Who will give us creativity upfront for the next 10 years?

[Ayo Akinfe]

[1] With JJ and Kanu gone, this is an area we need to focus on
[2] Since 2006, we have suffered a lot due to a lack of creativity
[3] Vogts and Amodu refused to address this problem
[4] It is something Lagerback needs to make his main priority
[5] Lukman Haruna, Rabiu Ibrahim, Ademola Raphael and Uche Kalu need to be key in this area
[6] Upfront, I would also like to see who comes through as a striker who can beat opponents one-one-one
[7] First and foremost though,Lagerback needs to find the formation best suited to the players
[8] He needs to abandon this 4-4-2 nonsense as we simply do not have the wide midfielders for it
[9] We also need wingbacks who can get forward and cross. Offensive fullbacks like Odiah and Taiwo, not one-way players like Echiejile and Adefemi
[10] Our central midfield players too need to be two-way men who launch offences as soon as they win the ball

[Drake]

We simply don't have the guys who have the skill. Uche showed something today though

[ohenhen1]

I know Odion Ighalo had a bad U21 tourney, but i do like his potential, the guy is big and physical, could develop into a very good striker. I also like Victor Anichebe, so i would say Victor Anichbe and Ighalo.

[Ayo Akinfe]

I know Odion Ighalo had a bad U21 tourney, but i do like his potential, the guy is big and physical, could develop into a very good striker. I also like Victor Anichebe, so i would say Victor Anichbe and Ighalo.

They are finishers who require service though. We need the creative players to open up the defences for them. You saw what Kanu did with his swivels today.

[Riversboy]

Haruna, Kalu Uche, Osaze, Obasi.

[ohenhen1]

I know Odion Ighalo had a bad U21 tourney, but i do like his potential, the guy is big and physical, could develop into a very good striker. I also like Victor Anichebe, so i would say Victor Anichbe and Ighalo.

They are finishers who require service though. We need the creative players to open up the defences for them. You saw what Kanu did with his swivels today.

Creative forwards


But the key to the future of the EAgles lies in the hands of players like Stanley Okoro, King Osanga, Haruna lukman, Rabiu Ibrahim, Oduamadi, Joel Obi and etc. These players development is vital to the future of the EAgles, because they can provide the creative element or game breaker element that is currently missing in the team.

[Ayo Akinfe]

Haruna, Kalu Uche, Osaze, Obasi.

Osaze is 29. Forget Obasi, he is not intelligent enough. He shoots when he should pass and passes when he should shoot.

[Ayo Akinfe]

I know Odion Ighalo had a bad U21 tourney, but i do like his potential, the guy is big and physical, could develop into a very good striker. I also like Victor Anichebe, so i would say Victor Anichbe and Ighalo.

They are finishers who require service though. We need the creative players to open up the defences for them. You saw what Kanu did with his swivels today.

Creative forwards


But the key to the future of the EAgles lies in the hands of players like Stanley Okoro, King Osanga, Haruna lukman, Rabiu Ibrahim, Oduamadi, Joel Obi and etc. These players development is vital to the future of the EAgles, because they can provide the creative element or game breaker element that is currently missing in the team.

This is why consistency is important. We need to gradually weed out the old guard and bring these youngsters in.

[ohenhen1]

Obasi, Nsofor, Uche Kalu should serve the National team for another 8 years.

[Ayo Akinfe]

Obasi, Nsofor, Uche Kalu should serve the National team for another 8 years.

Kalu Uche (born 15 November 1982 in Aba) (27)
Victor Nsofor Obinna (born 25 March 1987 in Jos) (23)
Chinedu "Edu" Obasi Ogbuke (born 1 June 1986 in Enugu) (24)

Bear in mind these are football ages. None of these players will still be playing top flight football in eight years time!

