost the team in defensive balance.
It's a daunting task ahead of the Eagles, and they'll have to shake off the lethargy of the last game and find some of the energy that served them so well in that Mexico game. Of course, they could do all that and more, and still fall short.
Without it though, they won't even stand a chance.
Okay, I've made some assumptions there which, given the way this World Cup is going, could be a foolhardy thing to do. But if wagering against Iran picking up three points from two matches against Argentina and Bosnia - the only scenario that could derail the Eagles if they win - is foolhardy, then it's a risk I'm happy to take.
Of course, winning, as we found out on Monday, is easier said than done, and if anything, the Bosnians should be even tougher to beat. They'll certainly present a different kind of challenge to the defensive puzzle the Eagles faced on Monday.
For one thing, the Bosnians are unlikely to take a defensive approach into this game. They need the points, and will believe they have the players to beat a Nigerian team that hardly covered itself in glory last time out.
That means Coach Safet Susic is likely to revert to his preferred two-pronged forward line of Edin Dzeko, who started as a lone striker against Argentina, and Vedad Ibisevic, who came off the bench to grab a late consolation goal.
There's not much else to say about Dzeko, whose exploits in England have put him firmly in the spotlight over the past three years. His 29-year old partner, on the other hand, keeps a lower profile, but could be of even greater concern to the Eagles defense. A deadly goal machine, Ibisevic once hit 18 goals in half a Bundesliga season (17 matches), helping newly promoted Hoffenheim to the top of the table in 2008/09, before a ruptured cruciate ligament wrecked his season and set his career back. He has since bounced back and now plays for VfB Stuttgart, where he's scored 33 goals in the last two seasons. More importantly, Ibisevic has scored 21 times in 56 appearances for his country, including the goal that sealed a place in Brazil and Bosnia's first- ever goal at the finals. So a man with a penchant, not just for scoring, but for scoring big goals could cause problems for Nigeria.
Besides their accomplished strike duo Bosnia also have two top quality providers in midfield. Zvjezdan Misimovic may be 32 now and earning his keep in China, but it's not that long ago that he inspired Wolfsburg to the Bundesliga title - teeing up many goals for Dzeko. Beside him will be the younger, but no less accomplished Miralem Pjanic, only 24 but a Champions League veteran, after four years at Lyon, and now with Roma in Serie A.
That's enough to give the Bosnians the confidence to take the game to Nigeria, and frankly, if I were Bosnian, I'd fancy my team's chances.
Yet, it's that very mindset that could play perfectly into Nigeria's hands, and bring out the best in the Super Eagles. As we saw on Monday, Keshi's team, playing the way they did, will struggle to break down a deep-sitting defence. On the other hand, a team blessed with pace and power to burn and a fondness for the long pass could benefit from playing an opponent committed to attacking football. Put in other terms, the Eagles might thrive better as underdogs than they did as favourites.
It wouldn't surprise me to see Bosnia dominate possession while the Super Eagles soak up pressure and look to strike back through quick transitions, even if Susic starts with one striker as he has hinted he will. In fact, we may have seen this before. When the Eagles played Mexico in that goalless friendly in March, that's exactly what they seemed to have in mind. I remember the full backs pinching in to block the channels, and those pacy wingers - Moses and Musa - play deeper than usual, as the Mexicans attacked in waves. And then as soon as possession was won back, the Eagles stormed furiously forward in search of goals.
It worked up to a point on that day, even if the Eagles failed to score - partly thanks to some great saves by the now world famous Guillermo Ochoa - and it took some heroic saves by Enyeama and Ejide to preserve the clean sheet. But it was a vigorous, energetic display by Keshi's team and, if they can play like that again, it could work a treat on Saturday.
A couple of things would have to happen for it to work, though. First, the team has to be optimally organized defensively to keep the Bosnian attack out. There can be no room for silly mistakes or basic errors. No failing to track back or losing your man - like we saw against the US in May. Soaking up pressure can be a risky business, especially against skilled opposition and if they score first, they might retreat as well and that means the game plan is out of the window.
