Croatia will struggle against Nigeria

[born2win]

You cannot beat Serbia or Czech but somehow want to beat Croatia

Your hope is on Chinese league midfielder while Croatia have no 10 of Real Madrid and you are there boasting

Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona), Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid), Milan Badelj (Fiorentina), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter

Mario Mandzukic (Juventus), Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan), Nikola Kalinic (AC Milan

Names don’t play football but for these are Champions league players

I hope you will have the decency to come back here and admit you were wrong,
when the SE beat Croatia. Until then, you can name all the Croat players on big
clubs to your satisfaction.

Nigerians are never humble b4 England game nearly everybody was 3-0 winning against england, 2-0 winning against england.

[jdizzy]

I wish all these internet coaches here would STFU till next Saturday.

[Odas]

You cannot beat Serbia or Czech but somehow want to beat Croatia

Your hope is on Chinese league midfielder while Croatia have no 10 of Real Madrid and you are there boasting

Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona), Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid), Milan Badelj (Fiorentina), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter

Mario Mandzukic (Juventus), Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan), Nikola Kalinic (AC Milan

Names don’t play football but for these are Champions league players

Bros, this thing doesn't work the way you are seeing it at all. It is NOT a black/white affair

[bret- hart]

born2win is a Croatian troll. I see you talking $@#% on bigsoccer. Don't worry Saturday cant come quick enough.

[Odas]

I wish all these internet coaches here would STFU till next Saturday.

Do you have to curse to speak, or state your opinion?

[bret- hart]

born2win is a Croatian troll. I see you talking $@#% on bigsoccer. Don't worry Saturday cant come quick enough.

[Odas]

born2win is a Croatian troll. I see you talking $@#% on bigsoccer. Don't worry Saturday cant come quick enough.

Oh! "Mr. Born2win" is a Croatian - eh? That explains it. Mr. Born2win, you will experience the pain of REAL Pepper when splashed into your eyes on Saturday

[john12]

No matter how you twist and turn it or call him a troll but Croatia still has Higher rated players than us as proven by the caliber of teams that their guys play for compared to our guys. They have world class players that plays at WORLD CLASS teams week in and out while most of our guys are at backwater leagues. Therefore, Croatia are expected to win the game. However, in football anything can happen meaning that we can win. Whatever happens at this tournament, I hope we can continue with rohr because he has made tremendous progress from where we were until now.

[Goldleaf]

All days against us, Croatia will look for:

1) Set pieces.
2) Crosses
3) Penalties.
4) Keep the ball.

Rohr must work on our:

1) Concentration, concentration, contrenation especially in the early part of the game. Not concentration after you have conceded a goal.
2) Defend set pieces and crosses. Balogun especially sometimes does not want to get involved with heading.
3) Take the ball away from them, keep and work the ball. We kept the ball very well in the friendlies.
4) Finally and most important, improve our FITNESS substantially. In the friendlies, our players were not physically fit at all. If we keep the ball, this Croatia doesn't have legs to match our pace.

I see 3 points for SE against Croatia.

[waka-man]

The diabolical first half against England has those with weak livers quaking in their boots.

I’ve just rewatched both games and a few things have obvious:
-The team is just about ready and has discovered it’s best formation and way of playing - 3-5-2

- Contrary to what I said earlier, I get the deployment of personnel. We don’t need Etebo in addition to Ndidi. The Iwobi, Mikel, Ndidi combination allows for short-interchange of passes which most teams will struggle to pick up. At it’s fluid best, especially on the superior turf of Wembley (with Etebo in the Ndidi role), it was a joy to behold.

- That combination has the added advantage of getting both wing-backs into the game

- Ighalo is not doing bad at all. He plays the channels and gets into good positions. The team is designed to play on the counter while possessing the ball. This might seem a contradiction in terms but it will draw teams out

- Yes, we need to defend set-pieces better. But that might be the only major thing left to work on

Unfortunately, the Croats will not be as emotional in their analysis as CE fans, and they’ll be working hard to neutralise what I think it an impressively and rapidly evolving Nigerian team.

