Cybereagles

Chief Ogbunigwe wrote:This Antonio of West Ham has no brains Meanwhile De Bryne is the best footballer on the planet

Even Diafra Sakho... chai. A bad injury can break a good player.

niyi wrote:

danfo driver wrote:How did City pay 40 million for Mangala?

Looks bad but that was his only mistake today.

No it wasnt! I watched the entire game and only posted after that last one because it was embarrassing. Just . He was run ragged today! If he wasnt playing for City (a team that keeps possession), he'd have been exposed more often. He was very bad.

If Awaziem comes into his own before the season is over, does Rohr drop Balogun from his back four? Balogun has struggled in our last two games and I am uncomfortable with the way he was done for pace against Argentina.

Ayo Akinfe wrote:If Awaziem comes into his own before the season is over, does Rohr drop Balogun from his back four? Balogun has struggled in our last two games and I am uncomfortable with the way he was done for pace against Argentina.

What if Awaziem "comes into his own" and Balogun also "comes into his own?"

danfo driver wrote:

Ayo Akinfe wrote:If Awaziem comes into his own before the season is over, does Rohr drop Balogun from his back four? Balogun has struggled in our last two games and I am uncomfortable with the way he was done for pace against Argentina.

What if Awaziem "comes into his own" and Balogun also "comes into his own?"

At 29, Balogun is playing as best as he can, whereas at 20, Awaziem is just starting his career. Awaziem may go on to become a world class centreback like say Keshi or Taribo. Rohr has to decide if Awaziem’s pace is a better option to Balogun’s solidity.

Ayo Akinfe wrote:

danfo driver wrote:

Ayo Akinfe wrote:If Awaziem comes into his own before the season is over, does Rohr drop Balogun from his back four? Balogun has struggled in our last two games and I am uncomfortable with the way he was done for pace against Argentina.

What if Awaziem "comes into his own" and Balogun also "comes into his own?"

At 29, Balogun is playing as best as he can, whereas at 20, Awaziem is just starting his career. Awaziem may go on to become a world class centreback like say Keshi or Taribo. Rohr has to decide if Awaziem’s pace is a better option to Balogun’s solidity.

We can flip to the positive and hope they all have a barnstorming end to their seasons, even though both Balogun and Troost did not make the matchday squads this week. Don't know about their situations with injuries though.

Shownoja wrote:We can flip to the positive and hope they all have a barnstorming end to their seasons, even though both Balogun and Troost did not make the matchday squads this week. Don't know about their situations with injuries though.

Balogun had hand surgery....
While Troost-Ekong came off injured in the 2H of their 2-0 Turkish Cup victory on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, watched Awaziem as well, and he had an even better game against Monaco on Wednesday. Today, he twice turned the ball over in potentially dangerous situations and turned his back on the shot that came off the bar which could have given St. Etienne an early lead. Nonetheless, he continues to improve with each game and IMHO I believe that playing for the SE has raised his confidence level.

Gotti wrote:

Shownoja wrote:We can flip to the positive and hope they all have a barnstorming end to their seasons, even though both Balogun and Troost did not make the matchday squads this week. Don't know about their situations with injuries though.

Balogun had hand surgery....
While Troost-Ekong came off injured in the 2H of their 2-0 Turkish Cup victory on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, watched Awaziem as well, and he had an even better game against Monaco on Wednesday.

Thanks for the update Gotti. Awaziem is making himself hard to ignore, which is good for us.?

Gotti wrote:

Shownoja wrote:We can flip to the positive and hope they all have a barnstorming end to their seasons, even though both Balogun and Troost did not make the matchday squads this week. Don't know about their situations with injuries though.

Balogun had hand surgery....
While Troost-Ekong came off injured in the 2H of their 2-0 Turkish Cup victory on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, watched Awaziem as well, and he had an even better game against Monaco on Wednesday. Today, he twice turned the ball over in potentially dangerous situations and turned his back on the shot that came off the bar which could have given St. Etienne an early lead. Nonetheless, he continues to improve with each game and IMHO I believe that playing for the SE has raised his confidence level.

