Nigeria-Argentina Match Review

In football match review context is everything. It enables you understand your victories, so you can repeat them, and your losses so you can avoid them.

And the context of this game is that a match which on paper should have been competitive was sadly anything but one. Physically, it appeared a contest between a flyweight and a heavyweight. Mentally, Batista's decision to name his Copa America squad before the game left his players with nothing to look forward to but the holidays at the end of a long season.

But having said all that, this was an important victory for Nigeria and Samson Siasia's Super Eagles project. Not so much for what the team is today (which is a considerable ways from the stale World Cup team), as what it can become tomorrow; what it is slowly growing into...

In midfield, the use of three central midfielders in a variable 4-3-3 formation, enhanced the burgeoning relationship between Mikel and Joel Obi, who between them successfully exchanged about forty-seven passes in the first half, more than any two players in the entire match. It also vindicates my position on the transition to a 4-3-3 formation in the Super Eagles (See here)

The formation in turn enhanced the ability to press systematically rather than individually and enabled ball recovery higher up the pitch. Overall, the team showed much greater discipline in the maintenance of its defensive shape in the non-possession phase.

Defensive Frailties:

However certain defensive frailties remain, especially in wide areas. Uche's role on the right which involved sliding into the attacking zone behind Anichebe, while very successful on the offense, often meant a lack of sufficient cover for Okonkwo at right-back.

It is unclear whether it was a case of poor role definition or understanding by Kalu Uche, but the team retained a structural imbalance on the right of midfield in the first half especially. Over the years, Kalu's game for both club and country has variously oscillated from a wide midfielder, wide forward, central striker or holding midfielder. His role as a left-sided wide midfielder at the world cup remains his best ever performance for the Super Eagles. In the first half, his poor initial positioning, left him repeatedly battling to recover his defensive position on the right.

Ironically, Ahmed Musa's entry in the second half would improve the defensive shape of the team on the right, although at this stage the team was playing deeper.  But even more significant from a tactical perspective was the impact of Fengor Ogude's entry in restoring balance on the right side of midfield. His powerful physical presence in Uche's role in the second half, along with an impressive passing range and especially his quick delivery, enhanced both the transition game and the the team's use of pace of Emenike and Musa.

Of equal concern was the static nature of the midfield in picking up late runs, as occured in the 7th, 12th, 21st and 34th minute of the game, with runs by Gaitan, Zabaletta and Bolatti unpicked.

Transition+:

The match for the first time under Siasia, saw the beginning of the emergence of a transition game, which led to the wonderful third goal. Another successful counter would be launched in the 47min which was botched by Emenike, where a lay-up was the better option.

The speed and power of Emenike in the center and Musa on the right, create a new tactical option for Siasia, both on the counter attack, and the ball-over-the-top, from which the fourth goal was scored.

Right-back Watch:

Chibuzor Okonkwo game a typically energetic performance at right back. His initial positioning remains weak, but his recovery is strong and overall his game is growing, hopefully without the wild shooting from distance...Verdict: the search for a right back continues. Hopefully we will get to look at Ifeanyi Emeghara (Steau Bucharest) in the near future, assuming he is healthy, or a converted Fengor Ogude, like Sylvanus Okpalla in the 80s.

Left Center-back Watch:

Efe Ambrose appears to be growing into the position, albeit slowly. His main strength so far appears to be aerial rather than in his positioning, which remains inconsistent. He has good recovery rate though and appears like he may turn out to be a good defender. Verdict: the search for a left-center back continues...

Disapointments:

- None use of all substitutes, especially Isaac Promise and Nosa Igiebor.

- Poor lateral movement of Anichebe and his work down the channels, injury notwithstanding.

Rebuilding the Super Eagles: The Argentina Test

It may not be halfway yet into Samson Siasia's tenure as the Super Eagles coach, but the friendly match against Argentina, albeit without Messi, Tevez and other big guns, represents an important 'checkpoint' from which to assess the journey so far, and how much work remains to be done in rebuilding the national team.