[gochino]

No matter how you twist and turn it or call him a troll but Croatia still has Higher rated players than us as proven by the caliber of teams that their guys play for compared to our guys. They have world class players that plays at WORLD CLASS teams week in and out while most of our guys are at backwater leagues. Therefore, Croatia are expected to win the game. However, in football anything can happen meaning that we can win. Whatever happens at this tournament, I hope we can continue with rohr because he has made tremendous progress from where we were until now.

Lol you are funny! So why do we need to play the world cup??Why don't they just hand the cup over to the team that has the most players in big clubs! Have you ever played football?? Football is about being a team and having the right strategy, period!

[john12]

I clearly said that we can beat them but they’re expected to WIN

[zee]

They will suffer...

This sounds very silly and childlike.......................

[Cellular]

You cannot beat Serbia or Czech but somehow want to beat Croatia

Your hope is on Chinese league midfielder while Croatia have no 10 of Real Madrid and you are there boasting

Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona), Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid), Milan Badelj (Fiorentina), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter

Mario Mandzukic (Juventus), Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan), Nikola Kalinic (AC Milan

Names don’t play football but for these are Champions league players

No doubt Croatia have very good players. They are expected to win.
The thing with Naijaria is that you guys are getting us too early in the competition to get a real bid on how we play.
When we face big names we typically step up. That is the X-factor with the team.
A week from today, ready or not, you will see a different Naijaria. You will start wondering what happened to your big names.

[maceo4]

They will suffer...

This sounds very silly and childlike.......................

You don’t believe in your team? I thought you said once they name the 23 then they will start playing well, what happened?

[zee]

They will suffer...

This sounds very silly and childlike.......................

You don’t believe in your team? I thought you said once they name the 23 then they will start playing well, what happened?

But WE are playing well........................No injuries a couple of days before the WC equals playing the friendlies very WELL.
Germany just played a horrible 2-1 at home against the .........................MIGHTY Saudis but they said it was a 'well played' match 'cos no injury to any player.

[born2win]

born2win is a Croatian troll. I see you talking $@#% on bigsoccer. Don't worry Saturday cant come quick enough.

Am a Croatian troll? Lol b deceiving ur self.


I tell you Croatia have the potential to top the group and argentna second.

[cchinukw]

You cannot beat Serbia or Czech but somehow want to beat Croatia

Your hope is on Chinese league midfielder while Croatia have no 10 of Real Madrid and you are there boasting

Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona), Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid), Milan Badelj (Fiorentina), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter

Mario Mandzukic (Juventus), Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan), Nikola Kalinic (AC Milan

Names don’t play football but for these are Champions league players

I hope you will have the decency to come back here and admit you were wrong,
when the SE beat Croatia. Until then, you can name all the Croat players on big
clubs to your satisfaction.

Nigerians are never humble b4 England game nearly everybody was 3-0 winning against england, 2-0 winning against england.

Ol boy were you old enough in 1994? Yeah - That was the year a certain Stoichkov was on the Bulgarian team that played against Nigeria. Stoichkov won the Ballon d'Or for the Year 1994.

[Lolly]

You cannot beat Serbia or Czech but somehow want to beat Croatia

Your hope is on Chinese league midfielder while Croatia have no 10 of Real Madrid and you are there boasting

Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona), Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid), Milan Badelj (Fiorentina), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter

Mario Mandzukic (Juventus), Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan), Nikola Kalinic (AC Milan

Names don’t play football but for these are Champions league players

The same champions league players that couldn't beat Finland at home just over 6 months ago and lost to Iceland shortly before?

Reminds me of 1994 when the mighty Bulgaria were boasting about having Stoichkov, Letchkov, Kostadinov, Balakov Wetin happen? Kotinue.

[joplass]

I see no humility on here. How is the organization around team to start with.

[pasamu]

The diabolical first half against England has those with weak livers quaking in their boots.

