Let's talk about that Abuja pitch!

[bushboy]

As we continue to unpack and deal with our emotions and frustration after yesterday's game, there is one particular issue that we have overlooked that caused me great disappointment. The Abuja pitch!!

We were told for weeks that the turf was in immaculate condition. That after that horrible pitch in Ghana, the eagles would come home and play free flowing football on a lush, well watered pitch. That was NOT the case. That pitch was atrocious. Dry. Uneven. Bumpy. Players could barely control the ball. The ball bounce was unpredictable. Crosses were awful. Shooting was abysmal! Some due to poor play, but some 100% due to the pitch.

That pitch cost us at least ONE goal that I vividly remember.

It is a shame that even with Dangote funds, we cannot produce a world level playing surface in that country.

Sad, sad, sad.

[Ugbowo]

I didn't want to bring this up to make it look like we were searching for excuses but it contributed A LOT. Especially when we were chasing the game and how Ghana was set up.

We needed passing moves to get them out of position. We couldn't string passes together both due to our quality and the quality of the pitch. It resorted to long balls which they were able to defend with their back 5. Controlling the ball made them close down on us quicker and we were lightweight compared to them. Constantly getting bullied off the ball because we couldn't control it. Players couldn't make their natural skill count. Lookman tried a few times but the ball just no answer. Pitch was messing us up.

Ppl will say both teams played on the same pitch so no excuses. But the onus was on us once Ghana scored that goal early. It was easier for them to be defensive with the state of the pitch. It became an advantage to them. Had Osimhen's goal counted and we were up 2-1 at the half, we would be going to Qatar now. Ghana would have had the same problems trying to conjure up attacks on that pitch.

[vancity eagle]

Let's also talk about playing in near 40 degree weather and it wasn't even a late match like in Kumasi.

We continue to fail in every aspect starting with the planning. A damn shame.

You see the North Africans they always schedule every hone game at night in cooler regions. We don't think that far.

[bushboy]

I didn't want to bring this up to make it look like we were searching for excuses but it contributed A LOT. Especially when we were chasing the game and how Ghana was set up.

We needed passing moves to get them out of position. We couldn't string passes together both due to our quality and the quality of the pitch. It resorted to long balls which they were able to defend with their back 5. Controlling the ball made them close down on us quicker and we were lightweight compared to them. Constantly getting bullied off the ball because we couldn't control it. Players couldn't make their natural skill count. Lookman tried a few times but the ball just no answer. Pitch was messing us up.

Ppl will say both teams played on the same pitch so no excuses. But the onus was on us once Ghana scored that goal early. It was easier for them to be defensive with the state of the pitch. It became an advantage to them. Had Osimhen's goal counted and we were up 2-1 at the half, we would be going to Qatar now. Ghana would have had the same problems trying to conjure up attacks on that pitch.

My broda! I couldn't have written a better post myself. With every line I read, I was nodding. The pitch messed us up BIG TIME!! We want to crucify Bassey for his play, but anyone who knows football will be able to see the kid is actually a good player. You can see what he is intended to do each time, and 90% of the time, the pitch just no gree, ball would boucne funny and get away from him.

I feel gutted for a lot of these lads that they won't get to go to the world cup and play in those state of the art stadia on absolutely immaculate grass. I still strongly believe we would have impressed greatly at the WC. Put a group of naturally skillful players comfortable with the ball at feet, and put them on lush green grass! My oh my! Compare our recent games to the games played at the ANC on that good turf in Cameroon. Its night and day!!

Anyway, God dey. But I no go lie, e pain me baaaaaaaaad!!!

[joao]

bushboy, did Ghana play on a different pitch from ours? And while you are
working on answering that, don't forget Nigeria presented the pitch.

[bushboy]

bushboy, did Ghana play on a different pitch from ours? And while you are
working on answering that, don't forget Nigeria presented the pitch.

My broda, for a team who came to defend and avoid conceeding at all cost (0-0 would at worst take the game to penalties and it becomes a lottery) that pitch was a gift from God!! To the attacking team who needed quick passing and movement, that pitch was the devil. Yes, we both played on the same pitch, but the situation of the game made it advantage to Ghana big time.

[sabb]

bushboy, did Ghana play on a different pitch from ours? And while you are
working on answering that, don't forget Nigeria presented the pitch.

