The buzz in Nigerian football at the moment is about the list. The list of invitees to the preliminary world cup squad by Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi.
The buzz is especially about Osaze Odenwigie; about Ikechukwu Uche; about Joseph Yobo, etc.
What the buzz is sadly not about is football. Yes, football!
Before you say it, the composition of the Super Eagles world cup squad is important. But it is not everything. A coach, every coach, has a right to his choice of players. But the fan, the football fan has a right to his opinion- good, bad, smart, stupid; whatever.....
But the role of the football pundit is different. While it must recognize popular sentiment, it should also recognize the need to inform, to generate intelligent discourse.
Sadly its getting harder and harder to separate the average 'Surulere-end fan' from the pundits, including the much revered Segun Odegbanmi, who much as he tried, could not succumb from the urge to talk about team list and invitations.
Every coach, has a right to his choice of players. He then lives or dies with his choices! So I'm not interested in the team list, who is invited, or who is left out. Rather I'm interested in what Stephen Keshi does with the players he chooses.
The Nigerian renaissance under Keshi was never based on superior tactical acumen. Indeed, for the purists out there, the Nigerian team sometimes appears on the verge of anarchy, with little consistency in team shape, movements and decision making. But as we found out, painfully, with Berti Vogts, the Nigerian team does not function well in a regime of tactical rigidity.
The Nigerian success under Keshi, especially at the Africa Nations cup, is based predominantly on man management, on motivation and team spirit. For instance, Stephen Keshi's ability to pull Mikel Obi from his eternal comfort zone of the 3-yard square pass, and 'big-man football', is nothing short of masterful!
It is against this specific background that all the clamor, agitation and campaign around who is in or out is a direct assault on team unity.
Those who generate this pressure, whether intended or otherwise, are dancing with the Eagles, but partying with Lionel Messi!
There are some considerable tactical issues that face the Nigerian team, a few months to the world cup. I say lets focus on these....
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