Nigeria's ANC Challenge: The Midfield Options

As I stated here,  the key tactical challenge for Nigeria in midfield at the Africa Nations Cup (ANC) will revolve around the decision on who to sorround Mikel with in midfield .

 

There is little question that John Mikel Obi is Nigeria's best central midfielder.. While I have often criticized the direction of his development and personal ambition as a player, there is little doubt that even in the narrow, regimented role he has at Chelsea, when he is on top of his game, he plays at a very high level.

For the purpose of this article, the assumption of course is that Mikel's role in the Super Eagles mirrors his role at Chelsea and is accepted as fait accompli.

  

The challenge then is to achieve complementarity within this framework, first in the choice of players around him, and second in the identification and designation of roles between the holding player, the ball winner and the attacking/creative player, with the primary goal being to achieve tactical balance in midfield.
 

From the body of work of Steven Keshi so far, especially the two games against Liberia, it is clear that whatever formation he chooses, Nigeria must deploy a minimum of three central midfielders (or covering players) to be successful.

 

With Mikel Obi in a holding role, a ball winning midfielder, with box-to-box capability is needed. The players in competition for this spot include, Fengor Ogude, Reuben Gabriel, and Obiora Nwnakwo.

 

Of the three players, Fengor Ogude is recovering from injury and slated to return later this month. But with the Norwegian Tippeligaen now past Week 26, there are only four more weeks left for him to be involved in competitive league football. This is probably not enough for a player returning from a long term injury, and who in a tournament will be expected to play multiple games within a week.

 

On the other hand Reuben Gabriel is reported to be sidelined for three months with a groin complaint Source. With the Nigerian season over, its clear Reuben, like Ogude, will not be available for the Nations Cup, which leaves the team with Obiora Nwankwo.

 

Since leaving Inter Milan in 2010 to Parma, initially on loan, Obiora Nwankwo's career has nosedived steadily and precipitously. In nearly one year at Parma (2010/2011-2011/2012) he would play a total of two games for 64mins, and was subsequently loaned to Gubbio, where he appeared to pick up his career, making 18 appearances last season. Having returned to Parma at the end of the season, he was again loaned to Padova his current club, where he has played just three games, all as subs, for a total of 63mins, including a five minute cameo against Reginna, a match in which Daniel Adejo got a late winner...

 

The reason I have gone in detail about Nwankwo's career is to show proof of the potential risk for the Super Eagles in being dependent on a player who is not only playing at a lower level, but is simultaneously lacking in regular games.

Let there be no misunderstanding. Obiora Nwankwo is talented. However his development as a player has stalled. Ditto for Raheem Lawal who now plays in the Turkish second division.

Technically, Nwankwo lacks the speed and verticality to be effective in a high pressing game or the tactical awareness to read opposing movements. In any case, such tactical awareness is Mikel's stronger point. 

If he is retained in the current Super Eagles, the best use that can be made of him is perhaps in a deep role in front of the back four. A rigorous ANC camp will be of great value to this player.

On the basis of these identified weaknesses the recent decision by the team's handlers to look seriously at additional options like Ramon Azeez is wellcome.

The problem though is that Azeez has not been regular for Almeria II, the B-team of an Almeria team that plays in the second division of the spanish league, and sustained a knock in a recent Copa del Rey game against Alcorcon. That is poor level for a Nigerian international player.

Izunna Uzochukwu on the other hand has been very impressive this season for the Danish Superliga side FC Midtjylland, continuing from where he left off as the team's best player last season. A combative player who sometimes plays too close to the edge, he has the skills to play as a ball winner or a holding midfielder.

A wild card option might be the Arsenal starlet, Chuks Aneke who is currently on loan with Crewe in the English championship. A very talented player whose main advantage is that he is the beneficiary of a world class development curriculum, both at Arsenal and at Crewe. He not only understands the position, but is a very confident player, and although only 19 years old is physically well equipped for the rough and tumble of African football. 

In left central midfield, there is, I think, a real place for Joel Obi whose control, technical skills and workrate, bring great balance on the left of Mikel; more than any other midfield player available to the Super Eagles at the moment. At the end of the Siasia era, his understanding with Mikel Obi had grown exponentially and needs to be harnessed further in developing the current team. Next to Mikel, he is overall, easily the next best Nigerian central midfielder at the moment. His workrate and mobility means he can be effective in a pressing game, while his ball skills means he can run at a defence when necessary, even from wide positions, as well as break into the box on late runs.
 

