Cybereagles

Chimex101,

I think that it is actually being addressed but the schedule this year does not present the best opportunity to evaluate the success of the things that had been introduced. Let me point to some changes that I have noticed.

1. Ensuring that a true champion represents Nigeria. What does this mean? In the past the rampant match-fixing meant that the champion team may not have been the best team. I believe some changes introduced by LMC has reduced the incidences of match fixing.

2. The poor alignment of our league as per the start of competition in the continent meant our reps were often not match fit. The poor alignment continues to exist but the LMC has moved to address the issue of match fitness to an extent with the Super 4 tournament. This is not quite enough but it helps.

3. Recruitment of good players into the rep teams matters. Note that Enyimba won its two ACLs after the then Sec-Gen Taiwo Ogunjobi noted that the NFF would work with Nigeria's reps on player recruitment (In essence, easing player transfers to the reps). This was after persistent failure in the continent. Well, Ogunjobi and the NFF made efforts to help Enyimba and it made a huge difference at the time.

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The difficulties of statistical thinking describes a puzzling limitation of our mind: our excessive confidence in what we believe we know, and our apparent inability to acknowledge the full extent of our ignorance and the uncertainty of the world we live in. We are prone to overestimate how much we understand about the world and to underestimate the role of chance in events -- Daniel Kahneman (2011), Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics
Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics

Teach the players and coaches the fundamentals of football. Most aspects are still mediocre. MFM are in their second season and are almost top of the league. Any half decent side will beat any of our clubs. In preseason Rivers could not post any result against the spanish teams. Even the way the seemed to struggle to put passes together was worrying. Zamalek is not even a half decent side outside the continent. Sudanese sides and Sierra Leonian side are trashing our teams says something is wrong with some fundamentals.
There are systemic issues and this affects our CHAN teams too. Because player for player Nigeria more than holds its own on the continent.
Food for thought: Have you seen a NPFL side execute a good defensive game consistently

Robotnik,

First of all this is about continental competition. If Zamalek is not a decent side then you are writing about Africa. Zamalek is only bettered in Africa by Ahly and Mazembe. No one else.

Second, Nigerian clubs have held their own in Africa previously even during period of great migration to Europe. The reason why Nigeria have two reps in both continental cups (about to end) is because of its performances in the continent prior to this time. If coaches are lacking in fundamentals, I do not think Nigeria would be where the are nor would they have done well in other international competitions. It is not just about having players but also on how the teams play.

I have watched some local games and the NPFL is certainly not as bad as you seem to project it. Yes, I have watched some defensive lapses and poor finishing in front of goal but it isn't something that warrants going over the top.

Obviously, the coaching fundamentals must be a West African thing, no?

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The difficulties of statistical thinking describes a puzzling limitation of our mind: our excessive confidence in what we believe we know, and our apparent inability to acknowledge the full extent of our ignorance and the uncertainty of the world we live in. We are prone to overestimate how much we understand about the world and to underestimate the role of chance in events -- Daniel Kahneman (2011), Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics
Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics

Nigerian teams have been fundamentally poor for a long time. That they have won some games in the continent does not negate that point.

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Form is temporary; Class is Permanent!
Liverpool, European Champions 2005.

We watched this very boring video, 500 times, of Sacchi doing defensive drills, using sticks and without the ball, with Maldini, Baresi and Albertini. We used to think before then that if the other players are better, you have to lose. After that we learned anything is possible – you can beat better teams by using tactics." Jurgen Klopp

Rangers dropped to Caf confed cup.

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Jesus didn't die so we could have religion. He died so we could have a deep, intimate, personal relationship with God.

Not even one West African club made it to CAFCL GS round of 16. Maybe It has to do more with the fact that the best West African footballers play outside Africa. There will still be occasions when the brain drain won't play out with such significance with better preparation.