Cybereagles

mystic wrote:Aina is the better player. In addition, he brings more position versatility to the squad. Echiejile was a key player in qualifying and has experience on his side. However, that experience is only useful if you can still get the job done on the pitch.

These comments, coming from you, are extremely disappointing, to say the least. This is something I would expect from a thoughtless moron like vancity. The qualifiers took place only months ago so for you to suggest that a key player during the qualifiers suddenly can’t get the job done without any empirical evidence, is the epitome of stupidity. A guy like you ought to know better. I suspect you were just trying to sound clever. Like I said, extremely disappointing


Cheers.

I am a huge fan of Echiejile but on this issue, I will go with Aina. Echiejile has had a very poor season in the Belgian 2nd division. Sentiments shouldn't be allowed in selection for the WC. Joe Hart played in all of England's WCQs, yet poor form led to his being dropped. We shouldn't use the WC as a send off for any player. If we are really looking forward to shocking the world in 2022, then we need to start preparing the players now. Aina will play tor Nigeria for many years and a good place to start tournaments for Nigeria is the WC in Russia.

Dammy wrote:I am a huge fan of Echiejile but on this issue, I will go with Aina. Echiejile has had a very poor season in the Belgian 2nd division. Sentiments shouldn't be allowed in selection for the WC. Joe Hart played in all of England's WCQs, yet poor form led to his being dropped. We shouldn't use the WC as a send off for any player. If we are really looking forward to shocking the world in 2022, then we need to start preparing the players now. Aina will play tor Nigeria for many years and a good place to start tournaments for Nigeria is the WC in Russia.

Ok but he needs to earn the shirt and we shouldn't allow sentiments. Need to see Echiejile again, truth is neither Idowu nor Aina has blown us away and we're talking friendlies while the veteran took us through qualifying. That's why Echiejile is still on the team. Neither one can hold a candle to Taiwo or Echiejile in their prime. Doubt they'd be options long term.

I would take Aina over Uwa to Russia, but to be honest Aina hasn’t shown much in the green white green.

Aina is not better than Uwa. He is faster and offers more going forward but on the main function of his position, which is defending, he is lacking. Those shortfall maybe made up with experience but at the moment, he is not there yet.

May the better man win. faced with the choice of bringing either of them on to cover an injury with 15 mins to go, I think I would feel a lot more comfortable with Echejile. Both are playing 2nd fiddle to Idowu.

As a fan I would pick Aina, however won't be surprised if Rohr goes for Echejile.

TonyTheTigerKiller wrote:

mystic wrote:Aina is the better player. In addition, he brings more position versatility to the squad. Echiejile was a key player in qualifying and has experience on his side. However, that experience is only useful if you can still get the job done on the pitch.

These comments, coming from you, are extremely disappointing, to say the least. This is something I would expect from a thoughtless moron like vancity. The qualifiers took place only months ago so for you to suggest that a key player during the qualifiers suddenly can’t get the job done without any empirical evidence, is the epitome of stupidity. A guy like you ought to know better. I suspect you were just trying to sound clever. Like I said, extremely disappointing


Cheers.

I have always liked Echiejile, but I think that the handwriting is on the wall in terms of him being a declining player. The fact is that over the past couple of seasons, Echiejile suddenly isn't able to cut it at very modest clubs like Standard Liege, Sporting Gijon, Sivasspor and Cercles Brugge (in the Belgian 2nd tier). And that speaks volumes. At each of these clubs he's had fitness issues. And when he's been fit to play, his play has been poor. In the first 3 of these clubs, the teams had buyers remorse and quickly moved on from him (and the jury is still out out on his stay at Brugge).

Now you make reference to the fact that the World Cup Qualifiers was only a few months ago, but a few months can be a long time in football.

Take Finidi George's adventure in England, for instance. He signed for Ipswich ahead of the 2001/2002 season and was an instant success. But by the end of the season when the team was relegated, he was among the players that Ipswich fans fingered for their drop. Why? Because the Finidi of the second half of the season looked nothing like the Finidi that was balling early on. Soon after 2001/2002 season, Finidi was out of football.

Now I'm not saying Echiejile will soon be out of football, but players do decline. It can happen gradually or it can happen overnight. However when a player is 30 years old and has struggled with form and fitness for two seasons running, one has to begin to entertain the possibility that the player has begun to wrestle with 'Father Time'.

Now was Echiejile a pivotal part of our qualifying for the World Cup?

Absolutely.

And does Echiejile bring invaluable international experience to a very young group of Super Eagles, the majority of whom will be blooded at a major international tournament for the first time?

Absolutely.

These are indeed the principal reasons why Rohr has rightly kept faith with him. However, it means nothing if he can't get it done on the pitch at the required level anymore.

Now as for the question that this thread addresses, I have given my opinion. Aina is the better player. Moreover he can play a number of different positions (Right Back, Left Back, Right Midfield, Left Midfield and Centreback - in a back three) thus giving us more tactical flexibility.