Second, there can be no wasteful coughing up of possession, and squandering of goal-scoring opportunities when they arrive. That will mean making better decisions - at least a few times - especially in the final third, and avoiding the kind of selfish, blind runs we have to come to expect from Moses, when he heads up those dark alleys and refuses to pass the ball.
Can these happen? For the first, losing Oboabona and Echiejile doesn't help, but the energy of Onazi will be crucial and having Enyeama as last line can only be comforting. As for the second, well, one can only hope.
As for the personnel, I doubt we'll see a vastly different team from last Monday's starters. Oboabona's absence means Yobo will continue his century quest, and the only key decision has to be if Azeez retains his place in midfield - I don't think he showed enough against Iran - or Odemwingie gets to build on his promising cameo. From an attacking point of view, the latter would be my preference but could cost the team in defensive balance.
It's a daunting task ahead of the Eagles, and they'll have to shake off the lethargy of the last game and find some of the energy that served them so well in that Mexico game. Of course, they could do all that and more, and still fall short.
Without it though, they won't even stand a chance.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Nigeria 0 Iran 0: Resolute Iran Leave Eagles' Fans Despondent
To say this goalless affair was a disappointing turn of events for the Super Eagles legion of supporters would be understating matters, and it would be easy to say that Stephen Keshi's side, on the strength of this performance, gave little indication that they have what it takes to extend their stay in Brazil beyond three matches - especially considering what lies ahead.
But to say that would be to disregard Iran's part in this stalemate. Carlos Quieroz's side was resolute, well drilled and organized, and for all of Nigeria's difficulties in attack, they deserve credit for the determination and fight they brought to their task - even if they prove less successful against Argentina and Bosnia- Herzegovina.
There were no surprises in the Eagles starting eleven, it was pretty much the same team that won the Afcon last year - except for Azeez in midfield and Oshaniwa at left back in place of the injured Echiejile. If this was supposed to be a 4-3-3 it quickly morphed into 4-2-3-1, with Mikel and Onazi operating side by side as a double pivot, and Azeez further forward, supposedly to support Emenike, along with wingers Musa and Moses.
Iran made changes too, leaving Ghoochanejad upfront and moving Dejagah, wide as part of five man midfield.
The Eagles approach was to get the ball forward as quickly as possible - using their pace down the flanks and long passes seeking out Emenike - and it almost yielded dividend within the first 10 minutes. Moses shot weakly after a quick lob from Mikel in the 3rd minute; a quick transition down the left in the 8th minute saw Emenike's cross cut out by a lunging Montazeri just ahead of Musa, and then Onazi shoot wide from just inside the box. In fact the Eagles did have the ball in the net during that spell, after Mikel's jump at a corner kick had forced 'keeper Daghighi to drop the ball, and I'm surprised no questions have been raised about why that 'goal' was disallowed.
Sadly, that was the closest the Eagles came to a goal. Whatever the merits or otherwise of the game plan, it all came unstuck largely as a result of poor execution, bad decision making, and a general lack of composure. Indeed, the Eagles seemed to slow down every time they needed to speed up, and then rush things when a little patience would have sufficed. And of course, Iran made things a little tougher after the first 10 minutes, by pushing Tamoriam up to pressure Mikel every time he received the ball.
Mikel and Onazi spent much of the first half launching long balls in search of Emenike and Moses, all from the centre circle, as though they'd been instructed not to leave their own half. Most of those were, of course, easily cut out by the attentive Iran defenders who sat deep, and in the process left Azeez adrift and on the fringe of the game.
Consequently, the Eagles hardly ever had ball possession in the final third - where they could do real damage - and on the few occasions that they did, they made bad choices. Like in the 26th minute; when Azeez took an extra touch on a breakaway rather than feed Emenike in a promising position. Or when Onazi led another counter down the right flank in the 35th minute, only for Emenike to, rather than hold the ball, swing an aimless ball into the box when there wasn't a single teammate in the area.
Onazi again showed that lack of patience with an ambitious shot from 25 yards in the 38th minute and, just two minutes later, Emenike, again, smashed another effort wildly off target when better options were available.
