Charting a New Direction for Nigerian Football: The Goal Project

Following the failure to qualify for the Nations Cup, Nigerian football is once again challenged to look seriously at its shortcomings and find new mechanisms to generate sustainable growth in the system. In my opinion, the Nigeria Goal project has the potential to fundamentally change the domestic game from the grassroots upwards.

At its meeting on 1 May 2003, the FIFA Goal Bureau added Nigeria to the list of beneficiaries of the Goal Programme. FIFA then constituted a team from the Goal Bureau led by Cameroonian, Jean Manga to review Nigeria’s plans under this laudable programme. The indication by the NFF was that it wanted to concentrate on youth football and intended to intensify its efforts in this area.

The NFF proposed to establish regional centres as a base for recruiting and training the best players in the various age groups. Before these centres are put in place, it was planned that coaches will be educated in preparation for their role as talent scouts. However, there was no indication in the plan how these coaches would be trained.

The weakness of this approach was obvious from the start. The truth is that the main promoters of grassroots youth football in Nigeria lie outside the NFF and state federations.

Grassroots football in Nigeria is alive and well by virtue of its non-reliance on government subsidies. There is however a glaring shortage of qualified coaches, equipments, including playing surfaces, and requisite programs for proper training and monitoring of youth footballers.

More importantly, there is a lack of coordination of programmes and harmonization of training methodology to avoid a situation where academies exist merely to facilitate the sale of players abroad.

To simply construct regional centres does not begin to address the needs of this crucial sub-sector of Nigerian football.

1. First there is need to put in place, a structure within the NFF for collaborating with the youth leagues, associations and clubs that proliferate in such cities as Lagos, Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Aba, Benin, Warri, etc. An easy solution might be to adopt the organizational framework of the Pepsi Academy, and site the Regional Centres at their principal locations. It would then require that all other youth organizations be given the same access to these facilities and its resources. It is suggested as follows:

1. Establish a youth department at the NFF with requisite infrastructure
2. Mandate all grassroots associations and youth clubs to register with the department, AT NO COST; providing basic information on club and especially the bio-data of players, programs, etc. this will need to be phased, starting with Lagos and moving progressively to other cities.
3. Through consultation, synchronize the competition calendar of the grassroots programmes and clubs across the various regions and then nationally.

Thus, the primary goal of this department would be to serve as a coordinating body for youth football in Nigeria, streamlining calendars, facilitating the use of the Centres, providing coaches and other technical resources, and maintaining a database. The implication of this is that the actual implementation of the programmes for youth football will remain with the promoters of grassroots football. This is crucial, as government intervention through the NFF will ultimately destroy this fledgling sub-sector of our football.

2. Establish the Goal Project’s national technical centre (NTC) as the primary institutional basis for the program. In my opinion, the Regional Centres can only be successful if a strong NTC is first put in place with requisite infrastructure. But more importantly, the NTC needs to be established as a training centre for producing youth team coaches who can then be deployed to the regional centres to identify and train talented youths in their regions, and recommend the best prospects to the national level.

To build regional centres without addressing key programmatic issues in the youth sub-sector just does not cut it. In the end, such regional centres will join several other white elephant projects that have been abandoned and today litter the Nigerian landscape.

The Nigeria Goal Project needs to be restructured as a vehicle for sustainable development of youth football in Nigeria. More importantly, a program needs to be effectively put in place, involving the key drivers of the youth football sub-sector in Nigeria, so that the regional centres are able to truly address the needs for which they are created.

3. Thirdly, the Project should seek the assistance of the FIFA Goal Committee in funding the recruitment of a technical partner to run the programme. Such a coach should be one that is experienced in developmental programmes of this nature, and many are available that can be recommended by the FIFA Technical department. A good place to look for such a coach would be the Ajax Academy or the Brazilian Academy.

4. With the technical partner and in consultation with the youth clubs, streamline and adopt a synchronized training regime, including formation for all youth clubs and national teams, from U-17 to the U-23..

5. Develop a system of incentives and support services for the clubs, including playing kits. The Adidas contract should have a provision through which to fund this, and indeed other aspects of this programme. If one does not exist, then requisite sponsorship for such should be developed.

6. As stated earlier, through the FIFA Goal Bureau, the NFF should use the Goal Project to recruit an experienced foreign coach as a technical partner, primarily to develop and execute the programs of the NTC, along the lines of the recent recommendation of its technical committee.

7. In addition to this, the NFF should invoke the relevant section of the CAF ‘Contract with Africa’ and develop a funding proposal to CAF to finance the administration of this program.

8. The Technical Director should, in addition to his primary responsibilities, also provide technical assistance to the senior national team, and assume a back-room advisory role during such tournaments as the Africa Nations Cup and the World Cup. This way, the direct day to day management of the national team is left with a local coach who is made to grow with the team.

9. But more importantly, this initiative requires that Nigeria invest in a new generation of coaches, with emphasis on players with experience of European football as well as others with demonstrated ambition to excel in the profession. However for each of these ex-footballers, a minimum qualification should be the CAF or UEFA license, which can be secured even while on the job, but subject to a specified deadline. The CAF ‘Contract with Africa’ and its coaching program offers the best prospects for enhancing the capability of coaches already involved in youth football, and streamlining youth coaching under this program.

Changes in the management of football, including the transfer system resulting from the Bosman ruling in Europe has made the entry level into the European league much more difficult than a few years ago. The availability of quality players from Eastern Europe has further restricted the availability of places for African players. The result is that too many of our talented players are forced to remain in the lower leagues of Europe in such places as Malta, Albania, Latvia, Cyprus, with many ultimately lost to the game.

The long term future of Nigerian football therefore lies in developing the domestic game, especially at the youth level.

Nigeria-Zambia: Good Result, Poor Performance

It has been said before that football is a funny old game. To that I will add that football always tells you the truth. What part of it you choose, is your own 'selenge', to borrow a Nigerian slang..

In his second game in charge, Nigeria overcame a hardworking Zambian team 2-0. You can look at the final result and shout 'uhuru', with some legitimacy, I might add. In the end football is about results.

But you could also look further, and legitimately too. You could, while accepting the result (thank you very much) look at the relative ease with which Zambia dominated Nigeria in midfield and the attempt to address this without much success by the coaching crew and be concerned. Afterall a team doesn't become bad in one day. It becomes bad from repeated failure to address a festering sore.

Whereas against Botswana, the Super Eagles faced the challenge of overcoming a team which opted to standoff in midfield, retreat into a deep defensive shape and counterattack, today the challenge was how to deal with a proactive, aggressive team, which opted to repeatedly pressure the ball all over the field, winning back the ball again and again and dominating play.

Nigeria started the game, like Zambia in a 4-3-3 formation. While its execution might vary from team to team, the whole concept of the 4-3-3 is based on an aggressive, proactive and fluid approach, with the three lines used to constantly pressure the opponent.