Over the last two weeks in Abeokuta, the WAFU cup enabled Siasia an important opportunity to evaluate homebased players for the senior team. In the process, the outstanding performance of Heartland center-back Gege Soriola, the continued growth in confidence of Chibuzor Okonkwo at right-back and Ekigho Ehiosun in attack, ensured that the objective of the tournament was met, inspite of the loss to Togo in the finals.

The squad for the international friendly against Argentina and the qualifying match with Ethiopia, reveal some major surprises.

In defence Yusuf Ayila recieves his first call-up under Siasia, on the back of some impressive performances at Dynamo Kiev in central defence. Ditto for Yusuf Mohammed at right back, following a long injury layoff. His invitation is somewhat suprising given his lukewarm form at Al-Hilal. But he gets his chance to be evaluated. It is my hope that as the process unfolds, we might take a look at Ifeanyi Emeghara who, despite several injuries, has had a very good season at Steau Bucharest. Clearly, the search for a top right back continues....

In midfield, the major surprise is the invitation of an old Siasia faithful, Isaac Promise, who began the season in outstanding form for Manisaspor in the Turkish liga, but struggled for form in the second half of the season following a return from an ankle twist in a league game on February 21st. Playing in both right central or wide midfield and attack, he showed great dynamism, pace and power in attack, especially cutting inside from wide right, or on being played through on the shoulder of the centerback, either in open play or on the counter.

Nosa Igiebor is promoted from the U-23 team after an outstanding game against Equatorial Guinea, and some superb performances for Lillestrom SK in the Norwegian Tippeligaen, playing from central and left midfield. A quick-witted player with good passing range and the movement to get into the box, he expands the creative options for Siasia in midfield, and perhaps justifies a change in formation to a midfield trio in a 4-3-3. However, the defensive side of his game is still weak.

In attack, Emenike returns from injury while Osaze is dropped for disciplinary reasons. In my opinion, the decision to drop Osaze was expected and does not rank as a surprise. The most important aspect of team building is team spirit. Undermining the authority of a coach has negative implications for team cohesion, especially given the fact that Siasia is a young coach looking to establish himself in the profession. His ability to succeed in this project will not be determined by any one player, but all the players, as well as the extent to which all stakeholders go in enhancing his authority as coach.

As aforementioned, the Argentina match represents an opportunity for the first real examination of Siasia's attempt at rebuilding the national team. Even without the likes of Messi, Tevez and Mascherano, the Argentine team possess enough indepth quality to give Siasia and the Super Eagles a stern examination.

Conversely it is important to keep in mind the real objectives of this match and ensure that it is used in a manner to get its full value for rebuilding the national team, and not simply to win a match or avoid defeat. I therefore urge Siasia and his team to be bold, experiment and take risks, while keeping a firm eye on the big picture.

Especially, I will like to see the coaching crew explore the option of a 4-3-3 formation to evaluate the effectiveness of a midfield trio in a high level competitive game, especially their ability to limit the time and space available to the opponent in the non-possession phase.

As in the previous match, 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. performance of the central defensive partnership as well as right back

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

4. quality, tempo and speed of the passing game, especially in central midfield 

5. organization as well as speed of the transition game

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

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

 

Key individual performances for special evaluation would include Yusuf Ayinla in central defence, Yusuf Mohammed at right back, Nosa Igiebor, Fegor Ogunde as well as Isaac Promise in midfield.

 

The squad:

Goalkeepers - Vincent Enyeama, Dele Aiyenugba, Austin Ejide

Defenders - Chibuzor Okonkwo, Yusuf Mohammed, Taye Taiwo, Joseph Yobo, Dele Adeleye, Efe Ambrose, Yusuf Ayila

Midfielders - John Mikel Obi, Joel Obi, Fengor Ogude, Kalu Uche, Nnamdi Oduamadi, Nosa Igiebor, Isaac Promise

Forwards - Victor Anichebe, Peter Utaka, Obinna Nsofor, Ike Uche, Ekigho Ehiosun, Emmanuel Emenike, Ahmed Musa

Standby - Shola Ameobi, Victor Moses

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...