Iran defended in numbers, but it would be unfair to say they parked the bus. They came forward often when they sensed an opportunity - hence all those transition chances for Nigeria - and would have scored but for a fantastic save by Enyeama, from Goochanejad's header after Musa had carelessly conceded a corner kick.
The second half did bring a change. Mikel and Onazi now looked to push further forward, Mikel especially taking on and beating opponents as the Eagles moved further up the field. Now the double pivot was no longer stationary or stuck at the halfway line, but moved further into Iranian territory.
That brought an improvement in pass combinations and created some promising situations, especially in the last 30 minutes, after Ameobi and Odemwingie had replaced Moses and Azeez.
Odemwingie provided another outlet, like Mikel, that could take on and beat opponents with guile and skill and his ability to keep the ball, coupled with his direct running made him more of an attacking threat than Azeez had been.
The same lack of composure, impatience and poor decision-making that had dogged the first half remained a problem though, so even though the passing became shorter and the long balls were far fewer, some promising situations were still squandered. Like when, in the 60th minute, Emenike sliced a shot wastefully off target from distance after an interesting passing sequence that included Mikel, Azeez and Ameobi. Later, in the 72nd minute, Mikel picked out Musa down the right channel and Ambrose offered a great overlapping run, only for Musa to over hit his pass - just as Moses had done with Oshaniwa on the other flank in the first half.
The best attacking combo of the game came with 8 minutes left when Mikel scooped a pass over the defence for Odemwingie to control with his chest and volley wide. The ref had ruled it handball anyway, so it wouldn't have counted, but it perhaps showed an inkling of what might have been.
Overall, I didn't think this was one of those lazy Eagles performances where the players didn't seem to care. I saw a bunch of players that fought till the very end, even if their best efforts proved futile. Some late desperation contributed to a couple of late half chances for Ameobi, but also left the team vulnerable to Iran's counter attacks - like when Omeruo carelessly gave up possession high up the field.
Individually, Enyeama was solid when called upon, Omeruo looked very sharp, and Oshaniwa performed better than many expected. Mikel has taken a ton of criticism after this game, some of it justified after all those first half long balls. Yet, he was probably the most composed of the Eagles, even in the face of heavy pressure, and his second half was much better. He never stopped pushing forward, fighting through tackles and looking to play passes through. Moses and Musa, were mostly ineffective, as was Azeez, but I was most disappointed in Emenike. His play lacked composure, as evidenced by those wild shots and hurried crosses. Apart from score goals, his job is to hold up the ball and link up play. Perhaps frustration got the better of him.
And judging by some of the fan reaction that followed this match, he's not the only one.
But to say that would be to disregard Iran's part in this stalemate. Carlos Quieroz's side was resolute, well drilled and organized, and for all of Nigeria's difficulties in attack, they deserve credit for the determination and fight they brought to their task - even if they prove less successful against Argentina and Bosnia- Herzegovina.
There were no surprises in the Eagles starting eleven, it was pretty much the same team that won the Afcon last year - except for Azeez in midfield and Oshaniwa at left back in place of the injured Echiejile. If this was supposed to be a 4-3-3 it quickly morphed into 4-2-3-1, with Mikel and Onazi operating side by side as a double pivot, and Azeez further forward, supposedly to support Emenike, along with wingers Musa and Moses.
Iran made changes too, leaving Ghoochanejad upfront and moving Dejagah, wide as part of five man midfield.
The Eagles approach was to get the ball forward as quickly as possible - using their pace down the flanks and long passes seeking out Emenike - and it almost yielded dividend within the first 10 minutes. Moses shot weakly after a quick lob from Mikel in the 3rd minute; a quick transition down the left in the 8th minute saw Emenike's cross cut out by a lunging Montazeri just ahead of Musa, and then Onazi shoot wide from just inside the box. In fact the Eagles did have the ball in the net during that spell, after Mikel's jump at a corner kick had forced 'keeper Daghighi to drop the ball, and I'm surprised no questions have been raised about why that 'goal' was disallowed.
