Good Start from John Obuh's U-20 Eagles

Five thumping goals scored and none conceded is as good a start as could be wished in tournament football.

But we must be careful to keep things in perspective; not so much because Guatemala were such poor opposition but largely the fact that the ultimate goal an U-20 tournament is to serve as a supply line to the full national team.

Accordingly, the progress of the Flying Eagles in Colombia must always be co-measured in terms of how many new genuine prospects are staking a valid claim for a future senior team shirt or a new contract.

Afterall, what does it profit a country's football to win the Golden Shoe and FIFA World Youth Championship most valuable player trophy and end up in  Karşıyaka S.K. who play in Bank Asya 1. Lig, Turkey's second-tier league like Ghana's Dominic Adiyah...

Four top prospects are at the core of this team: Ahmed Musa, who has already broken into the Super Eagles, Ramon Azeez in central midfield, and the two centerbacks Omeruo and Ogungbe.

John Obuh has setup his team well, but the challenge is to enforce organizational discipline in the heat of match. With first game jitters behind them, I expect a more disciplined performance going forward.

In defence, the use of Emmanuel Anyanwu, a centerback at right back, a position of acute need in the Super Eagles, does not in any way advance the cause of the national team. This is made worse by the use of Suswan, a right back at the left back position, which creates an imbalance for the Flying Eagles and denies Nigeria a chance to develop the talented Suswan in his natural position.

In central defence, Gani Ogungbe's speed, power and athleticism stands out, as is his tendency to go to ground too often, which led to a yellow card.

In midfield, the use of Ajagun and Azeez ahead of Daniel creates a hole in central midfield as the latter is made to sit. A more clever team will exploit this undefended zone.

In attack, Obuh's 2nd half tactical change in allowing Kayode more space to attack from wide right liberated the player and vastly improved his performance. What this suggests in my opinion is that the qualities of the front trio of Kayode, Musa and Edafe are constrained by being forced into fixed positions.

Perhaps a case can be made for a 'false 9', with all front three alternating? Perhaps....

World Cup 2014 Watch: Three Strikers To Look For...

On the surface of it, Nigeria seems to have an abundance of attacking talent available to national team selectors. While that may be true, when subjected to serious analysis on the issue of quality and long term viability, many players would easily drop by the way...In addition, when differentiated in terms of 'top strikers' and support strikers or wide forwards, the picture changes

Take the case of Obafemi Martins. Since his blockbuster start to his career at Newcastle FC, a combination of injuries and loss of form have combined to stunt his career to the point where he has not only stagnated, but his career is currently in limbo. Different but equally poignant examples can also be made for Yakubu, Peter Utaka or Eneramo. 

The challenge to the coaching crew thus lies in determining who best to invest time and effort in, both in meeting the immediate (ANC 2012) as well as the long term (Brazil 2014) needs of the team.

For the purpose of this analysis, our emphasis is on 'top strikers', which means that the likes of  Peter Odenwigie, Obasi or Ike Uche are excluded. 

In my considered opinion, the three top strikers to watch who meet both our immediate and longer term needs are Emmanuel Emenike (Fernebace), Ideye Brown (Kiev) and Anthony Ujah (Mainz). Each player has transferred to a new club  meaning each one will face a new set of challenges in the 2011/12 season.

For Ideye Brown, this will be his third club in three straight seasons, having moved first from Swiss club Neuchâtel Xamax. to French club FC Sochaux. In all three clubs his role has remained largely that of a top striker, with the penalty area as the main focus of his movement and game. For the most part, he is not a striker who arrives in the box, but one who recieves the ball in the penalty area and creates space to recieve the ball. Primarily left footed, of the three strikers, he is clearly the best in the air, with a great vertical leap, even from a static position, and is adept at finding space at the far post, much like the ex-Stationery Stores great, Wakilu Oyenuga (www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6TrDSCCzRM)

The major addition to his game today at Dynamo Kyiv is that he is made to attack a lot wider from the left than at Sochaux, which in turn has allowed him to cut in diagonally and shoot with the right foot which is equally strong as the left. While he has begun his career at Kiev in tremendous form, we must be careful to balance our assessment of him with the reality that the Ukranian league affords him a lot more space on the ball than he had in France. I suspect that we will learn a lot more about his development in his games in Europe than in Ukraine.

