In the Case of Sidney Sam et al.....

Sidney Sam is a product of the revolution of German youth football, which has seen the emergence of a conveyor belt of top quality talent.

Many of these players are 2nd generation Germans. Following the success of Mesut Ozil and the national team at the world cup, the Turkish federation has recently moved aggressively to court those of them of turkish decent. In response the german federation have had to be super alert and are tying these players to the national team as early as possible.

The reality is that for players like Sidney Sam, the first loyalty and option is their 'home' countries, often in contrast to their parents'. This is the stark reality for diaspora Nigerians, and a major factor in influencing how we approach their recruitment. And for those who wonder why we should bother, and that we should not be in the business of 'begging' anyone to wear the national team colors, I respectfully state that that is not really the issue. Indeed, no player should ever be begged to play for Nigeria.

However, as long as the Nigerian constitution allows for dual citizenship, they remain valid options for national team selectors. Neither should or does their invitation preclude the invitation of any eligible local players.

For Sidney Sam though, the challenge he has is that in the German national team pecking order, he has quite a few top quality options in front of him in that left midfield role which he favors, with Lukas Podolski as the established player. Behind Podolski there is Marko Marin who is a top talent and Marcell Jansen and Dennis Aogo who play in both left back and left midfield.

Then there are a couple of new options who have emerged from the superb season that Dortmund and Mainz are having in the Bundesliga. These include, André Schürrle who recently made his debut in a friendly against Sweden, and Mario Götze. And then there is Marco Reus of Borussia Mönchengladbach. Each of these players have already made their national team debuts or been invited. This is not the case, as yet, with Sidney Sam, which may well be a major factor in recruiting him for Nigeria.

In the case of Sidney Sam and any other diaspora Nigerian footballer, the challenge for the NFF and Siasia is to layout their vision of an international career with the Super Eagles and the place of the player in it, and then let the chips fall where they may...

The 4-3-3 Formation as an Option for the Super Eagles

Football always tells you the truth. And in the advent of modern performance evaluation tools such as the Castrol Index or OPTA statistics, there is little hiding place for the underperforming footballer.

But even without the benefits of such performance evaluation tools, manual techniques will indicate that in Nigeria’s last competitive game, the best moments for a poor Ethiopian team came in the first half. This was especially evident in their pass completion ratio and ball possession.

While normalcy was restored in the 2^nd half with the introduction of Osaze Odenwigie, the point from this was quite clear: the Nigerian Super Eagles retains a structural imbalance in midfield, which while only partially exposed by Ethiopia, will be more ruthlessly exploited by a decent opposition.

While the emergence of Joel Obi has gone a considerable way in restoring balance in central midfield, the major structural problem remains the role of the ‘wide forwards’. In the first half against Ethiopia, the interpretation of the role of the wide forward by Nsofor and Ahmed Musa, resulted in Nigeria being repeatedly outnumbered in central midfield.

Until the emergence of Ahmed Musa, Nigeria’s wide forwards, including those at the World cup were variously, Obinna Nsofor, Osaze Odenwigie, Chinedu Obasi and Kalu Uche.

The performance of these wide forwards and their contribution to the Nigerian midfield is best exemplified by the Castrol statistics from the last World cup, for distance covered (DC) and by the Pass Attempt/Pass Completion (PA/PC) ratio. The best performance by each player is as follows:

Nsofor:            5686m;            18/12

Obasi:             10341m;          46/33

Kalu:               9561m;            40/29

Osaze:             5075m;            18/31

Compare this to some of the top wide forwards at the world cup:

Podolski:         10336m;          52/27

Iniesta:            10710m;          81/56

Ayew:             10227m;          44/34

Pedro:             10259m;          71/55

It should be noted though that Osaze’s figures come from 45mins of football. But even then, these are appalling statistics. As I indicated earlier, in fifteen minutes of football as a substitute, the Spanish wide forward Pedro completed more passes than Osaze made in the opening game against Argentina!