In the attacking midfield role, Nosa Igiebor has recently emerged as a key player. Nosa is a talented player with decent ball skills but lacking in tactical awareness and a broad vision of the field, especially in how to position himself among his teammates, and the ability to play between the lines.

The other option for Nigeria is to play Victor Moses in this role, an area he has prior experience in, from his days at Wigan under Roberto Martinez. His experience as a wide player can in addition help the team overload the flanks in the attacking phase. He has the explosiveness to be decisive in this area, as long as he avoids some of the showboating he displayed against Liberia.

The third option is of course Sidney Sam, but there are as yet no clear and conclusive signs that he has signed on to the Nigeria project. However should he become available, he has the technique and the overall ability to elevate the Nigerian attacking game in midfield, and like Moses, the ability to transform into the so-called 'central winger', playing both centrally and wide to help overload the flanks.
 

Moving Forward to South Africa

Congratulations to all the teams that have qualified for the Nations Cup in South Africa.

 

We now look forward to the draws coming up in Durban in just over a week.

 

The biggest upset is obviously the victory of Cape Verde over Cameroon. However, reality is Cameroon has been poor for a long time and is beset with internal wranglings, administrative ineptitude, and corruption at multiple levels. And worse, there are no signs it will get better...

 

Conversely, its great to see the return of former African powerhouse Congo DR, led by the old coaching war horse, Claude Leroy, who was nearly driven to fits on the sidelines in Malabo as his team paraded a defence with enough gaps to fit three mack trucks, with a little additional room for a mini! With some adjustments at halftime coupled with greater control in midfield, they easily saw off a poor Equatorial Guinea team. But much work needs to be done on the defensive side of the game... 

 

But the real drama I thought was in Marrakech where Morocco stormed to a 4-0 win to overturn a two-goal first leg deficit. Having sacked the dissapointing Eric Gerets and dropped a few regulars, Rachid Taoussi has to be the coach of the week in leading the team to qualify, in a game Liverpool's Oussama Assaidi was at times simply brilliant. Where Assaidi was brilliant, Belhanda was dissapointing, especially so with his show of dissent on being substituted. Reality is this is a very talented Moroccan team that has been weighed down by a lack of leadership since the exit of Badou Zaki, and has lacked any real team spirit since then.

 

A tough East African duel was always in the store when the draws were made for Zambia and it proved as much. The Zambian template of stout physical defending and smart counterattacking football was put to severe test by Uganda, but came through by the whiskers.

 

I have always believed that good defence and the counterattack will get you very far in the continent. While a qualifying series is not a great indicator of overall quality, the reality is Africa doesn't do defence!

 

But one year on, I still remain skeptical about Zambia. For me they have to be the poorest African champions I have seen since CIV won the cup

The professional performance of the week has to belong to the Ghana Black Stars who shut out Malawi with plenty of room to spare. Still there are many unresolved issues in this Ghana team, especially in midfield. But in Christian Atsu they have found a really creative outlet.

A hapless Liberian team with the wrong conclusions from the first leg got over ambitious and was promptly buried by an avalanche of goals from Nigeria.

Much like Morocco, Nigeria is a very talented team, with more players than it seems to know what to do with! In my opinion, the Nigerian team has yet to reach 40 percent of what it is capable with proper, professional selection and clever team tactics.

Against Liberia, the return of Mikel and use of three central midfielders restored a lot more balance than was evident in Monrovia. But still, the team struggled to control the game in midfield for much of the first half, even while dominant in the last third. In my opinion, Obiora Nwankwo appeared redundant for much of the first period and rather than compliment Mikel, appeared to constrain him. Perhaps for fitness reason, Joel Obi's absence was evident and he offers far more complementarity and a higher level of performance on the left of Mikel than Obiora.

In South Africa, the key to the Nigerian game will revolve around the decision on who to sorround Mikel with in midfield.

It will also especially revolve around the work done on rebuilding a defence that is both weak in structure and in personnel, especially the lateral defenders.