In deploying a 4-3-3, Stephen Keshi's team suprisingly lacked a proactive approach, with wide gaps between the lines, and the defence sitting deep. The front trio hardly pressured the opponent, allowing Zambia time and space to play out of defence. The lack of pressure and fluidity in movement in midfield allowed Zambia to consistently find the extra man to execute triangles in central midfield, or deliver the outlet ball to the fullbacks pushing forward unchallenged.

Defensively, the inability of the flank players to play in the non-possession phase, left the fullbacks completely exposed, with undefended zones on the inside and outside.

The coaching crew recognized this early, and switched to a 4-4-2, with Ogude making way for Uche. Sadly this switch would worsen the situation, with Uche making little impact until his brilliant individual effort for the second goal.

In my considered opinion, Nigeria currently lack the personnel to execute the modern 4-4-2 formation and successfully maintain the defensive integrity of the team, especially in wide areas in the non-possession phase. As in the last game, Kalu Uche continues to play in only one phase of the game. While his goal was well taken, especially in terms of his positioning, he contributed nothing in the non-possession phase, which allowed Zambia to repeatedly push Musonda up, or execute a triangle around Taiwo, with Mbesuma dropping wide and often behind the left back.

The overall effect was that our game lacked clear definition in terms of movement, passing and support systems, with Emenike and Obi at one point running into each other with the Zambian goal at their mercy.

On the offense, the attacking game was being developed almost entirely on the ability of players, especially Musa, to win 1v1 duels, with very little corresponding movement being made around him, either to pull defenders out or present multiple options beyond the crossed ball. Again and again, the team retreated to the familar long ball for an isolated Emenike to chase, with little support from the midfield or widebacks.

In defensive midfield, the familar weaknesses of Etuhu were self evident, repeatedly losing possession as Zambia pressed the ball, and failing to provide cover, either for the centerback who is drawn out of defence, or even to cover the zones behind the fullbacks. In a 4-3-3 formation, the central player in the midfield trio, among other things, provides cover for the defence in winning back the ball, as well as provide a continuing outlet to enable rapid ball circulation. He did neither.

Let there be no misunderstanding though. This is not about playing pretty patterns without cutting edge in the final third. Its about organization and efficiency.

But the good news is that these are early days and a victory such as this can only breed confidence moving forward.

Verdict:

Nigeria: A festering sore can be papered over and still look good. But it won't stop it from decaying on the inside. Good result, poor performance...

Interesting cameo for Ugo Ukah, with his resemblance of Uche Okechukwu. Hope to see more.....

Zambia: Could have and should have done a lot more with its territorial dominance. Result reinforces the stereotype of the typical Zambia team that is easy on the eye, but lacking cutting edge in the final third.

NIGERIA: 1. Vincent ENYEAMA (Ejide); Efe AMBROSE (Okonkwo), Taye TAIWO, Joseph YOBO (c), Dele Adeleye (Ugo Ukah); Dickson Etuhu, Fengor OGUDE (Ike Uche), Joel OBI; Kalu UCHE (Nosa Igiebor), Ahmed Musa, Emmanule Emenike (Jude Aneke)

ZAMBIA: K Mweene, F Kasonde, S Sunzu, N Mulenga, J Musonda, C Katongo, W Njobvu, F Katongo, C Mbesuma, E Mayuka, R Kalaba

POSTSCRIPT:

Following the game, coach Stephen Keshi commented as follows:

“(Against Zambia) we lost the midfield because Fegor (Ogude) was injured and had to go off. Etuhu was fagged out from playing two games in three days and there was no replacement,” he disclosed while assuring on the defence..

“I had like 10 strikers today and I was looking for midfielders to play but I couldn’t find them. I can’t put a striker on as a midfielder.

“I need to have the numbers of players in every department that will allow me change players if one is not doing well. Today I could not do it. I was trying to juggle with it. I won’t overhaul the team, but I will make sure that for every 18 or 25 we get to camp, there are twins in every position.” Link

All due respects to coach Keshi, especially recognizing that he did not select the squad and had not been hired when the list for the two friendlies was published, but this is an incorrect assessment.

First, Zambian domination in midfield began long before the departure of Ogude and was a product of the effectiveness of their pressing system, the weakness of Nigeria in possession, and the poor tactical organization of the team. If the team was indeed tired from playing two games in three days, he still had the option of adjusting the spacing of the players and the tempo of the game.

Second, Keshi did indeed put on a striker for a midfielder in bringing in Ike Uche for the injured Fengor Ogude.

Third, he did have Hapoel Tel Aviv central midfielder Nosa Igiebor on the bench and could've introduced him much earlier.

Fourth, he had the additional option of Dynamo Kyiv midfielder, Yusuf Ayila, who plays multiple positions in midfield and defence.

But overall, his point about the lack of balance in the squad is right on the money. I am not sure however if you necessarily need two players in every position to achieve the versatility that he desires.

Nigeria-Botswana Match Review

1. Stephen Keshi in his first game earns a goalless draw with Botswana. He starts the game by resorting to a 4-4-2 formation, with Dickson Etuhu and Fengor Ogude in central midfield, as well as Joel Obi and Kalu Uche in right and left midfield respectively. He would revert to a 4-3-3 with the departure of Ehiosun and Kalu in the second half.

2. Predictably Nigeria dominated possession for long periods and as expected, Botswana defended deep, with numbers and shape, and with five players strung across midfield.

3. In terms of tactical organization the Zebras appeared well ahead of Nigeria and more comfortable in their approach, as they should be, considering Keshi is only just beginning the search for his best formation and players.

4. While manager Stanley Tshosane must take comfort in Botswana's defensive performance, his counterattacking strategy fell well short. While it had pace, with multiple players breaking out of defence, the quality of movement, hold-up play and passing was pedestrian, and left the Nigerian defence untroubled for much of the match. The result was that a central defensive pairing lacking pace on the left was barely tested...

5. On the Nigerian side, the ultimate test in this match was always going to be in attack rather than defence. It was always going to come down to the performance of the team in the final third, and how to address the challenge of creating quality chances in the face of a packed defence.

6. While several chances were created in open play, especially in the first half, they were either not taken, saved by the goalkeeper or stopped by some last ditch defending.

7. Again predictably, Nigeria's best chances came from wide play, with Taiwo repeatedly able to stretch play on the left. Conversely, the right side produced little, hamstrung by Ambrose's limitations as a fullback, and the curious decision to play Joel Obi in right midfield.

8. As an attacking threat in the first half, Ike Uche's movement in dropping into the hole behind Botswana's midfield, repeatedly troubled the Zebras, and provided the hold-up play that enabled Taiwo push forward, wide on the left.

9. Sadly there was little corresponding movement either from his strike partner Ehiosun or from midfield in pushing into the box, especially from Kalu. This would change briefly in the second half on the entry of Nosa Igiebor, but his initial control would let him down when presented with an opportunity.