These performance statistics are however not simply reflective of poor work rate, but deficiencies in the structure of the team in wide areas, the role definition of the wide forwards, and the lack of tactical discipline. What is more, the spacing of the players, especially under Shaibu Amodu was quite simply shambolic, with ‘free spirited’ players, operating on instincts rather than a prepared script.

But it also comes from the very nature of Nigerian players and their spontaneity as well as their predominant attacking instincts.

New 4-3-3 Formation:

In my opinion, one solution could be to restructure the team in a new variant of the 4-3-3 formation, with three young and dynamic central midfielders. A trio of technically skilled central midfielders should create the platform for the wide forwards to function more effectively, on either side of a lone striker, as well as provide a pool of late runners from midfield to support the lone forward, especially in transition.

The ‘False’ Lone Striker:

In this regard, I would suggest the restoration of Osaze at the tip of the formation (as was the case at the Beijing Olympics), as a ‘false’ lone striker.

Never been prolific, Osaze’s aggressiveness and constant movement either in working the channels or running at defenders enables him function very effectively as the modern day striker/facilitator, bringing others into play, as we see increasingly in his game at West Brom, as well as getting in among the goals.

In my opinion, the key to maximizing Osaze’s abilities revolves around space and freedom. Able to play with back to goal, hold the ball up top or play from the flanks, his qualities will enable the repositioning of the wide forwards a little further behind, between the midfield trio and the lone striker, as shown below, thus further strengthening the midfield and defence in wide areas.

Merits:

The 4-3-3 formation is by its nature an aggressive formation. In this case, it can provide a framework for more effective use of the speed and power of our players, while at the same time providing a cover of three in central midfield at any one time.

Constraints:

The one constraint here would be the backline and its limitations on pace, especially in central defence, as the 4-3-3 by its nature would require playing a relatively high line in defence. At the same time, it could be a way to challenge the coaching crew to step up efforts at recruitment and trial of multiple new options at center back and at right back.

 As noted elsewhere, t
he key problem of the Nigerian midfield up until the world cup was the lack of balance in personnel, with a predominance of defensive, one paced and technically limited players. But the reality is that there are multiple new options in the smaller leagues of Europe, as well as in the local league.

The match of the day in Week 3 of the Norwegian Tippeligaen featured Lillestrom in a 4-4 tie away to Rosenborg, with Nosa Igiebor outstanding in a left midfield role. I would urge Siasia and his crew not to feel shy about exploring him and other such players, in the age grade teams as an option in a three man midfield.

The friendly against Argentina should be a good platform for some experimentation, as well as a good barometer for evaluating the current strength of the team and how much more work is required.

Nigeria vs Ethiopia: A Tactical Analysis

Overview:
I must begin by making a comment about the Abuja pitch because whether by commission or omission, the Sports Ministry and the NFF have combined to severely handicap the team by the abysmally poor quality of the Abuja turf. For those Nigerian fans who do not understand the value of a good pitch, a poor playing surface affects the bounce and speed of the ball, constrains the movement of a player and his ability to control the ball or execute a pass.

Because Nigeria does not have a history of long ball football, but rather emphasises the passing game, the Nigerian football authorities must understand that they help the opponent when the Super Eagles are made to play on a pitch unsuitable even for cattle to graze! 57 percent of Nigeria's turnover of the ball, including uncompleted passes and poor ball control resulted from the poor pitch. Surely we can do better than the Abuja pitch!

Siasia suprisingly began with a 4-4-2 formation, with the quartet of Chibuzor, Yobo, Ambrose and Taiwo in defence; Joel and Mikel in central midfield, Nsofor and Musa out wide, and Peter Utaka and Anichebe in attack,

The 4-4-2 formation had the effect of giving a young team solidity and a base from which to build chemistry and confidence. The result: a solid start even while accounting for a poor, poor opponent in Ethiopia. It also enabled the team execute a high pressing game, which disrupted an opponent lacking technical skills, and even when the team opted to stay in coverage, the Ethiopians lacked the quality to find a penetrating pass. What is more, the distances between players was closer than we ever saw under the clueless Amodu, which enabled greater fluidity and higher completion rates in the passing game, in turn leading to greater possession, especially higher up the pitch.