Taiye Taiwo's continued absence remains baffling, as is the continued use of Efe Ambrose as a right back, especially given the performances of Kenneth Omeruo (ADO Den Haag) and Daniel Adejo (Reggina) in the Dutch Eredivisie and Serie B respectively.

In central defence, while the duo of Egwueke and Oboabona have been very spirited, their sense of positioning, reading of the game and tackling remain a concern, especially the latter. A return to full fitness of Onyekachi Apam would be a major boost.

In attack Keshi has spoken about taking a look at the likes of Martins, Obasi and Shola Ameobi.

A year ago I thought Shola Ameobi could do a job for Nigeria and bring experience of a big target man holding up play up top as well as offer genuine aerial threat on crosses and set pieces.

A year on, he is slower and plays even less for Newcastle.

On a purely short term basis (Nations Cup), I think he offers more penalty box skills than Anichebe, Emenike or Ideye Brown.

But if you are thinking long term (post ANC), or looking for more mobility from your top striker, he is definitely NOT a good option.

After a bright start in Abidjan, the Senegalese were easily routed by Ivory Coast over two legs, a reality that appeared too much for the home fans to take. The ugly scenes in the stands in Dakar made for a very poor advertisement for African football. This is hoping that the inevitable CAF sanction would take into consideration the international future of several bright young players currently emerging for Senegal.

A Nations Cup without Cameroon, coupled with the failure of Egypt is a huge loss for African football. But the wellcome return of Nigeria, and the lineup of qualifiers promises a more competitive tournament than the last.

 

 

 

Pot one: South Africa, Zambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast

Pot two: Mali, Tunisia, Angola, Nigeria

Pot three: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Niger

Pot four: Togo, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Ethiopia.

When is a Dive a Dive?

When is a dive a dive?

Is it when a player either simulates contact, exaggerates contact or invites contact?

Or is it perhaps when it is carried out by Liverpool's Luis Suarez?

Its an interesting thing this diving debate that has been initiated largely by Tony Pulis, coach of Stoke City in the English Premiership.

And just as in the issue of racism, it is again centered around Luis Suarez who is again being made the scapegoat...

Does Suarez dive? Based on the above three examples, absolutely!

But so does everybody!

When a defender shield's the ball, ostensibly inviting a contact and then falls over at the faintest of touches, is that a dive?
If your answer is no, how is that different from an attacking player leaving a trailing leg, to invite a tackle?

Here is ex-Liverpool player Michael Owen speaking to BBC:

"I was running flat out, got a nudge, went down. Could I have stayed up? Yeah, probably." "Four years later I got a penalty, again against Argentina, and again I could have stayed on my feet."
He continues: "It's a skill to get someone one-on-one or isolated. No-one is for blatantly diving, but there is a part of a striker, of anyone, that actually tries to entice the leg to come out to try to win the penalty. Source
But there is more to it than this:

If a player exaggerates a foul in order to bring it to the notice of a referee, is that also a dive, and should he be punished? Does the fact of his exaggeration make the foul against him no longer valid?

What about the referee who repeatedly ignores the kind of violent tactics and thuggery that has been institutionalized by the likes of Tony Pulis at Stoke, all in the name of 'getting stuck in' and winning games?

Do such referees not in themselves invite such exaggeration?

What about a player who dives in anticipation, or to get out of the way of a tackle, as Dani Alves might have done against Pepe in the Champions League two seasons ago?

If it is adjudged a dive, simulation or exaggeration, how should he then have conducted himself? Leave his legs in place in order to prove it was a foul?

If a player's pimary responsibility to his team is to maximize every advantage, should he be expected to act any differently?

In this respect, is such a player any different from  a coach like the aforementioned Tony Pulis who seeks to employ violent tactics to gain an advantage for his team?

The point here is that it is an easy subject to rail against, especially if such a 'crusade' had Luis Suarez in the center!

Afterall nobody ever crusaded against diving when the likes of Owen was winning penalties for England, or Rooney for United. Heck, it even became a joke, and a damn good one, when Klinsman was at Spurs!

But the reality is a whole different ball game.

In the past, no less a person as Arsene Wenger has advocated the use of a 'superior committee of ethics' to retroactively punish a player who dives in the box.

It appears that gymnastics might yet have a role in football!