I’ve just rewatched both games and a few things have obvious:
-The team is just about ready and has discovered it’s best formation and way of playing - 3-5-2

- Contrary to what I said earlier, I get the deployment of personnel. We don’t need Etebo in addition to Ndidi. The Iwobi, Mikel, Ndidi combination allows for short-interchange of passes which most teams will struggle to pick up. At it’s fluid best, especially on the superior turf of Wembley (with Etebo in the Ndidi role), it was a joy to behold.

- That combination has the added advantage of getting both wing-backs into the game

- Ighalo is not doing bad at all. He plays the channels and gets into good positions. The team is designed to play on the counter while possessing the ball. This might seem a contradiction in terms but it will draw teams out

- Yes, we need to defend set-pieces better. But that might be the only major thing left to work on

Unfortunately, the Croats will not be as emotional in their analysis as CE fans, and they’ll be working hard to neutralise what I think it an impressively and rapidly evolving Nigerian team.

nice analysis wakaman I do enjoy reading your posts
just to add I love the idea of Ogu being played as a centreback. His distribution from the back allows the team to break the tight press some teams will deploy. His passes must be a joy to the midfielders cos they generally receive the ball at feet without pressure meaning one miscontrol and then its panic stations. His pass to start the move that ended in a goal against England is an example of this.

As for the Croatia game, I think the key is not so much the wingbacks which is the obvious weakness the Croats will struggle with due to their lack of pace, but the midfield. They do have class midfielders but their midfielders are super competent not necessarily game winners. What do I mean. at their clubs rakatic and modric are faciliatators for the star turns to really strut their stuff. Real need a modric type player but he isn't the reason why they are as dominant as they are ditto Rakatic at Barcelona. Hopefully the desire to be big boys will cause them to over play their hand ie instead of working really hard and bidding their time for the right pass at the right moment they try too hard to show why they are playing at the top level of European football. I noted a bit of this from Rakatic in the match against Senegal. The other obvious thing is if you are tired you are tired and the old tire quicker. Chasing a faster younger player still wears you down even if you play in a league superior to the young pup. Nigeria's fluidity and movement in midfield when it gets going requires real discipline to combat. If you are not willing to work like the Czechs were, you suddenly find Ndidi taking pot shots from the last ditch tackle you were forced to make because no one matched Iwobi's dribbling and running.

Hopefully this time is being used to work out corner defending which really is due to players losing their opponents due to a bit of movement and ball watching (oh and can someone tell the players on the posts for corners to sprint out once the ball is cleared not wander around like a dude looking to pick up a date after a music concert).
I guess I am always looking for the positives when Nigeria turn up to play; it is so easy to do with this team though. They are skillfull and have both playmakers and grafters. they are young and can counter with real pace. At the same time their real strength is ball retention and passing thru teams stupid enough to sit off them. They can change formation with the fluidness of a snake rolling in a barrel of olive oil, and there preps have been very good. Sure putting the ball in the back of the net appears to be an issue (yes I know its hard to win a match if you do tear the net) set pieces, and pace at the back are issues but they do not dampen my optimism. The same can be said for most teams. I hope they don't freeze. Its a young team, with a very very young inexperienced keeper (now that does get me diving behind the sofa)

[ohsee]

If they start Mario Mandzukic, we will be in serious trouble during corners, free kicks and crosses. Knowing our weakness in these areas, they may start him, or bring him on if they fall behind. Do we have an answer to Mario's ability in the air, or his incredible ability to find space in the box, and finish?

All the so-called tactical analysis will come to naught if the Croats simply practice hoofing the ball to Mario just like Juventus did against Real in the second leg of this year's Champions League. Note that he scored two simply executed goals in that match.

[spastic]

Ezenwa


Omeruo*******Ekong**********Balogun

Ndidi


Moses *****************************Mikel**********************Idowu



Etebo Iwobi

Ighalo/Ihenacho

I like this team. It will be Ighalo no need to hedge.