Defence:
With little to do, the challenge for the defence was to maintain concentration over ninety minutes. Efe Ambrose was the suprise choice to start alongside Joseph Yobo and twice, his confidence failed him woefully. A better opponent would have profited from this. I suspect he may be more comfortable in left central defence. The spacing between the two center-backs remains suspect, and there were moments of discomfort in dealing with the long ball. The search for a left centerback continues...

Of the two fullbacks, Taiwo on the left appeared to have more freedom to push forward. This was helped significantly by Nsofor's willingness to drift inside and open up space on the left; and by the defensive position of Joel Obi in left central midfield.

On the right, with Musa staying wide, the undefended zone for Chibuzor to attack was often between the Ethiopian left back and left centerback. More on Musa later....

Midfield:
It has to be said that the clear emergence of Joel Obi in left central midfield, alongside Mikel has brought balance back to Nigeria's midfield for the first time in nearly a decade! His tireless movement, ball control and delivery along with Mikel's controlled possession allowed Nigeria to easily dominate possession in midfield or press the opponent the entire game. His lateral movement in the non-possession phase, was a crucial factor in Taiwo's ability to push forward.

Wide Midfield:
The weakness of the team was in wide midfield, especially in the relationship between Nsofor/Musa and the twin strikers on one hand, and with the fullbacks.

Especially on the right, Musa's pace, power and technique proved to be a decisive factor whenever called into play. This is a major asset that requires considerable effort in adapting team tactics to better exploit. In my opinion, the key would be to design play in a manner to consistently isolate him with the full back or force the fullback to turn and defend, as well as position him to attack the diagonal cross-field ball in the zone between the centerback and the left back.

There needs to be greater clarity in the relationship between Musa and Chibuzor to enable them compliment rather than crowd one another. Musa on his part, needs to provide much greater cover on the inside of his fullback.

On the left, Nsofor showed much better tactical awareness in drifting inside of the fullback to create space for Taiwo to overlap. However, his decision making and final delivery remains average. This player continues to be an enigma, especially for one with so much in his toolbox. As I have said in a previous piece, we must make a major effort to recruit Sam John. In the interim, we must look at Victor Moses in this role.

The second major weakness of the midfield was the near complete absence of the late runs into the penalty area from deep by the central midfielders, especially Mikel who was the more advanced of the two. With Ethiopia attempting a high line while executing a tepid offside tactic, this vulnerability was suprisingly not exploited successfully.

Attack:
In attack, the good news is that the team is creating chances in droves. But the serial inability to take the chances must be a concern for Coach Siasia. A major failure here was Anichebe, perhaps as a result of his long lay-off from injury. Perhaps from a lack of familiarity, the relationship between the two strikers was largely no-nexistent. While both took turns to drop into midifeld, none of them was able to exploit the space in front of the defence, as Ike Uche was to demonstrate in dominant fashion.

There is a lack of clarity in the movement of the strikers out wide, and the consequent movement of other players in the attacking phase. The result was a lack of balance in the the attacking third, with several quality deliveries from Taiwo and Musa with no one on the end of it.

The transition game was largely not visible. In fairness, the poor quality of the pitch made this near impossible.

Overall it was good to see Peter Utaka finally get on the scoresheet for the Super Eagles and especially to see Ike Uche make a scoring return from a long layoff...

A great start and morale booster for Siasia and the new Super Eagles project. The key to victory lay in the pressing game and the dominant move-and-pass game from central midfield.

Man of the match: Joel Chukwuma Obi

Siasia's 24-man Squad for Ethiopia

Siaisia's 24-man squad for Ethiopia, generally speaking represents a good balance between youth and experience, established internationals and emerging talents. Two homebased players, Chibuzor Okonkwo and Ekigho Ehiosun are retained from the friendly against Sierra Leone, while Ike Uche makes a wellcome return from long term injury.

