Keshi has pretty much settled on his first choice XI. The starting line-up on Wednesday - ten of them anyway - have been Keshi's default first choice since Nigeria beat Ivory Coast in the Nations Cup quarter final last January. With just three months left before the mundial kicks off - and friendly games few - it's hard to see any new faces breaking in and unseating one of these incumbents. Of course, there have been incessant cries for the inclusion of new faces - or more accurately, sidelined old faces - and Wednesday night saw Keshi hand debuts to four players. Michael Uchebo, the one "odd face" amongst the starters, played just behind striker Emmanuel Emenike; defender Leon Balogun replaced Efe Ambrose at the break - only to limp off injured after 20 minutes; Ramon Azeez came on for Uchebo; Ezekiel Imoh got a late cameo. They might yet prove useful additions to the squad - Imoh and Azeez got into some promising positions - but it's hard to make a case that any of them showed enough to usurp the incumbents.
Keshi loves speed. When you set up a team that includes Musa, Emenike and Moses, it only makes sense to use their pace, and the Eagles looked their most deadly on the counter attack against Mexico. The Eagles were well organized against the Mexican attack, Moses and Musa seating deep and allowing the full backs to squeeze the space down the channels. By when they won possession, they were quick in transition, and but for some poor decision-making, they should have created much better scoring chances. Musa's pace gets him into promising positions, but he needs to make better choices once there. Moses seems to have improved his work rate and defending - a consequence of his work at Liverpool perhaps - but he has to let the ball go a little earlier. His tendency to hang on to the ball a tad too long led him down blind alleys a little too often.
Keshi still needs a "number 10". I know, Mikel wears that number, but his controlling role from deep, even if more advanced than his defensive Chelsea role, is hardly that of a classic number 10 - creative, attacking, just behind the striker in a 4-4-1-1, in the "hole", as they say. Uchebo started in that role on Wednesday, and although he was energetic, contributed to the defensive effort, and looked decent in the air, he didn't show that much on the attacking end. I think Keshi has always found that position a difficult one to fill, although it's not that obvious in his preferred 4-3-3 formation. He did start the Nations Cup with Nosa Igiebor in that attacking midfield role, before the emergence of Sunday Mba all but put the Betis man in the shade. Since then though, Mba has been unsettled, and Nnamdi Oduamadi has played a more prominent role, with mixed results. We’ve also seen glimpses of John Ogu, who’s passing and shooting have always impressed me, but he remains an option off the bench. If there is one part of Keshi's starting eleven that's still up for grabs, I'd say it is this one.
Keshi is well covered in goal. What else is there to say? I suppose everyone knew before Wednesday that Vincent Enyeama, after his exploits with Lille in France, was a top, top goalkeeper. Indeed, Enyeama already proved his worth at the last World Cup, keeping Leo Messi and Argentina at bay for a long time in Johannesburg. He only enhanced his reputation with another stellar showing against Mexico. But then on stepped Austin Ejide after the break, and after a superb second half Nigerians can rest easy knowing their goal will be well protected in Brazil.
Overall, I think it was a good performance for a team that just met up a day or two before the game and Keshi's first choice, for the most part, has a lot going for it. Kenneth Omeruo and Godfrey Oboabona continued their partnership in the centre of a defence that's looking more and more settled. Sure, there are problems with set-piece defending to iron out, but that's something that time on the training ground in the last few weeks of preparation should address.
In midfield, Ogenyi Onazi has cemented his place alongside Mikel, his defensive nous and energy dovetailing nicely with the more languid Chelsea man, and he can play a decent pass too. Emenike, upfront, combines strong hold-up play and pace with a real eye for goal. If wide men, Moses and Musa could just get on the same wavelength, releasing the ball at the right time, that counter-attacking threat could do some real damage come June.
Having said all that, the World Cup squad could still use some reinforcing, at the very least for competition, and more importantly, for contingencies like injury, loss of form or suspensions.
Keshi has never been afraid of throwing young players and home-based stars into the mix, and that could bode well for up-and-coming CHAN stars like Kunle Odunlami and Ejike Uzoenyi, who were both on the bench in Atlanta.
What that means for the chances of experienced old- hands, like Joseph Yobo, remains to be seen, although the much-touted Ike Uche seems to be out of the loop after his disciplinary issues with Keshi last year.
We'll know more in May.
2 comments:
Another well written piece
Brilliant analysis
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