[shaddy233]

Anyway how old is Haruna Lukman ? The guy grow papa

[Orion]

We have NONE and you know why? No proper local league. Rabiu Ibrahim should be home now playing regularly, maturing and fine tuning his craft, getting involved in REAL games with all the tension and pressure etc rather than wasting away on the bench of some foreign club who could not use him straightway as a quick fix so relegated him to the bench as surplus. We will never ever perform well in the WC without a local vibrant league. When folks like Robinho run into problems with clubs abroad what to they do to keep their careers from stalling? Yes they go back HOME to a ready waiting functioning league to reboot their careers. Until we have an enabling footballing environment at home - forget it. You could keep listing players as long as you want but they're all average former youth team players that should have never made our snr team IF we had a vibrant local league to catch (and keep in the game) the group that should have been the bulk of our snr team - late bloomers who never made our fraudulent youth teams. The impact of Euro clubs on our national team is NEGATIVE everywhere but in defence.

[Ayo Akinfe]

Playmakers
Rabiu Ibrahim
Lukman Haruna
Ademola Raphael

Strikers
Chrisantus Macauley
Victor Anichebe
Obafemi Martins
Ike Uche
Brown Ideye

[agaracha]

I don't think the problem is lack of creativity, neither is it formation or even the specific personnel. This team is able to be creative - the problem is that the creativity happens rarely and the reason why is a lack of tempo. We need to play at a higher tempo.

Regardless of who you put on the pitch and in what formation, they will struggle to create chances against any well organised defence if they play at the pedestrian pace which has become our trademark over the last few years. Its hard to be creative when you are playing at a low tempo because the opposition will see you coming. We need to play at a high tempo to take advantage of the physical and technical abilities of our players.

Why don't we? I don't know what instructions the coaches are giving, but I believe a big part of it is a lack of confidence. To play at high tempo you have to be confident and willing to take risks. If your main preoccupation is to avoid making an error, you tend to slow things down. If you are not confident you don't take on your man immediately, you don't make that first time pass. Instead, you take an extra touch to be sure. With the extra touch, the opportunity to be incisive is lost, and the outcome is a tame pass, usually backwards.

[Ayo Akinfe]

I don't think the problem is lack of creativity, neither is it formation or even the specific personnel. This team is able to be creative - the problem is that the creativity happens rarely and the reason why is a lack of tempo. We need to play at a higher tempo.

Regardless of who you put on the pitch and in what formation, they will struggle to create chances against any well organised defence if they play at the pedestrian pace which has become our trademark over the last few years. Its hard to be creative when you are playing at a low tempo because the opposition will see you coming. We need to play at a high tempo to take advantage of the physical and technical abilities of our players.

Why don't we? I don't know what instructions the coaches are giving, but I believe a big part of it is a lack of confidence. To play at high tempo you have to be confident and willing to take risks. If your main preoccupation is to avoid making an error, you tend to slow things down. If you are not confident you don't take on your man immediately, you don't make that first time pass. Instead, you take an extra touch to be sure. With the extra touch, the opportunity to be incisive is lost, and the outcome is a tame pass, usually backwards.

Valid point but you need creative players to open things up when the pace is high too.

[Bombastic]

Haruna, Kalu Uche, Osaze, Obasi.

Osaze is 29. Forget Obasi, he is not intelligent enough. He shoots when he should pass and passes when he should shoot.

That was not true in the past; he may have gotten carried away by the World Cup. Look at 2:39 in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw5UrUKE ... re=related

[ROSSIKE]

I don't think the problem is lack of creativity, neither is it formation or even the specific personnel. This team is able to be creative - the problem is that the creativity happens rarely and the reason why is a lack of tempo. We need to play at a higher tempo.

Regardless of who you put on the pitch and in what formation, they will struggle to create chances against any well organised defence if they play at the pedestrian pace which has become our trademark over the last few years. Its hard to be creative when you are playing at a low tempo because the opposition will see you coming. We need to play at a high tempo to take advantage of the physical and technical abilities of our players.

Why don't we? I don't know what instructions the coaches are giving, but I believe a big part of it is a lack of confidence. To play at high tempo you have to be confident and willing to take risks. If your main preoccupation is to avoid making an error, you tend to slow things down. If you are not confident you don't take on your man immediately, you don't make that first time pass. Instead, you take an extra touch to be sure. With the extra touch, the opportunity to be incisive is lost, and the outcome is a tame pass, usually backwards.

I totally agree with you. That team needs as much a good psychologist as anything.

If their heads are right, those guys have the talent to outclass Argentina.