Just got back from the game

[waka-man]

What a great place to watch football. Was right behind the goal post and you could literally talk to the players. Some thoughts:

Awaziem is a class act. He is both calm and ruthless, and definitely going places. The central defensive position is absolutely solid for us for the foreseeable. But for now the Ohibo wall and it’s superior understanding remains our best bet.

Idowu played really well. He’s a simple defender. Nothing fancy, but makes the right call. His recovery is excellent.

Ebueghi had an off night. Yet, particularly in the first half, he was his usual cultured self. Assured in possession, quick on recovery, positionally smart.

Uzoho starts games horribly. He settles down, but by the then his defence is jittery. And his kicking is very inconsistent. But the talent is there for all to see, he’s just 3 or 4 years away from being ready for this level.

Ighalo is in a league of his own and an absolute must to start for us. His introduction made a huge difference. I know folks will say we want on to concede but I can tell you his presence finally unsettled the Serbs and gave Iwobi something to play into. If he’d pulled of his spectacular attempt of a bicycle kick, he’d have entered Nigerian folklore.

Moses and Iwobi need to decide how much of a role they want to play. They blow hot and cold and we need them blowing hot.

We clearly play better when we have someone close the Ighalo. That’s Mikel’s role. Ndidi tried to do it today, but it left us vulnerable at the back and led to the first goal as our press involving Obi collapsed and left us exposed at the back.

It hit me today that Rohr is building the future of this team around Ndidi. He’s the fulcrum for everything. It might be the absence of Mikel, but seeing Ndidi as the most advanced of our mid three was revealing. It didn’t work today - at all - but I’m not sure we’ve seen the last of it.

Nothing spoil though; in spurts, this team was electric. In spurts. And there were far too few of them. And the overall affair felt like a practice match. The ambience of the tiny stadium may have contributed to that.

And what have we learnt? Or starting lineup for the WC if everyone is fit:

Uzoho
Ebughi. Ekong. Balogun. Idowu
Onazi
Moses. Mikel. Ndidi. Iwobi.
Ighalo

[Cellular]

Bros, my Sunday-Sunday kickabout is more entertaining than this drose.

Ndidi has ZERO business playing as an advanced midfielder. There were holes in our midfield.

We lacked width... don't know if it was the field. But at times when players wanted to switch play there was no one providing width to switch to.

There also was no solid structure in our formation.

But thanks for taking time and spending the money to go root for our Eagles.

God bless you.

[TheHitman47]

I know some people may not like what I'm going to say but I think Moses Simon should start in place of Iwobi. He can dribble, cross, is better at set pieces and works better with Ighalo. I actually think in a few years that Iwobi will improve, but I think he would fit better for us as a #10.

[ANC]

I know some people may not like what I'm going to say but I think Moses Simon should start in place of Iwobi. He can dribble, cross, is better at set pieces and works better with Ighalo. I actually think in a few years that Iwobi will improve, but I think he would fit better for us as a #10.

Please, if you cannot see that lack of physical presence is one major weakness with current players...please stop watching football. Ship that breda to Kumasi pronto.

I think John Ogu or whatever his name is...is severely limited in talent, but I now see why he is on the team.

[Dammy]

What a great place to watch football. Was right behind the goal post and you could literally talk to the players. Some thoughts:

Amuzie is a class act. He is both calm and ruthless, and definitely going places. The central defensive position is absolutely solid for us for the foreseeable.

Idowu played really well. He’s a simple defender. Nothing fancy, but makes the right call. His recovery is excellent.

Ebueghi had an off night. Yet, particularly in the first half, he was his usual cultured self. Assured in possession, quick on recovery, positionally smart.

Uzoho starts games horribly. He settles down, but by the then his defence is jittery. And his kicking is very inconsistent. But the talent is there for all to see, he’s just 3 or 4 years away from being ready for this level.

Ighalo is in a league of his own and an absolute must to start for us. His introduction made a huge difference. I know folks will say we want on to concede but I can tell you his presence finally unsettled the Serbs and gave Iwobi something to play into. If he’d pulled of his spectacular attempt of a bicycle kick, he’d have entered Nigerian folklore.

Moses and Iwobi need to decide how much of a role they want to play. They blow hot and cold and we need them blowing hot.

We clearly play better when we have someone close the Ighalo. That’s Mikel’s role. Ndidi tried to do it today, but it left us vulnerable at the back and led to the first goal as our press involving Obi collapsed and left us exposed at the back.

