Re: Ramon Azeez

Ramon Azeez's invitation to the Super Eagles international friendly against Mexico in Atlanta caps a remarkable run from youth football and the lower division of Spanish football to establishing himself as a starter for Almeria in La Liga.

2. Having watched him first in Almeria B, to his inclusion in the match day squad of the senior team, his tentative performance had me convinced that he needed at the very least a full season in Europe to establish his identity as a footballer.

3. But not anymore! Watching him at the Nou Camp last night, I had a change of mind!

4. While part of a losing effort, what stood out for me was not the regular match day players statistics on pass completion rate, key passes made, number of assists, tackles won, etc.

5. In a match at the Nou Camp involving Almeria against Barcelona, such statistics are largely secondary in assessing the visiting team. Context is everything...

6. Almeria began by matching Barcelona's 4-3-3, but with the flexibility to switch to a 4-4-1-1 or 5-3-1-1 in the non-possession phase, with Azeez taking up a defensive role on the inside right channel to stop Neymar's diagonal runs.

7. The deep role also allowed him to room to occasionally break forward, centrally for the most part and on one occasion wide on Barcelona's right side.

8. The key metric for me in assessing him last night was his body language and overall composure. Last night, instead of the tentative, slightly awkward player I've seen for most of the season, he looked like a player convinced that he belonged in his surroundings.

9. Tactically his positioning was very good, and only once was he caught out, lunging in on Neymar to earn a deserved booking. In the second half, he moved more centrally within Almeria's defensive shape, as they sought to contain wave after wave of Barcelona attacks.

10. He would later depart on 79mins as Almeria gambled on more offense with Liverpool's Suso, and were duly punished...

11. If Azeez can bring this confidence to Nigeria's friendly with Mexico, I suspect he would be the third (or fourth) central midfielder behind Mikel and Onazi.