Rebuilding the Super Eagles: An Alternative Approach

I finally succumbed to pressure from a friend to share my views on what I consider the ideal tactical organization of the Super Eagles, based on the players currently available to national team selectors.

 

In doing this I should point out that this is entirely conceptual and assumes that everybody is healthy, which in reality is the exception rather than the rule.

The concept itself is based on long standing weaknesses observed in the Super Eagles that predate the current coach and team.

 

The Players:

Based on multiple games I have seen, match reports, etc, these are in my considered opinion, Nigeria's best players, give or take a few:

 

Goalkeepers: Vincent Enyeama, Austin Ejide, Carl Ikeme

 

Right Back: Kenneth Omeruo,  Daniel Adejo,  Obinna Nwachukwu*

Left Back: Taiye Taiwo, Uwa Echiejile

Center Back: Joseph Yobo, Onyekachi Apam, Efe Ambrose, Azubuike Egwueke, Michael Odibe, Godfrey Oboabona.

 

Central Midfield: John Mikel Obi, Joel Obi, Fengor Ogude, Gabriel Reuben, Izunna Uzochukwu, Onazi Ogenyi.

Central Attacking Midfield: Nosa Igiebor, Sidney Sam*, John Chibuike
Wide Midfield/Forward:  Victor Moses, Ahmed Musa, John Utaka, Ejike Uzoenyi

Central Attack: Ike Uche, Chinedu Obasi, Osaze Odemnwigie, Emmanuel Emenike, Ideye Brown

The Formation/Tactical Organization:
Two formations are proposed to address the two broad needs for  balance and an attacking game; the 4-3-2-1 and the 4-2-3-1 respectively.

The 4-3-2-1 is proposed as the primary formation to address the need for balance in the Super Eagles, a weakness that crippled the team under Siasia and remains today under Keshi.

The main distinguishing factor here is the use of three central midfielders- a trivote to control the center of the field and shephard the opponent's attack out wide.

John Mikel Obi retains his Chelsea role in front of the central defence to maximize his positional awareness and tactical discipline, as well as enable the team controlled possession. In addition, he has the role of also influencing attacking play from his deep position, using his long range passing skills.

In this role, Izunna Uzochukwu will compete directly with him, being familiar with a similar role at Midjtylland FC's 4-1-4-1 or 4-3-3.

On either side of Mikel are two box-to-box midfielders, who are expected to contribute to both attacking play as well as defence. Joel Obi, Fengor Ogude, Gabriel Reuben, and Onazi Ogenyi will compete for the two spots.

In attack, primary creative play will come from the wide midfielders, which means that an important objective of the build up phase is to isolate the opposing fullbacks for the wide players to run at them. Overall, creative play from central midfield is primarly a function of movement and passing, and not the dribble. The central midfielders are expected to take turns in breaking into the box as 'arrivals'.

It also means that beyond the three central midfielders, free roles are assigned to the three attacking players, who also form the first two lines in the pressing system in the non-possession phase. However behind them the game is structured and based on positional discipline.

The wide midfielders will also take turns to switch to the center (central winger) to recieve the ball and unbalance the opponent, with the corresponding fullback pushing up to create an outlet on the flanks, and the central midfielder on that side moving laterally to provide cover.

In central attack, the key quality required is multi-functionality, speed, and the movement to find space between the lines. The role requires constant switching with the wide midfielders, which means the central striker must have the versatility to play out wide on both the left and right, as well as in a supporting role. The central striker is thus required to have very good technical skills, speed, close control and the ability to play with back to goal, as well as on the shoulder of the last defender. In otherwords, movement and technical skills is the main denominator rather than just sheer power.

Based on this, Victor Anichebe is not considered a priority. However, both Oba Martins and Anthony Ujah will remain in the frame as they seek to revive their careers.

In a 4-2-3-1, a double pivot is created in central midfield with Mikel Obi and a defensive midfielder, like Reuben.

Between the two wide midfielders is a central attacking midfielder, with Igiebor, Chibuike and Sidney Sam competing for the one spot. Nosa Igiebor will need to improve his intensity to make an impact at Betis and thus the Super Eagles. As a result of this, he tends to drift out of games,

John Chibuike (Rosenberg) has a good left foot, a good eye for a pass and ability to get in the box as an arrival. However his lack of pace will be a constraint.