It hit me today that Rohr is building the future of this team around Ndidi. He’s the fulcrum for everything. It might be the absence of Mikel, but seeing Ndidi as the most advanced of our mid three was revealing. It didn’t work today - at all - but I’m not sure we’ve seen the last of it.

Nothing spoil though; in spurts, this team was electric. In spurts. And there were far too few of them. And the overall affair felt like a practice match. The ambience of the tiny stadium may have contributed to that.

And what have we learnt? Or starting lineup for the WC if everyone is fit:

Uzoho
Ebughi. Ekong. Balogun. Idowu
Onazi
Moses. Mikel. Ndidi. Iwobi.
Ighalo

Amuzie? Do you mean Awaziem?

[waka-man]

What a great place to watch football. Was right behind the goal post and you could literally talk to the players. Some thoughts:

Amuzie is a class act. He is both calm and ruthless, and definitely going places. The central defensive position is absolutely solid for us for the foreseeable.

Idowu played really well. He’s a simple defender. Nothing fancy, but makes the right call. His recovery is excellent.

Ebueghi had an off night. Yet, particularly in the first half, he was his usual cultured self. Assured in possession, quick on recovery, positionally smart.

Uzoho starts games horribly. He settles down, but by the then his defence is jittery. And his kicking is very inconsistent. But the talent is there for all to see, he’s just 3 or 4 years away from being ready for this level.

Ighalo is in a league of his own and an absolute must to start for us. His introduction made a huge difference. I know folks will say we want on to concede but I can tell you his presence finally unsettled the Serbs and gave Iwobi something to play into. If he’d pulled of his spectacular attempt of a bicycle kick, he’d have entered Nigerian folklore.

Moses and Iwobi need to decide how much of a role they want to play. They blow hot and cold and we need them blowing hot.

We clearly play better when we have someone close the Ighalo. That’s Mikel’s role. Ndidi tried to do it today, but it left us vulnerable at the back and led to the first goal as our press involving Obi collapsed and left us exposed at the back.

It hit me today that Rohr is building the future of this team around Ndidi. He’s the fulcrum for everything. It might be the absence of Mikel, but seeing Ndidi as the most advanced of our mid three was revealing. It didn’t work today - at all - but I’m not sure we’ve seen the last of it.

Nothing spoil though; in spurts, this team was electric. In spurts. And there were far too few of them. And the overall affair felt like a practice match. The ambience of the tiny stadium may have contributed to that.

And what have we learnt? Or starting lineup for the WC if everyone is fit:

Uzoho
Ebughi. Ekong. Balogun. Idowu
Onazi
Moses. Mikel. Ndidi. Iwobi.
Ighalo

Amuzie? Do you mean Awaziem?

I do. Apoligies. Edited

[mystic]

Bros, my Sunday-Sunday kickabout is more entertaining than this drose.

Ndidi has ZERO business playing as an advanced midfielder. There were holes in our midfield.

We lacked width... don't know if it was the field. But at times when players wanted to switch play there was no one providing width to switch to.

There also was no solid structure in our formation.

But thanks for taking time and spending the money to go root for our Eagles.

God bless you.

Ndidi will not play an advanced central midfield role at the World Cup. These are friendlies. You try things. Besides I am loving that Rohr isn't revealing much for our opponents to scout.

Ndidi was very good, by the way.

[waka-man]

Bros, my Sunday-Sunday kickabout is more entertaining than this drose.

Ndidi has ZERO business playing as an advanced midfielder. There were holes in our midfield.

We lacked width... don't know if it was the field. But at times when players wanted to switch play there was no one providing width to switch to.

There also was no solid structure in our formation.

But thanks for taking time and spending the money to go root for our Eagles.

God bless you.

Ndidi will not play an advanced central midfield role at the World Cup. These are friendlies. You try things. Besides I am loving that Rohr isn't revealing much for our opponents to scout.

Ndidi was very good, by the way.

I agree that Ndidi was very good, in the sense that he took responsibility and led on the field. He’s a future captain. But the advanced role, as you say, was a failed experiment.

[maceo4]

Bros, my Sunday-Sunday kickabout is more entertaining than this drose.

Ndidi has ZERO business playing as an advanced midfielder. There were holes in our midfield.

We lacked width... don't know if it was the field. But at times when players wanted to switch play there was no one providing width to switch to.

There also was no solid structure in our formation.

