Defensive frailties no one appears to have picked up

[Ayo Akinfe]

[1] Against Benin Republic, Jamilu Collins was repeatedly turned inside out. It is no surprise that he was replaced for the Lesotho game

[2] Against Lesotho, our defence was shaky whenever the ball was whipped in

[3] Against Lesotho, Awaziem's wing leaked goals. Too many crosses came in from his flank

[4] I have always considered Ola Aina to be the weak link defensively but he appears to have excelled against Benin Republic and Lesotho

[5] For me, the two fullback and playmaker positions are the only areas I am not totally convinced of with the Eagles but I am hopeful that Ebuehi, Aina and Ebere are the solutions

[6] I fail to see how Collins can ever get the nod over Aina again. Bear in mind that Collins's Paderborn will be relegated to Germany's second tier at the end of the season

[7] Our two biggest worries now are getting Uzoho and Ebuehi back to full fitness. If we can do that and get Ebere to sign up, we are good to go

[8] I can see Ajayi going up with WBA and establishing himself as a Premier League defender. With that, he should cut out a lot of his current frailties

[9] Ebuehi-Ekong-Ajayi-Aina looks like out best defensive line-up to me

[10] Bear in mind Leganes will get relegated too, so I really do fear for Kenneth Omeruo

[Otitokoro]

First time in eons that I would concur with some of your assertions.
Collins is just not it for me. Aina should be our left back going forward, with Idowu as his backup.
Also, not sure about Ebuehi. That injury dealt a devastating blow to his growth trajectory. Hope he recovers fully and attains his full potential, but...
In the interim, my hope is that we are able to land the 1.FC Koln right back, Kingsley Ehizibue. To me, that will be the crown jewel signing by Nigeria if accomplished.
Goalkeeping wise, Rohr has been extremely lazy in sourcing for new keepers. Ezenwa has nothing to offer going forward. I still believe that Alampasu (in spite of his hard luck), needs to be a part of the fold. He checks all the boxes for a modern goalie (height, agility and big game experience, albeit, U17 WC finals). You simply don't discard the only Nigerian who has ever won best keeper in an international competition. You groom him - but Herr Rohr has refused to do so. Lack of foresight on his part, IMHO.

[1] Against Benin Republic, Jamilu Collins was repeatedly turned inside out. It is no surprise that he was replaced for the Lesotho game

[2] Against Lesotho, our defence was shaky whenever the ball was whipped in

[3] Against Lesotho, Awaziem's wing leaked goals. Too many crosses came in from his flank

[4] I have always considered Ola Aina to be the weak link defensively but he appears to have excelled against Benin Republic and Lesotho

[5] For me, the two fullback and playmaker positions are the only areas I am not totally convinced of with the Eagles but I am hopeful that Ebuehi, Aina and Ebere are the solutions

[6] I fail to see how Collins can ever get the nod over Aina again. Bear in mind that Collins's Paderborn will be relegated to Germany's second tier at the end of the season

[7] Our two biggest worries now are getting Uzoho and Ebuehi back to full fitness. If we can do that and get Ebere to sign up, we are good to go

[8] I can see Ajayi going up with WBA and establishing himself as a Premier League defender. With that, he should cut out a lot of his current frailties

[9] Ebuehi-Ekong-Ajayi-Aina looks like out best defensive line-up to me

[10] Bear in mind Leganes will get relegated too, so I really do fear for Kenneth Omeruo

[john12]

you idiots are never patient. you fools chases away EE, Idowu even Aina received it now its collins time. let's be clear, there's no world class LB waiting on the bench because we're just an average team. I'm sure they will also chase ebuehi when he return.

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

you idiots are never patient. you fools chases away EE, Idowu even Aina received it now its collins time. let's be clear, there's no world class LB waiting on the bench because we're just an average team. I'm sure they will also chase ebuehi when he return.

They wont let the young grow or let the grown live. They will frustrate Ebuehi the moment he returns. They'll say hes too slow, hasn't played a world class game in a yr etc. The criminals will come up with a disgusting way to hate.

[deanotito]

I think Ebuehi is one of the most underrated Eagles players. That boy has so much potential. I just hope the injury didn't derail him.

[Dammy]

you idiots are never patient. you fools chases away EE, Idowu even Aina received it now its collins time. let's be clear, there's no world class LB waiting on the bench because we're just an average team. I'm sure they will also chase ebuehi when he return.

Do you have to insult others?