Sadly, that was the closest the Eagles came to a goal. Whatever the merits or otherwise of the game plan, it all came unstuck largely as a result of poor execution, bad decision making, and a general lack of composure. Indeed, the Eagles seemed to slow down every time they needed to speed up, and then rush things when a little patience would have sufficed. And of course, Iran made things a little tougher after the first 10 minutes, by pushing Tamoriam up to pressure Mikel every time he received the ball.
Mikel and Onazi spent much of the first half launching long balls in search of Emenike and Moses, all from the centre circle, as though they'd been instructed not to leave their own half. Most of those were, of course, easily cut out by the attentive Iran defenders who sat deep, and in the process left Azeez adrift and on the fringe of the game.
Consequently, the Eagles hardly ever had ball possession in the final third - where they could do real damage - and on the few occasions that they did, they made bad choices. Like in the 26th minute; when Azeez took an extra touch on a breakaway rather than feed Emenike in a promising position. Or when Onazi led another counter down the right flank in the 35th minute, only for Emenike to, rather than hold the ball, swing an aimless ball into the box when there wasn't a single teammate in the area.
Onazi again showed that lack of patience with an ambitious shot from 25 yards in the 38th minute and, just two minutes later, Emenike, again, smashed another effort wildly off target when better options were available.
Iran defended in numbers, but it would be unfair to say they parked the bus. They came forward often when they sensed an opportunity - hence all those transition chances for Nigeria - and would have scored but for a fantastic save by Enyeama, from Goochanejad's header after Musa had carelessly conceded a corner kick.
The second half did bring a change. Mikel and Onazi now looked to push further forward, Mikel especially taking on and beating opponents as the Eagles moved further up the field. Now the double pivot was no longer stationary or stuck at the halfway line, but moved further into Iranian territory.
That brought an improvement in pass combinations and created some promising situations, especially in the last 30 minutes, after Ameobi and Odemwingie had replaced Moses and Azeez.
Odemwingie provided another outlet, like Mikel, that could take on and beat opponents with guile and skill and his ability to keep the ball, coupled with his direct running made him more of an attacking threat than Azeez had been.
The same lack of composure, impatience and poor decision-making that had dogged the first half remained a problem though, so even though the passing became shorter and the long balls were far fewer, some promising situations were still squandered. Like when, in the 60th minute, Emenike sliced a shot wastefully off target from distance after an interesting passing sequence that included Mikel, Azeez and Ameobi. Later, in the 72nd minute, Mikel picked out Musa down the right channel and Ambrose offered a great overlapping run, only for Musa to over hit his pass - just as Moses had done with Oshaniwa on the other flank in the first half.
The best attacking combo of the game came with 8 minutes left when Mikel scooped a pass over the defence for Odemwingie to control with his chest and volley wide. The ref had ruled it handball anyway, so it wouldn't have counted, but it perhaps showed an inkling of what might have been.
Overall, I didn't think this was one of those lazy Eagles performances where the players didn't seem to care. I saw a bunch of players that fought till the very end, even if their best efforts proved futile. Some late desperation contributed to a couple of late half chances for Ameobi, but also left the team vulnerable to Iran's counter attacks - like when Omeruo carelessly gave up possession high up the field.
Individually, Enyeama was solid when called upon, Omeruo looked very sharp, and Oshaniwa performed better than many expected. Mikel has taken a ton of criticism after this game, some of it justified after all those first half long balls. Yet, he was probably the most composed of the Eagles, even in the face of heavy pressure, and his second half was much better. He never stopped pushing forward, fighting through tackles and looking to play passes through. Moses and Musa, were mostly ineffective, as was Azeez, but I was most disappointed in Emenike. His play lacked composure, as evidenced by those wild shots and hurried crosses. Apart from score goals, his job is to hold up the ball and link up play. Perhaps frustration got the better of him.
And judging by some of the fan reaction that followed this match, he's not the only one.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Why Keshi Deserves Benefit of the Doubt
When I ran the rule over Stephen Keshi’s Super Eagles just three months ago, it was on the back of a 0-0 draw against Mexico in Atlanta that raised a few questions about Nigeria’s World Cup prospects. With just a few days left before Nigeria take the field against Iran in Brazil, things are a little clearer – at least we now know which 23 players will be defending the national colours – yet, the Eagles 1-2 loss to USA in their last warm-up match seems to have raised some other questions.
