Our Super Eagles lacks a natural leader

[Ayo Akinfe]

[1] Chukwu
[2] Keshi
[3] Yobo
[4] Okocha
[5] Mikel
[6] Oliseh
[7] For me these were the best six skippers we have ever had
[8] None of the current players comes anywhere near this at the moment
[9] Our armband rotates between Ekong and Musa but come on, neither of them provide real leadership
[10] From what I have seen on the pitch, Osimhen appears to be the only natural leader in the team, so I would give him the armband

[Otitokoro]

Two things:
a. How and when was Yobo a true leader for the SE? Honestly, and not to throw shade on the guy, I think he was by far the weakest captain the SE ever had and was nothing more than a tool used by the NFF leaders to foist their agenda on the SE at the time. Enyeama was more of a captain than Yobo could have ever been - and I don't particularly think highly of Enyeama's leadership skills!
b. I think once Ahmed Musa realizes his time on the stage is up and respectfully bows out, Ekong will have the space to grow into that leadership position. He checks all the right boxes - leadership & behavioral skills, commanding and calming presence on and off the field and has the right temperament.
The very best captain ever for the SE was Keshi (MON, RIP) - people like him come once in a blue moon. We were lucky and privileged to have had him as 'Capitano' for the SE.

[1] Chukwu
[2] Keshi
[3] Yobo
[4] Okocha
[5] Mikel
[6] Oliseh
[7] For me these were the best six skippers we have ever had
[8] None of the current players comes anywhere near this at the moment
[9] Our armband rotates between Ekong and Musa but come on, neither of them provide real leadership
[10] From what I have seen on the pitch, Osimhen appears to be the only natural leader in the team, so I would give him the armband

[Damunk]

Two things:
a. How and when was Yobo a true leader for the SE? Honestly, and not to throw shade on the guy, I think he was by far the weakest captain the SE ever had and was nothing more than a tool used by the NFF leaders to foist their agenda on the SE at the time. Enyeama was more of a captain than Yobo could have ever been - and I don't particularly think highly of Enyeama's leadership skills!

I agree.
With all due respect to him, I don't think he was very good as a SE captain.

b. I think once Ahmed Musa realizes his time on the stage is up and respectfully bows out, Ekong will have the space to grow into that leadership position. He checks all the right boxes - leadership & behavioral skills, commanding and calming presence on and off the field and has the right temperament.
The very best captain ever for the SE was Keshi (MON, RIP) - people like him come once in a blue moon. We were lucky and privileged to have had him as 'Capitano' for the SE.

Musa is already slowly bowing out and has said so publicly - saying it was time for "the younger ones".
But I'm sure he will not turn down an invitation if and whenever he is invited.

As for Ekong, again I fully agree with you.
Ayo is talking out of his backside.
He should go and listen to what Chris Ogu said about Ekong in that his Youtube interview.

Next generation captain is indeed Osimhen, but he is not ready yet and is still full of explosive youthful exuberance that doesn't allow for the calmness of a great on-field leader.

If Adarabioyo eventually kits up for Nigeria and fully establishes himself in that central defence, he may also be in contention for the next generation captaincy. He has an extremely calm head and even sees himself as a leader with ambitions of one day becoming Man City captain.

E go do some people like film trick.

[deanotito]

My vote is for Ndidi. Ekong is not good enough to be captain. And handing him the captainship would put the coach under pressure to always play him.

Don't get me wrong. I like Ekong, but his game has some holes to it that I'd rather see fixed first.

For now, I'm fine with Musa....but his career with the eagles is probably no longer than the next world cup. So for me, Ndidi is the heir apparent.

[Otitokoro]

And Ndidi's game doesn't (have holes, that is)? He actually is more error prone than Ekong.
Ndidi will be better off being a DM without the added pressure of captaincy - that will enable him focus on correcting his unforced errors.
Ekong has all the attributes of being a very good team leader.