[Robotnik]

Ebuehi is not that good. His defense is one dimensional. He can rea the game tho, but not strong and agile enough.

Offensively and as a continuity player he checks the boxes.

[mystic]

[1] Against Benin Republic, Jamilu Collins was repeatedly turned inside out. It is no surprise that he was replaced for the Lesotho game

[2] Against Lesotho, our defence was shaky whenever the ball was whipped in

[3] Against Lesotho, Awaziem's wing leaked goals. Too many crosses came in from his flank

[4] I have always considered Ola Aina to be the weak link defensively but he appears to have excelled against Benin Republic and Lesotho

[5] For me, the two fullback and playmaker positions are the only areas I am not totally convinced of with the Eagles but I am hopeful that Ebuehi, Aina and Ebere are the solutions

[6] I fail to see how Collins can ever get the nod over Aina again. Bear in mind that Collins's Paderborn will be relegated to Germany's second tier at the end of the season

[7] Our two biggest worries now are getting Uzoho and Ebuehi back to full fitness. If we can do that and get Ebere to sign up, we are good to go

[8] I can see Ajayi going up with WBA and establishing himself as a Premier League defender. With that, he should cut out a lot of his current frailties

[9] Ebuehi-Ekong-Ajayi-Aina looks like out best defensive line-up to me

[10] Bear in mind Leganes will get relegated too, so I really do fear for Kenneth Omeruo

Ayo, this is a good discussion, let me take your points one at a time:

1. Jamilu Collins has been poor for Nigeria of late and it was indeed a wise decision to bench him against Lesotho. However, there is no need to give up on him so quickly. He's been a solid player for us from his first cap to the Nations Cup, so there's no reason to believe that he can't find his groove again. I'm also eager to see how his game grows after a full season in the Bundesliga (even though it's ironic that his national team struggles have coincided with his playing in the German top tier - perhaps the weekly drubbings that Paderborn are suffering is affecting his confidence).

2. The dangerous balls being whipped in by Lesotho from our right flank was a result of the way we setup in the first half. Chidozie was playing too narrow at times and Lesotho duly exploited the space in behind Chukwueze to serve deadly crosses into our box. This is one of the primary reasons why we changed our shape in the 2nd half.

Having said that if Ajayi hadn't fallen asleep on tracking the run of the goalscorer, we wouldn't have conceded. Also, better communication between Ajayi and Aina could have averted the goal. These are the kinds of mistakes that we need to correct and they can be corrected as players get more used to playing with one another.

During the 2018 World Cup qualifiers (for instance) bar the first Zambia game, our backline of Shehu Abdullahi, William Troost Ekong, Leon Balogun and Elderson Echiejile remained constant - with Ola Aina subbing for Echiejile in the dead rubber game against Algeria in Annaba. The result was a watertight defense and one of the things that Rohr was complemented for was the improvement in our rear guard. This is in contrast to all the shuffling that has gone on in our defense since the World Cup. I think that if we're able to find that consistency in our backline again (with respect to our lineups) our defensive performances will improve.

Individually we've got good defenders, so developing that understanding as a collective unit is the key.

3. Refer to the above. Our change of shape in the 2nd half was the key to limiting those dangerous crosses from Chidozie Awaziem's side.

4. Players do improve and that has proven to be the case with Aina. He's a wonderful ball playing fullback who is getting better and better defensively. This is why I say that you should be patient with Collins as he may also have the capacity to improve. Time will tell of course.

5. To be honest, I think that we need a lot of work building depth, quality and promoting competition at all positions, and we are not there yet. One injury to a key player (as we had with Uzoho) and we could be in trouble. So we need to be unrelenting in building genuine quality at every position. In goal we do not have a proven commodity (although Uzoho was trending in that direction prior to his injury) and while our options in central defense have improved, we do not have that elite player yet that can be a difference maker in the backline. Not that we necessarily need an elite player at every position to succeed, but my point is that if we critically look at every position in the Super Eagles, there's room for improvement.

In the 1990s for example, when the Super Eagles were at their best, Nigeria could comfortably put 4 or 5 players in any best African 11. But today, apart from Wilfred Ndidi, there's not a single player on our team which I could argue with a straight face that he's the best at his position on the continent. So we are still a work in progress.

Now regarding the specific positions that you mentioned, I think that Left Back is indeed a concern, while my main concern with our playmakers has to do with depth and competition. Collins in my view is an upgrade over Idowu, but neither player appears to be the long term answer. Regarding our playmaker, I'm fine with Iwobi. The issue for me is depth and competition.