Of course, the composition of Keshi’s squad in itself has been the subject of much debate over the past week or so, the main surprise being the exclusions of Nations Cup hero Sunday Mba, Real Betis man Nosa Igiebor and the precocious Ejike Uzoenyi, to make way for the less-regarded Michael Uchebo, Rueben Gabriel and Babatunde Michael. Also in the squad – to the chagrin of some, the pleasure of others – are captain Joseph Yobo and striker Peter Odemwingie, two veterans who have been on the outside over the past 18 months or so.
It’s fair to say much of the reaction has been negative, some going as far as accusing Keshi of sabotaging the Eagles for his own selfish ends. Considering that the Eagles have also played out three uninspiring friendly matches in that time – they also failed to beat Scotland (2-2), Greece (0-0) – I can’t say I’ve been surprised by the outcry. You’re only as good as your last result in this game, even if these were friendly matches in preparation for the real thing.
Before I get into my take on this World Cup squad though, here are four reasons why I think, agree or disagree with his picks, Keshi deserves the benefit of the doubt:
1.) Afcon 2013. Not just that the Eagles won; more that they won with that squad. I know bringing this up will give rise to that usual refrain: the World Cup is different. Yes, it is. But regardless of how low the Nations Cup ranks in your estimation, very few – if any – fans or pundits, thought Keshi’s squad would be good enough to win in South Africa. Definitely not after the first three shaky games. Yet they did. With five home-based players – two of whom would become regulars- and 17 players who were going to a major tournament for the first time.
2.) Kenneth Omeruo. It’s easy to take for granted now, in retrospect, but the facts are worth looking over again: the veteran team captain misses a game due to injury, yet can’t win his place back because the coach has decided to leave an untested 19-year old in his place. Beyond that, the youngster is paired in central defence by a home-based defender who’s also playing in a major tournament for the first time. It’s like, John Terry got injured at Chelsea and Jose Mourinho brought in Tomas Kalas to fill in - and then left Kalas in the starting role even after Terry recovered – and all this in the latter stages of the Champions League. That sure takes guts.
3.) Ogenyi Onazi. Given that he “owns” the defensive midfield spot now, it may be hard to remember that the Lazio midfielder actually started the Afcon on the bench, and made his first appearance as a substitute right back – filling in for the suspended Efe Ambrose (and conceding a penalty) against Zambia. Indeed, he only got his chance in the middle after the clumsy Fegor Ogude got suspended for the Ethiopia match.
4.) Sunday Mba. Another player that started Afcon on the outside looking in. That is until Keshi decided he had seen enough of Igiebor and put his confidence in the then home-based player. His crucial goals against Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso are now part of the historical record –as, of course, is the fact that he missed the final cut for Brazil.
What these four reasons underline for me is that Keshi has led this team with integrity and courage, making difficult decisions and standing by them, when it would have been easier to go with the popular options. Those are traits that would serve anyone well in a managerial capacity.
It also shows a manager whose opinion is not set in stone, a manager who is willing to pick players on merit, as he sees it, with little room for sentiments and little regard for reputation. Omeruo, Onazi and Mba convinced Keshi with their performance on the field, and in the process unseated erstwhile regulars, Yobo, Ogude and Igiebor.
In contrast, Ikechukwu Uche, another whose exclusion has infuriated many, did not take his opportunity when it came in South Africa. Whether he should have been given another chance to prove his worth is another debate (and I hear disciplinary issues came into play here), but the Villareall striker clearly failed to impress in his three appearances at the Nations Cup.
That Keshi then went on to leave Mba out of his World Cup 23 only further underlines this point: it would have been far easier, even if only for sentiment, to have left the Nations Cup hero in the squad - it would certainly have earned few popularity points - and some have couched Keshi’s decision as some type of betrayal. I see it as further proof of a coach determined to make his decisions purely on the basis of the players’ performance in training.
