Nigeria, We have a Problem!

1. I have had a hard time reaching any conclusions about this Nigeria team at AFCON 2013, mostly because the South African organizers somehow conspired to place the team, along with current champions Zambia, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia on a pitch unfit for cattle grazing, much less football. But not anymore...
2. This is a poor, poor team. Now I recognize that these might be early days and teams do indeed grow with a tournament. What is more, the unpredictable nature of African football and the overall poor quality of the ANC is such that this team could exit the tournament at the group stage or be playing in the final rounds in a few weeks! After all a mediocre Ivorien team did become champions in 1992...
3. The Zambian approach to Nigeria was evident as early as the 4th minute, with Mayuka flashing a header wide from a gap between Onazi, in an unfamiliar right back position, and the right central defender, Omeruo.
4. They were going to challenge Nigeria for pace in defence, but appeared not to have foreseen the absence of Yobo, and the positional skills and pace of Omeruo, without doubt the best Nigerian defender on the field...
5. Based on a 4-4-2 formation, the Zambian midfielders in the non-possession phase would drop back to sit tight on the Nigerian midfield trio, while squeezing tight at the back.
6. Either from inability to hold the ball or lack of mobility in midfield, Nigeria would repeatedly play the long ball in search of Emenike especially, and the wide players Musa and Moses, rather than use the backline in the first phase of a possession game. It would take 18 minutes before the first decent through ball would get to Emenike, inevitably from Mikel...
7. On recovery of the hit-and-hope long balls Zambia would attack quickly, repeatedly dropping diagonal balls behind Echiejile and especially the clueless right back Onazi, to match the lateral movement of Mayuka and Katongo.
8. The speed of the transition game, often meant that the Nigerian wide players were not in position to offer adequate cover for the fullbacks, with Kalaba especially, finding space to repeatedly attack an exposed Onazi on multiple occasions.
9. Against the run of play, Nigeria would get a penalty, missed by Mikel on 19 minutes. Ten minutes later, the Nigerian coach would be sighted urging greater effort from his players...Three minutes later, a 2nd through ball would get to the anonymous Igiebor from Onazi to earn a corner kick...
10. Straight from the corner, Zambia counter. Echiejile is out of position,,,34mins, Oboabona attempts to pass from the back; straight to an opponent, he fouls; yellow card! From the ensuing freekick, Sunzu finds a gap between Onazi and Omeruo but heads wide...
11. 37mins: Katongo drops into midfield and drags Echiejile out of position, ball is played in gap to Chisamba who attempts to drive into the Nigerian box; blocked by the hardworking Ogude. 39mins: long ball by Mikel to Emenike; comes to nothing...41mins: Kalaba isolates Onazi; through ball to Mayuka blocked by Omeruo. 45mins: Kalaba, wide left, counters, with Onazi isolated; poor delivery...
12. As the game wears on, the Nigerian attack is sustained entirely by long balls and the muscular endeavours of Emmanuel Emenike. The two wide players, Musa and Moses, both hug the flanks, neither attempting to run diagonally at the Zambian defence or push up to attack any flick ons by Emenike. On 42mins, Moses would drift centrally to receive the ball, create space and deliver a through pass to Emenike. That would be his only meaningful contribution in the game..Musa would see more of the ball; his runs would promise a lot, but deliver little of consequence...
13. 48mins: long ball misjudged by Sunzu; Emenike muscles his way through to release Musa- poor cross/shot evades Emenike...49mins: Mikel runs at defence from central midfield to release Emenike; shot blocked by Sunzu...51mins: Onazi runs diagonally from right back to release Emenike; blocked by Sunzu..53mins: Kalaba evades isolated Onazi, ball is worked left to right and to Mayuka; shot is blocked by Echiejile to appeals for handball..
14. 56mins: Almost from nothing Nigeria score as Mikel catches Chisamba in possession to put Emenike through....It would appear briefly like the balance of the game would change...On 67mins, the three Nigerian central midfielders would exchange passes briefly in an advanced position. It would be the first sustained sequence of passing between them in the entire game!
15. But Zambia reshuffle to attack more centrally, introducing Mulenga, Mbesuma and Sakawuha. The formation is now a 4-3-3, with Sakawuha wide right, and Mayuka and Mbesuma taking turns to drift wide to the left or drop back from the penalty area, ensuring a greater penalty box presence...
16. A sweeping five player move in central midfield would release Kalaba, running unchallenged behind Onazi, but his shot is blocked by Enyeama. Kalaba would break free twice more in space behind Onazi, once finding Mbesuma in acres of space, only for the striker to shoot tamely. And when the goal came, it would inevitably be from the right side of the Nigerian defence...
17. Clearly a soft penalty decision, but it was nonetheless a foul by Onazi who appeared to be unaware where he was at the time. It was no more than Zambia deserved to be honest...
18. It would take 75mins for Nigeria to make the first change, with Nwankwo coming in for Igiebor. How the Betis man lasted that long is beyond me! At some point the Nigerian bench appeared unsure who to substitute! But the basic shape of the team would remain unchanged, and the long balls in search of Emenike's muscular expressions will continue...
19. When will this misery end....

