Super Eagles: the way forward for Stephen keshi

It is appropriate to say congratulations to a man whose worst criticism has probably emanated from this blog. Yes Stephen Keshi, you have made some of us eat up all our predictions. A very big well done to you. After all, you can't ask more from a man who has won. In this piece, we will x-ray all the factors that conspired towards Nigeria's success at the Afcon ,the minuses of the super eagles and how these factors eclipsed those minuses and then chart a way forward for this new wonder kid on the block all in the best interest of the Nigerian game. 

Factor no.1:  Unity,commitment and Hardwork - For the first time since 1980, yes 1980, there was a super eagles team that was united within the ranks,where all the players including those on the bench were ready to work hard for each other and run around the pitch like possessed men for ninety minutes and more . There was no big man football and all the players gave 100%. there was no irresponsible partying and womanising in between crucial games as has been customary .this was the biggest factor in our favour at the Afcon. It is pertinent to state that even the famed 1994 team even though it was miles and miles ahead of this team in terms of quality was no where as united or commited as this. 

Factor No.2: A lower quality of opposition - In absolute football terms,I make bold to say this was the lowest quality games there has been in the last four editions. The Egyptians who have been the best team at the games by a mile in the past few editions were absent. So was Cameroun and an under strength Ghana without the Ayew brothers,Sule Muntari and Micheal Essien meant three truly top quality teams had cancelled themselves out already. Of all Nigeria's opponents,the only top team we played was Cote d'Voire and all credit to us for defeating them and also to them for underrating us.

Having identified these factors, I will say they were overwhelming enough to eclipse our deficiencies on the field of play and on the bench. There was a glaring quality gap in the team as we lacked quality in some key areas of the pitch and while we were sublime in a few areas, there was no depth in numbers to provide back up for those areas. Any wonder the entire country almost had a heart attack anytime it looked like Victor Moses or Mikel was not going to be available. At a higher level of the game, we would definitely have paid dearly for those deficiencies because better teams would have punished us. While our goal keeper was top class,in defence we were woeful at defending set pieces with no one instructed to man the posts during corner kicks and eight times out of every ten, we were beaten to the first header in corner kick situations, there were far too many free headers and quite often with a second attacker also free in our six yard area. So while our defenders did well in one one one situations, we lacked organisation in defence. Point to the coaches for not assigning specific roles in specific situations.

 Midfield- John Obi Mikel was the heart and soul of the Nigerian midfield and indeed the entire team with no back up either on the bench or on the field.The gulf in class between him and the rest of the midfield was too glaring.He was the only one in midfield and defence who could hold the ball and organise the play,give defence splitting passes and dictate the tempo .This is not taking anything away from the grit and endeavour of Onazi and Mbah who scored two fairy tale goals but the truth is if Mikel had gotten injured,even a bunch of school boys would have beaten us at this Afcon. Onazi  in particular and Ogude worked hard throughout they but still need to learn how to read the game,keep team shape and track dangerous players running into offensive positions without the ball. That is what top class defensive midfielders do apart from marking the man with the ball ! While credit  must go to Mbah for having the heart and the technique to score two great goals under difficult situations ,he still does not have the skill and ability to influence team play and dictate the offensive like a mercurial no.10 and like Nosa Igiebor, he does go missing for great lengths of time on the pitch- He obviously will not pop up with a wonder goal in every game so if he does little else other than that, then we need to get a proper no.10 whose quality will show for ninety minutes . A Luka Modric, Raphael Van der Vart,Wesley Sneider,Frank Lampard, Stephen Pienaar, Mesut Ozil type of player.

Attack - off course Victor Moses was mercurial and Emmanuel Emenike allways put his physique to good use but Brown Ideye was obviously an average player who was punching above his level. Fluffed two free headers against Burkina Faso in the opening game and another shooting opportunity in the same game,missed three free headers at the back post against  Cote d Voire that would have been sure goals,missed another two free headers and two tap ins  against Burkina Faso in the final . You don't consistently make such basic errors at this level. Certainly not good enough and shouldn't have been there with all the quality strikers in our pool. No wonder Nigeria could only manage that wonder goal from a midfielder (Mbah) in the final. Ahmed Musa for all his breathtaking pace needs to improve on his final decision making and indeed the quality of his crosses. (he should watch how his own Victor Moses,Valencia of Man United and indeed a lot of players in the premiership cross the ball). I believe he will improve. Ike Uche had a terrible tournament. I hope he gets back to his usual self.