Of course, that is not to say that Keshi is infallible. He can make mistakes, like any other person, and if he’s made any serious ones with this squad, it won’t be the first time a World Cup manager has done that. See Fabio Cappello (England) and Marcello Lippi (Italy) at the last mundial.
And I am not arguing that he shouldn’t be criticised for mistakes. Just that recent history leads me to reserve judgement till the World Cup is done.
Now, having said all that, I will admit that the World Cup squad gives me some cause for concern. Three areas in particular:
1.) The lack of options in defence. It’s clear that Omeruo and Godfrey Obaobona remain Keshi’s first choice in central defence, and that Ambrose and Elderson Echiejile, under normal circumstances, would be his preferred full backs. Beyond those four though, the pickings are pretty slim. Yobo regained his place in the squad and brings tons of experience, but the captain is well past his best years; Azubuike Egwuekwe, decent but limited, has been a squad regular for a while now, and played in Omeruo’s absence at the Confed Cup last year; and the home-based Kunle Odunlami was a stand-out at CHAN earlier this year. It’s a clear drop in quality, but those are at least centre backs. Full back cover is even worse: beyond left back Juwon Oshaniwa, who will now start since Echiejile’s injury means he won’t play in Brazil, there are no other full backs in the squad. That means, should either Oshaniwa or Ambrose – a converted centre back to start with – go down with injury or pick up a suspension, one of the centre backs will have to fill in. That’s far from ideal for the World Cup and its surprising that it’s forward Uzoenyi that has been recalled to make up for Echiejile’s absence.
2.) The top heavy attack. On the face of it, naming four central strikers in a 23 man squad is not out of the ordinary – provided one intends to start with two upfront. Keshi’s squad includes not only top scorer Emmanuel Emenike and Odemwingie, but also Shola Ameobi and Uche Nwofor, yet if he perseveres with his preferred 4-3-3 system only one will take the field at any time (unless desperation sets in, or Keshi reverts to a hitherto untried 4-4-2). Even granting that Odemwingie could also play out wide or as an attacking midfielder – even if the last two friendlies suggest otherwise - when you add the wide men (Victor Moses, Ahmed Musa, Michael Babatunde & Uzoenyi) that still leaves 8 players fighting for three positions. Compare that to the midfield, the all-important engine room, where 5 players compete for three spots, or to that glaring dearth of full back options we broached earlier, and one wonders if resources could have been better used elsewhere.
3.) The midfield conundrum. As I mentioned in March, the one sticking point in Keshi’s seemingly settled first team was that troublesome third midfield role to complement the indispensable efforts of Jon Obi Mikel and Onazi. It was a problem at the Nations Cup, at the Confederation Cup and, worryingly, it remains problem now, right on the eve of the World Cup. With Mba, Nnamdi Oduamadi and Igiebor all out of the mix, Keshi’s search for that elusive number 10 has continued in the last four friendlies, in which he has played Uchebo, Ramon Azeez and Odemwingie with none of them particularly convincing. Another option could be to move Mikel further upfield and pair Onazi with either Azeez, or Gabriel, a really controversial pick who has hardly played club football all season after spells with Kilmarnock in Scotland and Waasland-Beveren of Belgium.
The experimentation, it appears, will continue into the World Cup proper. Not the most ideal of situations, but not unusual for many countries at the Mundial. Indeed, many countries stumble upon their best team half way through the tournament – kind of like the Eagles did at last year’s Afcon – if they haven’t been eliminated yet. Keshi will need to find solutions pretty quickly, or else the Eagles World Cup could be over before they know it.
On the whole, I think the Eagles have a strong enough first XI to qualify from their group. That doesn’t mean they will though. Bosnia Herzegovina deserves more respect than many Nigeria fans are according them – think Miralem Pjanic,Edin Dzeko, Asmir Begovic, and Vedad Ibisevic - and Iran have a brilliant manager in Carlos Queiroz.
Of course, it doesn’t help that the first choice has already been depleted by the absence of Echiejile. Any further depletion – through injuries or suspension – would easily test the depth of this squad, and that’s where I fear they may be found wanting.
If the small details fall into place, particularly with regards to tactics, fitness and discipline, the second round is a real possibility. Otherwise, the Super Eagles could just as easily be on their way home after three matches.