Emmanuel Emenike will begin his third season in the Turkish Liga in  Fenerbahçe which represents the summit of Turkish domestic football (along with Galatasaray). Primarily right footed, he has greater acceleration than Brown and is at his best when attacking the diagonal ball in space, especially from wide right or the inside right channel (http://rutube.ru/tracks/3844792.html?v=d9b7f0e3516beb24fa624088540cd1df).

He has greater pace, power and balance with the ball at his feet than any of the others, and is better on the dribble. Most of his goals are scored by out-pacing the defender in open play, attacking the gap between the center backs and the dribble run. Relatively few of his goals come from headers as compared to Brown.

The new season will represent a much greater challenge than he has faced thus far, as the pressures of playing in Fener are very high, in addition to which he has the challenge of the UEFA champions league. Internally, he will have to compete with Mamadou Niang and Semih Sentuk both of whom finished last season with goals in double figures.

The 2011/12 season will be Anthony Ujah's second full season in Europe, after a blockbuster start with  Lillestrøm in the Norwegian Tippeligaen, on the basis of which he has recently transferred to FSV Mainz 05. According to the club’s head coach Thomas Tuchel Anthony Ujah is "a young player with great development potential..especially his tremendous jumping power and speed as well as his superior rate. He has "brilliant control over the ball in the penalty area and is a natural goal scorer ” he stated.

Although his experience in Europe has been in the modest Norwegian league, the variety of his goals and the quality of his movement are evidence of a superior talent (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHks0IxKfBY). He is able to play as a top striker or in support, can play as a lone forward with back to goal, or in a partnership; is a scorer as well as provider, and can play off the shoulder of the center back or as a wide forward.

In my opinion, Anthony Ujah represents Nigeria's best long term prospect, if he continues on his current growth curve. While allowing him ample time to adjust to a new club and league, it is important that his integration into the Super Eagles be prioritized (over Ekigho Ehiosun), especially through the U-23 team.

Conversely, Ideye Brown and Emmanuel Emenike possess qualities to form a great partnership attack in a 4-4-2 formation that allows the Eagles handlers to field a quartet of 'real' midfielders rather than forwards in midfield positions. This will enable the team greater balance, especially when playing on the road.

Eucharia Uche: A Disgrace to Nigerian Women Football?

No offense, but I do not often get involved in female football. I have enough football watching men play. But it has never stopped me from following the Nigerian women team, the Falcons, especially since that epic game with Brazil a few years ago.

But recent events in the team have caught my attention, especially following the hard fought game against Germany in which they lost 1-0, and the unnecessary controversy surrounding comments by the coach Eucharia Uche.

Nigerian sports administrators have a long notorious history of unprofessionalism and maltreatment of sportsmen and women, from unpaid allowances, bonuses and general welfare of teams under their supervision. Those who follow female football closely in Nigeria will tell you that few sportsmen or women are as maltreated as women footballers in Nigeria, often by the very same people who have responsibility for their welfare, including especially women administrators or club owners who use these players as a basis for repeatedly attracting government funds for their personal use!

It is against this background that when Eucharia Uche was appointed coach, I was confident that we had a chance to finally begin to turn the corner, having hired someone who had walked in the shoes of her players and knew first hand what their most important needs were.

It was with shock therefore that rather than fight to uplift the welfare and status of her players and by extension female football in Nigeria, she would allow herself get embroiled in the damaging wedge issue of sexual behavior.

Let there be no misunderstanding! The problems of Nigerian women football obviously goes beyond the current coach. In some ways I actually sympathize with her...she cannot give that which she does not have!

For ninety minutes, our girls showed they had the tools to be successful if someone can figure out how best to use these tools. Even accounting for the extremely generous refereeing, when you can physically dominate a German team to the extent that they did, you certainly have something to work with...

After 5 world cup appearances and multiple continental championships, we need to do better than simply show up, considering the physical tools the girls have, which is what this match demonstrated.

Basic technical issues remain, with passes over 2-3yrds misplaced with consistent regularity..The left-back could not throw the ball properly, a corner kick was played straight out for a goal kick on the side it was taken! Poor decision making characterized all aspects of their game, with players unable to understand proper spacing on the pitch, repeatedly struggle with ball control, execute 15yrd run with the ball only to make/flub a 4yrd pass...I mean am talking about the basics here!
In spite of executing probably the best pressing game I've seen in this tournament, they never could muster a complete passing move on ball recovery, resorting to the long punt upfield with no prayer of getting the ball.

We can put as rosy a face to it as we want, but our female football and Eucharia Uche (not footballers) was a disgrace out there in Germany!

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.