Thanks for the analysis Gotti. As ever, you have highlighted his shortcomings, which we should look out for. I find it tiring when people just shrine players without looking at their weaknesses and the potential pitfalls.

From what you have highlighted here, Awaziem could become a weak link, which opposing teams exploit. No doubt, the Argentine, Croatian and Islandic coaches will be taking note of these weaknesses.

For depth, I hope Rohr has not given up on Uduokhai and Akpoguma yet. They may be needed.

Ayo Akinfe wrote:

Gotti wrote:

Shownoja wrote:We can flip to the positive and hope they all have a barnstorming end to their seasons, even though both Balogun and Troost did not make the matchday squads this week. Don't know about their situations with injuries though.

Balogun had hand surgery....
While Troost-Ekong came off injured in the 2H of their 2-0 Turkish Cup victory on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, watched Awaziem as well, and he had an even better game against Monaco on Wednesday. Today, he twice turned the ball over in potentially dangerous situations and turned his back on the shot that came off the bar which could have given St. Etienne an early lead. Nonetheless, he continues to improve with each game and IMHO I believe that playing for the SE has raised his confidence level.

Thanks for the analysis Gotti. As ever, you have highlighted his shortcomings, which we should look out for. I find it tiring when people just shrine players without looking at their weaknesses and the potential pitfalls.

From what you have highlighted here, Awaziem could become a weak link, which opposing teams exploit. No doubt, the Argentine, Croatian and Islandic coaches will be taking note of these weaknesses.

For depth, I hope Rohr has not given up on Uduokhai and Akpoguma yet. They may be needed.

Ayo,

My guess is that Uduokhai and Akpoguma are long term targets for Rohr and the NFF. Now of course, if one of them pops before the World Cup, that will be a bonus but the pitch to have them commit to Nigeria is as much about the future as it is about the present.

mystic wrote:

Ayo Akinfe wrote:

Gotti wrote:

Shownoja wrote:We can flip to the positive and hope they all have a barnstorming end to their seasons, even though both Balogun and Troost did not make the matchday squads this week. Don't know about their situations with injuries though.

Balogun had hand surgery....
While Troost-Ekong came off injured in the 2H of their 2-0 Turkish Cup victory on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, watched Awaziem as well, and he had an even better game against Monaco on Wednesday. Today, he twice turned the ball over in potentially dangerous situations and turned his back on the shot that came off the bar which could have given St. Etienne an early lead. Nonetheless, he continues to improve with each game and IMHO I believe that playing for the SE has raised his confidence level.

Thanks for the analysis Gotti. As ever, you have highlighted his shortcomings, which we should look out for. I find it tiring when people just shrine players without looking at their weaknesses and the potential pitfalls.

From what you have highlighted here, Awaziem could become a weak link, which opposing teams exploit. No doubt, the Argentine, Croatian and Islandic coaches will be taking note of these weaknesses.

For depth, I hope Rohr has not given up on Uduokhai and Akpoguma yet. They may be needed.

Ayo,

My guess is that Uduokhai and Akpoguma are long term targets for Rohr and the NFF. Now of course, if one of them pops before the World Cup, that will be a bonus but the pitch to have them commit to Nigeria is as much about the future as it is about the present.

The World Cup is next year. Who knows what form they will be in come the future!