Of course, the composition of Keshi’s squad in itself has been the subject of much debate over the past week or so, the main surprise being the exclusions of Nations Cup hero Sunday Mba, Real Betis man Nosa Igiebor and the precocious Ejike Uzoenyi, to make way for the less-regarded Michael Uchebo, Rueben Gabriel and Babatunde Michael. Also in the squad – to the chagrin of some, the pleasure of others – are captain Joseph Yobo and striker Peter Odemwingie, two veterans who have been on the outside over the past 18 months or so.
It’s fair to say much of the reaction has been negative, some going as far as accusing Keshi of sabotaging the Eagles for his own selfish ends. Considering that the Eagles have also played out three uninspiring friendly matches in that time – they also failed to beat Scotland (2-2), Greece (0-0) – I can’t say I’ve been surprised by the outcry. You’re only as good as your last result in this game, even if these were friendly matches in preparation for the real thing.
Before I get into my take on this World Cup squad though, here are four reasons why I think, agree or disagree with his picks, Keshi deserves the benefit of the doubt:
1.) Afcon 2013. Not just that the Eagles won; more that they won with that squad. I know bringing this up will give rise to that usual refrain: the World Cup is different. Yes, it is. But regardless of how low the Nations Cup ranks in your estimation, very few – if any – fans or pundits, thought Keshi’s squad would be good enough to win in South Africa. Definitely not after the first three shaky games. Yet they did. With five home-based players – two of whom would become regulars- and 17 players who were going to a major tournament for the first time.
2.) Kenneth Omeruo. It’s easy to take for granted now, in retrospect, but the facts are worth looking over again: the veteran team captain misses a game due to injury, yet can’t win his place back because the coach has decided to leave an untested 19-year old in his place. Beyond that, the youngster is paired in central defence by a home-based defender who’s also playing in a major tournament for the first time. It’s like, John Terry got injured at Chelsea and Jose Mourinho brought in Tomas Kalas to fill in - and then left Kalas in the starting role even after Terry recovered – and all this in the latter stages of the Champions League. That sure takes guts.
3.) Ogenyi Onazi. Given that he “owns” the defensive midfield spot now, it may be hard to remember that the Lazio midfielder actually started the Afcon on the bench, and made his first appearance as a substitute right back – filling in for the suspended Efe Ambrose (and conceding a penalty) against Zambia. Indeed, he only got his chance in the middle after the clumsy Fegor Ogude got suspended for the Ethiopia match.
4.) Sunday Mba. Another player that started Afcon on the outside looking in. That is until Keshi decided he had seen enough of Igiebor and put his confidence in the then home-based player. His crucial goals against Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso are now part of the historical record –as, of course, is the fact that he missed the final cut for Brazil.
What these four reasons underline for me is that Keshi has led this team with integrity and courage, making difficult decisions and standing by them, when it would have been easier to go with the popular options. Those are traits that would serve anyone well in a managerial capacity.
It also shows a manager whose opinion is not set in stone, a manager who is willing to pick players on merit, as he sees it, with little room for sentiments and little regard for reputation. Omeruo, Onazi and Mba convinced Keshi with their performance on the field, and in the process unseated erstwhile regulars, Yobo, Ogude and Igiebor.
In contrast, Ikechukwu Uche, another whose exclusion has infuriated many, did not take his opportunity when it came in South Africa. Whether he should have been given another chance to prove his worth is another debate (and I hear disciplinary issues came into play here), but the Villareall striker clearly failed to impress in his three appearances at the Nations Cup.
That Keshi then went on to leave Mba out of his World Cup 23 only further underlines this point: it would have been far easier, even if only for sentiment, to have left the Nations Cup hero in the squad - it would certainly have earned few popularity points - and some have couched Keshi’s decision as some type of betrayal. I see it as further proof of a coach determined to make his decisions purely on the basis of the players’ performance in training.
Of course, that is not to say that Keshi is infallible. He can make mistakes, like any other person, and if he’s made any serious ones with this squad, it won’t be the first time a World Cup manager has done that. See Fabio Cappello (England) and Marcello Lippi (Italy) at the last mundial.