So, summarily there were quality gaps in the Nigerian team which would have cost us dearly if we were playing at a higher level. My obvious recommendations for Stephen Keshi going forward are this:

1) A truce for all the absentees: it was quite obvious that we were not at the Afcon with some of our finest players. Yes we managed to win. With this win, Keshi has gained the respect of these players and now if encouraged, they will come back and play for him on his own terms. KESHI AND INDEED NIGERIA DEFINITELY NEED THE SERVICES OF ALL HER BEST PLAYERS SUCH AS OSAZE ODEMWINGIE ,OBAFEMI MARTINS,KALU UCHE,OBASI OGBUKE, VICTOR ANICHEBE IN ATTACK IN PLACE OF THE LIKES OF IDEYE AND UZOENYI AND ALSO TO PROVIDE GREAT COMPETITION AND QUALITY OPTIONS TO EMENIKE,MOSES AND CO. HARUNA LUKMAN LOOKS CLOSEST TO THE MERCURIAL NO.10 WE ARE LOOKING FOR AND DICKSON ETUHU HAS THE QUALITY AND EXPERIENCE TO FILL THE  GAPS EXPERIENCED  WITH ONAZI AND OGUDE IN FRONT OF THE BACK FOUR.. THE POINT IS At A HIGHER LEVEL,QUALITY WILL SPEAK  AND YOU NEED TO MIX TOP QUALIT WITH THE ZEAL AND COMMITMENT WE NOW HAVE.

2) Get a defensive coach: All modern day teams have this so its nothing for Keshi to be ashamed of. A modern day specialist to organise the defence and indeed the team as a defensive unit both in open play as well as in set pieces. If Keshi is scared of the possible consequences of bringing in a more technically adept deputy, then he should update himself by learning defensive coaching secretly and intensively.

Well,the "final word"has spoken. I join other informed and well meaning Nigerians in congratulating us on our new found bragging rights and wishing Keshi will now show the wisdom and maturity that is crucial to following up on fleeting success.