As for Eberechi Eze and Ovie Ejaria who is also being pursued as a creative option in midfield, I will reserve comment until their commitment to Nigeria becomes clear one way or the other. In the meantime Iwobi has made great progress over the past couple of years and has become an essential part of our developing attacking game. He still needs to be more consistent but the important thing here is finding quality options that can both push him for a starting shirt and give us depth behind him. But I'm totally fine with Iwobi and how his game is developing. Right now, he's one of our most important players and I expect that to continue.

6. Collins can win his job back if he plays better. These matters are decided on the pitch and not on message boards. The issue here is that in my opinion, based on his entire body of work with the Super Eagles (and not merely his last couple of games) he's not the long term answer at Left Back. But at the very least he is a bridge to the next World Cup. In any case he's the best we've got right now and we've got to root for him to continue to improve. Tearing him down will not do anything for his confidence and as fans we've got to cheer him on now more than ever.

For the time being, however, we can expect to see Aina pushing him at Left back as Rohr and his staff continue to scout for more options. But Collins can absolutely win his job back. He's just got to play better. He'll get another opportunity but he'll need to seize it when it comes. Otherwise he'll slip into a secondary role on the national team.

7. We need Uzoho and Ebuehi back and playing at their best for sure. No doubt about that. Uzoho's injury is a negative in the short term, but can be turned into a long term positive if we use the opportunity of his absence to multiply our options in goal. Meanwhile Ebuehi is already back. He just needs matches to get back his sharpness. My hope is that he goes out on loan in January to find playing time.

Other key players that need to move in January are Kelechi Ihenacho and Leon Balogun. Ihenacho is still our next best striker after Osimhen. He's heads and shoulders better than Onuachu and is a better option than any other striker that might be considered. He just needs to make a good decision about his next clubside and find a spot where he fits. I personally have no doubts about his quality. Ditto for Balogun who is still needed in the Super Eagles, if he's fit and in form. I would mention Henry Onyekuru as well, but everything is already pointing to his return to Galatasaray in January.

As for Eberechi Eze, let's talk about players that are committed to Nigeria.

8. Ajayi continues to get better and better and West Brom should be in the Premier League next season if they continue at their current pace. Ideally, a promotion to the premier league will give him the chance to improve even more but there are no guarantees. Promotion to the Bundesliga has seemingly caused Collins to regress, so we'll have to wait and see. You can't take these things for granted which is why there is a constant need to scout for and develop options. But hopefully Ajayi will continue to improve as we envisage.

9. You like living in la-la land. Ebuehi is not yet back to his peak and Ajayi has not yet proved that he is superior to Omeruo. But carry on.

10. Leganes were in a similar position last season and weren't relegated. So it's premature to jump to any conclusions. Furthermore, even if they are relegated there's no way of knowing if Omeruo stays with them or moves on. But let's say for argument sake that your scenario plays out; demotion to the La Liga 2 doesn't by itself relegate Omeruo to the bench. Rather competition in camp and performance on the green grass is the most important determining factor. Having said that, we want all our players playing at the highest level possible.

[mystic]

Ebuehi is not that good. His defense is one dimensional. He can rea the game tho, but not strong and agile enough.

Offensively and as a continuity player he checks the boxes.

Define what you mean by one dimensional.

[Tobi17]

Apparently Rohr hasn't been to impressed by Collins either
https://www.owngoalnigeria.com/2019/11/ ... u-collins/

[Dammy]

[1] Against Benin Republic, Jamilu Collins was repeatedly turned inside out. It is no surprise that he was replaced for the Lesotho game

[2] Against Lesotho, our defence was shaky whenever the ball was whipped in

[3] Against Lesotho, Awaziem's wing leaked goals. Too many crosses came in from his flank

[4] I have always considered Ola Aina to be the weak link defensively but he appears to have excelled against Benin Republic and Lesotho

[5] For me, the two fullback and playmaker positions are the only areas I am not totally convinced of with the Eagles but I am hopeful that Ebuehi, Aina and Ebere are the solutions

[6] I fail to see how Collins can ever get the nod over Aina again. Bear in mind that Collins's Paderborn will be relegated to Germany's second tier at the end of the season

[7] Our two biggest worries now are getting Uzoho and Ebuehi back to full fitness. If we can do that and get Ebere to sign up, we are good to go

[8] I can see Ajayi going up with WBA and establishing himself as a Premier League defender. With that, he should cut out a lot of his current frailties

