Could South Africa have been the better team?

Where Eagles dare! Discuss Nigerian related football (soccer) topics here.

Moderators: Moderator Team, phpBB2 - Administrators

Post Reply
bamenda boy
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 15898
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2003 1:59 am
Location: Texas
Contact:
The true problem with the Nigerian team.

Post by bamenda boy »

Over hype.
Yep. That is the problem.
Only two things in life are certain - death and taxes. But there is one other unpleasant certainty: criticism. No one escapes it entirely and often our careers, our emotional stability, even our happiness depends on how we react to it."By Benjamin Franklin"
bamenda boy
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 15898
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2003 1:59 am
Location: Texas
Contact:
Could South Africa have been the better team?

Post by bamenda boy »

I mean I know most of us believe the SE are the best team in Africa and should lose to no body, but I am yet to read anywhere where credit is given to South Africa for being the better team.
Only two things in life are certain - death and taxes. But there is one other unpleasant certainty: criticism. No one escapes it entirely and often our careers, our emotional stability, even our happiness depends on how we react to it."By Benjamin Franklin"
User avatar
joao
Egg
Egg
Posts: 6969
Joined: Wed Dec 26, 2012 3:16 am
Location: Cut-N-Shoot, TX
Re: Could South Africa have been the better team?

Post by joao »

Definitely so during the match.
Without prejudice, they had a plan which they executed perfectly.
I don't know what the SE plan was, but the team seems uncoordinated
and lacking vision.
"We now live in a nation where doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy knowledge,
governments destroy freedom, the press destroys information, religion destroys morals, and our banks destroy the economy.”

― Chris Hedges
User avatar
maceo4
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 46732
Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2003 6:41 am
Location: Land of the Terrapins
Contact:
Re: Could South Africa have been the better team?

Post by maceo4 »

bamenda boy wrote:I mean I know most of us believe the SE are the best team in Africa and should lose to no body, but I am yet to read anywhere where credit is given to South Africa for being the better team.
They seemed a more experienced team with a plan on the road to defend and try to profit from our blunders. We just kept passing sideways sideways then long ball to the SA keeper, no coordination or combination. Really looked like the old habits are creeping right back into the team.
Super Eagus 4 Life!
Made in the image of God that's a selfie!
User avatar
Tbite
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 27952
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 2:51 am
Re: Could South Africa have been the better team?

Post by Tbite »

I don't think in terms of ability on the day.

We had much better players and more depth to our football.

We capitulated. Our formation was off and our mentality was poor. The rhythm was also poor, not enough urgency in the right areas, to many rushed deliveries.

South Africa weren't so much "better", as they were opportunistic. I've seen Nigeria lose to some very good teams in the past, this South African team was not all that. We had no business losing to them. If you watch our losses to teams such as Egypt, and even Ghana...those were difficult tests.

We were just very disjointed, the South Africans were not that much of a threat on the day (although that could very well have been their game plan).

Under pressure I did notice that they were much better however. In tight spaces, with pressure from our players, they could play the ball out! They played as if they were the home team. Our players played as if we had no coach! However, if we had been organized - we would definitely have won the match!

You could even see that after being down 1nil, we gave up on tactics, and started playing speculative passes! Especially when we were 2-0 down, we refused to settle the ball. The team just had no shape. Ndidi was very poor, as was Onazi. Nobody wanted to hold up the ball!

These are things that can be changed! I.e. if Rohr tweaks this same team, I expect Nigeria to win in South Africa. Our tactics can be improved.

My greatest concern is the IQ of our players! This so called new generation, are still exhibiting the foolishness of the past generation! Moses Simon for the love of God, needs to learn our to complete a play! He was the most skillful player on the day, and if he had half the intelligence of a Pedro or a Willian, with him alone we would have won the match!
Buhari, whose two terms thankfully ground to a constitutional halt in May. (One thing both democracies have going for them is that their leaders, however bad, have only two terms to swing the wrecking ball.) Under Buhari, growth per head also plunged to 0. An economic agenda drawn from the dusty pages of a 1970s protectionist handbook failed to do the trick. Despite Buhari’s promise to tame terrorism and criminality, violence flourished. Despite his reputation for probity, corruption swirled. FT
User avatar
theYemster
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 35648
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2003 12:25 am
Location: ßos✞on ✈️ Mo✞own ✈️ Lægos
Contact:
Re: Could South Africa have been the better team?