My broda, for a team who came to defend and avoid conceeding at all cost (0-0 would at worst take the game to penalties and it becomes a lottery) that pitch was a gift from God!! To the attacking team who needed quick passing and movement, that pitch was the devil. Yes, we both played on the same pitch, but the situation of the game made it advantage to Ghana big time.

quick passing and movement with the SE
dude please

[bushboy]

bushboy, did Ghana play on a different pitch from ours? And while you are
working on answering that, don't forget Nigeria presented the pitch.

My broda, for a team who came to defend and avoid conceeding at all cost (0-0 would at worst take the game to penalties and it becomes a lottery) that pitch was a gift from God!! To the attacking team who needed quick passing and movement, that pitch was the devil. Yes, we both played on the same pitch, but the situation of the game made it advantage to Ghana big time.

quick passing and movement with the SE
dude please

I watched the ANC with my own two eyes. There was a reason we were all excited after the group stage games. Go back and read those game threads if you want. The team passed well and played quality football. Every pundit and article I read rated Naija as the best looking team in the tournament and were all shocked that we lost to Tunisia.

So yes, quick passing and movement.

[Robotnik]

Where is the coolest/ non-high altitude spot in the country. Build a stadium there. We must be scientific in are dealings from now onwards.

[sabb]

bushboy, did Ghana play on a different pitch from ours? And while you are
working on answering that, don't forget Nigeria presented the pitch.

My broda, for a team who came to defend and avoid conceeding at all cost (0-0 would at worst take the game to penalties and it becomes a lottery) that pitch was a gift from God!! To the attacking team who needed quick passing and movement, that pitch was the devil. Yes, we both played on the same pitch, but the situation of the game made it advantage to Ghana big time.

quick passing and movement with the SE
dude please

I watched the ANC with my own two eyes. There was a reason we were all excited after the group stage games. Go back and read those game threads if you want. The team passed well and played quality football. Every pundit and article I read rated Naija as the best looking team in the tournament and were all shocked that we lost to Tunisia.

So yes, quick passing and movement.

l didn't see quick passing or movement but lateral passes at the back and punt to simon time after time and we did this over and over again but Ghana too played on the pitch and were able to shoot, dribble and pass well and even slowed the game down and out played us at our own pace, for me coaching is the issue

[truemamamia]

Where is the coolest/ non-high altitude spot in the country. Build a stadium there. We must be scientific in are dealings from now onwards.

Some of the Ghanaians players until 2 weeks ago, had never played in Africa---Dennis Odoi, Elisha Owusu.

[mojojojo]

Let's also talk about playing in near 40 degree weather and it wasn't even a late match like in Kumasi.

We continue to fail in every aspect starting with the planning. A damn shame.

You see the North Africans they always schedule every hone game at night in cooler regions. We don't think that far.

40 degrees? Are we talking about Abuja in the evening? It's 30 - 33 degrees. Did the pitch or temperature help the Ghanians score? What temperature was it in Accra? How about all the matches in which SE won in Abuja in years before? Abuja was once a fortress.


This match was lost in Accra.

[marko]

that pitch was horrible! players could not pass on that pitch, when Partey scored, if you looked closely, the ball almost bounced under the keeper body, yes you can blame the keeper but watch the replay again, slowly, the ball had had this final wicked bounce that the keeper miscalculated, even a short pass became laboured, due to the corrupt pitch, the ball kept on taking extra bounces, players could not trap the ball, noticed on several occasions, our defenders nearly lost the ball

sorry that pitch contributed to our failure to qualify, Ghana were going nowhere in 90 minutes, how many clear cut chances did they carve out? if only the government invested in having professionals look after these pitches, it could have been a different outcome

I went to visit man united on a tour, they had up to 10 individuals that worked on old Trafford pitch full time, if you see the amount of work done every day to keep that pitch immaculate, Nigeria could never dream of replicating this!

Its these little finer aspects that makes a whole difference to a football game

[Silver-Shadow]

Some people don't get why the North Africans have immaculate football pitches, firstly they have organized leagues 2nd they appreciate what a good pitch can do for their football philosophy.

We all know how a side like Algeria like to play. Nigeria on the other hand play well on other countries pitches because theirs isn't as good and haven't bothered to invest and get value for money for their investment.

What you have is corruption eating at the fabric of a nation. A lush green pitch is not necessarily conducive for a game of football. At least not one that is uneven. There is a reason why when you go to premiership club grounds, you don't find cows or every man and his dog strolling about aimlessly on their pitches.

