Cybereagles

[1] So far, our defence has dealt relatively well with the challenges posed by Swaziland, Cameroon, Algeria and Zambia in the qualifiers

[2] It has only conceded three goals in seven games

[3] What we call the "Onyibo Wall" of Ekong and Balogun has stood firm against attacks

[4] Even then, if you look at the goals conceded, they were due to individual errors - Zambia (Omuero), Algeria (Onazi) and Cameroon (Ezenwa)

[5] Part of the success of the team defensively has been that it generally defends deep, leaving little space to run in behind it

[6] Rohr's game plan appears to be to keep everything in front of the defence. This is the tactic David Moyes successfully used at Everton for years

[7] However, we have yet to be tested against a side that has genuinely quick forwards that will test our central defensive partnership

[8] For instance, what happens if we are chasing a goal, pushing up and are suddenly on the back foot with a counter attack launched?

[9] Do Ekong and Balogun have the legs to match quick forwards running from the halfway line?

[10] I would like one of our forthcoming friendlies to be against a team with quick forwards to test this. Maybe the England game with the likes of Sterling and Vardie will be the ideal test for this.

I believe you can simulate that on video games. Abeg mek u free us rest!

So since they've been playing in Nigeria, Germany etc they have never come up against pace?

Ayo,

Would you like to offer yourself as a pacy guinea pig?

Ayo Akinfe wrote:[1] So far, our defence has dealt relatively well with the challenges posed by Swaziland, Cameroon, Algeria and Zambia in the qualifiers

[2] It has only conceded three goals in seven games

[3] What we call the "Onyibo Wall" of Ekong and Balogun has stood firm against attacks

[4] Even then, if you look at the goals conceded, they were due to individual errors - Zambia (Omuero), Algeria (Onazi) and Cameroon (Ezenwa)

[5] Part of the success of the team defensively has been that it generally defends deep, leaving little space to run in behind it

[6] Rohr's game plan appears to be to keep everything in front of the defence. This is the tactic David Moyes successfully used at Everton for years

[7] However, we have yet to be tested against a side that has genuinely quick forwards that will test our central defensive partnership

[8] For instance, what happens if we are chasing a goal, pushing up and are suddenly on the back foot with a counter attack launched?

[9] Do Ekong and Balogun have the legs to match quick forwards running from the halfway line?

[10] I would like one of our forthcoming friendlies to be against a team with quick forwards to test this. Maybe the England game with the likes of Sterling and Vardie will be the ideal test for this.

please go away.. the Worldcup is 10 months away.. go get some rest

airwolex wrote:So since they've been playing in Nigeria, Germany etc they have never come up against pace?

man must chop nah

Buy Ayo you look like you get pace. Go test them nah.

I am also very worried about how injury-prone Balogun is. I am sure this must give Rohr sleepless nights.

I guess u missed Naija vs Cameroon and Naija vs Zambia

As a combined unit they work well as a team. Ekong has the athleticism to react to danger and Leon the football IQ to anticipate it and snuff it out.

Awaziem is an able backup and if we get our boy in Germany to pledge allegiance then our WC CB quartet is set.

Mr Shows wrote:As a combined unit they work well as a team. Ekong has the athleticism to react to danger and Leon the football IQ to anticipate it and snuff it out.

Awaziem is an able backup and if we get our boy in Germany to pledge allegiance then our WC CB quartet is set.

I would like to see them tested against a strikeforce made of of say the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Sergio Aguero. Now these guys are quick and leave defenders for dead.

If you look at the way Real Madrid use the pace of Gareth Bale and Christiano Ronaldo to launch counter-attacks, you will get my point. I would like to know how Ekong and Balogun would handle such a combined threat.

Rohr should play a friendly against the team with the quickest strikers he can find so we have an answer. In 2014, we learnt a lot from playing against Mario Balotelli in that 2-2 draw with Italy.

Leon and Troost are up against pacy and quality strikers, week in week out in their respective leagues and the rudiments are pretty much the same.

In the recent game against Zambia, they were pretty much up against it, same as in the games against Cameroon. However, in all the encounters they pretty much held their ground. Defence is always down to how you play as a collective unit and set yourself up. Rohr is a defender and naturally that is a key focus area where he will be able to give direct input to his team. Infact, this is the area where we have improved the most in recent times.