Ayo Akinfe wrote:Given how Balogun struggles for pace, will Rohr be bold enough to play Awaziem in his place in a back four? Balogun is our rock at the back but I worry about how he got done for pace by quick Argentine strikers.

the last time ROhr made that mistake we conceded cheap goals vs Southafrica
Awaziem is weak in the air.
Believe me the defensive solidity we take for granted will be jeopardized if we play Awaziem in a back four

smartbrother wrote:

Ayo Akinfe wrote:Given how Balogun struggles for pace, will Rohr be bold enough to play Awaziem in his place in a back four? Balogun is our rock at the back but I worry about how he got done for pace by quick Argentine strikers.

the last time ROhr made that mistake we conceded cheap goals vs Southafrica
Awaziem is weak in the air.
Believe me the defensive solidity we take for granted will be jeopardized if we play Awaziem in a back four

Valid point. Awaziem was at fault for the first goal as he fell asleep and without Balogun the defence looked very disorganised. None of that however, negates the fact that Balogun’s last two games have left serious cause for concern.

Ayo Akinfe wrote:

smartbrother wrote:

Ayo Akinfe wrote:Given how Balogun struggles for pace, will Rohr be bold enough to play Awaziem in his place in a back four? Balogun is our rock at the back but I worry about how he got done for pace by quick Argentine strikers.

the last time ROhr made that mistake we conceded cheap goals vs Southafrica
Awaziem is weak in the air.
Believe me the defensive solidity we take for granted will be jeopardized if we play Awaziem in a back four

Valid point. Awaziem was at fault for the first goal as he fell asleep and without Balogun the defence looked very disorganised. None of that however, negates the fact that Balogun’s last two games have left serious cause for concern.

Balogun is an average defender at best
Ekong is our only exceptional centre back.
I worked this out long before watching our last two games
Good to see the rest of CE catching up with me
however in a flat back four, the only good alternative to Balogun is Omeruo.

danfo driver wrote:

niyi wrote:

danfo driver wrote:How did City pay 40 million for Mangala?

Looks bad but that was his only mistake today.

No it wasnt! I watched the entire game and only posted after that last one because it was embarrassing. Just . He was run ragged today! If he wasnt playing for City (a team that keeps possession), he'd have been exposed more often. He was very bad.

That was his only mistake.

smartbrother wrote:

Ayo Akinfe wrote:

smartbrother wrote:

Ayo Akinfe wrote:Given how Balogun struggles for pace, will Rohr be bold enough to play Awaziem in his place in a back four? Balogun is our rock at the back but I worry about how he got done for pace by quick Argentine strikers.

the last time ROhr made that mistake we conceded cheap goals vs Southafrica
Awaziem is weak in the air.
Believe me the defensive solidity we take for granted will be jeopardized if we play Awaziem in a back four

Valid point. Awaziem was at fault for the first goal as he fell asleep and without Balogun the defence looked very disorganised. None of that however, negates the fact that Balogun’s last two games have left serious cause for concern.

Balogun is an average defender at best
Ekong is our only exceptional centre back.
I worked this out long before watching our last two games
Good to see the rest of CE catching up with me
however in a flat back four, the only good alternative to Balogun is Omeruo.

Which four would you pick out of:

Balogun
Ekong
Awaziem
Omeruo
Agbo
Uduokhai
Akpoguma

smartbrother wrote:

Ayo Akinfe wrote:Given how Balogun struggles for pace, will Rohr be bold enough to play Awaziem in his place in a back four? Balogun is our rock at the back but I worry about how he got done for pace by quick Argentine strikers.

the last time ROhr made that mistake we conceded cheap goals vs Southafrica
Awaziem is weak in the air.
Believe me the defensive solidity we take for granted will be jeopardized if we play Awaziem in a back four

Awaziem, was probably our most solid player against South Africa. I was in the stands and watched that game live.

He saved our behinds several times & I knew he was a solid baller that day.

For the first goal (the highlight below don't show it from the start, but back up what I saw live on the day). It was all Elderseon Echiejile.

He lay on the ground trying to draw a foul on Bafana. The ref ignored him. Awaziem left his central position to go cover on the left. Onazi was also tracking back and was telling Awaziem to go back the the Central position. However Onazi was not able to get there on time and put pressure on the cross. Awaziem was still trying to get back to the middle, but the cross picked out Rantie who nodded past the hapless Akpeyi.

