Remaining Questions

[mystic]

With this 28 man squad list, my sense is that Rohr pretty much knows his World Cup squad already and there are very few questions remaining.


1. Who will be our number 1 goalkeeper?

I'm not sure if this will be settled in this 'friendlies' window, but this will be an opportunity for one of our goalkeepers to separate himself from the group. Somehow I think that this question won't be definitively answered over these next two games. But I'm hoping we'll at least come out of it feeling better about our goalkeeping situation.


2. Who's the odd man out at Left Back?

Elderson Echiejile, Ola Aina and Brian Idowu are all firmly in the the picture, but at least one of them will have to go. Echiejile has experience on his side and Rohr appears to value this given how young this Super Eagles team will be going into the World Cup. Inexperienced but super talented Aina is one for the future who's present may already be good enough to warrant a starting shirt. In addition, his ability to play at both outside back spots is a major plus. And finally there's the savvy Idowu whose ability to play across the back four adds to Rohr's options and tactical flexibility.

My guess is that this competition will continue into the May/June period. But one of the three may well nail down his spot in the course of these next two games.


3. Who gives us cover at Centreback?

Right now the quartet of Ekong, Balogun, Chidozie and Omeruo are virtual locks. But should one of them get injured (as we have seen in the past) we could be in a pickle. At this point, the thought of Uche Agbo in the heart of our defense at the Mundial, doesn't fill me with confidence. Ditto for Stephen Eze, who is a talented but undisciplined defender. Still this is Eze's chance to step up and prove that he belongs (if not for now, then for the near future). In any case, it seems he has a real shot at playing his way onto the provisional roster but needs to curb his penchant for rash tackles, otherwise Rohr could again be fishing for alternatives heading into the May/June period.


4. Who survives the numbers crunch in midfield?

In midfield the foursome of Mikel, Onazi, Ndidi and Etebo are virtually in. Beyond them there may be one or two spots open, depending on how many midfielders Rohr chooses to keep. Does he go with six or does he go with five (knowing full well that Shehu Abdullahi can always be drafted from his Right Back duties to deputise at his natural position in midfield)?

My guess is that Rohr opts to go with the latter meaning that the likes of Joel Obi, John Ogu, Uche Agbo and Ndubuisi Agu could well be competing for one roster spot. That said, the immediate task in front of them is not securing a spot on the final roster, but 'winning' this round of friendlies and proceeding to the provisional squad, whereupon their final arguments can be made. In this regard, if it is true that Ndubuisi Agu was dropped because his passport wasn't in order, then that may be a colossal oversight on his part. In this type of competition, you don't leave the door open for someone to take your spot.


5. Who will be our 3rd striker?

Rohr has tried several times to address this position but there isn't much to show for it just yet. Brown Ideye's current form is nothing to write home about, Victor Osihmen is still wet behind the ears and Anthony Nwakaeme has flattered to deceive - just to mention some of the more prominent past trialists. Next up, it would seem, is the duo of Junior Ajayi and (CHAN standout) Gabriel Okechukwu.

Ajayi is a multifunctional striker who can play as a Wing Forward or an out and out striker, but it is my opinion that he's best used as a wide forward or as a second striker if you want to take full advantage of the things that he does best. Okechukwu, on the other hand, is an old fashioned power playing smashmouth Centre Forward. However, whether or not he's ready for elite international football is another matter. But both players will get their chance to prove that they belong on the provisional roster.

No doubt, if this question remains unanswered in this window of friendlies; there will, as ever, be other strikers waiting in the wings. But I wouldn't rule out Rohr opting to go to the World Cup with two strikers - while choosing to fortify his team at some other spot.

First of all, he has a very versatile squad and he has pieces that can be moved around creatively (as we saw against Argentina). Secondly, it's obviously been done before, and if Rohr feels that none of his options meets the standard that he wants; or that it is too late in the day to go fishing for alternatives, he may well go this route.


Whatever happens, we shall be watching and cheering our lads to victory.

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

There’re no questions to answer, Rohr knows his team liecthe back if his hand already. He announced a 28 man team, everybody on that list is going to Russia barring injuries except Agbo, Ajayi, Eze, Okechukwu. Mikel Agu will return and he’ll be on the waiting list.

That’s it and that’s all.

[felarey]

Would be nice to see the battle between Shehu and Ebuehi for right back starting spot. If they play to their ability, we might see both on the pitch at the same time. The LB has 3 players and it's time Aina and Idowu show they belong. They will have to bring their A game as Echiejile has d experience to wiggle his name on d final sheet. Any doubts and he's in. I feel our striking position might be the weakest. No known trustworthy striker.

