Which midfielders should make the World cup?

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Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by Tobi17 »

Due to our glaring dearth of quality and depth in MF, let's discuss the options we have ahead of the world cup...
Our sure starters in the first XI are:
Ndidi
Ayodele-Aribo
Etebo
Iwobi?
Frank Onyeka


Midfield options worth looking at NOW:

Alhassan
Obinna Nwobodo
Ejaria?
Kingsley Micheal
.....
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Re: Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by vancity eagle »

you've mentioned all the names that I have been mentioning.

Kingsley has left his mark and should always be in the mix

we need to look at Alhassan who will give us lots of energy and drive, and to a lesser extent Nwobodo, but also Nwakali.

Nwakali because we need midfielders who are comfortable on the ball and can pick passes, I'm tired of carpenters like Bonke, these players are not SE quality.

I dont know what's up with Ejaria but he should also be in the mix when approved, some people have hated on him but I know he will add a lot to our team, at least as a great option off the bench.

Rohr needs to call up no less than 6 midfielders per squad (including Iwobi)

for now

1. Iwobi
2. Ndidi
3. Aribo
4. Etebo
5. Onyeka
6. Michael

I think Alhassan can give Onyeka a run for his money but Rohr will probably prefer Onyeka simply because he plays in EPL.

We dont lack midfield depth, its just that Rohr has been lazy and neglectful with our midfield.
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Re: Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by Damunk »

vancity eagle wrote: Wed Sep 08, 2021 12:00 am you've mentioned all the names that I have been mentioning.

Kingsley has left his mark and should always be in the mix

we need to look at Alhassan who will give us lots of energy and drive, and to a lesser extent Nwobodo, but also Nwakali.

Nwakali because we need midfielders who are comfortable on the ball and can pick passes, I'm tired of carpenters like Bonke, these players are not SE quality.

I dont know what's up with Ejaria but he should also be in the mix when approved, some people have hated on him but I know he will add a lot to our team, at least as a great option off the bench.

Rohr needs to call up no less than 6 midfielders per squad (including Iwobi)

for now

1. Iwobi
2. Ndidi
3. Aribo
4. Etebo
5. Onyeka
6. Michael

I think Alhassan can give Onyeka a run for his money but Rohr will probably prefer Onyeka simply because he plays in EPL.

We dont lack midfield depth, its just that Rohr has been lazy and neglectful with our midfield.
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Re: Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by ANC »

have you qualified for WC?
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Re: Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by ohenhen1 »

Too early for that.

But only Ndidi and Aribo are on the plane so far if we qualify. Iwobi is on track, need to keep up the good start to the season. Henry Michael and INnocent Uche are making progress.
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Re: Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by ikemba_nacho »

vancity eagle wrote: Wed Sep 08, 2021 12:00 am you've mentioned all the names that I have been mentioning.

Kingsley has left his mark and should always be in the mix

we need to look at Alhassan who will give us lots of energy and drive, and to a lesser extent Nwobodo, but also Nwakali.

Nwakali because we need midfielders who are comfortable on the ball and can pick passes, I'm tired of carpenters like Bonke, these players are not SE quality.

I dont know what's up with Ejaria but he should also be in the mix when approved, some people have hated on him but I know he will add a lot to our team, at least as a great option off the bench.

Rohr needs to call up no less than 6 midfielders per squad (including Iwobi)

for now

1. Iwobi
2. Ndidi
3. Aribo
4. Etebo
5. Onyeka
6. Michael

I think Alhassan can give Onyeka a run for his money but Rohr will probably prefer Onyeka simply because he plays in EPL.

We dont lack midfield depth, its just that Rohr has been lazy and neglectful with our midfield.

First and foremost, it is a little bit early for this type of permutations, we just need to work our way through the October matches and once this group is done focus on the two legged affair. To be honest, that is where most of concern lies, however one match at a time.

With regards to your list, my understanding is your 6 midfielders were called up, only for the English ban to scupper 4 of the 6 and the 5th being diagnosed with Covid however he too would have only had the first match.

Most countries bar the few at the very top will have issues with depth with 5 midfielders being ruled out however this does not take away from the discussion. I thought Bonke was missing a times during the game, however with only one away game, I still think a second and third viewing is still required. We really should move away from discarding players after one showing, it benefits no one.
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Re: Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by mystic »

Tobi17 wrote: Tue Sep 07, 2021 11:54 pm Due to our glaring dearth of quality and depth in MF, let's discuss the options we have ahead of the world cup...
Our sure starters in the first XI are:
Ndidi
Ayodele-Aribo
Etebo
Iwobi?
Frank Onyeka


Midfield options worth looking at NOW:

Alhassan
Obinna Nwobodo
Ejaria?
Kingsley Micheal
.....