Preview of Nigeria-Zambia: 4-3-3 vs 4-2-3-1

1. The major focus of Nigeria following the opening match was the manner of concession of the Burkinabe equalizer with barely a minute left to play.

 

I think this is a mistake....

While it is true that greater professionalism in the final minute of the game could have won the match, there was a lot more wrong with the team than that.

 

2. My major concern as it builds up to the next match against Zambia is the structure of the team in midfield, while employing a 4-3-3 formation.

 

3. The major responsibility for winning back the ball in midfield was placed on Fengor Ogude, who missed most of the Norwegian season as a result of injury, and before this had not played a competitive game in months. His match fitness was always going to be an issue and it showed as he repeatedly struggled to come to terms with the pace of the game, leading to several late tackles.

 

4. Mikel Obi's role was clearly more expansive than his Chelsea role. In assuming a more creative role, his major arsenal was a variety of the targeted long balls to exploit the pace of Musa, Ideye and Emenike.

 

5. With such a passing range, I am unsure the wisdom and efficacy of such a general role that had him move around the field in several advanced positions, which often left several undefended zones behind the central midfield and put increased pressure on Ogude. Whats more it directly created gaps behind the central midfield that Pitroipa and Alain Traore repeatedly exploited and led to Ambrose and Echiejile being exposed..

 

6. In my opinion he could have accomplished the same goals, while retaining his typical position in the Chelsea midfield, and thus allow the team maintain its defensive integrity in the non-possession phase.

 

7. What is more, Fengor Ogude is more a box-to-box central midfielder than a defensive midfielder, and his greatest attributes neither lie in reading opposition movements and passing nor his tactical discipline.

 

8. Instead he is a vertical midfielder whose energy and hard grafting will get him up and down the field, as well as break into the box on a late run to score the odd goal.

 

9. Ditto for Emmanuel Onazi.

 

10. On the other hand, Nosa Igiebor is not your classic playmaking midfielder who can play between the lines and orchestrate attacking moves and create goal scoring opportunities. While his best position is northside of both Onazi and Ogude's, his greatest strength is in driving the ball at the opposition defence from open play in midfield.

 

11. Against this background, it would appear to me that Nigeria would be better served by a double pivot in midfield and the use of a 4-2-3-1 formation.

 

12. This would allow Mikel help the team keep its shape in the non-possession phase, while retaining his creative role, but from a deeper position. It would also provide a platform for either Ogude or Onazi to be more vertical and thus play to their real strengths.

 

13. In turn it would require the three players behind a lone striker to play more behind the ball. But more importantly, it would create a platform for Igiebor to take up positions in the zone a typical trequartista would operate in.

 

14. In the opening game, Zambia struggled to come to terms with an athletic Ethiopian team playing with massed ranks behind the ball. Against Nigeria, I suspect a return to roots of some sort, with greater emphasis on the counter, especially if Chisamba Lungu does not recover from his injury.

