AFCON U17: NIGERIA 1 VS ANGOLA 2 (3RD PLACE MATCH) FT

[Gotti]

We carve and a miss a good scoring chance...
But the Angolans are now playing with more confidence.

[Gotti]

Red card for Angola #2
Second yellow for fouls

[JACKAL]

That Zito is their star player being scouted by Man United...

[JACKAL]

Substitution, Nigeria U17. Divine Nwachukwu replaces Olatomi Olaniyan.
61' Attempt missed. Samson Tijani (Nigeria U17) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Wisdom Ubani.
60' Attempt blocked. Ibraheem Jabaar (Nigeria U17) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
58' Second yellow card to Porfirio (Angola U17) for a bad foul.

[Gotti]

How’s that not a PK?

[Gotti]

75th minute water break...

[JACKAL]

Are they going to give the Chelsea kid a look in so that they can cap him for Nigeria....

[JACKAL]

80' Attempt missed. Divine Nwachukwu (Nigeria U17) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Ibraheem Jabaar.
78' Attempt blocked. Maestro (Angola U17) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
77' Delay over. They are ready to continue.
74' Foul by Olakunle Olusegun (Nigeria U17).

[Gotti]

FT...
Lots of work to be done before Poland.

[oyek]

FT...
Lots of work to be done before Poland.

Brazil.

[Gotti]

Conversion rate has to be drastically improved...

Ultimately, this team could not score more than 1 goal in any game, except in the first game against Tanzania (who turned out to be arguably the worst team in the tournament). Yet, the team CONSISTENTLY carved out one great scoring chance after another in every single game.

Defense also needs some tweaking. Our FBs look great going forward, but are often badly caught out of position defending. Manu has a lot of work to do, because we will likely end up in a tough group.

[Gotti]

FT...
Lots of work to be done before Poland.

Brazil.

Yeah, thanks...
Confused it with U20 WC.

[9jaMan]

It’s time for manu to move on from the U17, his team selection is suspect and his tactics are not good enough. Simple and plain. Nigeria is too blessed with talented footballers to be allowing sentimentally compromised folks to ruin our soccer.

You know this team and personnel well enough to make such a statement? Na real wa for you...

Unlike you some folks actually know their football. Numbers don’t lie as you must have seen the results. I would have told you to jump in a lake but that surely will make any living creature in the lake dumber.

[lacidi]

Manu. Smh. I guess no Amunike to make him shine.

[Bigpokey24]

Every thread opened by jackal is a loss..what a jinx

[okidoki]

Team like I said before, is the least talented technically and tactically of the last 3-4 squads. Aside Ubani and I think his name is Tijani in midfield. Nothing to get excited about.

[Igugu]

It’s time for manu to move on from the U17, his team selection is suspect and his tactics are not good enough. Simple and plain. Nigeria is too blessed with talented footballers to be allowing sentimentally compromised folks to ruin our soccer.

I second this statement. I know we have better players than these crop of players. No strikers at all. The play well in the middle but no striker up front to finish what was started in the middle. This coaching squad needs overhaul.

[JACKAL]

Every thread opened by jackal is a loss..what a jinx

Na lie….prove it !!!

[Gotti]

Team like I said before, is the least talented technically and tactically of the last 3-4 squads. Aside Ubani and I think his name is Tijani in midfield. Nothing to get excited about.

It’s time for manu to move on from the U17, his team selection is suspect and his tactics are not good enough. Simple and plain. Nigeria is too blessed with talented footballers to be allowing sentimentally compromised folks to ruin our soccer.

I second this statement. I know we have better players than these crop of players. No strikers at all. The play well in the middle but no striker up front to finish what was started in the middle. This coaching squad needs overhaul.

Totally disagree...

We went through this same premature judgment after Amuneke’s team finished in the same 4th place as the present team) at the 2015 U17 AFCON, but the corpus of that team went ahead to excel at the WC and threw up the likes of Osimhen, Chukwueze, Nwakali, Okonkwo and Kingsley Michael. Frankly, this group of players appear MORE technically talented than the 2015 group (but perhaps that’s due to Manu Garba’s all-attacking philosophy compared to Amuneke’s more cautious approach).

Either way, technical talent is the definitely not the primary problem with this team! Virtually every player on the team is comfortable on the ball and able to take on opposing players (something that frankly I can recall only Chukwueze, Osimhen, Nwakali and perhaps Anumudu being able to consistently do in the 2015 squad - albeit it is impractical and perhaps even unfair to try to directly compare youth players across different coaches, tournaments and years).