Nigeria vs Mali: How it went

Yes we saw some vintage football from the much maligned(that includes me) Nigerian team today.They totally eclipsed the Malians in midfield and the nigerian attack was constantly making runs and getting behind the Malian back four most particularly on the right where a certain gentleman called Tamboura had an absolute nightmare. The first half saw a very disciplined Nigerian side playing the simple,can't go wrong,one touch game with penetrating passes from the likes of Mikel Obi and Victor Moses (who else) and good break up of Malian initiative by Onazi who appeared to have improved a lot. This is how they fared:
Emmanuel Emenike : Had his best game yet for the eagles. Gave the Malians constant nightmares as his physique and athletism was too much to handle. Showed a lot more intelligence than previously as he was able to time his run perfectly for a textbook Victor Moses pass and alas, played an inch perfect one touch cross behind the malian central defenders into an onrushing Brown Ideye  to stylishly tap in. Has he been reading my blog? Gave them all sorts of problems, was full of running and allways available for the cross from wide areas. Hold up play was equally good. No defender would've wished to play against him on the day! - 8/10
Brown Ideye: Had a very good game as well. Some good touches on the ball. Showed good athletism and technique for Nigeria's second goal. Combined well with Victor Moses and Emmanuel Emenike. 7/10
Victor Moses :Another vintage  performance. His quality was there for all to see. His trickery and sudden change of pace makes him a very special player. The English establishment are still biting their fingers as for the whole Trafalger Square, they still cant find a genuine flair player on the left. Victor is head and shoulders above the likes of Stewart Downing,Joe Cole  and even the upcoming Raheem Sterling for whom I have a lot of respect.For all the cheeky reasons, I hope we get to play against England in Brazil 2014. Victor turned his man inside out and left him for dead to produce an inch perfect cross for an overlapping Ichiejile to head in on the back post. Picked the ball from a midfield position and set up Emenike with a text book pass that split the Malian defence asunder thus leading to the second goal. Now I know why he makes the Brazilan Oscar sit on the bench at Chelsea. I think this tournament has signalled his arrival on the big stage . Picked an injury later in the game and had to be replaced. I sincerely hope he is available for the final -9/10
Ahmed Musa : The player you can always mistake for Tijani Babangida of yesterday and today's Aaron Lennon, made some great runs behind the Malian defence to connect with Mikel's defence splitting passes and arrive at a one on one with the Malian goalkeeper four times within a space of thirty minutes. Scored one and fluffed the other three simply because he wouldn't play in a better positioned player who would have simply tapped the ball into an empty net. Should be more clinical at this level. While you can't fault his pace and vision, you'd fault him on decision making as his team could rue such missed opportunities in a more evenly contested game. The game  could have easily ended six or seven nil if he had made obviously better decisions. Desperately needs to work on his final ball as it often undos the vision and breathtaking run that precedes it.He scores as low as 6/10 because of those misses.
John Obi Mikel: Undoubtedly the very fabric of the Nigerian team. I remember seeing Mikel for the first time in a 2005 World Cup group match with the U21s.He was supposed to be match rusty having not kicked a ball in six months as he was the subject of a lengthy battle between Chelsea and Manchester United. I saw him for fifteen minutes and I said he was a cross between Kanu and Jay jay Okocha having the elegance and simplitude of the former and the mesmerising skills of the latter. Even though he has since become a defensive midfielder,his overall quality in dictating the nigerian play, launching attacks from a deep position,defence splitting passing and tracking deadly opposition remains the very foundation  on which the entire Nigerian team is built. He rendered Seydou Keita anonymous and Mali could just not play. Thank GOD he is not blighted by injury because if I was playing against Nigeria,my match plan would simply be to get him off the field !  -9/10
Oge onazi : The Lazio youngster put up a much improved performance sitting in front of the back four.Made timely interventions to break up the Malian play.However finds himself drifting out of position and suddenly leaving the team without shape from a defensive point of view. Still learning the game and needs to understand that maintaining team shape is a core responsibility of the man in front of the back four.Unfortunately your senior national team is not the place to learn how to play high level football .God help us - 6/10.
Sunday Mba : Had a fairly subdued performance. thought  he would build up on his wonder goal and be more influential in this game. Needs to improve his work rate. If you don't have the ball skills of Eden Hazard, you can as well do with the industry of Ramires - 5/10
Godson Echiejile : I think he s the most improved Nigerian player in the past one year. Has finally emerged from the shadows of Taiye Taiwo. His hesitant and unassured participation have been replaced with confident and emphatic displays. I think a steady champions league and domestic run with Braga FC have made him a much more confident player who now believes he has earned his stripes. Covered his lines well defensively and was confident enough to overlap and score a flying header - 7/10
Efe Ambrose: Another player that has improved in this tourney . From the rash,nervous fullback who played in the first game to a more calculating and confident one these days . Still holds on too long to the ball sometimes  with too many attempted dribble runs one of which exposed the team when it was intercepted almost resulting in a Malian goal.Overall good performance on the day. 6.5/10
Godfrey Oboabana and Kenneth Omeruoh: His central defensive pairing with Kenneth Omeruoh has been Nigeria's better bet in this tourney as Joseph Yobo has been reduced to cameo roles . They've both held the lines well in open play. 6/10 apiece.
Joseph Yobo: Another cameo appearance with game done and dusted. Not a lot of time for assessment Looked heavy though and seemed to have a slight limp,appeared slow and injury prone.
Ejike Uzoenyi - Came on as a substitute for the injured Emenike, was expected to operate from the far right. Did not do much. 4/10
Vincent Enyeama - did the business when he was called upon. Saved two goal bound efforts when the Nigerian defence decided to watch the game like I did from my living room in far away Lagos.Stepped up to the plate. Remains a big match goalkeeper -7/10
However set pieces remain a concern for the eagles. I don't know what happened to the traditional man on either pole defending of corners and one on one marking during set pieces as on a few occasions there were one or two Malians roaming free in Nigeria s danger area during corner kicks. While we clearly dominated the game, we could have also lost it on the count of about five corner kicks that were very badly defended .A more technically adept side who have perfected the art of converting set pieces could have made us pay for this folly as we have often seen many sides lose to less illustrious opposition purely for failing to defend during set pieces. I would  also expect the likes of Ideye and  Emenike  to have specific roles in defending corner kicks like Drogba did for Chelsea FC beacause of his height.For now, its Well done to the eagles. I hope keshi is listening.