But thanks for taking time and spending the money to go root for our Eagles.

God bless you.

Ndidi will not play an advanced central midfield role at the World Cup. These are friendlies. You try things. Besides I am loving that Rohr isn't revealing much for our opponents to scout.

Ndidi was very good, by the way.

I keep hearing this, its like we have some secret weapon in store that we will suddenly release at the WC...is this just blind optimism or am I missing something...

[vancity eagle]

Awaziem who lost his marker for both goals. Same as he did against SA.

Not good enough, terrible.

[waka-man]

Awaziem who lost his marker for both goals. Same as he did against SA.

Not good enough, terrible.

Awaziem lost his marker?
He was cycling over to cover. 2nd goal Ekong got inexplicably drawn to the flank and Awaziem and Idowu did what they had to do. But they were left outnumbered.
First goal was a break down in the pressing in the other half, Joel got sucked in, Ndidi stranded up front, Serbia took advantage of numbers in the middle. Even then, we were a few ricochets away from dealing with that and Awaziem in particular did his job.
I know you’re emotional, but let’s stick to the facts.

[mystic]

Bros, my Sunday-Sunday kickabout is more entertaining than this drose.

Ndidi has ZERO business playing as an advanced midfielder. There were holes in our midfield.

We lacked width... don't know if it was the field. But at times when players wanted to switch play there was no one providing width to switch to.

There also was no solid structure in our formation.

But thanks for taking time and spending the money to go root for our Eagles.

God bless you.

Ndidi will not play an advanced central midfield role at the World Cup. These are friendlies. You try things. Besides I am loving that Rohr isn't revealing much for our opponents to scout.

Ndidi was very good, by the way.

I keep hearing this, its like we have some secret weapon in store that we will suddenly release at the WC...is this just blind optimism or am I missing something...

That's just my take based on reading the tea leaves. There is no big secret, but we're using our friendlies to work on a number of things, which has the added benefit of not giving our opponents much to see in terms of the way that we will play at the Mundial.

Now, of course, we are not playing disjointed football on purpose, and there is no on and off switch that we will suddenly turn on at the World Cup. That's not what I am saying. However, I do feel that the team is more focused right now on working on the things that Rohr has them working on and carrying out their individual assignments, than playing beautiful football.

In the end it should all come together, but we won't no for sure until the bright lights are on. On the whole I have a lot of confidence in our team. But even if I'm wrong, it's way too early for a lot of the panic that I'm seeing in these parts.

[chuks69]

First goal was a stupid back pass from Onazi to the Central Defence, which they didnt anticipate, and the Serb played it to the left and Mitrovic got placed in the center for him to Kill.. But i blame Onazi for it and lack of concentration from our Central defenders..I also think uzoho should have stopped the shot..

[Ayo Akinfe]

Super Eagles' winning streak ends with 0-2 loss to Serbia as they succumb to two second half goals - See more at: https://goo.gl/MKLCG5

[Gadfly]

Bros, my Sunday-Sunday kickabout is more entertaining than this drose.

Ndidi has ZERO business playing as an advanced midfielder. There were holes in our midfield.

We lacked width... don't know if it was the field. But at times when players wanted to switch play there was no one providing width to switch to.

There also was no solid structure in our formation.

But thanks for taking time and spending the money to go root for our Eagles.

God bless you.

Ndidi will not play an advanced central midfield role at the World Cup. These are friendlies. You try things. Besides I am loving that Rohr isn't revealing much for our opponents to scout.

Ndidi was very good, by the way.

I keep hearing this, its like we have some secret weapon in store that we will suddenly release at the WC...is this just blind optimism or am I missing something...

That's just my take based on reading the tea leaves. There is no big secret, but we're using our friendlies to work on a number of things, which has the added benefit of not giving our opponents much to see in terms of the way that we will play at the Mundial.

Now, of course, we are not playing disjointed football on purpose, and there is no on and off switch that we will suddenly turn on at the World Cup. That's not what I am saying. However, I do feel that the team is more focused right now on working on the things that Rohr has them working on and carrying out their individual assignments, than playing beautiful football.

In the end it should all come together, but we won't no for sure until the bright lights are on. On the whole I have a lot of confidence in our team. But even if I'm wrong, it's way too early for a lot of the panic that I'm seeing in these parts.

Mystic,

I agree with your take. Against Serbia, we provide a huge acres of space for Serbia to exploit whereas against Poland, we were more compact.