10. The second half would produce more of the same, with Ahmed Musa's entry typically bringing new energy from the flanks, as well as clear signs of improvement in his final delivery. Nigeria must find more creative ways of using Ahmed Musa, rather than have him simply run down the flanks.

11. His pace, technique and overall dynamism is a powerful tool in unbalancing a deep and well structured defence. The challenge for Nigeria is to explore ways to bring greater creativity in the design of play around him and especially to constantly vary the zones in which Musa recieves the ball as well as deploy his pace in attacking the deep over the top ball, from the blind side of the centerbacks.

12. In midfield, the use of four natural midfielders (depending on how you class Kalu Uche), including the physical dominance of Dickson Etuhu and Fengor Ogude, brought increased balance to the Nigerian team. However, and as aforementioned, the decision to use Joel Obi on the right constrained creativity, with the occassional tilt of team shape towards the left as his natural instincts pulled him centrally. What is more, his absence on the left, often led to the zone behind Taiwo vulnerable to the counterattack.

13. Overall the formation and especially the presence of Dickson Etuhu and Fengor Ogude offered greater defensive integrity in the non-possession phase. However, suprisingly, given their dominance, the team opted not to press high upfield, a factor which kept Botswana in the game as a counterattacking threat. The Nigerian team remains vulnerable to the counterattack.

14. Conversely, while Nigeria dominated possession in central midfield, it offered little as an attacking threat from this zone in the final third. The switch of formation to a 4-3-3 would increase fluidity, but except for the aforementioned effort of Nosa Igiebor, there appeared to be no design for players to push into the last third from central midfield, which in turn left the team one dimensional in attack. This is hoping Nosa gets more playing time in the team as he offers a different dynamic.

Verdict:

Nigeria: A work in progress. Dissapointed not to see NPL hotshot Jude Aneke; hopefully next game...

Botswana: Will prove difficult to beat at the ANC, and if they iron out the kinks on the counterattack, could raise a few eyebrows.

 

 

NIGERIA: 1. Vincent ENYEAMA 13. Yusuf AYILA 3. Taye TAIWO 2. Joseph YOBO (c) 5. Efe AMBROSE; 20. Dickson Etuhu, 6. Fegor OGUDE 4. Joel OBI 12. Kalu UCHE; 15. Ike UCHE 17. Ekigho EHIOSUN

SUBS: 16. Austin EJIDE 7. Brown IDEYE 9. Emmanuel EMENIKE 10. Jude ANEKE 11. Nosa IGIEBOR 14. Dele ADELEYE 18. Ahmed MUSA 19. Gege SORIOLA 21 Elderson ECHIEJILE 22. Ugo UKAH

From Siasia to Keshi: Past, Present and Future of the Super Eagles

Twelve months and six days after the hiring of Samson Siasia, Nigeria has a new coach in Stephen Keshi, former national team captain and the progenitor of the most successful generation of Nigerian footballers.

Congratulations to Stephen 'The Big Boss' Keshi....

I first met Stephen Keshi as one of his legion of fans in Benin while in the company of a friend, the late Bunmi Akinpelumi, one of the best human beings I ever had the privilege of meeting. Since then I have followed both his playing and coaching career.

He arrives on the job with experience from coaching Togo and Mali, each of which he led to the ANC. He also brings to the assignment considerable leadership qualities and a large personality which should hold him in good stead in working with both players, administrators and the media.

He inherits a team which, although it failed to qualify for the ANC, is in much better stage of development than his predecessor was bequeathed. Overall he inherits a younger team, a more mobile and faster team, and which creates more chances per game than previously.

In midfield, several key young players have been integrated into what was a staid and stale midfield, such as Joel Obi and Fengor Ogude and Ahmed Musa; while in attack, both Ideye Brown and Emenike are fast settling into the team. With FIFA's approval of change in nationality petition, both Victor Moses and Shola Ameobi are now available to the Super Eagles, while the Arsenal protege Chuks Aneke has signified interest.

Conversely, the team continues to struggle in defence, with Efe Ambrose inconsistent in central defence, the right back position still lacking in quality players, while in goal, there is little competition for places.

In terms of recruitment of players not enough effort is being made to ensure the availability of diaspora Nigerians for selection, with Angelo Ogbonna now committed to Italy and the cases of Leverkusen midfielder Sidney Sam and Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha now stalled.

As stated in several articles here, the team continues to show clear evidence of a tactical imbalance with poor organization in the non-possession phase of the game, especially in wide areas. In possession the team is not nearly strong enough, with players repeatedly losing possession in dangerous areas and at key moments of the game.

This is the team Stephen Keshi inherits as Super Eagles head coach with the Nations Cup competition and World Cup quater-finals as his benchmarks. While the NFF and its Technical Department deserve commendation for the timeliness of its decision making and willingness to hold coaches accountable, you have to wonder about the wisdom behind setting short term targets for a team that requires fundamental change. But time will tell...

If the evidence of history is an indication of the future, Keshi's past record in coaching Togo and Mali provide us with enough body of work to assess the future of the Super Eagles under him.

When a team plays it leaves tactical footprints on the ground which provide a window into the mind of its coach. In both countries, the tactical organization of Keshi's teams appeared loosely cobbled together and lacked both clear intent and detail.

In attack, the movement of players looked haphazard, and especially with Mali, there seemed a lack of clear definition in the movement of players in the attacking third in support of top striker Freddie Kanoute.

In midfield, the team looked diffident where it had the players to be much more proactive, especially in the non-possession phase. Likewise in defence, on loss of possession the team was neither organized into a defensive shield nor did it push up to execute a high pressing system. The defensive formation was not zonal an appeared to be based on man marking.

The lack of clear tactical organization was especially painfully obvious in the 0-2 home loss to a depleted Ghanaian team in the 2010 world cup qualifiers.

But at the same time, both his teams appeared highly motivated, the best example being Togo's world cup qualifying team around which a huge national fervor had developed, and which he Keshi had tapped from in developing team spirit.

The challenges before him in rebuilding the Super Eagles are as follows:

1. How best to address the tactical imbalance in the formation of the Super Eagles, especially by identifying the most appropriate formation for the team and the players who are best suited to execute play within such a tactical framework.

Samson Siasia's 4-2-3-1 was repeatedly compromised by its use of three forwards in front of two deep lying central midfielders and had the occassional tendency to morph into a 4-2-4, with the players lacking the tactical discipline and work rate to ensure the defensive integrity of the team in the non-possession phase. The most obvious culprit in this regard was Obinna Nsofor whose lack of game intelligence (even with his talent) is at times physically painful to watch!

2. Determine how best to reinforce Siasia's efforts at recruiting new players, especially from amongst the diaspora Nigerians, as well as the NPL, both for the short and long term period.

This would include the urgent need to:

- develop new options at central defence by trying out new players using the FIFA window for international friendlies.

- bring greater competition to the goalkeeping position and develop new options such as Carl Ikeme at Middlesboro.

- identify new options for the right back with the talent and quality to make a successful transition to international football.