Post by theYemster »

bamenda boy wrote:I mean I know most of us believe the SE are the best team in Africa and should lose to no body, but I am yet to read anywhere where credit is given to South Africa for being the better team.
Don't know if anyone has said they're the better team but many here have credited South Africa for playing better and deserving of their win possibly by an even wider margin. However that doesn't mean they shouldn't highlight Nigeria's mistakes.
O-Qua Tangin Wann! Die with memories, not dreams.™

© ɹ ǝ ʇ s ɯ é ʎ ǝ ɥ ʇ
" ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
User avatar
Damunk
Flying Eagle
Flying Eagle
Posts: 52789
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2003 5:57 pm
Location: UK
Re: Could South Africa have been the better team?

Post by Damunk »

bamenda boy wrote:I mean I know most of us believe the SE are the best team in Africa and should lose to no body, but I am yet to read anywhere where credit is given to South Africa for being the better team.
:rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:
I know you need to milk this moment for everything its worth and who can blame you? You basically want to hear it stated over and over again, becos no-one has denied it really...
So enjoy. :D

Yes, yesterday they were the better team by far, without question. They played with purpose, were quicker in thought and limb and even appeared to be physically stronger. Once upon a time, the southern African nations were forever blaming the advantage West African nations had over them in physique and physical strength.
No longer.

Anyone that saw yesterday's game would've had no doubt who deserved to win...and they did.

(You can now post this on a SA footie forum. Its the kind of thing fans love to read on a Sunday morning after a Saturday night victory)
"Ole kuku ni gbogbo wọn "
User avatar
Cristao II
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 33031
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:46 am
Re: Could South Africa have been the better team?

Post by Cristao II »

They were. No Nigerian is doubting that.
"Will we next create false gods to rule over us? How proud have we become, and how blind."

Primary: Lenovo Y410p: i5-4200M | 2GB Nvidia GT755M | 16GB DDR3L | 1000GB SSD | N2230 | LG24MP76 - Windows 10 64-Bit
Secondary: Dell Inspirion 1545: Core2Duo | 4GB RAM | 320GB 5400RPM - Linux Mint Cinnamon
Tertiary: Lenovo Legion 5 Pro: Ryzen 7 5800H | 32GB DDR4 | 2000GB SSD | 8GB NVidia RTX3070 - Windows 11 Pro
HTC U11+ - Xiaomi Mi8
User avatar
Orion
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 11369
Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2004 1:41 pm
Re: Could South Africa have been the better team?

Post by Orion »

bamenda boy wrote:I mean I know most of us believe the SE are the best team in Africa and should lose to no body, but I am yet to read anywhere where credit is given to South Africa for being the better team.
They were the better team on the day but on paper they're not the better squad. Their players cannot get into the clubs the Nigerian players play for in Europe. However, football is not played on paper and it is a team game. We need to create a better team from our squad.
"I Think, Therefore I am" - Rene Descartes
User avatar
Kabalega
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 18727
Joined: Sat Jun 14, 2008 6:44 pm
Location: Here
Re: Could South Africa have been the better team?

Post by Kabalega »

bamenda boy wrote:I mean I know most of us believe the SE are the best team in Africa and should lose to no body, but I am yet to read anywhere where credit is given to South Africa for being the better team.
Heck, no!

S. Africa parked the bus and played the counter attack.

They even used their training balls for the game like it was a training session. :laugh:
“If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.”- Sun Tzu
User avatar
tfco
Eagle
Eagle
Posts: 76158
Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2005 6:49 pm
Location: Accra, Old Trafford, Takoradi, Canada
Contact:
Re: Could South Africa have been the better team?

Post by tfco »

Tbite wrote:I don't think in terms of ability on the day.