And I am not arguing that he shouldn’t be criticised for mistakes. Just that recent history leads me to reserve judgement till the World Cup is done.
Now, having said all that, I will admit that the World Cup squad gives me some cause for concern. Three areas in particular:
1.) The lack of options in defence. It’s clear that Omeruo and Godfrey Obaobona remain Keshi’s first choice in central defence, and that Ambrose and Elderson Echiejile, under normal circumstances, would be his preferred full backs. Beyond those four though, the pickings are pretty slim. Yobo regained his place in the squad and brings tons of experience, but the captain is well past his best years; Azubuike Egwuekwe, decent but limited, has been a squad regular for a while now, and played in Omeruo’s absence at the Confed Cup last year; and the home-based Kunle Odunlami was a stand-out at CHAN earlier this year. It’s a clear drop in quality, but those are at least centre backs. Full back cover is even worse: beyond left back Juwon Oshaniwa, who will now start since Echiejile’s injury means he won’t play in Brazil, there are no other full backs in the squad. That means, should either Oshaniwa or Ambrose – a converted centre back to start with – go down with injury or pick up a suspension, one of the centre backs will have to fill in. That’s far from ideal for the World Cup and its surprising that it’s forward Uzoenyi that has been recalled to make up for Echiejile’s absence.
2.) The top heavy attack. On the face of it, naming four central strikers in a 23 man squad is not out of the ordinary – provided one intends to start with two upfront. Keshi’s squad includes not only top scorer Emmanuel Emenike and Odemwingie, but also Shola Ameobi and Uche Nwofor, yet if he perseveres with his preferred 4-3-3 system only one will take the field at any time (unless desperation sets in, or Keshi reverts to a hitherto untried 4-4-2). Even granting that Odemwingie could also play out wide or as an attacking midfielder – even if the last two friendlies suggest otherwise - when you add the wide men (Victor Moses, Ahmed Musa, Michael Babatunde & Uzoenyi) that still leaves 8 players fighting for three positions. Compare that to the midfield, the all-important engine room, where 5 players compete for three spots, or to that glaring dearth of full back options we broached earlier, and one wonders if resources could have been better used elsewhere.
3.) The midfield conundrum. As I mentioned in March, the one sticking point in Keshi’s seemingly settled first team was that troublesome third midfield role to complement the indispensable efforts of Jon Obi Mikel and Onazi. It was a problem at the Nations Cup, at the Confederation Cup and, worryingly, it remains problem now, right on the eve of the World Cup. With Mba, Nnamdi Oduamadi and Igiebor all out of the mix, Keshi’s search for that elusive number 10 has continued in the last four friendlies, in which he has played Uchebo, Ramon Azeez and Odemwingie with none of them particularly convincing. Another option could be to move Mikel further upfield and pair Onazi with either Azeez, or Gabriel, a really controversial pick who has hardly played club football all season after spells with Kilmarnock in Scotland and Waasland-Beveren of Belgium.
The experimentation, it appears, will continue into the World Cup proper. Not the most ideal of situations, but not unusual for many countries at the Mundial. Indeed, many countries stumble upon their best team half way through the tournament – kind of like the Eagles did at last year’s Afcon – if they haven’t been eliminated yet. Keshi will need to find solutions pretty quickly, or else the Eagles World Cup could be over before they know it.
On the whole, I think the Eagles have a strong enough first XI to qualify from their group. That doesn’t mean they will though. Bosnia Herzegovina deserves more respect than many Nigeria fans are according them – think Miralem Pjanic,Edin Dzeko, Asmir Begovic, and Vedad Ibisevic - and Iran have a brilliant manager in Carlos Queiroz.
Of course, it doesn’t help that the first choice has already been depleted by the absence of Echiejile. Any further depletion – through injuries or suspension – would easily test the depth of this squad, and that’s where I fear they may be found wanting.
If the small details fall into place, particularly with regards to tactics, fitness and discipline, the second round is a real possibility. Otherwise, the Super Eagles could just as easily be on their way home after three matches.
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