3. Determine how best to integrate the best prospects from both the last U20 team and the current U-23 team into the Super Eagles.

4. Determine how best to ensure professionalism in both the players and technical staff as well as the administrators whose work directly impact the on-field performance of the team.

As I said here, the sad reality is that a Nigerian-born coach of the Super Eagles is not accorded the same respect and deference as his foriegn counterpart. He thus must fight for his right to succeed at his job; he must show clear evidence of knowledge of the game to be able to win the confidence of his players, either directly or through his team of assistants.

The biggest challenge for Keshi is thus to ensure professionalism in his management of the Super Eagles, including the performance of his assistants, some of whom it has to be said, bear doubtful competencies.

Why is City Trying Kolo Toure?

This is what we know for a fact:

1. Kolo Toure was found guilty of using a banned substance.

2. He was subsequently banned by the English FA for 6-months, beginning in March and has thus completed his punishment.

3. His ban was limited to six months where the FA could've banned him for up to two years, having recognized the infraction to be the product of a genuine mistake, and was neither a performance enhancing drug or an attempt by him to mask drug use.

4. What is more, he had excellent character references from his previous club Arsenal, including Arsene Wenger (Link).

5. According to a report in the Daily Star, the suspicion is that the club's action is motivated by fear of a backlash from Carloz Tevez's camp. 

6. Indeed no less a person as PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor has expresses suprise at City's decision to hold a hearing on this issue:

“We presented the fact that the FA could have given him two years but only gave him six months because they took into account that it was a genuine mistake and not performance-enhancing or a diuretic to mask drug-taking.

“He also had excellent character references from Arsenal and a number of other players.

“It just seems strange that after being welcomed back to the club, reinstated as captain for Carling Cup matches, that someone has come up with this hearing.

“Instead of sending out a message that this is someone who has made a mistake and served his punishment already, they are now taking action against him again (Link).

7. It seems truly strange that having stood by Kolo Toure to the extent of fully honoring his contract during his suspension that Manchester City would now turn round to slap the player with a disciplinary hearing with the possibility of a hefty fine or loss of image rights. Such an under-handed action is especially odious given the fact the PFA is powerless to intervene as the case involves a failed drugs test.

8. So I ask again: 'why is Manchester City trying Kolo Toure?

9. Form is temporary, class is permanent...

What Next for Nigerian Football?

The NFF has just fired Samson Siasia from his position as coach of the Super Eagles. Based on his contract and the minimum expectation from this contract, the decision is understandable. However in the full evidence of performance data and the big picture perspective, I am left with no conclusion but the fact that this was the wrong decision. But such is the nature of football, and coaches come and go.

The good news here though, is that the Federation has established the will to enforce a minimum performance standard.

However, as I explained here, there were two issues involved in the failure of Samson Siasia as coach of the Super Eagles. One is technical, the other is administrative.

While the NFF by its decision has dealt with the first, not suprisingly, no mention is made of the administrative failures that led to Nigeria dropping points in Guinea and Addis Ababa. I say this not to provide an alibi for Siasia, but a protective shield for the new coach, especially if the Federation as expected decides to continue with Nigeria-born coaches.

The bad news though is that the Federation has put itself in the same tight rope that a referee who begins issuing yellow cards from the first minute finds himself in, and would inevitably face pressure to sack any coach who fails to meet the minimum standards set in his contract, irrespective of any valid countervailing issues...

If the history of the Federation is anything to go by, it could be six months before a substantive coach is hired, with a caretaker coach handling the next couple of games and perhaps leaving the new coach to start from the very same hole that Siasia was made to begin with.

In sacking Samson Siasia, the options going forward appear to immediately center around Stephen Keshi and Sunny Oliseh. But there is always the possibility of the Federation hiring a foreign coach. 

Of the two, Keshi brings greater experience from coaching Togo and Mali. He also brings considerable leadership qualities and a power to motivate, as well as I suspect, a greater ability to 'work within existing structures'. But having watched his teams closely, there is a consistently worrying lack of detail in the tactical organization of his teams. In many ways he reminds me of Mike Singletary, whom followers of American football will know was the last coach of the San Francisco 49ers. A top, top player in his active days, he brought to the job and his players the demand and expectation of a high performance standard that he was never able to teach or communicate, and was left stranded on the sidelines screaming in frustration at his players.

On the other hand without the benefit of a prior coaching experience, Sunny Oliseh can only be evaluated on potential. As a player he had game intelligence, he understood the tactical aspects of the game and was a model professional. As a captain he expected and demanded minimum professional standards from both players and officials, a position which cost him a world cup place in 2002. To these he has added a UEFA coaching license. How all this will play out on the ground is anyone's guess. In my opinion, he and Siasia currently represent the two best prospects from the class of  '94. But unlike Siasia, he brings no prior experience of coaching within the dysfunctional and unprofessional environment of Nigerian football, which maybe a good or bad thing, depending on the angle you look at it from.

The decision to sack Samson Siasia leaves Nigerian national team football at a crossroad. For the NFF, going forward, the decision is whether to continue with local coaches or seek a foreign coach.

If they choose the former, the major lesson from Siasia's tenure is that the Federation must make a conscious effort to provide the enabling environment for our young coaches to succeed. The NFF must empower these young coaches to enhance their control of the players, not undermine it. The Technical Committee should use its position to provide scientific data to enhance the performance of the coach not constitute itself to be a screening body for evaluating a coach's team lists. And all of us must reconcile ourselves to the fact that these young coaches will have to grow on the job and will need time to establish control of their team and imprint their ideas.

The Class of '94 ex-footballers represent our only real opportunity to develop a cadre of top coaches. As footballers, their playing experience constitutes a far stronger basis on which to build a coaching career as compared to their homebased counterparts, even accounting for other important factors.

For many of these ex-footballers, the reality is that our national teams represent the only real opportunity to build a coaching career. The reality is that few European teams will readily give our ex-players the opportunity to learn the profession and build a coaching career. And even where an opportunity arises, they often get shut down by pre-existing prejudices as we saw with Mike Emenalo at Chelsea. Ordinarily, the NPL should present a ready platform. However anyone with a basic knowledge of our domestic game will know that as presently constituted, the Nigerian football club is not organized for the development of football, footballers or coaches. It is organized for the enrichment of the politicians affiliated to it and their hangers on masquerading as administrators.

For these young coaches, there needs to be the clear understanding that there are no shortcuts to professionalism in coaching. They need to understand that in the Nigerian setup where, with the average foreign coach everyone falls in line, from players to officials, the same courtesy will not be afforded them. They will have to fight for their right to be successful, the right to control their own players or select them, understanding that compromise is the path to mediocrity.