We had much better players and more depth to our football.

We capitulated. Our formation was off and our mentality was poor. The rhythm was also poor, not enough urgency in the right areas, to many rushed deliveries.

South Africa weren't so much "better", as they were opportunistic. I've seen Nigeria lose to some very good teams in the past, this South African team was not all that. We had no business losing to them. If you watch our losses to teams such as Egypt, and even Ghana...those were difficult tests.

We were just very disjointed, the South Africans were not that much of a threat on the day (although that could very well have been their game plan).

Under pressure I did notice that they were much better however. In tight spaces, with pressure from our players, they could play the ball out! They played as if they were the home team. Our players played as if we had no coach! However, if we had been organized - we would definitely have won the match!

You could even see that after being down 1nil, we gave up on tactics, and started playing speculative passes! Especially when we were 2-0 down, we refused to settle the ball. The team just had no shape. Ndidi was very poor, as was Onazi. Nobody wanted to hold up the ball!

These are things that can be changed! I.e. if Rohr tweaks this same team, I expect Nigeria to win in South Africa. Our tactics can be improved.

My greatest concern is the IQ of our players! This so called new generation, are still exhibiting the foolishness of the past generation! Moses Simon for the love of God, needs to learn our to complete a play! He was the most skillful player on the day, and if he had half the intelligence of a Pedro or a Willian, with him alone we would have won the match!
who got time to read this sh*t

were they the better team? YES/NO?

AFCON 2024 L-O-S-E-R-S

They did not CEDIS coming
Naira Did We :rotf: :rotf:


User avatar
Tbite
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 27952
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 2:51 am
Re: Could South Africa have been the better team?

Post by Tbite »

tfco wrote:
Tbite wrote:I don't think in terms of ability on the day.

We had much better players and more depth to our football.

We capitulated. Our formation was off and our mentality was poor. The rhythm was also poor, not enough urgency in the right areas, to many rushed deliveries.

South Africa weren't so much "better", as they were opportunistic. I've seen Nigeria lose to some very good teams in the past, this South African team was not all that. We had no business losing to them. If you watch our losses to teams such as Egypt, and even Ghana...those were difficult tests.

We were just very disjointed, the South Africans were not that much of a threat on the day (although that could very well have been their game plan).

Under pressure I did notice that they were much better however. In tight spaces, with pressure from our players, they could play the ball out! They played as if they were the home team. Our players played as if we had no coach! However, if we had been organized - we would definitely have won the match!

You could even see that after being down 1nil, we gave up on tactics, and started playing speculative passes! Especially when we were 2-0 down, we refused to settle the ball. The team just had no shape. Ndidi was very poor, as was Onazi. Nobody wanted to hold up the ball!

These are things that can be changed! I.e. if Rohr tweaks this same team, I expect Nigeria to win in South Africa. Our tactics can be improved.

My greatest concern is the IQ of our players! This so called new generation, are still exhibiting the foolishness of the past generation! Moses Simon for the love of God, needs to learn our to complete a play! He was the most skillful player on the day, and if he had half the intelligence of a Pedro or a Willian, with him alone we would have won the match!
who got time to read this sh*t

were they the better team? YES/NO?
I refuse to answer the question that way.
Buhari, whose two terms thankfully ground to a constitutional halt in May. (One thing both democracies have going for them is that their leaders, however bad, have only two terms to swing the wrecking ball.) Under Buhari, growth per head also plunged to 0. An economic agenda drawn from the dusty pages of a 1970s protectionist handbook failed to do the trick. Despite Buhari’s promise to tame terrorism and criminality, violence flourished. Despite his reputation for probity, corruption swirled. FT
User avatar
Comrade Machel
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 25920
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:30 pm
Re: Could South Africa have been the better team?