[Enugu II]

Mystic,

I like your write up. I agree entirely with the left back issue but do not leave out the possibility that Joel may also compete there. Furthermore, his versatility gives him advantage over the other midfielders you listed as competing for a roster spot. Back to the left back, Idowu and Ola can play at both fullback positions but not Elderson. Although, Elderson can actually compete in the middle of that defense if need be. He is very good in the air, which you cannot say of either Idowu or Ola. It will be a tough call at left back and Elderson's experience will guarantee very little if he isn't performing at par with those two.

[john12]

You have Iheanacho and musa on your team and you’re saying no known trustworthy striker

[Enugu II]

You have Iheanacho and musa on your team and you’re saying no known trustworthy striker

Musa, Echiejile, and Omeruo are the veterans who have a lot to prove during upcoming friendlies.

[john12]

Musa and omeruo has nothing to prove we preach know what they’re capable of doing performance wise for SE

[danfo driver]

Has anyone watched Omeruo lately? I havent and would like to know what his form is like. He has been kept out of the team for Agbo, until the November games. He is someone i thought would go on to be amazing, but he has disappointed me.

[The YeyeMan]

Mystic,

I like your write up. I agree entirely with the left back issue but do not leave out the possibility that Joel may also compete there. Furthermore, his versatility gives him advantage over the other midfielders you listed as competing for a roster spot. Back to the left back, Idowu and Ola can play at both fullback positions but not Elderson. Although, Elderson can actually compete in the middle of that defense if need be. He is very good in the air, which you cannot say of either Idowu or Ola. It will be a tough call at left back and Elderson's experience will guarantee very little if he isn't performing at par with those two.

Aina can also play at centre-back.

[mystic]

Mystic,

I like your write up. I agree entirely with the left back issue but do not leave out the possibility that Joel may also compete there. Furthermore, his versatility gives him advantage over the other midfielders you listed as competing for a roster spot. Back to the left back, Idowu and Ola can play at both fullback positions but not Elderson. Although, Elderson can actually compete in the middle of that defense if need be. He is very good in the air, which you cannot say of either Idowu or Ola. It will be a tough call at left back and Elderson's experience will guarantee very little if he isn't performing at par with those two.

At this point I would favor Joel Obi to nail down a roster spot as well, but the caveat with him is always injuries. If he pulls up lame in any of our friendlies, it could be curtains for him.

[1naija]

Agents are still trying to drop Echiejile even after Rohr has told them time and time again that he is our starting left back. Okay o.

[YUJAM]

I LB is the only question in defense but I do think Aina has made a solid case to be a starter at that position. Elderson will make for a solid sub in that role. Ebuehi is also a solid backup for the reliable and steady Shehu.

I think the only question is at the CF role. Not sure Ighalo is the answer at the point.

[Kabalega]

I LB is the only question in defense but I do think Aina has made a solid case to be a starter at that position. Elderson will make for a solid sub in that role. Ebuehi is also a solid backup for the reliable and steady Shehu.

I think the only question is at the CF role. Not sure Ighalo is the answer at the point.

Whom else do they have that can hold the ball as Ighalo or better?

[bully12]

The only thing I'm worried about this team does not have a player in the class of Sane of Germany, Messi of Argentina,Neymar of Brazil . A player who will mesmerize the opponents when he has the ball. This is the reason I have advocated inclusion of Onye kuru or Bazee. Both players have this flair and attributes to display a scintillating run. Honestly. with Rohr antecedents I don't know if he could invited one of them . I'm still flabbergasted with his affinity for Musa . One of these players absolutely needs to replace him in the roster. Even Kalu of Gent will be more useful than him. Practically the guy has nothing to offer.
Surely I'm not a pundit just expressing my opinions

[Obong]

Good write-up, Mystic. Analyzes the team personnel well and makes prognostications that will likely occur (give or take). It is quality discourse like this that has been unfortunately hijacked by the platoon yelling "Agents, Agents!". Despite their distraction, I'm sure more great contributions are coming from you and other cerebral and notable Cybers. Thanks.

[Dammy]

Beautiful analysis Mystic, this is the type of discourse the CE of old was renown for. My take, I will start from the goalkeepers, the March friendlies are their last chance to stake a claim for a WC squad lace. Any Baruwa like performance and the recall of Enyeama May become a reality. This is their final opportunity to put the Enyeama issue to rest.
The defence virtually picks itself. Balogun, Ekong, Awaziem and Omeruo are the preferred CDs. RB will be Shehu and Ebuehi, LB will be Echiejile and one of Aina and Idowu. Aina is my preferred choice because of his versatility.
In midfield, Mikel, Onazi, Ndidi and Etebo are guaranteed choices. That leaves 2 spots for the likes of Joel Obi, Ogu, Aug and Agbo to fight for
Joel's experience and versatility will give him one of the slots, while Ogu took his chances in the last friendlies. It's not looking good for Agu who missed the last matches and is also missing these set of matches. Agbo is there to make up the numbers.
That leaves 6 spots for the forwards with Ighalo, Iwobi, Iheanacho, Victor Moses, Simon Moses and Musa certainties for selection.
However with Rohr still appearing to be looking for another forward, he could reduce the number of midfielders to accommodate another forward as Shehu can play in midfield. I wouldn't write off Ideye as Rohr knows what he's capable of and his form at Malaga will be a deciding factor. Ajayi and Okechukwu do not have the quality to challenge for a WC squad place. The dark horse here is Sadiq Umar, if he continues with his fine form, he could gatecrash the squad in May.