Should the NFF instead decide on a foreign coach, I would urge them to give considerable thought to changing our overall approach to recruiting foreign coaches, by instead hiring a foreign technical director, preferably from Dutch football. Such a coach should be given a much broader mandate than simply coaching the Eagles to include the redevelopment of Nigerian youth football through the Goal Project. His responsibilities should also include supervision of all youth national teams to enable him provide hands-on guidance to our young coaches. Such a process should enable us provide a viable path and support system for our young coaches to enhance their skills under the guidance of an experienced coach.

I will be discussing the redevelopment of youth football in much greater detail in subsequent write-ups.

Siasia and the Super Eagles: Crossroads or Stalemate?

I believe it was Chief Onigbinde who once said that the problem with Nigeria is that we never truly analyze or successes or failures and therefore never really learn the right lessons or apply the right solutions. The result is that we have the dubious distinction of having hired a total of twelve coaches in eleven years.

 

 

On the surface of it, it would appear that our problems are rooted in the lack of continuity, an arguement currently being advanced by those in support of retaining Samson Siasia. I disagree!

 

 

In my opinion, our problem is not simply a lack of continuity but inability to correctly diagnose our problems, including our successes and our failures and thus apply the right solutions. Continuity for its sake is meaningless. There has to be evidence of improvement on which to base the expectation of continued growth. Continuity is what kept Amodu on the job even on the clear evidence the Eagles were not growing in spite of the positive results. On the contrary failure to correctly diagnose the problems of the team and in a timely manner led to the horrendous mistake of sacking the said coach on the eve of the world cup.

 

 

Going by the published comments of some members of the NFF's technical committee, the conclusion from Nigeria's failure to qualify for the ANC  is the enforcement of the appropriate clause in Siasia's contract and perhaps a recommendation for the hiring of a new coach.

 

 

But let us review the ANC qualifiers and the management of our football after the world cup:

 

 

1. Nigeria's last match at the world cup in South Africa was a 2-2 draw against South Korea on June 22, 2010.

 

 

2. Three months later, the ersthwhile coach Lars Lagerback is not replaced and Nigeria begins the ANC qualifiers in Calabar with Austin Eguavoen as caretaaker coach, defeating Madagascar 2-0 on September 11, 2010.

 

 

3. One month later Nigeria's suspension from international football is rescinded in time for the second qualifier with Eguavoen still as caretaker. Under a cloud of uncertainty and near chaos, Nigeria loses to Guinea in Conakry on October 10, 2010.

 

 

4. It would be another month before a substantive coach, Samson Siasia is appointed on November 4, 2010. At this time Nigeria is 3 points behind Guinea in the qualifiers.

 

 

5. Perhaps because nobody was focussed on it, a FIFA friendlies window would  pass by on November 17, 2010 with Nigeria playing no match. It would be four months before the next FIFA date!

 

 

6. The result was that 9 months had elapsed from the conclusion of the World Cup, before a substantive national team coach was appointed by the NFF. Nine months!

 

 

7. Nine months had passed before our coach had his first training session with his players, three points behind in the qualification table! March 26, 2011 Nigeria beat Ethiopia 4-0 on an Abuja stadium pitch that appeared unfit for grazing cattle!

 

 

8. Three months later on June 5, 2011 Nigeria met Ethiopia again. As I had written here the travel arrangements for this match was botched. Speaking to SuperSports.com Siasia attributed the laboured performance of the team to jetlag, saying that "the travelling plan, which was supposed to last four hours, claimed an additional three hours, leaving the players with little time to rest before the game". So the players got there jetlagged...". The match ended 2-2 and Nigeria fell further behind to Guinea.

 

 

9. After the match, the team's media officer commented as follows: "For the next game, all concerned are in agreement that the arrangements need to be better...".

 

 

10. That next match, with better travel arrangements took place in Madagascar on September 4, 2011. Nigeria won 2-0.

 

 

A review of our ANC qualifying series shows that the games in which Nigeria dropped points were in Conakry, Addis Ababa and the final match against Guinea in Abuja. The first two of these games was marred by administrative screw ups by the NFF, while Siasia lost the third.

 

 

In football there are no guarantees. Nobody can tell if Nigeria would've won in Ethiopia with better travel arrangements. But there is overwhelming evidence that the better prepared a team is, the greater its chances for success. 

 

 

Administrative screw ups have consequences. It is therefore the height of folly to see members of the NFF technical committee like Paul Bassey and Ikpeme speak about enforcement of the relevant clause in Siasia's contract instead of providing the Board of the Federation a technical analysis of the current state of the Super Eagles and a scientific basis on which to make informed decisions.

 

 

The issues before Nigeria going forward with respect to Siasia and the Super Eagles is neither legal nor contractual. It is technical and administrative. Similarly, the case for retaining Siasia is not simply about continuity

 

 

Nigeria does not have a reservoir of top managers in football. If anything the quality of coaches has declined steadily since the days of Dan Anyiam. Many years ago while writing in the Guardian Newspapers, I observed that  a new generation of Nigerian coaches would only emerge with the retirement of the 1994 Eagles and their transition to coaching. Samson Siasia and Sunny Oliseh in my opinion represent the most promising of this group at the moment.

 

 

Their transition to top level management will come with bumps along the road. The challenge before Nigeria is thus two fold: persevere with these young coaches and create the enabling conditions for them to grow or hire a foreign coach.

 

 

From the events unfolding about Siasia's tenure, I fear that the careers of these two young coaches might be destroyed before they had time to make a mark in coaching, as a result of our inability to create an enabling environment for them to grow.

Nigeria vs Ghana: A Severe Case of Tactical Imbalance

A poor game mercifully came to an end in the 89 minute. Even referee Mark Clattenburg appeared tired of the tedium...

Ghana dominated in midfield for large parts, evidence of superior team chemistry and the GFA's wisdom in maintaining consistency in playing philosophy even while changing coaches, but with little cutting edge in the final third, save for the brilliant slide pass from Asamoah that Gyan wasted in the second half.

Early on Quincy Owusu troubled a Nigerian defence short on confidence, morale, and not a little pace. But his influence would decline as the game progressed. Some players flatter to decieve; Quincy simply flatters, having long lost the power to decieve!

Overall Ghana coach Goran Stevanovic should be the more satisfied of the two managers, having seen a string of fringe players in action, especially the young Massawudu Alhassan at left back, who appears a good prospect.

The Nigerian team again showed the fallacy in its 4-2-3-1 tactical formation, whose imbalance was repeatedly exposed by the cross-field diagonal pass, with acres of undefended space in wide areas.

The default defensive position of the wide forwards, Nsofor and Musa in the non-possession phase was to slide horizontally into central midfield, which then had them struggling to cover the wide areas when Ghana switched play to the flanks.

What is more, the use of another forward, Ike Uche in the middle of the trio behind the central striker produces another imbalance in the center of midfield and an undefended zone in front of the the two deep-lying central midfielders. In possession and on the offense, his performance was very good, but the role itself, compromises the defensive integrity of the team in the non-possession phase.