Finally if Rohr needs to access the answer to your question, he has the likes to Victor Moses, Onyekuru, Musa and co to run at them all day in training.

Maybe we should trot out the pair against Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin, to appease Ayo.

joao wrote:Maybe we should trot out the pair against Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin, to appease Ayo.

Some coaches do use that tactic. They bring in athletes to train with their players just to get the best out of them.

I see nothing run with testing both of them against a sub-10 second sprinter just to see how they will cope. Anyway, i trust Rohr will be thinking of all these plans.

Ayo Akinfe wrote:

joao wrote:Maybe we should trot out the pair against Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin, to appease Ayo.

Some coaches do use that tactic. They bring in athletes to train with their players just to get the best out of them.

I see nothing run with testing both of them against a sub-10 second sprinter just to see how they will cope. Anyway, i trust Rohr will be thinking of all these plans.

We heard about this same trust earlier when you seemed so sure Rohr was going to call up the players you kept forcing down our necks, until he released his list and disappointed your "trust"... goes to show either you are one step or two behind in Rohr's trust plan, or you should just quit trusting all together.

Ayo Akinfe wrote:

[9] Do Ekong and Balogun have the legs to match quick forwards running from the halfway line?

.

Football is a tactical game, not for for the sprinters.

The Argentina friendly will be the first real test for Ekong and Balogun against a world class team, so far they have only been tested by African sides and have more than held their own ...but the friendly against Argentina will give us a better preview on how the "Oyinbo wall" can handle South American waves of attack, if they past the test at least considerably, then we should look forward to a lot next year in Russia... God bless the organizers of this friendly match.

Tobi17 wrote:The Argentina friendly will be the first real test for Ekong and Balogun against a world class team, so far they have only been tested by African sides and have more than held their own ...but the friendly against Argentina will give us a better preview on how the "Oyinbo wall" can handle South American waves of attack, if they past the test at least considerably, then we should look forward to a lot next year in Russia... God bless the organizers of this friendly match.

And if they don't pass the test what is going to happen?

Sir V wrote:

Tobi17 wrote:The Argentina friendly will be the first real test for Ekong and Balogun against a world class team, so far they have only been tested by African sides and have more than held their own ...but the friendly against Argentina will give us a better preview on how the "Oyinbo wall" can handle South American waves of attack, if they past the test at least considerably, then we should look forward to a lot next year in Russia... God bless the organizers of this friendly match.

And if they don't pass the test what is going to happen?

Not expecting them to be imperiously good, that's why I used "considerably" in context, if we concede 2 goals(which can be down to individual brilliance from the usual likes of Messi, Dybala, Aguero etc) but put up a very good defensive performance overall, I wouldn't consider that a bad outing, and if they fail to wither the storm and leak in goals upon goals(which I believe won't happen) ...it will still count as a learning process and eye opener , a much needed test nonetheless.

Ayo Akinfe wrote:I am also very worried about how injury-prone Balogun is. I am sure this must give Rohr sleepless nights.

How do you know that? Do you share a bed with him?

Rohr has five centrebacks in camp:
Balogun
Ekong
Awaziem
Omeruo
Agbo

I think it is fair to conclude he will use Ekong and Balogun against Argentina. I wonder who he will use against Algeria.

Personally I would also want to him try out Akpomena. He should also do all within his power to attract Uduoahie. With that he will have the depth from which to pick the best four for Russia 2018.

The key is the organization and discipline of the midfield shield in front of the CBs more so than the pace of those CBs. As Chelsea has shown recently, no matter how much pace Luiz and Azpilcueta have, they will struggle against strikers from Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Watford talkless of Man City if the midfield shield lacks coordination (due to Kante missing). Naija doesn't have Kante but we have Ndidi, Onazi and other options on the bench. They should suffice to mitigate any concerns about the pace of our CBs.

Ayo Akinfe wrote:Rohr has five centrebacks in camp:
Balogun
Ekong
Awaziem
Omeruo
Agbo

I think it is fair to conclude he will use Ekong and Balogun against Argentina. I wonder who he will use against Algeria.

Personally I would also want to him try out Akpomena. He should also do all within his power to attract Uduoahie. With that he will have the depth from which to pick the best four for Russia 2018.

Oh Lord not this s**t again