[Tbite]

When a player is well and truly past it, experience is of negligible benefit.

The benefit of experience is then dwarfed by the liability of that player.

When you think of experienced players that could be useful, you would be looking at the likes of Onazi, Mikel and Enyeama (if he had been playing for club and country).

Experience ALONE is not really what we want. We want a player with experience AND ability.

[Damunk]

Mystic,

I like your write up. I agree entirely with the left back issue but do not leave out the possibility that Joel may also compete there. Furthermore, his versatility gives him advantage over the other midfielders you listed as competing for a roster spot. Back to the left back, Idowu and Ola can play at both fullback positions but not Elderson. Although, Elderson can actually compete in the middle of that defense if need be. He is very good in the air, which you cannot say of either Idowu or Ola. It will be a tough call at left back and Elderson's experience will guarantee very little if he isn't performing at par with those two.

At this point I would favor Joel Obi to nail down a roster spot as well, but the caveat with him is always injuries. If he pulls up lame in any of our friendlies, it could be curtains for him.

Its like I'm gonna be living with my heart in my mouth every time Joel Obi steps onto the field for club before the WC.

[bully12]

When a player is well and truly past it, experience is of negligible benefit.

The benefit of experience is then dwarfed by the liability of that player.

When you think of experienced players that could be useful, you would be looking at the likes of Onazi, Mikel and Enyeama (if he had been playing for club and country).

Experience ALONE is not really what we want. We want a player with experience AND ability.

I'm sure you are referring to inclusion of headless chicken. Heartily I'm inordinately confounded the continuous inclusion of the boy in the roster. Granted he is experienced but it is absolutely not enough to waste viable number. Whatever he has on Rohr must be really damaging.

[waka-man]

Bravo mystic. Brings back memories about when this was a place for solid analysis and debate instead of petty tiffs and unsubstantiated opinions.
I agree that Rohr is pretty much settled on his squad. You’ve posed the right questions.
The name of the game seems to be tactical flexibility and multi-functional players in a team dynamic that is stable and coherent. Bodes well.

[Enugu II]

Mystic,

I like your write up. I agree entirely with the left back issue but do not leave out the possibility that Joel may also compete there. Furthermore, his versatility gives him advantage over the other midfielders you listed as competing for a roster spot. Back to the left back, Idowu and Ola can play at both fullback positions but not Elderson. Although, Elderson can actually compete in the middle of that defense if need be. He is very good in the air, which you cannot say of either Idowu or Ola. It will be a tough call at left back and Elderson's experience will guarantee very little if he isn't performing at par with those two.

Aina can also play at centre-back.

Yeyeman
I doubt that he will be considered at centerback. Height and his struggles with winning contested headers do not bode well in that position.

[chief nfachairman]

With this 28 man squad list, my sense is that Rohr pretty much knows his World Cup squad already and there are very few questions remaining.


1. Who will be our number 1 goalkeeper?

I'm not sure if this will be settled in this 'friendlies' window, but this will be an opportunity for one of our goalkeepers to separate himself from the group. Somehow I think that this question won't be definitively answered over these next two games. But I'm hoping we'll at least come out of it feeling better about our goalkeeping situation.


2. Who's the odd man out at Left Back?

Elderson Echiejile, Ola Aina and Brian Idowu are all firmly in the the picture, but at least one of them will have to go. Echiejile has experience on his side and Rohr appears to value this given how young this Super Eagles team will be going into the World Cup. Inexperienced but super talented Aina is one for the future who's present may already be good enough to warrant a starting shirt. In addition, his ability to play at both outside back spots is a major plus. And finally there's the savvy Idowu whose ability to play across the back four adds to Rohr's options and tactical flexibility.

My guess is that this competition will continue into the May/June period. But one of the three may well nail down his spot in the course of these next two games.