The issue here is not so much the use of attacking players as wide forwards and behind the central striker, but the role definition, work rate and tactical discipline of these players. The organization of the 4-2-3-1 under Siasia requires tremendous work rate from these players to maintain the tactical balance of the team. I am unconvinced that any of Nsofor, Musa, Obasi, Osaze or Uche can provide this on a consistent basis.

In my considered opinion, the options before Siasia is to transit to a 4-3-3 formation as I had recommended here.

Another option is to introduce a midfield player in the role behind the central striker, much like Steven Gerrard's role behind Fernando Torres at Liverpool a few years ago. However such a player must by nature have the turn of pace to maintain the  high tempo attacking game that Siasia seeks and that matches the qualities of our attacking players.

Nosa Igiebor could be a valuable player in this role. Another option would be John Chibuike at Rosenborg, who has experience in midfield and attack.

Moving on....to Ghana.

In football, as in most team sports, players are taught to have a short memory, and the best cure to a painful loss is often another match! So we move on to Ghana....

Let there be no misunderstanding though. Missing out on the ANC is a major, major blow to the rebuilding project, but it is not terminal. While the on-field mistakes that led to this failure belong squarely to Samson Siasia as coach, the reality is that there were other issues that meant that Nigeria was forced to play catch up from the beginning of the qualifiers. I say this with specific reference to the 'toll collectors' and clowns masquerading as a technical committee at the NFF.

Following the abysmal failure at the world cup, the NFF had more than sufficient time to appoint a substantive coach with ample time to begin rebuilding the team. They failed! Instead Austin Eguavoen was forced into the untenable situation of leading an ad hoc team to Conakry and a 1-0 loss. Then there is the debacle of the botched travel arrangements to Ethiopia which I had described here. 

Some football associations plan for success; ours seem irevocably committed to serving their self interest.

Lost in the current anger and dissapointment, is the fact that the Super Eagles is actually getting better. As Samson Siasia himself said, "the team has grown younger, we are tactically stronger, we play the ball quicker than before, we create more than 7 chances in every game and we have not failed to score more than two goals. Except for the friendly against Argentina (Link).

I completely agree! But we can do better, indeed must do better. To the millions of dissapointed Nigerian fans out there, "the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives...."

Ghana will start the friendly at Fulham's Vicarage Road the clear favorites, even without key players like Ayew and Prince Boateng. The GFA has done an outstanding job in building upwards, ensuring continuity, making the right decisions and sticking by it. The result is a Black Stars team that is able to reinvent itself with constant addition of new talent.

As usual the strength of the team remains in midfield and the tactical balance between offense and defence. Never been in recent years an explosive attacking team, its the ability to control games and the organization of the team in the non-possession phase that has sustained the success of the Black Stars team since 2005.

In defence, the game presents a great opportunity for the young Genoa defender Massawudu Alhassan who has a chance to challenge for the problematic left-back position in the absence of Daniel Opare. The rest of the selection represents a cast of regulars and squad players. Against Brazil, even before Opare's dismissal, the team had problems dealing with the rapid passing and movement of the Brazillian players, although the strength in defence was still visible.

On the Nigeria side, Ugo Ukah earns his first callup as Siasia evaluates new options in central defence, while Ekpo makes a return to the team after a credible cameo against Argentina.

Missing however is an invitation to the young right-back Terna Suswan who has broken into the starting team at Setubal. Without the ANC, a new sense of urgency is required in the invitation and trialing of new players.

A new attempt needs to be made to recruit the Manchester City right-back Nedum Onuoha as well as Sidney Sam at Leverkusen. There is a need for greater urgency in processing the nationality switch of Victor Moses and Shola Ameobi.

Even more important, a critical tactical problem remains the continued tendency of the team to give up undefended zones in wide areas, on the inside of the full-back in the non-possession phase, a direct consequence of the use of wide forwards with limited awareness of their defensive responsibilities, and a major factor responsible for Obinna Nsofor's continued backward slide in his club career from Inter Milan to Malaga, West Ham and now Spartak Moscow.

In goal, the reality is that Dele Ayenugba will probably never be a consistent high level performer, even with the occassional flashes of brilliant reflexes. What is more, there is not enough competition for places in the goalkeeping position. We need to begin to look seriously at new options, even when Enyeama returns. This would include Carl Ikeme of Middlesbrough and the young Dami Paul who had an outstanding tournament with the U-20 team.

Being a friendly, I look forward to seeing Nosa Igiebor, Odumadi and Ukah play prominent roles.

Prediction: A 2-0 Nigeria win, even with Osaze Odemnwigie's late withdrawal..Go Eagles!

Squad:

Ghana squad

Goalkeepers: Adam Larsen Kwarasey (Stromgodest) Daniel Agyei (Liberty Professionals)

Defenders: Massawudu Alhassan (FC Genoa) John Paintsil (Leicester City), Isaac Vorsah (TSG Hoffenheim), John Mensah (Olympique Lyon), Lee Addy (Red Star Belgrade)

Midfielders: Samuel Inkoom (FC Dnipro), Kwadwo Asamoah, Emmanuel Agyeman-Badu (Udinese), Sulley Muntari (Inter Milan) Anthony Annan (Vitesse Arnhem), Albert Adomah (Bristol City), Abu Mohammed (Stromgodest), Derek Boateng (FC Dnipro) Quincy Owusu-Abeyie (Panathinaikos FC)

Strikers: Asamoah Gyan (Al Ain), Prince Tagoe (Bursaspor) Dominic Adiyiah (Karsiyaka).

Nigeria Squad:

Goalkeepers: Austin Ejide (Hapoel Petah Tikva), Dele Aiyenugba (Bnei-Yehuda), Chigozie Agbim (Warri Wolves)

Defenders: Taye Taiwo (AC Milan), Joseph Yobo (Everton), Efe Ambrose (FC Ashdod),Elderson Echiejile (Sporting Braga), Chibuzor Okonkwo (Heartland FC), Dele Adeleye (Tavriya), Ugo Ukah (Widzew Lodz)

Midfielders: Joel Obi (Inter Milan), Mikel Obi (Chelsea), Fengor Ogude (Valerenga), Nosa Igiebor (Hapoel Tel Aviv), Nnamdi Odumadi (Torino), Emmanuel Ekpo (Columbus Crew)

Forwards: Kalu Uche (Neuchatel Xamax), Ikechukwu Uche (Granada), Osaze Odemwingie (West Bromwich Albion), Brown Ideye (Dynamo Kiev), Chinedu Obasi (Hoffenheim), Peter Utaka (OB Odense), Ahmed Musa (VVV Venlo), Emmanuel Emenike (Spartak Moscow), Obinna Nsofor (Locomotiv Moscow), Ekigho Ehiosun (Samsunspor)

Siasia: A Moment of Madness!

Well deserving of a.....

But by no means the sack!

Let us recount the events as it happened:

Deep in the game, with a 2-1 advantage, Samson Siasia decides to push on for a third goal which would ensure Nigeria finished above Guinea, in one of the most complicated and idiotic qualification guidelines ever designed by a football confederation, and one that only CAF and Hayatou have the special skills to pull out of their arses!

