Nigeria vs Liberia Preview

1. Stephen Keshi's squad list of thirty eight (38) players underlines much of the status of his attempt at rebuilding the Super Eagles, with an initially clear and valid strategy of building from the domestic league instead materializing as a convoluted project with no clear sense of direction, increasingly compromised by considerations outside of the technical realm of football.
2. In goal Enyeama's struggles have drawn attention to the need for competition, but then the invitees are, to a man, all from the same stale pool of shot stoppers, and perhaps apart from Ejide, none of the others has shown himself capable of mounting anything close to a serious challenge for the position...
3. In defence the critical full back positions continue to be unaddressed seriously. Ambrose looks set to continue as a makeshift right back plodding along. Yet an impressive debut at Celtic is evidence the player can do a lot better, with proper organization of the team. The piss-poor Oshaniwa having transfered to Isreal, is thankfully dropped with Ezekiel invited.
4. The key issue for me is the seeming absence of progression in the invitation, trial, elimination or subsequent retention and use of players who substantively make the grade in the team.
5. For all clear intent, only Egwuekwe, Oboabona and Oshaniwa can be said with any certainty to have met this performance standard in defence. Yet the cycle of invitation of the same players continues, with Kingsley Udoh and Ezekiel as the new entrants.
6. Simultaneously, players who are actually showing signs of progress remain sidelined, like Omeruo, Ogungbe and Taiye Taiwo, as well as Apam who has returned to fitness.
7. In midfield only Gabriel Reuben meets this performance standard, yet the same cast of homebased players continue to be invited, in spite of lacking the quality to make a difference in the team. Hopefully the CHAN qualifying series will help raise the standards of some of these players and their competitiveness.
8. At the same time you have young central midfielders like Izunna Uzochukwu at FC Midtjylland consistently overlooked for players of vastly inferior quality, like Raheem Lawal or Obiora Nwankwo whose career has consistently gone south!
9. Mikel Obi finally returns to the national team, his first time under Keshi's tenure, after repeated lack of commitment to the national cause, and for which Keshi rightly held him accountable. In my opinion we should neither pressure nor force Keshi to invite any player to the Super Eagles. If Mikel's professional ambition in football ends at Stamford Bridge, Fulham Road, London, SW6 1HS, we should oblidge him!
10. While recognizing his progress at Lazio, the invitation of Ogenyi Onazi appears a little premature, and the young player might have been better served by allowing him room to establish his place in the Serie A team. Nonetheless this is a good chance to get him in the frame of the national team with as little pressure as possible, evangelical interests notwithstanding.
11. Fourteen forwards are invited, with many of the locally based players expected to be culled before the full camping begins. Of this number there are seven wide forwards, excluding John Utaka from French champions Montpellier who is dropped as unceremoniously as he was invited, even with his continued good form at club level!
12. Heartland's Obinna Nwachukwu is also dropped from the squad while Gomo Onduku of Sharks returns, nearly two years removed from his better NPL performances.
13. Seven central strikers are invited, one of them, Fidelis Saviour of FC Taraba in the lower division of the Nigerian league. It is unclear if Kalu Uche is dropped since moving to Turkey. Brendan Ogbu, Tony Okpotu, and Manir Ubale are invited for the first time. And the discordant beat goes on...
14. A valid strategy for rebuilding the national team is being subverted. It appears that national team invitation is simply burnishing the CVs of players who subsequently parley this for possible transfer abroad.
15. Let us hope that somehow the Super Eagles is able to benefit from this. See you in South Africa...

The Eagles squad:

Goalkeepers: Austin Ejide, Vincent Enyeama, Chigozie Agbim (Warri Wolves), Daniel Akpeyi (Heartland)

Defenders: Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves), Papa Idris, Umar Zango (Kano Pillars), Solomon Kwambe, Godfrey Oboabona, (Sunshine Stars), Ezekiel Bassey (Lobi Stars), Kingsley Udoh (Heartland), Joseph Yobo, Elderson Echiejile, Efe Ambrose.

Midfielders: Gabriel Reuben (Kano Pillars), Henry Uche (Enyimba), Christian Ofili (ABS), Solomon Jabason (Akwa United), Philip Asuquo (3SC), Joel Obi, Nosa Igiebor, Obiora Nwankwo, Mikel Obi, Ogenyi Onazi.


Forwards:

Wide Forwards: Ejike Uzoenyi (Enugu Rangers), Victor Moses, Ahmed Musa, Sunday Mba (Warri Wolves), Gomo Ondoku (Sharks), Sanusi Sani (Gombe United), Izu Azuka (Sunshine Stars),

 

Strikers: Brendan Ogbu (Heartland), Tony Okpotu (Lobi Stars), Manir Ubale (Kano Pillars), Fidelis Saviour (FC Taraba),  Ike Uche, Emmanuel Emenike, Brown Ideye.