Let's qualify first.
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Re: Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by mystic »

vancity eagle wrote: Wed Sep 08, 2021 12:00 am you've mentioned all the names that I have been mentioning.

Kingsley has left his mark and should always be in the mix

we need to look at Alhassan who will give us lots of energy and drive, and to a lesser extent Nwobodo, but also Nwakali.

Nwakali because we need midfielders who are comfortable on the ball and can pick passes, I'm tired of carpenters like Bonke, these players are not SE quality.

I dont know what's up with Ejaria but he should also be in the mix when approved, some people have hated on him but I know he will add a lot to our team, at least as a great option off the bench.

Rohr needs to call up no less than 6 midfielders per squad (including Iwobi)

for now

1. Iwobi
2. Ndidi
3. Aribo
4. Etebo
5. Onyeka
6. Michael

I think Alhassan can give Onyeka a run for his money but Rohr will probably prefer Onyeka simply because he plays in EPL.

We dont lack midfield depth, its just that Rohr has been lazy and neglectful with our midfield.

Sometimes it's not about playing beautiful football but grinding out results. When Rohr eschewed the likes of Kelechi Nwakali, Alhassan Yusuf and Obinna Nwobodo in favor of Kingsley Michael and Innocent Bonke, it told me everything I needed to know about the type of game that we planned on playing at Cape Verde.

I wouldn't fret so much about our midfield. We will be just fine.
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Re: Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by Otitokoro »

Spot on.
Sometimes, its not about playing fanciful football BUT getting the job done.
Innocent and Kingsley are workaholics who go at you for 90+ mins, something Kelechi currently lacks (that's why he mainly comes in as a sub).
Innocent and Kingsley were in beast-mode today, as they refused to cede a square inch of turf to the Cape Verdeans all match long.
Very impressed with their performances today.
mystic wrote: Wed Sep 08, 2021 3:42 am Sometimes it's not about playing beautiful football but grinding out results. When Rohr eschewed the likes of Kelechi Nwakali, Alhassan Yusuf and Obinna Nwobodo in favor of Kingsley Michael and Innocent Bonke, it told me everything I needed to know about the type of game that we planned on playing at Cape Verde.

I wouldn't fret so much about our midfield. We will be just fine.
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Re: Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by vancity eagle »

Otitokoro wrote: Wed Sep 08, 2021 4:55 am Spot on.
Sometimes, its not about playing fanciful football BUT getting the job done.
Innocent and Kingsley are workaholics who go at you for 90+ mins, something Kelechi currently lacks (that's why he mainly comes in as a sub).
Innocent and Kingsley were in beast-mode today, as they refused to cede a square inch of turf to the Cape Verdeans all match long.
Very impressed with their performances today.
mystic wrote: Wed Sep 08, 2021 3:42 am Sometimes it's not about playing beautiful football but grinding out results. When Rohr eschewed the likes of Kelechi Nwakali, Alhassan Yusuf and Obinna Nwobodo in favor of Kingsley Michael and Innocent Bonke, it told me everything I needed to know about the type of game that we planned on playing at Cape Verde.

I wouldn't fret so much about our midfield. We will be just fine.
If a workaholic is what Rohr wanted, then he has absolutely no excuse to not have called Alhassan Yusuf.

He covers more ground than both Kingsley and Bonke.
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Re: Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by Eaglezbeak »

Otitokoro wrote: Wed Sep 08, 2021 4:55 am Spot on.
Sometimes, its not about playing fanciful football BUT getting the job done.
Innocent and Kingsley are workaholics who go at you for 90+ mins, something Kelechi currently lacks (that's why he mainly comes in as a sub).
Innocent and Kingsley were in beast-mode today, as they refused to cede a square inch of turf to the Cape Verdeans all match long.
Very impressed with their performances today.
mystic wrote: Wed Sep 08, 2021 3:42 am Sometimes it's not about playing beautiful football but grinding out results. When Rohr eschewed the likes of Kelechi Nwakali, Alhassan Yusuf and Obinna Nwobodo in favor of Kingsley Michael and Innocent Bonke, it told me everything I needed to know about the type of game that we planned on playing at Cape Verde.

I wouldn't fret so much about our midfield. We will be just fine.
Especially when Ndidi isn’t available you need them to grind through the ugly!
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Re: Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by aruako1 »

Shouldn't we qualify first?
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Re: Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by Mr Shows »

Rohr recruits his m/f players based on his tactics. His formation is to have the power play in the m/f to be anchored by dynamic wingers who can cut in from the flanks and dimension the attacking play. This is complimented with full backs, as we saw in Jamiu Collins bombing forward to cause havoc in the final third (interestingly a positional play that cost us the first goal with Shehu out of position).