 

15. I expect greater use of Katongo in dropping into gaps behind the central midfield, as well as greater lateral movement from the strikers behind the fullbacks.

 

16. This would bring to an even greater relief, the need for attention to the details of Nigeria's tactical organization.

Random Thougts on AFCON 2013

Day 1:

South Africa shows the rest of the continent how to party!

But on the pitch, they offered little...all pespiration...

A high tempo game repeatedly died in the Cape Verde final third..

And if this game was poor, the Morocco/Niger match was even worse!


Day 2:

A poor tournament continued with Mali beating Niger...

But it would finally light up as DR Congo would come from two goals down to earn a pulsating draw with Ghana.

Much like I feared, Ghana's shoddy organization in the non-possession phase would repeatedly be exposed by the Congolese.

And while Kwadwho Asamoah is good going forward, unlike in his club Juventus, there is no Georgio Chiellini behind to protect his back...


Day 3:

On a pitch unfit for cattle grazing, Nigeria draw a game they appeared comfortably in control of for much of the match without ever being spectacular. And for much of the match, it appeared they did not need to.

In attack with genuine pace, even on a poor, poor surface, the cutting edge was self evident. But it required a lot more from the midfield, and even more composure from Ike Uche...

But Burkina Faso kept plugging away, and Nigeria? They would do the same things again and again, repeatedly looking for the ball over the top. In the end, the Burkinabe's would get some vital breaks.

Not to blame everything on the pitch, but Nosa's main strength is his ability to drive at the opponent from midfield in open play and it was always going to be hard to do that on this pitch...In my opinion, he then failed to adapt his game appropriately to the circumstance...

First Nigerian coach opted to withdraw Emenike, who had troubled the Burkinable defence all day, wide on the right, left, centrally and occassionally in midfield. Unless the Spartak Moscow player was injured (he appeared okay), tactically it made little sense.

With two players, Fengor Ogude and Efe Ambrose on yellow cards, the decision was taken to introduce Onazi for the ineffective Ogude. But suprisingly he did not move across to offer protection for Ambrose, as Pitroipa repeatedly dropped into midfield to pick up the ball and run at him..

Yet, even with Ambrose expelled and Burkina surging in attack, they offered very little genuine threat.

With seconds left in the game and the ball in the Burkina last third, you would hardly expect Nigeria to be caught out by a counter, chasing a second goal they did not need.

There would be loud complaints by the Nigerian fans about the performance of the referee, and although he was inconsistent in several instances, he was never a factor in the outcome...



Herve Renard: The New White Witch Doctor!

Earlier, Zambia played out a 1-1 draw in a game they must thank the South Africans for a pitch of such poor quality that a goal bound shot from Ethiopia managed to get a chipolopolo bounce and go over the woodwork...

A truly dissapointing performance from a team that is much better than they showed, all due respect to the Ethiopians.

Even with a man down, Ethiopia repeatedly created 2v1 situations in central midfield from which to launch swift counters.

And as the game wore on Renard's voodoo tactics would leave Zambia sometimes with only one central midfielder, while Mbesuma and Mulenga would repeatedly make the same runs, into the same space...Not content with the dysfunction, Monsieur Renard would add a third striker, Southampton's Mayuka in the mix!

Preview of AFCON 2013

Africa begins its back to back Nations Cup in South Africa as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) look to finalize the reset of its international calendar.

 

One year on from the last tournament, no significant movements can be reported from any of the major powers of the African game, except perhaps Cameroon, who appear incredibly to have sunk a little lower!

 

The result is that the tournament, in my opinion and contrary to conventional wisdom, will begin with no clear favorites.

 

Among the major powers, Ivory Coast will again stand out with the most complete and deepest squad, with virtually no changes in its major players. One year on, key players like Drogba and Kolo Toure have slowed, while Yaya is as yet not on the level he was at this stage last season. But Wilfreid Bony continues to grow in stature in Holland.