[theYemster]

that pitch was horrible! players could not pass on that pitch, when Partey scored, if you looked closely, the ball almost bounced under the keeper body, yes you can blame the keeper but watch the replay again, slowly, the ball had had this final wicked bounce that the keeper miscalculated, even a short pass became laboured, due to the corrupt pitch, the ball kept on taking extra bounces, players could not trap the ball, noticed on several occasions, our defenders nearly lost the ball

sorry that pitch contributed to our failure to qualify, Ghana were going nowhere in 90 minutes, how many clear cut chances did they carve out? if only the government invested in having professionals look after these pitches, it could have been a different outcome

I went to visit man united on a tour, they had up to 10 individuals that worked on old Trafford pitch full time, if you see the amount of work done every day to keep that pitch immaculate, Nigeria could never dream of replicating this!

Its these little finer aspects that makes a whole difference to a football game

I actually don't expect government to maintain the pitch. The management of the stadium should be saddled with the responsibility. Maintenance is expensive which is why I've always brought up the fact that the naming rights ought to have been sold to generate revenue.

As long as it's government maintaining the stadium, it'll always be a fire brigade approach just before a match is played as opposed to be a continuous process.

[Sunset]

[Enyi]

pitch was awful but the other team played on it as well

[Dammy]

Except Julius Berger fixes a pitch in Nigeria, you will get a substandard pitch. The story is the same in Warri, Port Harcourt, Benin, Ibadan, Abuja etc. All the pitches constructed by Nigerian companies have not lived up to expectations. The only exception is the Uyo pitch managed by Julius Berger.

[maceo4]

pitch was awful but the other team played on it as well

The other team full of African players is used to playing on such pitches, our ajebutters aren't and are avoiding any injuries that could be caused by it. Why can't we just give our players the best opportunity at success? That said, they still sucked...

[Enyi]

pitch was awful but the other team played on it as well

The other team full of African players is used to playing on such pitches, our ajebutters aren't and are avoiding any injuries that could be caused by it. Why can't we just give our players the best opportunity at success? That said, they still sucked...

Pitch is awful, true
Players avoiding injury - dont agree
they sucked - not really, cos i believe the fault lies totally on the coach...and on the NFF for picking the coach

[Thunder]

As we continue to unpack and deal with our emotions and frustration after yesterday's game, there is one particular issue that we have overlooked that caused me great disappointment. The Abuja pitch!!

We were told for weeks that the turf was in immaculate condition. That after that horrible pitch in Ghana, the eagles would come home and play free flowing football on a lush, well watered pitch. That was NOT the case. That pitch was atrocious. Dry. Uneven. Bumpy. Players could barely control the ball. The ball bounce was unpredictable. Crosses were awful. Shooting was abysmal! Some due to poor play, but some 100% due to the pitch.

That pitch cost us at least ONE goal that I vividly remember.

It is a shame that even with Dangote funds, we cannot produce a world level playing surface in that country.

Sad, sad, sad.

The shame of a nation!!!

[aykwes8]

I didn't want to bring this up to make it look like we were searching for excuses but it contributed A LOT. Especially when we were chasing the game and how Ghana was set up.

We needed passing moves to get them out of position. We couldn't string passes together both due to our quality and the quality of the pitch. It resorted to long balls which they were able to defend with their back 5. Controlling the ball made them close down on us quicker and we were lightweight compared to them. Constantly getting bullied off the ball because we couldn't control it. Players couldn't make their natural skill count. Lookman tried a few times but the ball just no answer. Pitch was messing us up.

Ppl will say both teams played on the same pitch so no excuses. But the onus was on us once Ghana scored that goal early. It was easier for them to be defensive with the state of the pitch. It became an advantage to them. Had Osimhen's goal counted and we were up 2-1 at the half, we would be going to Qatar now. Ghana would have had the same problems trying to conjure up attacks on that pitch.

You really was expecting the referee to allow a 20 yard offside goal? How sickly delusional can one be

[aykwes8]

I didn't want to bring this up to make it look like we were searching for excuses but it contributed A LOT. Especially when we were chasing the game and how Ghana was set up.

We needed passing moves to get them out of position. We couldn't string passes together both due to our quality and the quality of the pitch. It resorted to long balls which they were able to defend with their back 5. Controlling the ball made them close down on us quicker and we were lightweight compared to them. Constantly getting bullied off the ball because we couldn't control it. Players couldn't make their natural skill count. Lookman tried a few times but the ball just no answer. Pitch was messing us up.

Ppl will say both teams played on the same pitch so no excuses. But the onus was on us once Ghana scored that goal early. It was easier for them to be defensive with the state of the pitch. It became an advantage to them. Had Osimhen's goal counted and we were up 2-1 at the half, we would be going to Qatar now. Ghana would have had the same problems trying to conjure up attacks on that pitch.

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