Surprise;Nigeria sends boastful Ivoriens packing

Yes it was a pulsating encounter and yes I'm honest enough to admit that I was thoroughly shocked by both the outcome of the game and the blow by blow proceedings as well. While I will not join the band wagon of Nigerians who think we now have a super team, I will take my now famous magnifying lens and unearth the reasons behind what has now become this great victory for Nigeria. The factors are as follows:

1)The Ivoriens strolled into the game thinking it would be a walk in the park. They had obviously spent so much time before the game making fun of the Nigerian selection and its obvious lack of quality and depth, they forgot they still needed to turn up,play the game and win it.the first forty five minutes was an obvious reflection of their mindset. Nigeria had near absolute control of the midfield and in all sincerity would have been three goals up before the Emenike screamer of a free kick (or should we call it Barry howler) if the quality was there as Ideye bungled two free headers on the back post and Emenike couldn't play a simple one touch cross that would have allowed Sunday Mba the simplest of tap ins.  Yes such was the Nigerian domination of the first half that the half time scores should have read 4-0 in favour of the eagles if this quality we keep talking about was there. 

2)The Barry Howler - there's no gain saying the Ivoriens did not match their goalkeeping with the quality of players upfield. The Emenike free kick should indeed have been a routine save at this level of the game. Credit however to Emenike for the effort and the ferocity of the shot. After all, if you don't buy a ticket, you don't win the lottery.

3)The nigerian determination: the eagles were obviously the more hungry and more passionate of the two teams on the day and were duly rewarded for their industry and "strange" unity within the ranks. They contested more balls and the limited artistry and lack of organisation in key areas of attack, midfield and defence were made up for by sheer grit and endeavour. Well done to nigerian football for this new found discipline and concentration . I hope they don't go partying  on the eve of  forthcoming games and throw it all away as they usually do.

4)Pockets of quality within the Nigerian team: while a lot of credit goes to the entire nigerian eleven  for commitment and fighting spirit, mention must be made of the following players whose quality in particular provided the framework to make up for the deficiencies of the team in other areas. Stand up mikel Obi for your ability to read the game and organise the team,track runners from the midfield when every one else was watching the man in possession while oblivious of the looming danger posed by the runners. He did this all through the game resulting in three timely interventions in the second half that could have been sure goals for the Ivoriens .What class this man has! Little wonder he has outlived eight managers at Chelsea !

Victor Moses- Off course Victor Moses. Thrived in the free role and was able to come into play most of the time .Everything we did in attack revolved around him. I can't  stop wishing quality players like Osaze, Kalu Uche and Obasi Ogbuke who can also do what he does were here. That is what depth in quality is all about . That is what wins championships.I hope he suffers neither injury nor a bad day in the office in these two forthcoming crucial games. 

Vincent Enyeama - Kept us in the game with his saves.A big time goalkeeper indeed.

Sunday Mba - Has been a revelation, has shown a big heart to pick up the ball and take the situation in his hand to grab that goal, was denied a goal much earlier in the game when Emenike ignored his run and chose to blast the ball sky high. Yes he s not the magical no10 but has shown a heart for the big occasion which Nosa Igiebor did not. 

Every one else had a good game part from Onazi who appeared lost and found himself out of position a few critical times. Could not command that makalele position thus forcing Mikel who quite aware of his limitations played deeper than usual to cover up.

Specifically Emenike was a bully as usual using his physique to good advantage but his modest intelligence let him down a few times such as when he could have made a one touch cross for Mba to tap in, a few one on one situations that required some skills and atimes he found himself stranded on the wings with neither the flexibility nor the wit to outfox his marker.

Ideye showed composure and skill to play Emenike in earlier in the game (that is what we expect at his level) but was showed enough quality gap to fluff three free headers on the back post! It is criminal to miss free headers at this level. You take your chances but then what if you are not good enough!