 

In many ways, Yaya Toure's brief consideration of international retirement underlines much of the problem of the lack of genuine team spirit inherent in this generation of The Elephants. I thought it was interesting that Lamouchi's first address to the team in camp appeared to focus on this...The real prospects of the end of several international careers might be the tonic that finally pushes them over the hump..

 

It is in this regard that I believe being in a tough group could help focus the Ivoriens and drive them to impose their quality early in the tournament. Lamouchi speaks to the players about confidence; it remains to be seen how much of that confidence he will repose in the players in terms of his tactics, especially with respect to how expansive the role of Yaya Toure will be in midfield.

 

Ghana will present the most radically altered team of the top nations in the tournament, with as much as ten debutants. In terms of tactical organization, the team is a little less compact and a little less fluid in open play. But in Christian Atsu they have a player of real quality and who has the potential to be a standout in the tournament.

 

In defence, the team has a lot more speed overall, Isaac Vorsah notwithstanding, but it remains to be seen how well its full court pressing system will hold up in the altitude of South Africa. At left back, Kwesi Appiah is mulling the use of Kwadwo Asamoah following his new role at Italian giants Juventus. But at club level, the Ghanaian player is only used as a wingback, with the assurance of the formidable Georgio Chiellini behind him in a 3-5-2 formation, which Ghana does not employ.

 

The decision to drop Andre Ayew was suprising, and unless there was more to it than publicly available, somewhat hasty, considering that one of the issues behind the dispute and the request for delay in reporting to camp was his health. Surely a little flexibility on all concerned could've resolved this. Ghana are a better team with Andre Ayew in it, and although Bristol City's Albert Adomah brings greater speed on the flanks, his overall awareness of space, movement and the quality of his final ball is not on the level of Ayew.

 

In attack a lot would depend on the fitness of Gyan, but the sense watching him in the last few months is, he is yesterday's man. His fitness is doubtful and his trademark change of pace is almost all gone.  But there is real potential in the young Juventus loanee, Richmond Boakye, especially if the team around him fully understands his lines of movement and can play to his strengths.

 

Following the failure in the last Nations Cup, Ghana needed a transition in playing personnel. So far, Kwesi Appiah seems to have the balance right but the challenge is in the quality of its game. Ghana look capable of improving on its last outing...

 

The biggest challenge of the Maghreb countries of Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco has been the lack of stability in playing personnel, coaching and ultimately team spirit, especially the latter. Each with a decent domestic game, especially Tunisia, an over reliance on players with dual nationality in the French league, has not always met the minimum requirements for team spirit, with some of these players lacking the ability to adapt to a different footballing culture, and no deliberate attempt made towards full integration.

 

Tunisia appeared to have begun to address this from the last nations cup and continues on the same path with the current team. Sadly, the excellent young forward, Youssef M'sakni opted to take his football to the Emirates.

After an excellent first half in the last quarter finals against Ghana, Tunisia would retreat into a familiar cynical, defensive shell. In a tough first round group with Ivory Coast, Algeria and Togo, I fully expect a safety first, counterattacking approach. The opening game against a young Algerian team will determine the success of this approach.

  

Nigeria remains a hard team to assess going into the tournament. In attack, it has talented players, especially in wide areas, notably with Victor Moses and Ahmed Musa who has just had his best season yet in Europe. But in several areas of the team it lacks depth, especially in defence, and has few, if any players who can change a game from the bench.

 

In the attacking phase, the team is especially dependent on the ability of its wide players to unbalance the opponent in 1v1 situations, often struggling with a deeply defensive opponent, or a team doubling the lines of defense on the flanks and forcing it to attack centrally.

 

In midfield, Mikel Obi stands head and shoulders over his team mates, especially with Joel Obi unavailable through injury. The rest are emerging internationals, with Nosa Igiebor the most notable in the playmaking role in a midfield trio.