At this time he had the following attacking players on the pitch: Ahmed Musa wide on the right, Nsofor on the left, Emenike in the center and Ike Uche attacking just behind him. In otherwords he had FOUR attacking players on the pitch.

Simultaneously, Mikel Obi was pushing forward from deep in central midfield, and even Yobo was pushing into the opposition half with increasing regularity.

Then in his wisdom Siasia decides to bring on Ekigho Ehiosun for Joel Obi as the FIFTH attacking player in the team. What is worse, the team is not reshaped in midfield, Mikel continues to push forward, and the strikers begin to get in each others way!

Ironically, this is not the first time Siasia would make a move like this, which led me to some foray into his mindset. To understand Siasia's mentality here this is what his top assistant Simon Kalika had to say two years ago to Complete Sports:

I believe that what Samson has going for him is that he is not afraid and he is a good leader. He can decide to play six strikers in a game and is not scared to go against popular opinion if he believes it is right for what he wants.

His football philosophy, which is same as mine, is one of attacking but I admit that he has more guts than I do.

Samson can push so many players forward and I will be telling him that he can’t play so many players in front of the ball but he will say no, no, that he wants us to go for goals and that’s the only way we can win the game.
I remember one of the Olympic team’s qualifying games against Ghana in Abuja and we were losing two zero. Almost all 10 outfield players became attackers and we were able to win 3-2 in the end. LINK

The reality is that the ability to score is not necessarily a factor of how many forwards you can cram into a team.

At 2-1 Nigeria had a mathematical chance to qualify for the nations cup; conceding a tying goal wiped off this advantage. This should've been the primary factor that influenced the tactical decisions as the game drew to an end. If Joel Obi had tired, he could've reshaped his defence to bring Ogude into midfield, with Efe or Yobo moving to right-back and Adeleye coming on for the last few minutes.

Before this period Nigeria had controlled the game for long periods in the first half but lacked the finish and some cutting edge in the last third.

The use of Osaze in a somewhat free role in attack, allowed him ample opportunity to find or create space to recieve the ball, as well as constantly switch play and positions. Overall his movement was superb but he lacked decisiveness in the final third and was slow in recovering his defensive position in the non-possession phase.

However, the team played a little too narrow, especially on the right, which played into the hands of a Guinea team with numbers behind the ball in central areas. Some of this was due to the poor, poor performance of Obasi in both phases of the game. This is the second crucial game in Abuja that Obasi would fail to justify the confidence of his coaches!

What is more, repeated attempts at long balls over the top of the defence, seemed to force the issue where patience and a continuation of the passing game was required. Nearly 80 percent of successful counterattacks by Guinea resulted directly from failed attempts at the ball-over-the-top, especially from Mikel. The remainder resulted from allowing too much space between the defenders and the two central midfielders.

In wide areas, the poor defensive positioning of Obasi and Nsofor vis a vis the fullbacks in the non-possession phase often gifted Guinea space for the diagonal run from out wide.

But overall Nigeria dominated and should've killed off the game as a contest by halftime. At the start of the second half, the game was finely poised for the introduction of Uche and Musa, and both would make the vital difference. But the Guineans remained a threat on the counter, each time feeding off the Nigerian tendency to lose possession in critical areas or stages of the build-up process. Going forward, this has to be one of the biggest lessons of this game!

The result is that Nigeria misses out on the Nations Cup which should've been an important barometer for the Super Eagles rebuilding project.

Going forward, it is ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL that the NFF retain Samson Siasia as coach. In spite of the huge dissapointment in missing out on qualification, there are enough positives in the overall performance of the team to justify continuation.

It would be a monumental error to sack Siasia now and will set the country's football back a few years. If anything, I strongly recommend that the NFF Chairman, Aminu Maigari issue an immediate statement of support for Siasia and that the rebuilding project continues with greater vigor to the friendly against Ghana.

Lack of support for the coach will undermine his authority as coach and the gains made so far in building team harmony and discipline.

If the NFF takes the ill advised route of sacking Siasia, I guarantee that we would almost certainly be looking to appoint another journeyman European coach on the eve of an important tournament.

Samson Siasia: Management by Conflict?

...or simply a case of relentless ambition to succeed by a young coach looking to make his bones in the profession?

Even before he took over as Super Eagles coach, Siasia was reported to have clashed with Osaze and Anichebe at the Beijing Olympics and needed the intervention of the NFF to smoothen things over. And since becoming Super Eagles coach, there have been well publicized spats with Osaze, Etuhu and recently Vincent Enyeama.

A common trend in most of these conflicts is that they revolve around attempts by players to challenge the authority of the coach.

I have always been of the opinion that African players who are based in Europe typically leave their professionalism behind on their retrun journeys for national team assignments. Many of these players act out in manners that they would never dream of in their clubs. In some cases understandably so, it has to be said, as African FAs are notorious for poor management and total diregard for player welfare.

In the specific case of Siasia, my opinion is that these conflicts were always to be expected. The setup in the Nigerian team prior to his arrival required any serious coach with a semblance of professionalism and personal ambition to challenge an existing order that is based on the "golden bronze" mentality, where repeated 3rd place finishes or mere qualification for the world cup is seen as an achievement.

Indeed we have seen similar situations with Mancini repeatedly clashing with players (Adebaor, Bellamy, Tevez)  as he attempts to change the existing order at Manchester City. A similar situation is equally unfolding at Stamford Bridge as Andre Villas Boas attempts to change a long existing order at Chelsea, with Frank Lampard, a senior player venting his frustration recently.

However, no less a person as Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, has recently come out expressing his support for Mancini. "I think that Roberto Mancini has come out and shown his strength of character, his strength of management and I think that is important," said Ferguson. "We have all experienced our own difficulties in management and you cope with it as best as you can. In my own experience strong management is important and there is nobody more important than the manager at a football club." (Link) It is interesting that Ferguson did not question Mancini's man management, nor did he ask him to thread carefully for fear that his Board would abandon him.

The reality is that for too long, too many players have become too comfortable in their sense of indispensability, with every regard for self and too little for the team. The result as we saw especially under Amodu was a team with little regard for tactical organization or discipline, to the extent that it appeared sometimes that every outfield player had a free role! 'Big man football' had not only taken root, it was flourishing!

Against this background, any coach who sought to hold players accountable was bound to ruffle feathers in the Super Eagles. Especially if such a coach is not foreign! Much as I hate to say it, foreign coaches in Nigeria and many African countries, command much more respect, off and on the pitch than their local counterparts, from both players and officials. The reasons behind this are too long to go into here...

Respect they say is reciprocal. In football coaching especially, respect is earned or instituted. It is earned from superior knowledge or method of doing things, whether technical or simply management. Under such circumstance every new coach is typically tested by his players. For such a coach, the challenge is whether he has the convinction of his ideas to remain firm, yet fair in his dealings with players and to earn their trust rather than seek to force it. In this regard their is no one way and no approach is infallible.