Central defenders Oboabana and Omeruoh were quite good individually but the entire defence is still a problem as a unit particularly in set pieces. No organisation,nobody on the poles during corners and similar situations. The Ivorien goal was particularly a bad case because while Check Tiote was free at the back post, there was also another Ivorien free on the near post so the man who took the fee kick had two options of completely unmarked players he could have chosen!  Yet there were nine nigerian shirts in and around the six yard box not knowing specifically what to do. That was indeed atrocious defending !

Full backs EFe Ambrose and Echijile were very confident going upfront and worked hard down the flanks to cover their defensive positions. Efe could however benefit from releasing the ball earlier as he was caught travelling with it a few times. Lesson; as a full back you don't have to do a dribble run each time you get the ball else you else you risk exposing your flanks when you lose it . Kinda basic isn't it !

Vincent Enyeama - We are very lucky to have this goalkeeper. Safe, confident hands. Hasn't looked back since he saved the paul Scholes screamer in World Cup 2002. Did the business once again 7/10. Goal was conceded off a free header from a set piece . His defenders need to be more organised during set pieces.

Well, semi finals here we come. Like I said, you can't fault this team on commitment. So I'm kind of getting in the groove.

Nigeria:One game to go

Yes, I have called this one game to go. One more bridge to cross before the water mark will finally rest at its level. Well, I must start by congratulating the entire nigerian squad for playing and winning a tough game under tough conditions. You can not fault them on commitment,endeavour or resolve . The boys fought like warriors on the day, controlled the game for large parts of it ,looked the stronger of the two sides but then for all the endeavour of  the fourteen on display ,they had to rely on the skills of a certain victor moses in attack for the final quality required to break down a resolute Ethiopian side . Indeed the entire team worked very hard (right up to the mercurial Vincent Enyeama whose point blank save ensured we didn't follow our tradition of conceding late equalisers) but it s quite disturbing to know that the game would have ended goalless without the intervention of victor Moses even if both sides had played for the whole week! That obviously shows a glaring quality problem as it means there was nobody else in attack either on the pitch or on the bench who possessed the final extra quality that could ve made the difference on the day. Against tougher opposition i.e a Cote d'voire we would most definitely have lost the game as we will indeed see on Monday. Point - Quality wins crucial games and tournaments and this Nigerian squad simply lacks that level of quality. Someone said we should go back to the drawing board and prepare. The news is if you don't have enough quality and depth in your ranks,no matter how hard you prepare or how hard you work, you cant give what you dont have and indeed water will allways find its level except if you have a phenomenal amount of luck like Zambia did last edition, but then lightning hardly strikes twice on the same spot.

How they fared:

Vincent Enyeama - was a Trojan ,stood up when it counted to single handedly keep us in the competition. Would feel a lot better If his defenders were better particularly during set pieces as the opponents had too many free headers. 8/10

Elderson Echiejile - most confident display I've seen of him in an eagles shirt. Defended well apart from set pieces, supported the attack well. 6/10

Kenneth Omeruoh - I'm beginning to see why he s a Chelsea player. Has been a revelation so far.Will go places if he is still within five or six years of his official age. Very confident,agile. 6/10

Godfrey oboabana - did well yet again. Has a lot of potential. - 6/10

Efe Ambrose - most improved player in the nigerian line up.had a good game in full back position. Showed a lot of composure,joined the midfield and attack very well though he held on to ball too long atimes thereby forcing fengor ogude to clean up the mess and get a second booking in the process. 6/10

Individually, you could say the defenders didnt do badly but there is a nagging problem of organisation so collectively they were poor.Too many free headers, too many free shots in the eighteen yard area,a few corner kicks with either posts unmanned .point to the coaches for assigning specific roles.

Fengor Ogude - An improved outing by his quite modest standards. Covered for the defence, made some timely tackles. Lost the ball each time he tried to deliver an offensive pass on the counter . The creative and game reading aspect of his appointed role is simply not there or he hasn't shown it yet. - 5/10.