There remains a lack of clarity about the right mix of players and roles around Mikel Obi and especially how expansive his role might be, given the context of his well established position at Chelsea. Under Samson Siasia, the use of Joel Obi in a deep role beside him, provided the platform for him to assume a more general role and gave the team balance in central midfield. Without the Inter Milan player, it would seem that the team is somewhat unbalanced in midfield, with the lines of movement and support systems a little unclear.

However, Keshi appears to have staked considerable weight in the role of the as yet unproven Kano Pillars player Reuben Gabriel. But he is coming out of a major groin injury and has not played a competitive game in months. The two available options here are Fengor Ogude, who too is returning from a long term injury, and the hard grafting Onazi Ogenyi. Onazi who has recently broken into the first team in Lazio is often used higher up the field in Italy because of his inconsistency on the defensive side, including vulnerability to pressure. But he is one to watch...

In Victor Moses and Ahmed Musa the team probably has the tournaments best duo of wide forwards, for attacking the inside of fullbacks. Unfortunately the absence of quality lateral defenders means the team does not effectively attack the space it creates on the outside. What is more, Keshi sometimes inexplicably employs strikers in wide positions, which often muddles the lines of movement and reduces their effectiveness.

In Emmanuel Emenike, Nigeria has a powerful forward, but often the play from midfield tends not to flow in the direction of his strengths. Conversely, Ike Uche, the teams most prolific forward, seems to thrive best when playing between the lines.

These two combine to create a certain lack of clear identity in attack between a fluid system involving three interchangeable forwards, or the powerful central striker holding up the ball and playing with back to goal.
 

While not especially strong in its tactical organization, often requiring halftime adjustments to come to terms with its own game and an opponent's approach, this is a very determined and motivated group.

In central defence, it is unclear who will partner Joseph Yobo. Keshi appears to have little confidence in Efe Ambrose in this role, in spite of his performances at Celtic, often preferring to play him at right back, where he has been ineffective.

The major problem here is a lack of consistency along the defensive lines, especially with respect to the support systems, whether it be in the pressing system or the poorly formed zonal system. The result is often that the team leaves undefended zones, typically behind the central midfield or in lateral defence.

I suspect Nigeria will have to work hard to get the result it needs against Burkina Faso, who will match them physically in midfield. The difference may well be in the extra quality of key individual players...

The sense I get watching South Africa over these past several months is that the Nations Cup might be coming a few months early for coach Gordon Igesund. The result is that this team will grow with the tournament, and needs a win its opening game to generate the momentum for a run at the title. A high tempo attacking game, based on a generic 4-4-2 formation is often compromised by the absence of a real playmaker who can link up play in the last third, or control the tempo by giving the team 'pause' in the attacking phase. The result is a tendency to force play and frequent loss of possession, leaving the team vulnerable to the counter.

This could be an important factor against Cape Verde.

What is more, with the wide players often hugging the flanks, there is not enough players getting in the box, while in the non-possession phase, the team is stretched.

In my opinion South Africa may be better served with Tshabalala adopting a more central role, playing behind a lone striker.

Ironically, some of the team's best performances have come from playing on the counterattack.

Zambia in my opinion won the Nations Cup without ever being great. A hardworking team, with great team spirit, this in my opinion, is probably the only team among the top countries to actually improve over the last one year.

There is a greater assurance about this side and clarity of ideas in finding solutions on the field. Nowhere was this more apparent than in the recent world cup qualifiers against Ghana.

But shorn of the element of suprise, this will be an even more difficult tournament for Zambia than the last one.

The key players remain intact, especially in defence, but the pace of Himonde in central defence is suspect.

The most exciting new thing about this team appears to be the young, precocious Power Dynamos midfielder, Mukuka Mulenga, whom I expect to be introduced gradually into the tournament.

New Players to Watch in AFCON 2013

1. Christian Atsu (Ghana)
2. Ahmed Musa (Nigeria)
3. Oussama Assaidi (Morocco)
4. Mukuka Mulenga (Zambia)
5. Abdul Razak (Ivory Coast)
6. Victor Moses (Nigeria)
7. Dieumerci Mbokani (DR Congo)
8. Albert Adomah (Ghana)