My vote is for Ndidi. Ekong is not good enough to be captain. And handing him the captainship would put the coach under pressure to always play him.

Don't get me wrong. I like Ekong, but his game has some holes to it that I'd rather see fixed first.

For now, I'm fine with Musa....but his career with the eagles is probably no longer than the next world cup. So for me, Ndidi is the heir apparent.

[vancity eagle]

My vote is for Ndidi. Ekong is not good enough to be captain. And handing him the captainship would put the coach under pressure to always play him.

Don't get me wrong. I like Ekong, but his game has some holes to it that I'd rather see fixed first.

For now, I'm fine with Musa....but his career with the eagles is probably no longer than the next world cup. So for me, Ndidi is the heir apparent.

You just contradicted yourself bigtime.

You dont want Ekong to be captain because Rohr will be "forced to play him"

But you see nothing wrong with Musa being captain even though he SHOULDNT EVEN BE IN THE SQUAD, talk less of being a starter.

[mcal]

...everyone want dem own, naija style.

[bret- hart]

Ekong is ok jare. He is a regular for both club and country and he is one of the older members of the team. Also he is basically the defacto Captain with Musa in and out of the team.

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

Ekong is ok jare. He is a regular for both club and country and he is one of the older members of the team. Also he is basically the defacto Captain with Musa in and out of the team.

Shattap dia. Daft response as usual.

[ANC]

Ekong is ok jare. He is a regular for both club and country and he is one of the older members of the team. Also he is basically the defacto Captain with Musa in and out of the team.

[deanotito]

My vote is for Ndidi. Ekong is not good enough to be captain. And handing him the captainship would put the coach under pressure to always play him.

Don't get me wrong. I like Ekong, but his game has some holes to it that I'd rather see fixed first.

For now, I'm fine with Musa....but his career with the eagles is probably no longer than the next world cup. So for me, Ndidi is the heir apparent.

You just contradicted yourself bigtime.

You dont want Ekong to be captain because Rohr will be "forced to play him"

But you see nothing wrong with Musa being captain even though he SHOULDNT EVEN BE IN THE SQUAD, talk less of being a starter.

Bros, I don’t have to mention all my objections in a single post just so I can settle your mind. I don’t think the Musa situation is ideal. Your captain shouldn’t be in and out of the lineup...but Musa emerged as a vice captain at a time of upheaval - as I remember it - during the Oliseh/Enyeama brouhaha...and since then, his place in the team has slowly eroded.

But that doesn’t mean we should keep following the Musa model.

[vancity eagle]

Ekong or Ndidi should be captian

both long term members of squad and both highly likely to start.

Musa needs to be dropped as captain, this forces Rohr to unnecessarily call him up when he frankly does not deserve to be called up.

Lookman, Ejuke, Dennis, will all be kept out of the team because of Rohr and his loyalty to Musa

[deanotito]

And Ndidi's game doesn't (have holes, that is)? He actually is more error prone than Ekong.
Ndidi will be better off being a DM without the added pressure of captaincy - that will enable him focus on correcting his unforced errors.
Ekong has all the attributes of being a very good team leader.

My vote is for Ndidi. Ekong is not good enough to be captain. And handing him the captainship would put the coach under pressure to always play him.

Don't get me wrong. I like Ekong, but his game has some holes to it that I'd rather see fixed first.

For now, I'm fine with Musa....but his career with the eagles is probably no longer than the next world cup. So for me, Ndidi is the heir apparent.

No he isn’t more error prone than Ekong...but even if he was, Ekong’s position as last line of defense is pretty delicate.

Ndidi is better at his job than Ekong is at his. He’s certifiably world class. Ekong is not. And at Leicester, Ndidi conducts his play and the play of others. He’s a captain in the making...it’s just a matter of when. Ekong has a captain’s mentality but not the play.

[gochino]

Ekong or Ndidi should be captian

both long term members of squad and both highly likely to start.