3. Who gives us cover at Centreback?

Right now the quartet of Ekong, Balogun, Chidozie and Omeruo are virtual locks. But should one of them get injured (as we have seen in the past) we could be in a pickle. At this point, the thought of Uche Agbo in the heart of our defense at the Mundial, doesn't fill me with confidence. Ditto for Stephen Eze, who is a talented but undisciplined defender. Still this is Eze's chance to step up and prove that he belongs (if not for now, then for the near future). In any case, it seems he has a real shot at playing his way onto the provisional roster but needs to curb his penchant for rash tackles, otherwise Rohr could again be fishing for alternatives heading into the May/June period.


4. Who survives the numbers crunch in midfield?

In midfield the foursome of Mikel, Onazi, Ndidi and Etebo are virtually in. Beyond them there may be one or two spots open, depending on how many midfielders Rohr chooses to keep. Does he go with six or does he go with five (knowing full well that Shehu Abdullahi can always be drafted from his Right Back duties to deputise at his natural position in midfield)?

My guess is that Rohr opts to go with the latter meaning that the likes of Joel Obi, John Ogu, Uche Agbo and Ndubuisi Agu could well be competing for one roster spot. That said, the immediate task in front of them is not securing a spot on the final roster, but 'winning' this round of friendlies and proceeding to the provisional squad, whereupon their final arguments can be made. In this regard, if it is true that Ndubuisi Agu was dropped because his passport wasn't in order, then that may be a colossal oversight on his part. In this type of competition, you don't leave the door open for someone to take your spot.


5. Who will be our 3rd striker?

Rohr has tried several times to address this position but there isn't much to show for it just yet. Brown Ideye's current form is nothing to write home about, Victor Osihmen is still wet behind the ears and Anthony Nwakaeme has flattered to deceive - just to mention some of the more prominent past trialists. Next up, it would seem, is the duo of Junior Ajayi and (CHAN standout) Gabriel Okechukwu.

Ajayi is a multifunctional striker who can play as a Wing Forward or an out and out striker, but it is my opinion that he's best used as a wide forward or as a second striker if you want to take full advantage of the things that he does best. Okechukwu, on the other hand, is an old fashioned power playing smashmouth Centre Forward. However, whether or not he's ready for elite international football is another matter. But both players will get their chance to prove that they belong on the provisional roster.

No doubt, if this question remains unanswered in this window of friendlies; there will, as ever, be other strikers waiting in the wings. But I wouldn't rule out Rohr opting to go to the World Cup with two strikers - while choosing to fortify his team at some other spot.

First of all, he has a very versatile squad and he has pieces that can be moved around creatively (as we saw against Argentina). Secondly, it's obviously been done before, and if Rohr feels that none of his options meets the standard that he wants; or that it is too late in the day to go fishing for alternatives, he may well go this route.


Whatever happens, we shall be watching and cheering our lads to victory.

I agree with you on the fullbacks and center backs. But Shehu would be on that plane to Russia. He gives Rohr more options in the DM. competition is left for idowu, Ebuehi and Elderson. one man would fall out for sure.

For the midfield, i think Joel is not in competition with these lots. Ogu is lucky cos he can play both central (which belongs to Joel, Onazi and Etebo) and defensive mid (which Ndidi owns and canbe backed up by Onazi and Shehu). There would be only 1 spot left in the midfield (if ROhr goes with 6) and its for Agu, Ogu and maybe agbo to fight for that spot.

Attack: I am not comfortable with the striking options. Ighalo might be good for the standard of African football but he has not proven all his career that he can do it against the best. Ideye is still not it. Nacho is still a bench warmer although his left foot can be taken for Russia but not as a starter.

Can Junior Ajayi do it? I am sure we would see more invites in this position especially if Umar maintains his current form. ROhr would go with 2 strikers plus Nacho.

I also believe we iwobi and moses need hotter back ups. I pray Henry gets back in full form soon. Musa is a good backup becos he has the experience and he is back to playing regular football.

All in all, ROhr's headache would be on GK, backup to Mikel, striking positions and back ups to the wingers.

[maceo4]

When a player is well and truly past it, experience is of negligible benefit.

The benefit of experience is then dwarfed by the liability of that player.

When you think of experienced players that could be useful, you would be looking at the likes of Onazi, Mikel and Enyeama (if he had been playing for club and country).

Experience ALONE is not really what we want. We want a player with experience AND ability.

I'm sure you are referring to inclusion of headless chicken. Heartily I'm inordinately confounded the continuous inclusion of the boy in the roster. Granted he is experienced but it is absolutely not enough to waste viable number. Whatever he has on Rohr must be really damaging.

I would think he was talking about Elderson, but I see how you could think Musa. But Musa does have ability, but it seems Elderson has really dropped off in ability, I mean he's a second division player now. If he wasn't already part of the team he wouldn't be getting a chance to challenge for the WC. I think it will be a dilemma which LB options to take given the 3 options, we will see over these few friendlies, but I feel it would be Idowu being left out and Aina and Echiejile in.