Having said that, his lack of international experience (Echiejile's strong point) is a concern. He has only had one full season of 'real' professional football, and looked like a greenhorn against Argentina. But that was a few months ago, and as I said earlier, a few months can be a long time in football. Just as Echiejile must show in camp that he is not past his sell-by date, Aina must show that he's tactically mature enough to be trusted at the Mundial.

So both players have something to prove and this matter will be settled in training as well as in the friendlies (assuming that Rohr doesn't keep both of them - which I doubt).

But if it was up to me, Aina would be the choice.

As long as no sentiments are involved.

If Echijele can prove he is better than Aina, (which I highly doubt) then let him go.

I highly doubt that a player who is failing in the Belgian second division is better than a guy who played all season in the championship.

His fitness is also a concern, whereas this isn't a problem with Aina.

Like someone said earlier, the WC is not a "send off" for old players. If the old players are not the nest we can offer, they have no place in our squad.

I wonder why the same people touting Echijeles "experience" have no problem with Uzohos inexperience and voiciferously campaigned against Enyeama. If any position requires experience more than others, it is the goalkeeper.

The example of Joe Hart being dropped shows there is no room for sentiments when it comes to WC.

WC is for our best players. It is not a sentimental "send off" or "thankyou" for your service.

We wonder why we continue to fail with such attitude.

Like I said if Echijele can prove ON THE PITCH, that he is better than Aina, then let him go to Russia.

If there is marginal difference between the two, then Aina should go on account of his versatility and building for 2022.

Aina all day. If Uwa does well in camp, then his experience would come in handy. But let's be real - dude isn't a regular in the Belgian second division so yeah. No need to get all nostalgic, dude has been on the decline. Aina has the edge at the moment

It’s a close one but it’s Ola Aina for me.

green4life wrote:It’s a close one but it’s Ola Aina for me.

how do you mean close, bro? In terms of ability or consistency over this season?

green4life wrote:It’s a close one but it’s Ola Aina for me.

Aina for me as well, but I have a feeling it will be Elderson for loyal Rohr...

This thread shows the England bias in the perspective of a lot Nigerians. They believe everything they see is the best in the world if its from London. Aina is impressing in an absolutely crap league that has no bearing on world football, yet he's ranked higher than a guy that won Afcon for SE and has been the starting LB for SE throughout wcq while doing a good job at it. I wonder if the opinions here would be the same if Aina was Playing in a div 2 team in Spain,France or Germany.

EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA wrote:This thread shows the England bias in the perspective of a lot Nigerians. They believe everything they see is the best in the world if its from London. Aina is impressing in an absolutely crap league that has no bearing on world football, yet he's ranked higher than a guy that won Afcon for SE and has been the starting LB for SE throughout wcq while doing a good job at it. I wonder if the opinions here would be the same if Aina was Playing in a div 2 team in Spain,France or Germany.

But our 4 best players, Mikel, VM, Ndidi and Iwobi have heavy links to England. Maybe it's you that has the bias.

Spot on

mystic wrote:Aina is the better player. In addition, he brings more position versatility to the squad. Echiejile was a key player in qualifying and has experience on his side. However, that experience is only useful if you can still get the job done on the pitch.

felarey wrote:

Dammy wrote:I am a huge fan of Echiejile but on this issue, I will go with Aina. Echiejile has had a very poor season in the Belgian 2nd division. Sentiments shouldn't be allowed in selection for the WC. Joe Hart played in all of England's WCQs, yet poor form led to his being dropped. We shouldn't use the WC as a send off for any player. If we are really looking forward to shocking the world in 2022, then we need to start preparing the players now. Aina will play tor Nigeria for many years and a good place to start tournaments for Nigeria is the WC in Russia.

Ok but he needs to earn the shirt and we shouldn't allow sentiments. Need to see Echiejile again, truth is neither Idowu nor Aina has blown us away and we're talking friendlies while the veteran took us through qualifying. That's why Echiejile is still on the team. Neither one can hold a candle to Taiwo or Echiejile in their prime. Doubt they'd be options long term.

And how many games did Uwa need to blow you away? He’s still trying
To blow people away with all the so called experience he has had. His longevity
In the SE shirt owes more to the dearth of talent in that position.

If Aina is not gonna break into the first eleven, most likely the coaches will go for Uwa. One of Idowu or Aina have to hit the first eleven for Uwa to be dropped. Experience and team chemistry often comes in to neutralise a lot of what is being bandied around here. Uwa may not play but he will most likely be going to Russia. Let Idowu and Aina decide which of them should accompany him.

Mr Shows wrote:May the better man win. faced with the choice of bringing either of them on to cover an injury with 15 mins to go, I think I would feel a lot more comfortable with Echejile. Both are playing 2nd fiddle to Idowu.

As a fan I would pick Aina, however won't be surprised if Rohr goes for Echejile.

Age is on Aina's side but that LB position belongs to Bryan Idowu all day long. Uwa may well get the cut, but his contribution to SE has been immense and ought to be respected.

maceo4 wrote:

You can tell there is not much left, when the highlights are in the gym, not on the pitch.