Musa needs to be dropped as captain, this forces Rohr to unnecessarily call him up when he frankly does not deserve to be called up.

Lookman, Ejuke, Dennis, will all be kept out of the team because of Rohr and his loyalty to Musa

True! Imagine being benched in Saudi Arabia and walking into the Super eagles like say na him papa company!

[Otitokoro]

I am pretty confident that a review of the stats for both men over the course of their matches for the SE will back up my assertion that Ndidi is more error prone. Extremely confident of that!
Also, not sure I understand your comment about the delicacy of Ekong's position and the relevance to the argument. I would think every player's position on the team is indeed delicate - from offense thru midfield and defense.

No he isn’t more error prone than Ekong...but even if he was, Ekong’s position as last line of defense is pretty delicate.

Not sure about your correlation between being 'world class' and possessing the skill-set to being an effective leader. There are so many examples of players having the captain's armband thrust on them, only to realize they would have performed better without (Lionel Messi is a prime example!).
Lastly, I will take your comments about Ndidi being 'certifiably world class' as a personal opinion, on your part, which is okay. I am yet to see any reputable football expert rank him as world class, as the reality is that he is not there yet. Most importantly for the SE, he is NOT indispensable, as the team has successfully fired on all cylinders with or without him being on the team. I would rather he focuses on correcting his unforced errors as a priority in order to master his craft as a priority.

Ndidi is better at his job than Ekong is at his. He’s certifiably world class. Ekong is not. And at Leicester, Ndidi conducts his play and the play of others. He’s a captain in the making...it’s just a matter of when. Ekong has a captain’s mentality but not the play.

[deanotito]

I am pretty confident that a review of the stats for both men over the course of their matches for the SE will back up my assertion that Ndidi is more error prone. Extremely confident of that!
Also, not sure I understand your comment about the delicacy of Ekong's position and the relevance to the argument. I would think every player's position on the team is indeed delicate - from offense thru midfield and defense.

No he isn’t more error prone than Ekong...but even if he was, Ekong’s position as last line of defense is pretty delicate.

Not sure about your correlation between being 'world class' and possessing the skill-set to being an effective leader. There are so many examples of players having the captain's armband thrust on them, only to realize they would have performed better without (Lionel Messi is a prime example!).
Lastly, I will take your comments about Ndidi being 'certifiably world class' as a personal opinion, on your part, which is okay. I am yet to see any reputable football expert rank him as world class, as the reality is that he is not there yet. Most importantly for the SE, he is NOT indispensable, as the team has successfully fired on all cylinders with or without him being on the team. I would rather he focuses on correcting his unforced errors as a priority in order to master his craft as a priority.

Ndidi is better at his job than Ekong is at his. He’s certifiably world class. Ekong is not. And at Leicester, Ndidi conducts his play and the play of others. He’s a captain in the making...it’s just a matter of when. Ekong has a captain’s mentality but not the play.

Let’s do the analysis. What site should we use?

The whoscored defensive profile for each player:

Ndidi:
https://www.whoscored.com/Players/32768 ... fred-Ndidi

Ekong:

https://www.whoscored.com/Players/13340 ... oost-Ekong

[deanotito]

Ndidi versus flavor of the year, Thomas Partey:

https://www.whoscored.com/PlayerComparison

Should I show Ekong vs (pick any world class defender)??

[Gotti]

Two things:
a. How and when was Yobo a true leader for the SE? Honestly, and not to throw shade on the guy, I think he was by far the weakest captain the SE ever had and was nothing more than a tool used by the NFF leaders to foist their agenda on the SE at the time. Enyeama was more of a captain than Yobo could have ever been - and I don't particularly think highly of Enyeama's leadership skills!
b. I think once Ahmed Musa realizes his time on the stage is up and respectfully bows out, Ekong will have the space to grow into that leadership position. He checks all the right boxes - leadership & behavioral skills, commanding and calming presence on and off the field and has the right temperament.
The very best captain ever for the SE was Keshi (MON, RIP) - people like him come once in a blue moon. We were lucky and privileged to have had him as 'Capitano' for the SE.