John obi Mikel - I've run out of expletives for him. I'm yet to see him play a bad game for nigeria . His composure and control of the midfield was once again apparent . I'm wondering what will ever happen to this Nigerian team if he gets injured as there is absolutely no back up or replacement - 7/10

Sunday Mba - the replacement for Nosa Igiebor who for reasons best known to him has failed to pull his weight even though he has the abilities. Did well to support MIkel and unlike Igiebor stayed in the thick of the action most times even though he is not the magical no.10 we are looking for. He is expected to get better. Good for a first major outing 6/10.

Ike Uche - I feel very sorry for Ike but there is obviously something wrong with him in this competition . I've seen him play too many times to know that he is simply a Jaguar in gear one on a high way right now. We know all the ability,flair and technique is there but he can't just get it started. I've never seen him perform so poorly in a space of three games. Traditionally, his game which is all about dribble runs, committing  defenders and unleashing shots at keepers from all sorts of angles has been totally absent in this competition. Ike is certainly not in South Africa at the moment.His morale and overall game is obviously at a rock bottom now and in dire need of a boost. Needs some talking to from a manager/psychologist perspective and unfortunately Keshi has proven to be a very very poor man manager as the Osaze saga and the absence of many of our other top players readily points to this fact -3/10

Emmanuel Emenike - I was extremely shocked to see him deployed on the right side of attack for the entire first half. No wonder we got no where near scoring goals. Now chapter one in a coaches manual says know your players and deploy them according to their strengths. Emenike is a player who's major and probably only strength is in his physicality. A bully of a striker, he s got so much strength, can scramble and muscle his way through two and atimes three central defenders and beat them to the ball like a wrestler would outmuscle his opponent(see nigeria's first and second goal) hold up the ball and shield it with his body and cause a defence problems for either him or others to benefit from.This means he has to play in a goal facing position like Rasheed Yekini or Drogba does (I'm not trying to put him in the same class please) or even Yakubu did. He most certainly is not a winger as he lacks all the basic ingredients for wing play which are: pace,dribbling ability,techniques such as the ability to turn quickly,crossing ability,body flexibility etc. While he can be quite a handful playing straight down the middle,he  is simply too stiff to play on the wings and I'm still in shock that the nigerian bench of keshi,amokachie et all don't know this. Shows how bereft of tactical ingredient this lot are.He could simply have been asked to play alongside and slightly ahead of Uche as our top striker with Uche supporting in a free role. Simple! Came to the middle in the second half and fared better as he was then able to pose a threat - 4/10

Victor Moses - Class speaks doesn't it. The fact that he learnt and plays  his football in much higher climes was all the difference on the day. His first penalty was a product of his ability to effect a quick change of pace and eliminate the defence line before committing the goalkeeper to a challenge.The truth is that such quality and ingenuity often single handedly win games when everything else fails and that was exactly what happened on the day.The problem with the Nigerian squad is that we don't have enough of such players in there. Just two - A young and still learning Victor Moses who can not yet do that every match day and a Mikel Obi who for lack of personnel has to play in too deep a position to be able to score a crucial goal. A championship winning team needs to have about four or five such influential players (except you are playing with the luck of Zambia in 2012,but then every day is not Christmas )-8/10

Ahmed Musa- Our speedster, this player in the mould of Aaron Lennon and tijani Babangida quite delights me even though like these two other people,his final cross often falls short of the quality of his run. Allways good to run at tiring defenders.Gave the telling pass on a classic counter attack that lead to Moses's second penalty and kept running in for the return ball which never came as the latter had already chosen to go it alone. Allways a refreshing addition to any squad but like I say, he should allways be played with or as an option  as his dribble runs can be predictable if studied intensively 6/10

Brown Ideye- a late sub. Didn't see much action -5/10

Joseph Yobi- another late sub . Couldn't organise the defence much when he came in 4/10

Summary- like I said earlier, water will find its level and when we meet the first real quality side in the Afcon, This entire madness of going to a major competition without some of the best players in a present generation will explode in the face of its proponents and sadly, also in the face of 180million of us. Ivory Coast will be far too strong and far qualitative for us. They will off course be playing us at full strength and we will be facing them with a team half filled with cadets and players who we all know are not the country's best. Prediction - Three goals to Nil in favour of Cote d' Voire .