The reality is that what we have in Samson Siasia is a young coach who is seeking to build a successful career as a top manager in the modern game in a country where there are no models to serve as a guiding light in the horizon. In this specific respect, Siasia is somewhat of a pioneer. Accordingly he will make his mistakes, and he will have to learn and grow from them. He will learn that things are never black or white, but the shades in between...That sometimes (not always) keeping things 'in-house' gives you the flexibility to manage conflicts without the parties adopting hardened positions or leaving collateral damage.

The challenge before all of us as fans and adminstrators is to recognize this reality. And having recognized it, the choice before us is to support and uplift Siasia with valid criticisms, so as to enable the emergence of a new cadre of professional local coaches, weaned in the culture of Nigerian football as players, and equipped with the professional knowledge and maturity that European experience offers.

The alternative is a return the status quo and the 'golden bronze' or worse still the nomadic european coach appointed on the eve of a major tournament.

Super Eagles: Lessons from Dhaka

1. This was always going to be a difficult match, not just because of the Super Eagles schedule in September or the high humidity of Dhaka, but for the simple fact that Argentina is on a higher level than Nigeria, at least at the moment.

2. Argentina's football may not be up there yet, but they can readily boast of not only having the best player in the world, but a plethora of world class players in multiple positions.

3. For this and a few other reasons, for me, the performance of the Super Eagles was always going to be more important than the result. In a game of two halves, the kindest thing that can be said of the team is that they lost the first half, woefully, and were forced to a tie in the second!

4. Irrespective of the absences of key players, and the physical condition of those who had played in the atrocious conditions of MADagascar, the basic organization of the team in the first half was beyond poor, with spacing between players inconsistent and hapharzard, and the tracking of opposition movement non-existent.

5. The familiar sight of a Nigerian team blissfully unaware of its responsibilities in the non-possession phase resurfaced, with Argentina repeatedly able to create a mismatch in numbers in midfield.

6. Even on the limited occassion of ball possession, the lack of movement and/or transition, ensured the team could hardly keep the ball.

7. With hapharzard organization, a defensive system that required the use of numbers to collapse around Messi in his 'trequartista' position and deny him room to build a head steam in his attacking forays, ended up merely providing an escort service!

8. The 'trequartista' position in front of the Nigerian defence thus became as open as the savanna plains in the Nigerian middlebelt, with all and sundry invited to freely forage!

9. With the defence playing square and the team unable to execute a high pressing game (understandable given the physical conditions), deep runners from midfield were repeatedly left unchallenged.

10. What is more, the two centerbacks somehow conspired to repeatedly allow an 'expressway' between them, which Higuain was more than happy to oblidge.

11. At left-back, woe was Echiejile, with everything elderly about his movement and positioning.

12. Upfront in attack, Ideye Brown had the unenviable task of the lone striker where the supply lines had drield out. Commendable as his effort was, Brown revealed himself as not our best option for a striker playing with back to goal.

13. When a team is struggling as we were in the first half, it behoves on the top striker to cleverly find positions from where to recieve the out ball, and the technical skills to retain it, so that the second phase of the build-up can begin. As I described here (Link), these are not Ideye's main strengths, which are evident when he is able to recieve the through ball in space, and recently especially wide left, from where to attack diagonally.

14. Second half adjustments by Siasia, including pushing up towards the ball in midfield, the overall team performance clearly revealed the potential of this team and how far Siasia's project can go if properly nutured.

15. It may be argued (with scant justification) that Argentina had pulled back in the second half, but it is without doubt the reshaping of the team in the non-possession phase that enabled it drastically reduce the influence of Messi, as well as improve in its passing game and share of possession.

16. The real value of games like this is that they enable you test yourself against the best, determine how far you have come and the length of the journey still to be travelled. Dhaka presented some very important lessons for the Super Eagles rebuilding project.

17. In defence, there were signs in the game that Efe Ambrose is starting to make the step up to international football. The real value of a centerback is in his ability to read the game and position himself accordingly. While Dele Adeleye remains for me the best physically equipped option in central defence, he remains incapable of reading opposition movement, relying almost entirely on his athleticism.

18. Samson Siasia is reported to have doubted the availability of better options in defence outside the squad, and signalled his readiness to invite any superior defender not presently in the team (Link). In that case let me remind him of the Torino FC captain and left-centerback, Angelo Ogbonna whom I had discussed here earlier (Link). He recently got invited to the Azurri even while playing in Serie B, but is still available as an option to be explored.

19. At right-back, Chibuzor Okonkwo needs to be commended for his tireless effort and then relegated to learn from the bench. His two-footed lunge was worthy of a red card! While I understand Siasia's position with respect to the Man City defender Nedum Onuoha, I believe it is time to revisit his involvement with the team. A senior player like Kanu Nwankwo can be very useful in this regard.  

Osaze’s Injury: Problem or Opportunity?

If every manager in the game used the unavailability of key players from injury or suspension as an excuse for an 8-2 drubbing at the hands of a major rival, there would not be accountability in football, and certainly no invention, as we would've killed its mother, necessity!

Barcelona started the new La Liga season with a spate of injuries and suspensions to key players in defence- Pique, Puyol, Maxwell, Adriano, Alves. This led Guardiola to field a team with only one, one natural defender, Eric Abidal in a 3-4-3 formation. The rest is a 5-0 drubbing of Villareal.

The optimist has a project, the pessimist, an excuse!

Osaze Odemnwigie is an important player for Nigeria. It emerged this week that he his ankle injury had recurred and would not be available for the Madagascar trip.

While there are multiple options available to the Nigerian coach, I have always thought that our use of two wide forwards like Ahmed Musa, Chinedu Obasi or Obinna Nsofor, has a recurring tendency of transforming an initial 4-2-3-1 to a 4-2-4 resulting from a lack of tactical discipline, thus weakning our game in central midfield.

While it is true that there are enough options to retain the current 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, the emergence of Ideye Brown and Emmanuel Emenike, equally gives us the option of playing a modern 4-4-2 formation, especially away from home. The idea is to field 4 natural midfielders, including Mikel and Ogude as central midfielders, with Joel Obi and Kalu Uche (or any of Musa and Igiebor) in left and right midfield respectively.

In possession, the two outside midfielders would stay wide to stretch the opposing defence, with the fullbacks expected to attack the zone between the opponent's fullback and centerback.

At the same time, the ablity of Brown and Emenike to attack from wide left and right respectively creates opportunity for a very fluid attacking system that allows the four midfielders to variously push into attacking positions in the last third of the field.

In the non-possession phase, it helps create a bank of four defensive players in front of the back four, limiting the space available to the opponent. In such a scenario, it even becomes possible to push the defensive line higher up the field as necessary, with three defenders, allowing the fourth play as a sweeper, especially if the opponent is playing with a lone forward.