With Micheal Odibe failing to impress in the friendly, Efe Ambrose is rewarded for a solid start to his career in Europe (Isreal). Further debuts are granted to Nnamdi Odumadi from Milan and Fengor Ogude, ex-Warri Wolves and current Valerenga central attacking midfielder. Odumadi is a talented player with good engine and delivery from wide left or right, but sometimes lacking decisiveness. Fengor on the other hand is a clever player, but would need a lot of guidance in both movement in finding and utilizing space, and decisionmaking, especially in getting him to completely buy into the modern team game.

In defence, I continue to question the wisdom of persisting with Olubayo Adefemi. Physically he was never the quickest player available, and following several injuries has lost a few more steps. In my opinion, Luqmon Adekunle at FC Lucerne should be considered, as should the U-20 and Igbino Babes defender Aigbe Oliha. Too often, our best homebased players can be found in our youth teams, and we deny ourselves the benefit of their best years by persisting in using them at a level that is below their standards.

With Mikel still recovering from injury, Obiora Nwankwo looks set to start in defensive midfield, with Joel Obi beside him in center midfield-left. I would again recommend that Siasia and his team look at Samson Godwin as an option in defensive midfield.

But the most important issues are of a tactical nature, especially with regards to the positioning of players and their movement in the non-possession phase of the ball. The main evaluation points for this game would be the following:

1. the setup of the defensive line and the effective execution of a pressing system

2. movement of players in the non-possession phase of the game

3. tempo and speed of the passing game as well as transition

4. the roles of the wide players, be they wide midfielders or wide forwards; and  

5. ability to execute a controlled possession game in central midfield, especially with the likely absence of Mikel.

Full squad below:

Goalkeepers: Vincent Enyeama, Dele Aiyenugba

Defenders: Chibuzor Okonkwo, Olubayo Adefemi, Taye Taiwo, Uwa Echiejile, Joseph Yobo, Dele Adeleye, Efe Ambrose

Midfielders: John Mikel Obi, Obiora Nwankwo, Joel Obi, Fengor Ogude, Nnamdi Oduamadi, Kalu Uche, Ahmed Musa

Strikers: Osaze Odemwingie, Victor Anichebe, Peter Utaka, Obinna Nsofor, Ikechukwu Uche, Ekigho Ehiosun, Solomon Okoronkwo, Obafemi Martins

Super Eagles: Between a Knife and a Scalpel...

The Super Eagles needs a knife, but we are increasingly offered a scalpel by Samson Siasia.

2. The SE need a total makeover, but instead we get cosmetic changes; a step forward here, is then nullified by two steps backwards there...We bring in Joel Obi, give Emenike his first Super Eagles cap, and then quickly we begin to speak about the return of Yakubu! Its the same tardy approach to national team selection that has led us inexorably to the golden bronze!

3. The period following a world cup is when teams begin to rebuild. The extent of rebuilding is often determined by their performance at the world cup and the average age of their players. For some, like Brazi, Italy and France, it is a total makeover; for others like Spain, Argentina, CIV, Ghana, it is more a case of tweaking around the edges, and building from an existing core.

4. But lets be clear- this Nations cup qualification series is not simply about qualifying for the next tournament.

5. A qualification series typically has two objectives. The obvious one is to win your games and qualify. The other objective of similar significance is to build your tournament team, through a methodical process, that involves trials for new players, trials of tactical schemes, and development of team spirit.

6. In such a methodical approach, the first level of assessment is of course results form the field, without which everything else is mute. But following closely is the performance on the pitch, which should improve steadily, and be seen to, as the team and the coach develop chemistry.

7. Thus in his first three games with France, Lauren Blanc's team has steadily improved, with the young players visibly growing in confidence with each game, and the gap between the results and performance are starting to narrow significantly.