The middle of the park for Rohr is all about stability and shielding the back 4. Ndidi, Etebo, Aribo, Kingsley, Semi Ajayi all fit this bill. So it is players in this mould that Rohr will naturally look at.

We are packed on both flanks, that is why there is no rush to add Demola Lookman. The crown jewel is a creative attacking player to sit alongside Ndidi... That for me is the missing link.
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Re: Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by Tobi17 »

Mr Shows wrote: Wed Sep 08, 2021 10:12 am Rohr recruits his m/f players based on his tactics. His formation is to have the power play in the m/f to be anchored by dynamic wingers who can cut in from the flanks and dimension the attacking play. This is complimented with full backs, as we saw in Jamiu Collins bombing forward to cause havoc in the final third (interestingly a positional play that cost us the first goal with Shehu out of position).

The middle of the park for Rohr is all about stability and shielding the back 4. Ndidi, Etebo, Aribo, Kingsley, Semi Ajayi all fit this bill. So it is players in this mould that Rohr will naturally look at.

We are packed on both flanks, that is why there is no rush to add Demola Lookman. The crown jewel is a creative attacking player to sit alongside Ndidi... That for me is the missing link.
The highlighted part of your post summarized it all... we need a creative attacking player so bad... it seems Nigeria has been producing more quality wingers/FWDs and CDMs than CAMs.
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Re: Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by waka-man »

Let's say ANC as it's closer.

On that count, barring injury, I think Rohr has made his intentions clear for the middle two:

Ndidi
Aribo
Etebo
Onyeka

That's it.

Ahead of them, depending on how Rohr sets up the front four, there might be a gap on who goes alongside Iwobi but even there, I think the front four are pretty much set from:

Osimhen
Iheanacho
Onuachu
Chukuwueze
Moses
Iwobi

That probably leaves two places open and perhaps one of those places will go to a midfielder.

Similarly, the 8 places in defence are also set:
Aina
Balogun
Ekong
Sanusi

Ebuehi
Omeruo
Awaziem
Collins

So really, the SE are set for the ANC. This is a good thing.
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Re: Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by Tobi17 »

waka-man wrote: Wed Sep 08, 2021 10:27 am Let's say ANC as it's closer.

On that count, barring injury, I think Rohr has made his intentions clear for the middle two:

Ndidi
Aribo
Etebo
Onyeka

That's it.

Ahead of them, depending on how Rohr sets up the front four, there might be a gap on who goes alongside Iwobi but even there, I think the front four are pretty much set from:

Osimhen
Iheanacho
Onuachu
Chukuwueze
Moses
Iwobi

That probably leaves two places open and perhaps one of those places will go to a midfielder.

Similarly, the 8 places in defence are also set:
Aina
Balogun
Ekong
Sanusi

Ebuehi
Omeruo
Awaziem
Collins

So really, the SE are set for the ANC. This is a good thing.
Samuel Kalu over Moses for me, Simon Moses for all his hard work is very limited especially in the attacking part of his game, even Chukwueze when fit will most likely start over Moses.

Also you forgot Kelvin Akpoguma in defence, seems Rohr rates him highly so don't be surprised to see Akpoguma start alongside one of Ekong or Balogun at some point
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Re: Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by mystic »

vancity eagle wrote: Wed Sep 08, 2021 6:38 am
Otitokoro wrote: Wed Sep 08, 2021 4:55 am Spot on.
Sometimes, its not about playing fanciful football BUT getting the job done.
Innocent and Kingsley are workaholics who go at you for 90+ mins, something Kelechi currently lacks (that's why he mainly comes in as a sub).
Innocent and Kingsley were in beast-mode today, as they refused to cede a square inch of turf to the Cape Verdeans all match long.
Very impressed with their performances today.
mystic wrote: Wed Sep 08, 2021 3:42 am Sometimes it's not about playing beautiful football but grinding out results. When Rohr eschewed the likes of Kelechi Nwakali, Alhassan Yusuf and Obinna Nwobodo in favor of Kingsley Michael and Innocent Bonke, it told me everything I needed to know about the type of game that we planned on playing at Cape Verde.

I wouldn't fret so much about our midfield. We will be just fine.
If a workaholic is what Rohr wanted, then he has absolutely no excuse to not have called Alhassan Yusuf.

He covers more ground than both Kingsley and Bonke.

You fret too much. I'm a big fan Alhassan Yusuf, as well; but we are not privy to the conversations that occur within the backroom staff that tip things in favor of one player over another. I personally thought that Obinna Nwobodo would have been perfect for that game, but as I said earlier I intuitively understood what type of game the Super Eagles were going to play when Bonke got the call up.

