Onazi Interview - Trouble in Paradise?

[K]

In this interview with ESPN after the England game, Onazi is insinuating that some players work hard while some just walk around. What does he mean? Does he have Mikel in mind? Hope this is nipped in the bud before slippers start slapping faces

[Goalgetter]

Mikel comes to mind.

[Oguleftie]

In this interview with ESPN after the England game, Onazi is insinuating that some players work hard while some just walk around. What does he mean? Does he have Mikel in mind? Hope this is nipped in the bud before slippers start slapping faces

Problem is most SE are not good players; so the result is the team is overrun by a skillful or talented or organized opposition, which in effect results in more hard work needed to contain the opposition.

[Synopsis]

What Mikel did yesterday (on multiple occasions) was unacceptable.

[Oguleftie]

In this interview with ESPN after the England game, Onazi is insinuating that some players work hard while some just walk around. What does he mean? Does he have Mikel in mind? Hope this is nipped in the bud before slippers start slapping faces

Problem is most SE are not good players; so the result is the team is overrun by a skillful or talented or organized opposition, which in effect results in more hard work needed to contain the opposition.

Over the years Rohr had stock to his guns in the bad players he selected, and his bad criteria for selection.

[niyi]

Iwobi did similar in the first half.

I think the boys are mature enough to talk about things and fix it. I'm slightly worried Onazi still seemed annoyed today. Suggests they haven't settled the issue yet.

[Oguleftie]

Iwobi did similar in the first half.

I think the boys are mature enough to talk about things and fix it. I'm slightly worried Onazi still seemed annoyed today. Suggests they haven't settled the issue yet.

We do not have a captain. Mikel is not that type of captain, at least this present time. Expect it to get even worse.

[ogasir]

If I was playing a friendly a few days before the WC I too will put in minimal effort. Who wants to get hurt before the WC?

[gurrano]

I am not sure who he is is referring to in the interview but I had the same concern seeing how Mikel seemed to be casual sometimes when we lost possession of the ball during the game yesterday.

I like the the way he approached the interview by first taking personal responsibility for his performance in the game and then also calling out some of the issues he perceives that the team needs to address without making it personal by mentioning specific individuals.

I hope Rohr will permit open discussions about things like this in the dressing room as it will help the team members keep each other accountable and also help make the team stronger in the long term as they will all be on the same page regarding their expectations of each other on the field.

[waka-man]

Some of you are not on our side.
That was a clear, straight forward interview.
How you can take a generic statement about everyone needing to run and turn it on it’s head is tantamount to sabotage.
He said:
- it was a bad game
- he was bad
- England had an extra man in the first half in the mid
- Nigeria addresses that in the 2nd
- they haven’t had time to work on their systems
- they will be a lot better by the World Cup

That’s pretty much exactly what both Mikel and Rohr said in their interviews yesterday. If anything, it’s remarkable how aligned their talking points are.

You guys abeg, stop trying to create divisions in the team. Please

[Oguleftie]

If I was playing a friendly a few days before the WC I too will put in minimal effort. Who wants to get hurt before the WC?

Not so. There is a real problem.

[niyi]

If I was playing a friendly a few days before the WC I too will put in minimal effort. Who wants to get hurt before the WC?

People keep making it seem like Mikel was deliberately holding back because it was a friendly but he does similar things in competitive games.

[gurrano]

I beg to disagree as winning teams develop a culture of working hard and never giving up every single time they get on the field. Not having that mindset and picking and choosing when to give your best encourages a culture that breeds mediocrity e.g. Arsenal during the last few years of Wenger.

If I was playing a friendly a few days before the WC I too will put in minimal effort. Who wants to get hurt before the WC?

[niyi]

Some of you are not on our side.
That was a clear, straight forward interview.
How you can take a generic statement about everyone needing to run and turn it on it’s head is tantamount to sabotage.
He said:
- it was a bad game
- he was bad
- England had an extra man in the first half in the mid
- Nigeria addresses that in the 2nd
- they haven’t had time to work on their systems
- they will be a lot better by the World Cup

That’s pretty much exactly what both Mikel and Rohr said in their interviews yesterday. If anything, it’s remarkable how aligned their talking points are.

You guys abeg, stop trying to create divisions in the team. Please

But he also said what the OP posted. Granted it was just a line and you could tell he was reluctant to say it... but he did.

[nzeogwu]

Go back and watch Nigeria Congo during the Keshi era. The second leg in Brazzaville. After Aaron Samuel scores the winner at the latter part of the game, Congo plays a highball from a free kick into the Naija six yard box. Mikel just pretends to jump for it but does not. The Congolese forward heads it and Enyeama makes a finger tip save. Onaolapo ripped Mikel a new one. The argument continued into the dressing room and bus.
Watch the end of the game on highlights.

[wale1974]

Onazi should be lucky he is in the Last 23.

[Cmoke]

Such criticism should stay in camp!

[The real deal]

True, Mikel is and can be lazy.... But Onazi was poor all round Piss poor..... Wrong choices in position, terrible passes, total lack of confidence on the ball...... Everything he said was true but this was a more PERSONAL thing IMHO. I'm glad he's seen it....What I don't like is, he seems to think his part was 50%......

[soccernut]

With the likes of Onazi in the final 23, SE will not make second round. The man is past his prime and overweight. We all know that Mikel runs out of gas but he also brings a lot to the table.

[The real deal]

A neutral fan watching the match cracked a joke that it woulda been better if that clash of head was between Joel Obi and Onanzi knocking em both out of the WC.... I laughed but....

[General Trousers]

True, Mikel is and can be lazy.... But Onazi was poor all round Piss poor..... Wrong choices in position, terrible passes, total lack of confidence on the ball...... Everything he said was true but this was a more PERSONAL thing IMHO. I'm glad he's seen it....What I don't like is, he seems to think his part was 50%......

It was an honest interview.

1) I did not play well.

2) Others are pedestrians.

While Okocha was an awilo dancer, Mikel Obi (though good) is a pedestrian tourist, who accomplishes his work with minimal effort. In a competition like the World Cup, where the stakes are high, you will need to run hard. Nigeria has good players, but the requisite hunger will likely come from 1 to 3 players ...

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[marko]

1st 15 min, they played individual football, the whole lot of them, England just went through at will, for poor finishing, sorry, it could have been a high score by half time.

[anointed]

No be today.

Last WC, when Onazi was busy having massive games, Mikel was having stinkers, turning over the ball at will.