8. For a team that has been stagnant for more than a decade, the Super Eagles face the urgency of now!What is more, when a team fails as woefully as the Castrol statistics from our world cup performance shows (link), heads need to roll! Having parted ways with Lars Lagerback, there is an urgent need to weild the long knives at the playing personnel, not the surgeon's scalpel!

 

9. In my considered opinion, no one player exemplifies the locust years as much as Joseph Yobo, as both the captain, senior player, and patent holder on 'bigman football'. Yes, the very same Joseph Yobo, with the same idle gait, standing on the balls of his feet and looping the ball lazily out of defence, 'to no one in particular', to borrow from the late Ernest Okonkwo, or setting an offside trap with the leadership skills of a Mubarak!

 

10. Lets be clear, I have every confidence in Samson Siasia to lead the Super Eagles to greatness again, but there is still a palpable lack of urgency in making the critical changes that the team requires.

 

11. The Super Eagles need a new direction and the coaching crew need to lay down the marker. This process should begin with a new leadership, a new captain, one who can inspire the entire team, as well as enhance team spirit, not undermine it!

 

12.  Every game that we play without clear resolution of what our long term goals are with the Super Eagles, including the choice of a new leadership, the choice of viable players and the tactical direction of the team is an opportunity lost.

13. Unlike in the past when viable national team players emerged at top European clubs, the reality today is that we must look for our players wherever available and make them international class players. We need to judge our players by the quality of their talent and not the profile of their clubs, and especially not the strength of their agency representation. We need a Samson Siasia who is professional and transparent, who can and is willing to think outside the box, who knows where to look for our players and the self belief to take risks with them.

14. The SE needs a knife, a butcher's knife, but we are offered a blunt scalpel...

Rebuilding the Super Eagles Midfield

An American friend of mine recently asked me what was wrong with Nigeria, and in effect Lagerback's handling of the World Cup team. My answer to him was in two words: 'big-man football'. I explained further that although Lagerback brought nothing significant to the table in his brief misadventure with the Super Eagles, Nigeria had been in stasis for over a decade, and took far too long to be rid of a clueless Shaibu Amodu. Expectedly, he asked me what I meant by 'big-man football'.

My explanation was that it is a peculiar brand of football from Nigeria where a group of physically endowed players stand on the balls of their feet and execute passes leisurely, at the tempo of 'Dum-Dum the tortoise', with next to no off-the-ball movement, while fully expecting the opponents to gift them space in the penalty area, like Moses parted the Red Sea in the old testament!

Perhaps nothing better underlines this as the Castrol statistics from the last World cup.

The total distance covered (TDC) by the team was 93.422m in its opening game (ARG: 95.326m), then 85.795m (GREECE: 96.792m) and finally 99.304m (S. Korea: 107.515m) 

In the opening game of the world cup, the three Nigerian central midfielders had the following stats for distance covered (DC), Pass Attempt/Pass Completion (PA/PC):

Kaita:               10.109m;         26/23

Haruna:            9.845M;           46/33

Etuhu:               9.423m;           36/24

Compare this to the following African countries:

Ghana:              97,642m;          467/340 vs Serbia;

CIV:                 105,125m;       458/350 vs Portugal

Compare this to the two top countries:

Spain:               109,335m;       731/590

Germany:          111,724m;      589/441

Then compare the stats of the following central midfielders:

Annan:              9856m;            58/51

Prince:              9543m;            52/39

Ayew:              10,227;            44/34

Yaya Toure:     10,995m;         72/62

Tiote:                11,378m;         58/44

Eboue:              10,603m;         37/30

Schweini:          12,260m;         70/56

Ozil:                 10,966m;         47/30

Khedira:           10,780m;         48/40

Xavi:                12,321m;         106/92

Alonso:            12,199m;         85/68

Iniesta:             10,710m;         81/56

The above figures reflect the abysmal performance level of the Nigerian team as a whole and the midfield in particular at the World cup. Indeed in fifteen minutes of football as a sub, the Spanish wide forward Pedro completed more passes than Osaze made in the opening game against Argentina!