Personally, I think this team (even with this particular group of player but I suspect there’s going to be some personnel shuffle before the WC) will do well in Brazil due to the following factors: (1) the late MRI test results probably disrupted the team a bit with 4 starters removed, including the GK who was one of the team’s star performers at the WAFU B qualifiers; (2) the officiating in this tournament was consistently subpar and atrocious in one case; (3) while the Dar es Salaam pitch was okay, the WC pitches should be much better (which suits a ball-playing team like this team); and (4) hopefully, Manu Garba carefully evaluates this performance and sort the TACTICS out (I think it was often dodgy here).

On the most important utility of youth football - i.e., producing prospects who may ULTIMATELY wind up in the SE squad, the jury has not even begun deliberations but Tijani and Ubani (if they continue on a steady professional developmental trajectory) look the two most promising early on. However, after the WC we hopefully should be in a position to better evaluate and judge which players hold the most promise. Good luck to the lads going forward and in Brazil, they did a decent enough job here!

[onovo]

Team like I said before, is the least talented technically and tactically of the last 3-4 squads. Aside Ubani and I think his name is Tijani in midfield. Nothing to get excited about.

It’s time for manu to move on from the U17, his team selection is suspect and his tactics are not good enough. Simple and plain. Nigeria is too blessed with talented footballers to be allowing sentimentally compromised folks to ruin our soccer.

I second this statement. I know we have better players than these crop of players. No strikers at all. The play well in the middle but no striker up front to finish what was started in the middle. This coaching squad needs overhaul.

Totally disagree...

We went through this same premature judgment after Amuneke’s team finished in the same 4th place as the present team) at the 2015 U17 AFCON, but the corpus of that team went ahead to excel at the WC and threw up the likes of Osimhen, Chukwueze, Nwakali, Okonkwo and Kingsley Michael. Frankly, this group of players appear MORE technically talented than the 2015 group (but perhaps that’s due to Manu Garba’s all-attacking philosophy compared to Amuneke’s more cautious approach).

Either way, technical talent is the definitely not the primary problem with this team! Virtually every player on the team is comfortable on the ball and able to take on opposing players (something that frankly I can recall only Chukwueze, Osimhen, Nwakali and perhaps Anumudu being able to consistently do in the 2015 squad - albeit it is impractical and perhaps even unfair to try to directly compare youth players across different coaches, tournaments and years).

Personally, I think this team (even with this particular group of player but I suspect there’s going to be some personnel shuffle before the WC) will do well in Brazil due to the following factors: (1) the late MRI test results probably disrupted the team a bit with 4 starters removed, including the GK who was one of the team’s star performers at the WAFU B qualifiers; (2) the officiating in this tournament was consistently subpar and atrocious in one case; (3) while the Dar es Salaam pitch was okay, the WC pitches should be much better (which suits a ball-playing team like this team); and (4) hopefully, Manu Garba carefully evaluates this performance and sort the TACTICS out (I think it was often dodgy here).

On the most important utility of youth football - i.e., producing prospects who may ULTIMATELY wind up in the SE squad, the jury has not even begun deliberations but Tijani and Ubani (if they continue on a steady professional developmental trajectory) look the two most promising early on. However, after the WC we hopefully should be in a position to better evaluate and judge which players hold the most promise. Good luck to the lads going forward and in Brazil, they did a decent enough job here!

Good analysis ! I am impressed with this team, talented lad indeed, the coaches just need work on their finishing. This is U-17, am more interested in how many of the players would graduate to the senior side period !

[Gotti]

Highlights (in Arabic)...

[/video]

[mcal]

...not winning this will propel them further. Hope dey.

[maceo4]

It’s time for manu to move on from the U17, his team selection is suspect and his tactics are not good enough. Simple and plain. Nigeria is too blessed with talented footballers to be allowing sentimentally compromised folks to ruin our soccer.

You know this team and personnel well enough to make such a statement? Na real wa for you...

Unlike you some folks actually know their football. Numbers don’t lie as you must have seen the results. I would have told you to jump in a lake but that surely will make any living creature in the lake dumber.

Men please, you don't know who these boys were before this tournament, you simply do not know enough to make blanket statements like you normally do. Always whining without any sense, anyways carry on...