[Purity]

Onazi may not be a starter..

[Lolly]

I know some people may not like what I'm going to say but I think Moses Simon should start in place of Iwobi. He can dribble, cross, is better at set pieces and works better with Ighalo. I actually think in a few years that Iwobi will improve, but I think he would fit better for us as a #10.

The coach knows it, most of us have said the same thing. But some people think football is all about step overs and tricks.

I was at the game too and I thank God the coach has had the opportunity to test different players in different positions. Hopefully, he would have got some answers. But I just hope he has the right solutions to the issues.

I have a lot to say but I will summarise my conclusion in a number of bullet points.

1. Without Mikel, we will look ineffective going forward. Nobody else in our current setup can fill his shoes.

2. Idowu is a safe RB but not aggressive enough going forward. My preference will be Ehiejile based on experience, defending set pieces in the air and his confidence joining the attack.

3. Like I have said on a number of occasions, Joel Obi does not fit into the way Rohr likes to set us up. And he surprisingly ran out of steam very early. I really can't place his best position but he can't be selected ahead of Nnazi, Mikel or Ndidi.

4. After these 2 friendlies, it is now clear that Simon Moses is a sure bet for a wide player in a 4-3-3 formation. Iwobi does not do wing play very well and Musa is as best a sub to run around when others are tired.

5. Tyrone struggled yesterday and it is primarily because he hasn't played many games with the team. I blame him for the 2nd goal. I was screaming that he should throw down the line facing the Serbia goal and then he threw the ball to Ogu facing our goal and the rest is history. I will try Shehu against England if he has recovered from his injury.

6. We have very limited striker options. Ighalo has definitely taken one spot. He made a difference when he came on and took over the position from Musa. Unfortunately we don't have many options. Sadiq is too similar to Ighalo and with less experience and Kelechi is at best someone to bring on when we are chasing the game. I will bring in Ideye as the 3rd striker mainly for his experience and hustle.

7. Musa is playing himself out of the world cup. I am a fan but i feel he has regressed badly.

8. Our central defence partnership is looking shaky. Awaziem is not good at defending set pieces and looks a bit raw. But Balogun has been looking shaky since the Algerian game and even in training on Monday. Not surprised to hear he failed fitness test after what I saw on Monday. I sincerely hope he in not hiding an injury just to be in the world cup. I will try Ekong/Omeruo against England.

9. Goalkeepers - I think Rohr is trying to "groom" Uzoho to be our number 1. I am not sold on him. Even during the training session, it was obvious Ezenwa was sharper, fitter and more agile than him. Even making the more difficult saves. I hope Rohr knows what he is doing here but I am afraid Uzoho is an accident waiting to happen.
Too inexperienced, a bit moody and not a good communicator. His only plus is his kicking.

10. And finally, I will not judge our team on yesterday's performance. A number of key players were just strolling around and not doing enough. The main culprits were Moses, Iwobi and Ndidi. Anyone in the stadium would have noticed this. And I suspect Moses was either ill or not fully fit. He wasn't running into space and appeared uninterested. Not surprised he was subbed.

Phew. These 10 pointers are not easy.

[Enugu II]

Awaziem who lost his marker for both goals. Same as he did against SA.

Not good enough, terrible.

Awaziem lost his marker?
He was cycling over to cover. 2nd goal Ekong got inexplicably drawn to the flank and Awaziem and Idowu did what they had to do. But they were left outnumbered.
First goal was a break down in the pressing in the other half, Joel got sucked in, Ndidi stranded up front, Serbia took advantage of numbers in the middle. Even then, we were a few ricochets away from dealing with that and Awaziem in particular did his job.
I know you’re emotional, but let’s stick to the facts.

You did not get the script. If Musa was anywhere close by, it would have been Musa's fault. Ditto Awaziem.

[Cellular]

I know some people may not like what I'm going to say but I think Moses Simon should start in place of Iwobi. He can dribble, cross, is better at set pieces and works better with Ighalo. I actually think in a few years that Iwobi will improve, but I think he would fit better for us as a #10.

The coach knows it, most of us have said the same thing. But some people think football is all about step overs and tricks.

I was at the game too and I thank God the coach has had the opportunity to test different players in different positions. Hopefully, he would have got some answers. But I just hope he has the right solutions to the issues.

I have a lot to say but I will summarise my conclusion in a number of bullet points.