The key problem of the Nigerian midfield up until the world cup was the lack of balance in personnel, with a skewed focus on a group of technically challenged players, each slow of pace, movement and thought!

A team in stasis for nearly a decade was bereft of identity. In content, its football was lethargic and one paced. Low on fitness and athleticism, it could not pressure the opponent and lacked the dynamism to develop creative solutions on any consistent basis.

As I stated earlier (link), the key to success for Siasia begins with his ability to recruit players. Nowhere is this more crucial than in midfield. If the 2005 U-20 and 2008 Olympics teams are anything to go by, coach Siasia favors a high tempo approach, with smart possession in central midfield and explosive play in wide areas.

The first major challenge of rebuilding the Nigerian midfield would require the active recruitment of young, dynamic and versatile players, with the technique, athleticism and open minds to implement implement a flexible tactical scheme, as well as sustain a high-tempo, dynamic attacking game, whether in open play or on the counterattack. The recent introduction of Joel Obi in the friendly with Sierra Leone is thus an important step in this direction.

But much more is required and the coaching crew needs to move aggressively in this direction, with an even greater willingness to think outside the box and take risks- calculated risks. The benefits of such new players go beyond their individual contributions to enhancing internal competition in a team with too many playing from the balls of their feet, or waiting for the game to come to them!

The second major challenge in rebuilding the midfield is to fashion a clear tactical identity for the team. Where Amodu’s 4-3-3 was vacuous, Lagerback’s pitiful attempt at a 4-4-2 or its variant appeared to prioritize the system over its suitability to the players available.

In my considered opinion, addressing this challenge should begin with the placement of Mikel Obi, first as the captain of the team, as I argued previously (see here), and the development of a ‘quarterback’ role for him in front of the central defence, as part of the “2” in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Such a role recognizes the reality of his conversion at Chelsea, as well a still unused capacity to influence attacking play from deep positions. At the same time, by maintaining his deep role at Chelsea, the team can expect his positional discipline in the non-possession phase. The additional responsibility will be one that exploits his long range passing skills, while seating in the pocket, in front of the central defence.

The role of the player beside him will be one of the more traditional enforcer, who offers both physical presence and the ability and range to play from box to box. Of the players currently available for this role, Sanni Kaita’s club carrier has spiraled into anonymity. But the fact remains that he has often been a different player in the Nigerian jersey.

Yusuf Ayinla on the other hand, has not been the same player since recurring ligament injuries, while Dickson Etuhu has kept his place at Fulham.

While recognizing the immediate value of the experience of such players as Etuhu and Kaita, the truth is that in the long term, the team must move in a different direction. Long term reliance on these players along with the likes of Yobo in defence, is the difference between an Africa Nations cup title and the so-called golden bronze!

Critical in this formation is the role of the wide players who would be ‘central wingers’ rather than wide forwards.

The goal of controlled possession and the development of the attacking game in midfield would be in each case to create 1v1 situations in wide areas, and position the central wingers to run at opposing fullbacks, as well as pockets of space in the zone between the fullbacks and the central defenders.

Such a role would require highly fit and quick witted players, able to float between central midfield and the flanks, as well as provide cover for the fullbacks. Unfortunately the performance of the Nigerian wide forwards at the world cup was woeful, none moreso than Osaze and Obinna. Both have since found a new lease of life in England, while Obasi continues to struggle with injuries. The truth is that Siasia must look to develop new options in these positions. No one fits this bill better than Sam John at Bayer Leverkursen. But a concerted effort would need to be made to recruit him for Nigeria.

The third ‘central winger’ would be a hybrid ‘trequartista’ role, with all three wingers floating in and out of this zone from which to support the lone striker. The player in such a role would also be involved in the pressing game high upfield. In my opinion, Joel Obi would be well suited to such a role.