Look at the highlight and you see Elderson (in blue shoes) skipping like a school child on the arch of the penalty box, totally out of the play, but having caused complete confusion in the defense a few moment earler. I hope he is done with the SE. You can see Moses Simon who had tracked all the way back sighting the confusion(and some guys think this guy will be dropped) lash out at Elderson, as Elderson put his hands on his knees and his head down.

[/video]

truetalk wrote:

smartbrother wrote:

Ayo Akinfe wrote:Given how Balogun struggles for pace, will Rohr be bold enough to play Awaziem in his place in a back four? Balogun is our rock at the back but I worry about how he got done for pace by quick Argentine strikers.

the last time ROhr made that mistake we conceded cheap goals vs Southafrica
Awaziem is weak in the air.
Believe me the defensive solidity we take for granted will be jeopardized if we play Awaziem in a back four

Awaziem, was probably our most solid player against South Africa. I was in the stands and watched that game live.

He saved our behinds several times & I knew he was a solid baller that day.

For the first goal (the highlight below don't show it from the start, but back up what I saw live on the day). It was all Elderseon Echiejile.

He lay on the ground trying to draw a foul on Bafana. The ref ignored him. Awaziem left his central position to go cover on the left. Onazi was also tracking back and was telling Awaziem to go back the the Central position. However Onazi was not able to get there on time and put pressure on the cross. Awaziem was still trying to get back to the middle, but the cross picked out Rantie who nodded past the hapless Akpeyi.

Look at the highlight and you see Elderson (in blue shoes) skipping like a school child on the arch of the penalty box, totally out of the play, but having caused complete confusion in the defense a few moment earler. I hope he is done with the SE. You can see Moses Simon who had tracked all the way back sighting the confusion(and some guys think this guy will be dropped) lash out at Elderson, as Elderson put his hands on his knees and his head down.

[/video]

KPOM. I was tracking that game from start to finish and that was my conclusion as well. Although he failed to track an attacker on a goal and sliced a clearance twice, he was the top defender on that day. Yet, I was stunned the way he was excoriated in the Nigerian press.

He was the top defender based on which metrics? Lol
How does your being in the stadium change awaziems performance on that day?

Pls point to the exact moments he 'saved our behinds' as you claim
Compare the number of crucial interventions he made with those made by ekong and tell me how he was our best defender

I've noticed people here often take subjective opinions as dress them up as fact until you challenge them for actual evidence
I personally have no issue with his miskicks and mistakes on that day .
That was probably down to nerves
The problem I have is his aerial weakness
Weaknesses like that mean our opponents can score without doing anything special
All they need to do is cross into the box as often as possible.

a good defence is one that requires an exceptional piece of play to beat
Notice how we never concede cheap goals from open play when ekong and balogun are on the pitch . Even when useless echejile is playing at left back

Now awaziem in a 3 man defence is a different matter
Against Argentina I would argue he was our most intelligent defender
In a flat back four best I would take any combination of ekong balogun and omeruo before looking his way

Ayo Akinfe wrote:

smartbrother wrote:

Ayo Akinfe wrote:

smartbrother wrote:

Ayo Akinfe wrote:Given how Balogun struggles for pace, will Rohr be bold enough to play Awaziem in his place in a back four? Balogun is our rock at the back but I worry about how he got done for pace by quick Argentine strikers.

the last time ROhr made that mistake we conceded cheap goals vs Southafrica
Awaziem is weak in the air.
Believe me the defensive solidity we take for granted will be jeopardized if we play Awaziem in a back four

Valid point. Awaziem was at fault for the first goal as he fell asleep and without Balogun the defence looked very disorganised. None of that however, negates the fact that Balogun’s last two games have left serious cause for concern.

Balogun is an average defender at best
Ekong is our only exceptional centre back.
I worked this out long before watching our last two games
Good to see the rest of CE catching up with me
however in a flat back four, the only good alternative to Balogun is Omeruo.