1. Without Mikel, we will look ineffective going forward. Nobody else in our current setup can fill his shoes.

2. Idowu is a safe RB but not aggressive enough going forward. My preference will be Ehiejile based on experience, defending set pieces in the air and his confidence joining the attack.

3. Like I have said on a number of occasions, Joel Obi does not fit into the way Rohr likes to set us up. And he surprisingly ran out of steam very early. I really can't place his best position but he can't be selected ahead of Nnazi, Mikel or Ndidi.

4. After these 2 friendlies, it is now clear that Simon Moses is a sure bet for a wide player in a 4-3-3 formation. Iwobi does not do wing play very well and Musa is as best a sub to run around when others are tired.

5. Tyrone struggled yesterday and it is primarily because he hasn't played many games with the team. I blame him for the 2nd goal. I was screaming that he should throw down the line facing the Serbia goal and then he threw the ball to Ogu facing our goal and the rest is history. I will try Shehu against England if he has recovered from his injury.

6. We have very limited striker options. Ighalo has definitely taken one spot. He made a difference when he came on and took over the position from Musa. Unfortunately we don't have many options. Sadiq is too similar to Ighalo and with less experience and Kelechi is at best someone to bring on when we are chasing the game. I will bring in Ideye as the 3rd striker mainly for his experience and hustle.

7. Musa is playing himself out of the world cup. I am a fan but i feel he has regressed badly.

8. Our central defence partnership is looking shaky. Awaziem is not good at defending set pieces and looks a bit raw. But Balogun has been looking shaky since the Algerian game and even in training on Monday. Not surprised to hear he failed fitness test after what I saw on Monday. I sincerely hope he in not hiding an injury just to be in the world cup. I will try Ekong/Omeruo against England.

9. Goalkeepers - I think Rohr is trying to "groom" Uzoho to be our number 1. I am not sold on him. Even during the training session, it was obvious Ezenwa was sharper, fitter and more agile than him. Even making the more difficult saves. I hope Rohr knows what he is doing here but I am afraid Uzoho is an accident waiting to happen.
Too inexperienced, a bit moody and not a good communicator. His only plus is his kicking.

10. And finally, I will not judge our team on yesterday's performance. A number of key players were just strolling around and not doing enough. The main culprits were Moses, Iwobi and Ndidi. Anyone in the stadium would have noticed this. And I suspect Moses was either ill or not fully fit. He wasn't running into space and appeared uninterested. Not surprised he was subbed.

Phew. These 10 pointers are not easy.

BTW, good summary.

[platinum]

I'm not sure we've seen the last of a 3 man central defense. I suspect that will happen again.

[Cellular]

Super Eagles' winning streak ends with 0-2 loss to Serbia as they succumb to two second half goals - See more at: https://goo.gl/MKLCG5

Uncle Ayo, abeg which match way you watch?

Nna, your report is written with a heavy dose of salt washed down with spiked gatorade.

[metalalloy]

On the other hand, Nigeria's Super Eagles had beaten Poland 1-0 last Friday so the friendly was more of a training session, with the boys playing within themselves. This, coupled with the fact that head coach Gernot Rohr made several changes and tried out a few new tactical alterations, saw the Eagles playing several gears below their capability.

Its still early, but the highlighted is waaaaaayyyy out in the lead for the dumbest thing I will read all day.

[Cellular]

On a chilly night, Nigeria started off the brighter of the two sides with the midfield trio of skipper Ogenyi Onazi, Wilfred Ndidi and Joel Obi dominating possession in the middle of the park. However, their domination did not lead to much creativity upfront at the forward line of Victor Moses, Alex Iwobi and the makeshift centre forward Ahmed Musa found it hard to get past a very physical Serb defence.

Serbian goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic, was also in fine form, parrying early, although in all fairness was too was Nigeria's Francis Uzoho, who has easily established himself as the country's undisputed number one. In the early exchanges, Uzoho parried a series of stinging shots from Mitrovic and Branislav Ivanovic while he also stopped winger Dusan Tadic from scoring after he had a run on goal.

We had a shot on target?

Upfront, Alex Iwobi, who was having arguably his best ever game for Nigeria, remained the main threat and a series of combinations with the twinkle-toed Victor Moses nearly resulted in a goal but the dogged Serb defence held firm. Led by former Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic, the Serbian back three repeatedly put their bodies in the way of goal-bound shots and were prepared to take a lot of punishment for the team.

In this game or another game? He was average (borderline below average) and mostly unprofessional.