On the whole, the challenge of rebuilding the Super Eagles is today made more difficult by the changing pattern of movement of Nigerian players, and their limited presence in the major leagues or clubs in Europe. The vast majority of these players, from Godwin Samson to Nnaemeka Ajuru, be they in Europe, Africa or the domestic league are not established players but mostly on the cusp of career breakthroughs. This requires that national team selectors be willing to look for players in all possible places and have the courage to take risks and grow with them.

But make no mistake there are talented players out there, especially in the domestic game, which includes both players in the NPL and those in the youth clubs/academies, some of whom are sometimes wrongly held back by being used in the U-17 and U-20 teams.

Rebuilding the Super Eagles: The Homebased Option

Working with homebased players is, to paraphrase ‘Forrest Gump’, like getting a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get! You can find a gem just as easily as you can find a dud; each though with a common denominator- raw undeveloped talent.

But one thing remains here. The Nigerian domestic game, from the professional league to the youth club or grassroots league, is a jewel of inestimable value.

However, working with homebased players is fraught with challenges. By far the greatest being how to get players to sacrifice their individuality for the good of the team, appreciating the fact that the cutting edge player is the one who understands where and how to use his talent to advance the goals of the team.

In recent times however, the value of the homebased players has moved in inverse proportion with followership of the European leagues in Nigeria, especially the English Premier League. To the extent that for many a Nigerian football follower, a Nigerian player is good because he plays in the EPL or La Liga, Bundesliga, or in any of the mid-range European leagues, from Ukraine, Turkey or Denmark.

But the true worth of a player has always been and will always be primarily a factor of his abilities, his physical conditioning and technical qualities.

I spent a year (during my National Youth Service Corp deployment), following the defunct Leventis United in their matches in the then 2^nd Division of the Nigerian league, an experience which opened my eyes to the sheer breath and variety of talent available in Nigeria. This experience also revealed to me the adverse effect of a lack of proper structure for the sustainable development of the domestic game on availability of players to national team selectors.

The result is that too many talented Nigerian players simply fall through the cracks, and worse still, never receive the expert guidance to enable them develop to their full potentials.

It is against this background that one must commend the efforts of Samson Siasia at rebuilding the Super Eagles from the foundation of the domestic game.

Football is a confidence sport. A lack of confidence impacts a Fernando Torres the same way it would affect an upstart at Nassarawa United. What Nigerian players need is proper guidance. It is my belief that any player with real ability can perform at any level, given the proper tools and the right guidance and motivation.

The failures of the Super Eagles in the last four years is to a large extent a product of a chronic inability to refresh itself with new emerging talent, leading to a lack of internal competition with the team almost entirely dependent on the ability of Nigerian players to find ever diminishing spots in European clubs.

However to make this exercise work, Siasia must show patience and follow through. While it is unrealistic to expect the homebased players to completely upstage the current Super Eagles players, the success of this exercise could expand both the talent base and the tactical options available to Siasia as he rebuilds the Super Eagles.

The Squad:

Gabriel Reuben, Joseph Thompson, Gambo Mohammed and Sherif Isah (Kano Pillars), Sunday Rotimi (Dolphin), Yinka Adedeji (Sunshine Stars), Harrison Egbune (Crown FC), Eugene Salami (Tornadoes), Kenneth Ehis (Gombe United), Bernard Okorowanta (Enyimba), Gbenga Arokoyo, Yusuf Jaiyeola (Kwara United). Bassey Akpan, Chibuzor Okonkwo, Gege Soriola, Bartholomew Ibenegbu, Julius Ubido, Osas Okoro (Heartland), Chigozie Agbim, Ekigho Ehiosun (Warri Wolves), Valentine Nwabili (Enyimba), Ukeyima Akombo, Cletus Itodo (Sunshine Stars), Wasiu Showemimo (Pillars), Gbolahan Salami (3SC), Ejike Uzoenyi (Rangers) and Stanley Okoronkwo (Sharks).