Post by Comrade Machel »

I said this on CICs naijiant thread and didn't get an answer :sneaky:
Samora Machel wrote:
cic old boy wrote:A very poor and disjointed performance and a "typical" Nigerian display. This was not what many expected from a foreign coach.
https://www.naijiant.com/sports/nigeria ... qualifier/
How about that maybe the saffers were simply the better team :scared: :sneaky:
Ratlala :thumbs: :D

https://youtu.be/8CZLsYase0Q
User avatar
Comrade Machel
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 25920
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:30 pm
Re: Could South Africa have been the better team?

Post by Comrade Machel »

Orion wrote:
bamenda boy wrote:I mean I know most of us believe the SE are the best team in Africa and should lose to no body, but I am yet to read anywhere where credit is given to South Africa for being the better team.
They were the better team on the day but on paper they're not the better squad. Their players cannot get into the clubs the Nigerian players play for in Europe. However, football is not played on paper and it is a team game. We need to create a better team from our squad.

Chief I can't believe this is your yardstick for determining player ability or who has a better team. Countries like Korea, USA and even some south america teams traditionally have less players playing in top European clubs compared to Nigeria, ivory coast and Ghana yet they have done better than any African team at the world cup. Playing in Europe is determined by a host of factors. Kingston the Ghana goalkeeper is not a better goalie than Ithumeleng Khune yet Kingston played in Europe for years. Explain that
Ratlala :thumbs: :D

https://youtu.be/8CZLsYase0Q
User avatar
benteke
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 10143
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2013 11:20 pm
Re: Could South Africa have been the better team?

Post by benteke »

Samora Machel wrote:
Orion wrote:
bamenda boy wrote:I mean I know most of us believe the SE are the best team in Africa and should lose to no body, but I am yet to read anywhere where credit is given to South Africa for being the better team.
They were the better team on the day but on paper they're not the better squad. Their players cannot get into the clubs the Nigerian players play for in Europe. However, football is not played on paper and it is a team game. We need to create a better team from our squad.

Chief I can't believe this is your yardstick for determining player ability or who has a better team. Countries like Korea, USA and even some south america teams traditionally have less players playing in top European clubs compared to Nigeria, ivory coast and Ghana yet they have done better than any African team at the world cup. Playing in Europe is determined by a host of factors. Kingston the Ghana goalkeeper is not a better goalie than Ithumeleng Khune yet Kingston played in Europe for years. Explain that
Remember how Ali Dia was signed by Souness for Southampton because someone told him Dia is George Weah's cousin :rotf:
User avatar
mcal
Flying Eagle
Flying Eagle
Posts: 56338
Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2005 3:01 am
Location: world of the americas
Re: Could South Africa have been the better team?

Post by mcal »

bamenda boy wrote:I mean I know most of us believe the SE are the best team in Africa and should lose to no body, but I am yet to read anywhere where credit is given to South Africa for being the better team.
...not! to the highlight in red, not anymore. Winning encompasses many things including good football skills, good management of players/tools you have, etc.

Was the SA better yesterday, yes they were from the 2nd half on ward. They defended and took advantage of their break away.
User avatar
mcal
Flying Eagle
Flying Eagle
Posts: 56338
Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2005 3:01 am
Location: world of the americas
Re: Could South Africa have been the better team?

Post by mcal »

Samora Machel wrote:
Orion wrote:
bamenda boy wrote:I mean I know most of us believe the SE are the best team in Africa and should lose to no body, but I am yet to read anywhere where credit is given to South Africa for being the better team.
They were the better team on the day but on paper they're not the better squad. Their players cannot get into the clubs the Nigerian players play for in Europe. However, football is not played on paper and it is a team game. We need to create a better team from our squad.

Chief I can't believe this is your yardstick for determining player ability or who has a better team. Countries like Korea, USA and even some south america teams traditionally have less players playing in top European clubs compared to Nigeria, ivory coast and Ghana yet they have done better than any African team at the world cup. Playing in Europe is determined by a host of factors. Kingston the Ghana goalkeeper is not a better goalie than Ithumeleng Khune yet Kingston played in Europe for years. Explain that
...unfortunately our people have been comatose to believe oyinbo na oyinbo even if they play at lowest of low and or sit on the bench.
The good thing about oyinbo league is they give you all the tools, they treat and manage you well but you have to make something out of what they give you.
Playing at big club-europe should not be guide, better for the money but how about the skill acquired.
User avatar
Otitokoro
Egg
Egg
Posts: 8875
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2004 7:02 pm
Re: Could South Africa have been the better team?