Chairman Chukwu was actually a better SE skipper - at least on-field (and probably in the locker-room)...
Big Boss Keshi, was a winner like Chukwu, but infamously described as a “trade union” captain (others refer to his “mafia”). RIP.

Meanwhile, Ekong does not strike as possessing any more (tbh less) of a captain personality than Yobo.

[Bigpokey24]

Isn't this a brand new team, their last leader and captain left during the last tournament. How are we supposed to know the new leader, when they've only played a few games since he retired

[1naija]

Two things:
a. How and when was Yobo a true leader for the SE? Honestly, and not to throw shade on the guy, I think he was by far the weakest captain the SE ever had and was nothing more than a tool used by the NFF leaders to foist their agenda on the SE at the time. Enyeama was more of a captain than Yobo could have ever been - and I don't particularly think highly of Enyeama's leadership skills!

I agree.
With all due respect to him, I don't think he was very good as a SE captain.

And what's the basis ofd this conclusion? Because he did not slap his teammates like Keshi supposedly use to do? Can you list the qualities of a "good" captain that Yobo did not possess? The fact that he led one of the most peaceful era in the national team without denigrating his teammates should tell you how effective a captain he was. Yobo led by example. When the team needed goals to qualify for the ANC he singled handedly did it. How soon you guys forget.

[1naija]

Two things:
a. How and when was Yobo a true leader for the SE? Honestly, and not to throw shade on the guy, I think he was by far the weakest captain the SE ever had and was nothing more than a tool used by the NFF leaders to foist their agenda on the SE at the time. Enyeama was more of a captain than Yobo could have ever been - and I don't particularly think highly of Enyeama's leadership skills!
b. I think once Ahmed Musa realizes his time on the stage is up and respectfully bows out, Ekong will have the space to grow into that leadership position. He checks all the right boxes - leadership & behavioral skills, commanding and calming presence on and off the field and has the right temperament.
The very best captain ever for the SE was Keshi (MON, RIP) - people like him come once in a blue moon. We were lucky and privileged to have had him as 'Capitano' for the SE.

[1] Chukwu
[2] Keshi
[3] Yobo
[4] Okocha
[5] Mikel
[6] Oliseh
[7] For me these were the best six skippers we have ever had
[8] None of the current players comes anywhere near this at the moment
[9] Our armband rotates between Ekong and Musa but come on, neither of them provide real leadership
[10] From what I have seen on the pitch, Osimhen appears to be the only natural leader in the team, so I would give him the armband

Keep your opinion. It does not matter in the big scheme of things. Yobo is one of the most revered captains Nigeria has had. The coaches lived him as did the players. So what you think about about his captaincy is irrelevant!

[Damunk]

Two things:
a. How and when was Yobo a true leader for the SE? Honestly, and not to throw shade on the guy, I think he was by far the weakest captain the SE ever had and was nothing more than a tool used by the NFF leaders to foist their agenda on the SE at the time. Enyeama was more of a captain than Yobo could have ever been - and I don't particularly think highly of Enyeama's leadership skills!

I agree.
With all due respect to him, I don't think he was very good as a SE captain.

And what's the basis ofd this conclusion? Because he did not slap his teammates like Keshi supposedly use to do? Can you list the qualities of a "good" captain that Yobo did not possess? The fact that he led one of the most peaceful era in the national team without denigrating his teammates should tell you how effective a captain he was. Yobo led by example. When the team needed goals to qualify for the ANC he singled handedly did it. How soon you guys forget.

We are still talking about Joseph 'Shoelace' Yobo, right?

[Bigpokey24]

I don't know how people like damunk who was never ever present in camp knows the quality of a team captain..it is so funny how people with zero experiences or interactions with the players during camps , trainings, tournaments etc gets all the 411 on who is a leader..kai this shows how limited many folks are intellectually