Sidney Sam at Leverkusen plays at a higher level than the others. While he may not have expressed interest to play for Nigeria, the reality is that he is available and his window for joining the German national team is closing fast with so many options emerging for Jorgi Loew. I believe that a determined effort to recruit him for the Nigeria project has a good chance of success, especially if handled professionally.

Defence:
By far the most number of goals conceded by Nigeria in open play has come from structural weaknesses in midfield, especially in defending the diagonal run or pass from an opponent attacking the inside of the fullback, or the zone between the fullback and the central defence. At the same time, inability to track runners behind the central midfielders, or press the ball high upfield, has on several occassions gifted the opponent time and space to pick a pass through the defence. Addressing these weaknesses is the rationale behinde the use of a trivote in midfield.

At the same time the quality of defenders available remains a huge problem, and Onyekachi Apam's return should be a major plus.

Celtic's Efe Ambrose is listed in central defence where his ball skills are best utilized in playing out of defence, rather than as a makeshift right back.

Michael Odibe is listed on account of his continued progress in rebuilding his career at Ukraine where he seems to have found some semblance of stability on loan to Dnpro. In my opinion this is a talented player, who is strong aerially as well as on the ground in terms of positioning.

Of the two central defenders from the NPL, Egwuekwe has the greater prospect in my opinion; strong in the air and especially fast for such a big man. The problem is his positioning and ability to read movements of opposing players, which so far is not improving. I am yet to be convinced that based on his talent and the experience of the NPL, Egwuekwe is in a position to be a starter in the Super Eagles.

Long term, I would keep a keen eye out for the young Tiago Ilori at the famed Sporting Lisbon youth academy, who is starting to break into the first team and is managed by super agent Pini Zahavi.

But by far the biggest problem in defence remains in the fullback positions, especially at left back. While he has his weaknesses, Taiye Taiwo remains in my opinion the best of the options available, and has the advantage of playing at a higher level than any of his competitors.

At right back, Kenneth Omeruo has shown enough consistency at ADO Den Haag to merit an invitation to compete with Daniel Adejo who has consistently done well at Reggiana and Obinna Nwachukwu, a right winger with Heartland, whom I believe will be a good prospect for the position, in the same tradition as convereted fullbacks like Sylvanus Okpalla, Ikechukwu Ofoge and Abdul Sule before him.

Why Obinna? He has all the physical tools to be a top right back- tall and rangy, speed going forward or in recovery, is strong on the tackle as well as aerially, and has good crossing ability. The rest is to school him on the art of defending...

The defensive system involves three lines of pressing (within zones), begining with the central striker who shows pressure, but retreats, allowing the wide players to press high behind him. The key to this is choosing the time and place to press the ball and not merely running at the opponent hahazardly. This has the additional quality of suprise.

Of the three central midfielders, the player in the middle (Mikel) should 'hold', relying on his reading of the game more than on high pressing. He has the additional responsibility of playing as the third central defender as the need arises.

Goalkeeping:
The lack of first team football by Vincent Enyeama (until recently) and his continued use throughout this period has combined to make the goalkeeping position the least competitive in the Super Eagles since Berti Vogts made the decision to start Austin Ejide in 2008.

In the absence of any real competitor from the domestic game, Carl Ikeme is listed in expectation that his experience from the English Nationwide will help generate a stiff three way competition.

At the same time, the CHAN can be used to focus on developing young goalkeepers with prospects for the future.

Role of the Domestic League:
The domestic league will be used to scout for players, but only in areas of weakness of the Super Eagles, as opposed to the current approach which is more broad based. The main difference is that the CHAN competition will be the key starting point in the process of getting an invitation to the Super Eagles. In effect, players from the NPL will be assessed on the basis of performance in the CHAN, with greater focus on areas of weaknesses in the Super Eagles such as the fullback positions, except of course if any exceptional players were to suddenly emerge.

This approach is a recognition of the fact that while players from the NPL may be as naturally talented as the Euro-based players, they play at a level and under a training curriculum that makes them uncompetitive for international football without considerable additional help.

The reality is that the NPL, especially in terms of quality of players, is not at the level it was when Clemence Westerhof took a predominantly homebased team to the Nations Cup final in 1990.