[9] Ebuehi-Ekong-Ajayi-Aina looks like out best defensive line-up to me

[10] Bear in mind Leganes will get relegated too, so I really do fear for Kenneth Omeruo

Ayo, this is a good discussion, let me take your points one at a time:

1. Jamilu Collins has been poor for Nigeria of late and it was indeed a wise decision to bench him against Lesotho. However, there is no need to give up on him so quickly. He's been a solid player for us from his first cap to the Nations Cup, so there's no reason to believe that he can't find his groove again. I'm also eager to see how his game grows after a full season in the Bundesliga (even though it's ironic that his national team struggles have coincided with his playing in the German top tier - perhaps the weekly drubbings that Paderborn are suffering is affecting his confidence).

2. The dangerous balls being whipped in by Lesotho from our right flank was a result of the way we setup in the first half. Chidozie was playing too narrow at times and Lesotho duly exploited the space in behind Chukwueze to serve deadly crosses into our box. This is one of the primary reasons why we changed our shape in the 2nd half.

Having said that if Ajayi hadn't fallen asleep on tracking the run of the goalscorer, we wouldn't have conceded. Also, better communication between Ajayi and Aina could have averted the goal. These are the kinds of mistakes that we need to correct and they can be corrected as players get more used to playing with one another.

During the 2018 World Cup qualifiers (for instance) bar the first Zambia game, our backline of Shehu Abdullahi, William Troost Ekong, Leon Balogun and Elderson Echiejile remained constant - with Ola Aina subbing for Echiejile in the dead rubber game against Algeria in Annaba. The result was a watertight defense and one of the things that Rohr was complemented for was the improvement in our rear guard. This is in contrast to all the shuffling that has gone on in our defense since the World Cup. I think that if we're able to find that consistency in our backline again (with respect to our lineups) our defensive performances will improve.

Individually we've got good defenders, so developing that understanding as a collective unit is the key.

3. Refer to the above. Our change of shape in the 2nd half was the key to limiting those dangerous crosses from Chidozie Awaziem's side.

4. Players do improve and that has proven to be the case with Aina. He's a wonderful ball playing fullback who is getting better and better defensively. This is why I say that you should be patient with Collins as he may also have the capacity to improve. Time will tell of course.

5. To be honest, I think that we need a lot of work building depth, quality and promoting competition at all positions, and we are not there yet. One injury to a key player (as we had with Uzoho) and we could be in trouble. So we need to be unrelenting in building genuine quality at every position. In goal we do not have a proven commodity (although Uzoho was trending in that direction prior to his injury) and while our options in central defense have improved, we do not have that elite player yet that can be a difference maker in the backline. Not that we necessarily need an elite player at every position to succeed, but my point is that if we critically look at every position in the Super Eagles, there's room for improvement.

In the 1990s for example, when the Super Eagles were at their best, Nigeria could comfortably put 4 or 5 players in any best African 11. But today, apart from Wilfred Ndidi, there's not a single player on our team which I could argue with a straight face that he's the best at his position on the continent. So we are still a work in progress.

Now regarding the specific positions that you mentioned, I think that Left Back is indeed a concern, while my main concern with our playmakers has to do with depth and competition. Collins in my view is an upgrade over Idowu, but neither player appears to be the long term answer. Regarding our playmaker, I'm fine with Iwobi. The issue for me is depth and competition.

As for Eberechi Eze and Ovie Ejaria who is also being pursued as a creative option in midfield, I will reserve comment until their commitment to Nigeria becomes clear one way or the other. In the meantime Iwobi has made great progress over the past couple of years and has become an essential part of our developing attacking game. He still needs to be more consistent but the important thing here is finding quality options that can both push him for a starting shirt and give us depth behind him. But I'm totally fine with Iwobi and how his game is developing. Right now, he's one of our most important players and I expect that to continue.

6. Collins can win his job back if he plays better. These matters are decided on the pitch and not on message boards. The issue here is that in my opinion, based on his entire body of work with the Super Eagles (and not merely his last couple of games) he's not the long term answer at Left Back. But at the very least he is a bridge to the next World Cup. In any case he's the best we've got right now and we've got to root for him to continue to improve. Tearing him down will not do anything for his confidence and as fans we've got to cheer him on now more than ever.

For the time being, however, we can expect to see Aina pushing him at Left back as Rohr and his staff continue to scout for more options. But Collins can absolutely win his job back. He's just got to play better. He'll get another opportunity but he'll need to seize it when it comes. Otherwise he'll slip into a secondary role on the national team.