As fans we like the players that we like (and our opinions are sometimes on point) but we are not coaches, and do not think like coaches. Under the circumstances that we were forced to deal with, Rohr had to devise how to effectively get the result despite having only a few training sessions to blood new midfielders that he's never worked with before. Let us be happy that his plan worked and that we've put ourselves in position to qualify for the 3rd round in the next international window. For me advancing to the 3rd round in the next window is very important because it sets us up to experiment a little bit in the November window (as that will probably be our last chance to look at one or two players that can genuinely help us ahead of the ANC).
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Re: Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by waka-man »

Tobi17 wrote: Wed Sep 08, 2021 10:53 am
waka-man wrote: Wed Sep 08, 2021 10:27 am Let's say ANC as it's closer.

On that count, barring injury, I think Rohr has made his intentions clear for the middle two:

Ndidi
Aribo
Etebo
Onyeka

That's it.

Ahead of them, depending on how Rohr sets up the front four, there might be a gap on who goes alongside Iwobi but even there, I think the front four are pretty much set from:

Osimhen
Iheanacho
Onuachu
Chukuwueze
Moses
Iwobi

That probably leaves two places open and perhaps one of those places will go to a midfielder.

Similarly, the 8 places in defence are also set:
Aina
Balogun
Ekong
Sanusi

Ebuehi
Omeruo
Awaziem
Collins

So really, the SE are set for the ANC. This is a good thing.
Samuel Kalu over Moses for me, Simon Moses for all his hard work is very limited especially in the attacking part of his game, even Chukwueze when fit will most likely start over Moses.

Also you forgot Kelvin Akpoguma in defence, seems Rohr rates him highly so don't be surprised to see Akpoguma start alongside one of Ekong or Balogun at some point
Good points.
I don't think Kevin will take Balogun's place; Omeruo might be the one at risk.
As for Kalu over Moses, I could agree with you, but Rohr won't. He likes Moses defensive discipline.
But I think they'll both be in the squad, as will Samu C of course.

For what it's worth, I think Rohr is going to go with a front four of Iwobi, Samu, Kele and Osimhen. Both Moses and Kalu will likely start on the bench
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Re: Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by Bigpokey24 »

smh, when did we even qualify for the world cup? isn't there an AFCON before the final rounds...smh///cape verde and Liberia were the minnows the SE played... we do not have a coach yet
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Re: Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by delisyomie don »

ANC wrote: Wed Sep 08, 2021 12:08 am have you qualified for WC?
thank you my brother!! i keep on asking him or telling him to get there first,hopefully if nigeria make it to 3rd round he should pray for good draw. putting maduake[ lack of Reflexes ] or akpeyi [ lack of Reactions & Reflexes] at post this both keeper,defenders can not protect keeper everytime and luck might not be on his side. if good openent score first and you dont want eagles to be chasing the game which can happen. please get there first !!!!!
thanks
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Re: Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by vancity eagle »

WTF is wrong with Rohr ?

Word is he is singing praises about Bonke declaring "he is here to stay"

Did he somehow confuse Bonke with Michael.

I mean is he in charge of a football team or is he running a school of carpentry?

WTF is wrong with this man sometimes ?
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Re: Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by Otitokoro »

And therein lies the folly of your arguement.
You would play someone with very limited international experience vs one who has a ton of it?
Innocent has played in 21 UEFA Cup or CL matches to date, while Alhassan Yusuf has played in only 3.
I mean, seriously?
You saw how robust those Cape Verdeans were in the tackle. You honestly believe Alhassan would have stood a chance with those fellas?
Alhassan does not have what Bonke brought to the table against Cape Verde. Steel, grit and robustness.
That's why he was left out. And rightfully so, if I might add!
vancity eagle wrote: Wed Sep 08, 2021 6:38 am If a workaholic is what Rohr wanted, then he has absolutely no excuse to not have called Alhassan Yusuf.
He covers more ground than both Kingsley and Bonke.
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Re: Which midfielders should make the World cup?

Post by Otitokoro »

Well, tell that to the Nantes Coach and his team mates who just nominated him for player of the month. Bear in mind, he was Nantes player of the Season (2020/2021). That's how much he is valued. Kalu does not bring that kind of value or work rate to his team. Yes, he had an off day yesterday - that happens.
Moses WILL start over Kalu because of the 'extra' he brings defensively and balance to the team.
When Chukwueze returns, Kalu will likely be confined to the bench, especially with the likes of Ejuke posting such a strong performance yesterday.
Tobi17 wrote: Wed Sep 08, 2021 10:53 am Samuel Kalu over Moses for me, Simon Moses for all his hard work is very limited especially in the attacking part of his game, even Chukwueze when fit will most likely start over Moses.

Also you forgot Kelvin Akpoguma in defence, seems Rohr rates him highly so don't be surprised to see Akpoguma start alongside one of Ekong or Balogun at some point

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