Which four would you pick out of:

Balogun
Ekong
Awaziem
Omeruo
Agbo
Uduokhai
Akpoguma

I haven't seen udokhai or akpoguma
I don't rate Agbo

Rohr has his work cut out. If you ask me, I doubt he will ditch the Balogun-Ekong combination as they have worked together well for a while. However, it does have it faults as Balogun is not quick and distribution from the back is a problem.

I do not see Rohr going for a back three as 4-3-3 is ideally suited to the players he has at his disposal. For me, Awaziem will only displace Balogun if he puts in superlative performances between now and the end of the season.

Back to the issue of strength in the air, I think that is something we cannot dismiss. If Awaziem wants to get a starting slot, he needs to work on that as Balogun tends to win everything in the air.

mystic wrote:

Ayo Akinfe wrote:

Gotti wrote:

Shownoja wrote:We can flip to the positive and hope they all have a barnstorming end to their seasons, even though both Balogun and Troost did not make the matchday squads this week. Don't know about their situations with injuries though.

Balogun had hand surgery....
While Troost-Ekong came off injured in the 2H of their 2-0 Turkish Cup victory on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, watched Awaziem as well, and he had an even better game against Monaco on Wednesday. Today, he twice turned the ball over in potentially dangerous situations and turned his back on the shot that came off the bar which could have given St. Etienne an early lead. Nonetheless, he continues to improve with each game and IMHO I believe that playing for the SE has raised his confidence level.

Thanks for the analysis Gotti. As ever, you have highlighted his shortcomings, which we should look out for. I find it tiring when people just shrine players without looking at their weaknesses and the potential pitfalls.

From what you have highlighted here, Awaziem could become a weak link, which opposing teams exploit. No doubt, the Argentine, Croatian and Islandic coaches will be taking note of these weaknesses.

For depth, I hope Rohr has not given up on Uduokhai and Akpoguma yet. They may be needed.

Ayo,

My guess is that Uduokhai and Akpoguma are long term targets for Rohr and the NFF. Now of course, if one of them pops before the World Cup, that will be a bonus but the pitch to have them commit to Nigeria is as much about the future as it is about the present.

Please, we need to slow down with Foreign grown Nigerians flooding the SE, FE and even GE.

chief nfachairman wrote:

mystic wrote:

Ayo Akinfe wrote:

Gotti wrote:

Shownoja wrote:We can flip to the positive and hope they all have a barnstorming end to their seasons, even though both Balogun and Troost did not make the matchday squads this week. Don't know about their situations with injuries though.

Balogun had hand surgery....
While Troost-Ekong came off injured in the 2H of their 2-0 Turkish Cup victory on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, watched Awaziem as well, and he had an even better game against Monaco on Wednesday. Today, he twice turned the ball over in potentially dangerous situations and turned his back on the shot that came off the bar which could have given St. Etienne an early lead. Nonetheless, he continues to improve with each game and IMHO I believe that playing for the SE has raised his confidence level.

Thanks for the analysis Gotti. As ever, you have highlighted his shortcomings, which we should look out for. I find it tiring when people just shrine players without looking at their weaknesses and the potential pitfalls.

From what you have highlighted here, Awaziem could become a weak link, which opposing teams exploit. No doubt, the Argentine, Croatian and Islandic coaches will be taking note of these weaknesses.

For depth, I hope Rohr has not given up on Uduokhai and Akpoguma yet. They may be needed.

Ayo,

My guess is that Uduokhai and Akpoguma are long term targets for Rohr and the NFF. Now of course, if one of them pops before the World Cup, that will be a bonus but the pitch to have them commit to Nigeria is as much about the future as it is about the present.

Please, we need to slow down with Foreign grown Nigerians flooding the SE, FE and even GE.

Why? Do you not see the way France uses the remnants of its empire to man its team?

Imagine where DR Congo would be in world football today if it could get all of its diasporans to play for its national team. With globalisation, the disapora is now a reality of world football.