7. We need Uzoho and Ebuehi back and playing at their best for sure. No doubt about that. Uzoho's injury is a negative in the short term, but can be turned into a long term positive if we use the opportunity of his absence to multiply our options in goal. Meanwhile Ebuehi is already back. He just needs matches to get back his sharpness. My hope is that he goes out on loan in January to find playing time.

Other key players that need to move in January are Kelechi Ihenacho and Leon Balogun. Ihenacho is still our next best striker after Osimhen. He's heads and shoulders better than Onuachu and is a better option than any other striker that might be considered. He just needs to make a good decision about his next clubside and find a spot where he fits. I personally have no doubts about his quality. Ditto for Balogun who is still needed in the Super Eagles, if he's fit and in form. I would mention Henry Onyekuru as well, but everything is already pointing to his return to Galatasaray in January.

As for Eberechi Eze, let's talk about players that are committed to Nigeria.

8. Ajayi continues to get better and better and West Brom should be in the Premier League next season if they continue at their current pace. Ideally, a promotion to the premier league will give him the chance to improve even more but there are no guarantees. Promotion to the Bundesliga has seemingly caused Collins to regress, so we'll have to wait and see. You can't take these things for granted which is why there is a constant need to scout for and develop options. But hopefully Ajayi will continue to improve as we envisage.

9. You like living in la-la land. Ebuehi is not yet back to his peak and Ajayi has not yet proved that he is superior to Omeruo. But carry on.

10. Leganes were in a similar position last season and weren't relegated. So it's premature to jump to any conclusions. Furthermore, even if they are relegated there's no way of knowing if Omeruo stays with them or moves on. But let's say for argument sake that your scenario plays out; demotion to the La Liga 2 doesn't by itself relegate Omeruo to the bench. Rather competition in camp and performance on the green grass is the most important determining factor. Having said that, we want all our players playing at the highest level possible.

I enjoyed reading your write up
Collins is in a unique position of not having any strong challenges for his position for both club and country. He apparently became complacent. He needed that benching in Lesotho. He came back strongly against Dortmund last weekend. He should be fine.
Balogun will leave Brighton at the end of the season when his contract ends and pick up a signing up bonus as a free agent in his new club. He's never been bought or sold and his business strategy seems to be getting free transfers. There's no tournament for the SE in 2020 and I expect Balogun back in the scheme of things for the SE by the 2020/21 season.

[Ayo Akinfe]

I will like to see this team play against a team like say Senegal, Algeria, Ivory Coast or Egypt in a competitive match:

****************************Osimhen******************************

**************Kalu*********************Chukwueze***************

*********************************Ebere******************************

******************Ndidi***********************Aribo*****************

***Aina************Ajayi*************Ekong*************Ebuehi***

*********************************Uzoho*******************************

A competitive game will offer a true reflection of how good they are. These friendlies only tell half of the story as the tempo of such matches is very sedate and slow.

[kali]

Frankly the problem with the defence is Ekong. He does not know how to marshall the back line nor is he solid enough. The backline just does not know how to deal with crosses and every team is taking pot shots at them.

We should look for replacements for Ekong, Ajayi and Awaziem they are all C-type defenders. Collins is ok and Ebuehi. As for Aina he cannot deal with pace and his positioning is terrible. His best position is in the midfield not as a wing back.

[Gotti]

First time in eons that I would concur with some of your assertions.
Collins is just not it for me. Aina should be our left back going forward, with Idowu as his backup.
Also, not sure about Ebuehi. That injury dealt a devastating blow to his growth trajectory. Hope he recovers fully and attains his full potential, but...
In the interim, my hope is that we are able to land the 1.FC Koln right back, Kingsley Ehizibue. To me, that will be the crown jewel signing by Nigeria if accomplished.
Goalkeeping wise, Rohr has been extremely lazy in sourcing for new keepers. Ezenwa has nothing to offer going forward. I still believe that Alampasu (in spite of his hard luck), needs to be a part of the fold. He checks all the boxes for a modern goalie (height, agility and big game experience, albeit, U17 WC finals). You simply don't discard the only Nigerian who has ever won best keeper in an international competition. You groom him - but Herr Rohr has refused to do so. Lack of foresight on his part, IMHO.

Would this be Dele Alampasu who was last seen in Nigeria looking for work, or is there another Alampasu?