Nigeria vs. Libya U23: Common Sense is not very common

[truetalk]

So I’d normally let this pass, especially since we sorted things out and advanced vs. Libya, but it is extremely important to highlight the crappy process that put unnecessary strain on the team & could have put the chance to even get the opportunity to compete for an Olympic ticket at risk.

First things first, I’ve always believed that the U-23 team should be an extension of the National team. An SE lite if you will. This should be even more obvious given that about half of the top 30 names that will come to mind for SE consideration are aged 23 or less. The only caveat here is that I would not advocate having Rohr manage another one of our National teams against global competition. He is doing enough damage with the SE. Imagine still 'parking' Ezenwa & Akpeyi in the National team.

This past week should have been a simple logistics operation. Have an expanded list of 30 report to Tunis by Sunday or Monday, select the best U-23 to beat Libya, and then have the entire team fly to Asaba on Wednesday night & put out a team of mostly over 23 players to play Seychelles, while the strongest core prepare for the Libya return. Note that the only competitive games that mattered this week, were the ones against Libya at the U-23 level.
Not only did no one within the NFF come up with this cheaper, simpler and more effective approach, it was really sad that many people on here could still not see that this was the way to go even after the fact.

Reasons that were given included that we may not have the top players for the U-23 Nations Cup (forgetting that you need to get there 1st and worry about selecting the best team from available players when the time comes). It seems a lot of people were going along with the warped logic of stay with a team that will always be available, even if it leads to nowhere.


Thankfully, NFF allowed sanity to reign & bought into the concept of a blended team, just in time for us to advance in style. We’re going to need to have this blended team again in the first weeks of June. I expect 10-12 of the final 23 for the Nations cup to be eligible for the Olympic team. We need to have a blended team of about 30-35 in camp that week. If anything at all, it makes for better camping and competition. Full scrimmages of 2 to 3 full teams. We can then face Sudan/Kenya with the strongest team possible, while some of the players going to AFCON will be match ready and the U-23 qualifications and competitive practices will also help us get better prepared for AFCON as well.


Let us qualify for the U-23 Nations Cup. The NFF has enough time between June and November to try to get the best legs for the U-23 Cup if we qualify. We should go with the best available at the time & give it our best shot.

[Enyi]

Flying everyone from a to b is not cheap and a logistic nightmare. I know that at club level to take one more player abroad for match throws up way too much issues let alone at the national level.

Also, can I ask? What’s the purpose of the U-23’s to augment the SE or to give players like Azuibuike and Nwakali the change to remain in the national set-up and progress as they are not ready to be considered SE material at present.

We should let the U-23 be a different entity from the SE. the standard of the players they will face are not the same so this won’t benefit the senior national team.

[ohenhen1]

I agree once they make the SE, it makes no sense to send them back to the U23.

[Orion]

This is the plan for someone who failed to put a proper long term plan in place. The interim plan will eventually fail because you need a long term plan to achieve the ultimate goal.

Siasia didn't have to do this nonsense 4 years ago because he built a team for the competition right from the start. For ALL the games.

It takes time to prepare a team for a tournament. It is important that you have the team already playing together for many competitive games BEFORE the tournament. You expect a new team to go compete for a place in the Olympics with other teams that have been playing together for a long time when the competition has been dwindled down to the very best 8 sides in Africa? It is doable but risky and stupid.

The U23 competition should be used first and foremost to unearth new players from the local league that could potentially make the SE one day. Secondly, we could augment the team with a few players already called up to the SE for certain key roles but that's it.

[Gotti]

This is the plan for someone who failed to put a proper long term plan in place. The interim plan will eventually fail because you need a long term plan to achieve the ultimate goal.

Siasia didn't have to do this nonsense 4 years ago because he built a team for the competition right from the start. For ALL the games.

It takes time to prepare a team for a tournament. It is important that you have the team already playing together for many competitive games BEFORE the tournament. You expect a new team to go compete for a place in the Olympics with other teams that have been playing together for a long time when the competition has been dwindled down to the very best 8 sides in Africa? It is doable but risky and stupid.

The U23 competition should be used first and foremost to unearth new players from the local league that could potentially make the SE one day. Secondly, we could augment the team with a few players already called up to the SE for certain key roles but that's it.

While I do NOT agree with Truetalk’s thesis of a blended SE/U23 squad, nonetheless...

Siasia “fire-brigaded” the first U23 team for the AAG and then built on that for the U23 AFCON...
And yet Siasia still substantially changed his team along the way, as national teams cannot be static.

In fact, less than half of Siasia’s 2015 AAG squad were at the 2015 U23 AFCON...
And only 6 (of 21) players from the 2015 U23 AFCON eventually made it to the 2016 Olympics.

[Gotti]

I agree once they make the SE, it makes no sense to send them back to the U23.

Virtually every major footballing nation fields senior-capped players at the U23 level...
Brazil’s last U23 Olympic team included Neymar and some other senior-level capped players.

France, Germany and England U23 even uses senior NT players at U20/U21 levels...
U23 is too infrequent to be strictly segregated but rather a bridge between youth and senior football.

[Ayo Akinfe]

[YUJAM]

Not sure why you think your approach makes more sense?

[nemi2002]

What was the scores

[bret- hart]

The U23 team should be made up of mainly homebased players. At least 60%.