Post by Otitokoro »

Bang on point!
I actually re-watched the game last night, emotions aside, and I don't think the South Africans were the better team. Not at all!
They had very few opportunities which they took advantage of - kudos to them, but primarily due to our schoolboy mistakes at the back.
We dominated play in the first half and fluffed all our opportunities - poor finishing upfront.

Had Nigeria put away 1/3 of the chances we had, the narrative would have been completely different. I am confident we would beat them in SA during the return leg.
Tbite wrote:I don't think in terms of ability on the day.

We had much better players and more depth to our football.

We capitulated. Our formation was off and our mentality was poor. The rhythm was also poor, not enough urgency in the right areas, to many rushed deliveries.

South Africa weren't so much "better", as they were opportunistic. I've seen Nigeria lose to some very good teams in the past, this South African team was not all that. We had no business losing to them. If you watch our losses to teams such as Egypt, and even Ghana...those were difficult tests.

We were just very disjointed, the South Africans were not that much of a threat on the day (although that could very well have been their game plan).

Under pressure I did notice that they were much better however. In tight spaces, with pressure from our players, they could play the ball out! They played as if they were the home team. Our players played as if we had no coach! However, if we had been organized - we would definitely have won the match!

You could even see that after being down 1nil, we gave up on tactics, and started playing speculative passes! Especially when we were 2-0 down, we refused to settle the ball. The team just had no shape. Ndidi was very poor, as was Onazi. Nobody wanted to hold up the ball!

These are things that can be changed! I.e. if Rohr tweaks this same team, I expect Nigeria to win in South Africa. Our tactics can be improved.

My greatest concern is the IQ of our players! This so called new generation, are still exhibiting the foolishness of the past generation! Moses Simon for the love of God, needs to learn our to complete a play! He was the most skillful player on the day, and if he had half the intelligence of a Pedro or a Willian, with him alone we would have won the match!
User avatar
Comrade Machel
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 25920
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:30 pm
Re: Could South Africa have been the better team?

Post by Comrade Machel »

benteke wrote:
Samora Machel wrote:
Orion wrote:
bamenda boy wrote:I mean I know most of us believe the SE are the best team in Africa and should lose to no body, but I am yet to read anywhere where credit is given to South Africa for being the better team.
They were the better team on the day but on paper they're not the better squad. Their players cannot get into the clubs the Nigerian players play for in Europe. However, football is not played on paper and it is a team game. We need to create a better team from our squad.

Chief I can't believe this is your yardstick for determining player ability or who has a better team. Countries like Korea, USA and even some south america teams traditionally have less players playing in top European clubs compared to Nigeria, ivory coast and Ghana yet they have done better than any African team at the world cup. Playing in Europe is determined by a host of factors. Kingston the Ghana goalkeeper is not a better goalie than Ithumeleng Khune yet Kingston played in Europe for years. Explain that
Remember how Ali Dia was signed by Souness for Southampton because someone told him Dia is George Weah's cousin :rotf:
:rotf: :rotf: :rotf:
Yeah I remember that. How many players have broken through because they are connected with Etoo etc. We don't have that luxury
Ratlala :thumbs: :D

https://youtu.be/8CZLsYase0Q
bamenda boy
Eaglet
Eaglet
Posts: 15898
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2003 1:59 am
Location: Texas
Contact:
Re: Could South Africa have been the better team?

Post by bamenda boy »

No one is doubting if Nigerians are the best individually. But as a team, may be South Africa is just the better team. I have never seen a youthful Nigerian team. I even predicted the out come of the game on another thread and IU was not far from the truth.
Only two things in life are certain - death and taxes. But there is one other unpleasant certainty: criticism. No one escapes it entirely and often our careers, our emotional stability, even our happiness depends on how we react to it."By Benjamin Franklin"

Post Reply