For the first time.....The Feeling of an AFCON Victory Beckons...Today, it was exposed.

[Enugu II]

A few months to the AFCON in the Ivory Coast it has become clear that Nigeria will indeed be a major contender for the Cup. The Achilles heel, however, is atrocious goalkeeping. That information was in clear view in the game against Saudi Arabia.

You may read this and accuse me of hyping, but the signs are there that Nigeria’s chances at a fourth AGFCON win is emerging. Forget the score in this game. Watch and analyze the game when it is shown again! Nigeria really is a dangerous team. After Nigeria went behind, they went a gear or two up and Saudi struggled to cope. The difference between the two teams became a gorging- depth. But let me point to other issues.

First, Nigeria’s explosiveness on the counter is both evident and devastating. To be frank, very few teams in the world can cope with Nigeria’s counter especially when it is in in full flight and the current kinks are cleaned up, especially the final pass.

Second, Peseiro’s imprint on this team is at least clear in one respect. This team seeks to possess the ball in totality. No longer do we have a Nigerian squad with center backs who hoof the ball and pray. The current center backs play the ball with a pass target. This, in my opinion, was why it was clear that Ekong and Balogun’s days were numbered. One had hoped Awaziem was the best guy! But he failed to take the opportunity early on. The current center backs may not be the Nirvana but they surely can play possession football with confidence.

I liked Lookman today. He has really settled into more confident display for Nigeria but he had an awful miss in the opening half when faced with goal. But wait….. While Lookman was good, when Moses entered the fray his forward approach completely unraveled the Saudis. Moses is far from washed up. He clearly belongs and today he reminded everyone with an assist and infliction of nightmare on the Saudi defense. On the other side, Chukwueze continues to underwhelm. .The pitch in Nigeria was blamed for his wayward shooting but the wayward shooting today may be blamed on the Saudi heat?????

On the attack, it is a deadly combination with Boniface and Osimhen. But it has not clicked YET. There was a play in the second half when Victor was wide open, but no one found him in the box. That weas stunning considering that Victor is the best lad for Nigeria. The Manager must ask questions here. If the pair gets clicking, then there would be problems for defenses.

But then we arrive at Uzoho and Nigeria’s goalkeeping. I thought that Uzoho had come around months ago but his horrendous attempt to manage a high cross today was just AWFUL and a goal was the result. Yet, he is the best Nigeria has put in goal for years now. It is not getting better. You look at the bench and all you can do is cringe! This will be the Achilles Heel at the upcoming AFCON.

Just by thoughts.

[airwolex]

It is possible to win a major tourney with an average keeper, unfortunately we have one of the worst keepers that I can ever remember manning the post. It is nigh impossible.

[airwolex]

It is possible to win a major tourney with an average keeper, unfortunately we have one of the worst keepers that I can ever remember manning the post. It is nigh impossible.

[vancity eagle]

EII I agree with your writeup in near totality.

Chuks needs to be dropped for now. We need to look at Tella.

Pseiro needs to work on final decision making and finishing in final third.

Today I saw how the 442 can be played effectively, though I would suggest against it going up against the tougher teams.

Definately 442 must be played against E. Guinea and Guinea B.

Against CIV I would play 433, and move to 442 if goals are needed.

[Lolly]

I think we are a few players short of being a contender.

Apart from the goalkeepers, the central defensive partnership is very average. I would love to see one of the other guys partner with Bassey. Ajayi is too prone to give away passes on dangerous areas.

Also, I would have loved to see Onyedika today while Ndidi and Iwobi are given the freedom to move upwards. If Ndidi gets injured, we haven’t tested anyone to deputise for him.

Finally, we haven’t got the striking partnership right. Boniface and Osimhen can’t work.

[Tobi17]

The GOOD NEWS is that we're creating numerous goal scoring opportunities, not just half chances but actual gilt edged chances with the opponents goal keeping heroics and profligacy of our forwards as our only undoing. I'm not worried about us creating crazy xG numbers, I'm more worried about our wastefulness in front of goal and our never ending GK crisis.

[waka-man]

Not sure why Boniface and Osimhen can’t work. There were flashes of what’s possible today although I think the partnership also means Osimhen spends too much time in areas of the pitch where he not dangerous but that can be worked on.

We have the makings of a very good team here. But the goalkeeping situation is now a national crisis.

[metalalloy]

Not sure why Boniface and Osimhen can’t work. There were flashes of what’s possible today although I think the partnership also means Osimhen spends too much time in areas of the pitch where he not dangerous but that can be worked on.

We have the makings of a very good team here. But the goalkeeping situation is now a national crisis.

It worked beautifully today and several chances were created form the partnership. Boniface was massive as he held up play several times was an outlet on countless ocassions. He also had his own chances.

Ill rather play a 17 year old over Uzoho, at least the cadet has a chance to develop. Uzoho has never been a national team caliber goalkeeper. The only attribute he brought is his height, and thats why Rohr kept on inviting him due to Rohr's bizzare obsession with height. It has zero to do with his ability.

[airwolex]

Not sure why Boniface and Osimhen can’t work. There were flashes of what’s possible today although I think the partnership also means Osimhen spends too much time in areas of the pitch where he not dangerous but that can be worked on.

We have the makings of a very good team here. But the goalkeeping situation is now a national crisis.

It worked beautifully today and several chances were created form the partnership. Boniface was massive as he held up play several times was an outlet on countless ocassions. He also had his own chances.

Ill rather play a 17 year old over Uzoho, at least the cadet has a chance to develop. Uzoho has never been a national team caliber goalkeeper. The only attribute he brought is his height, and thats why Rohr kept on inviting him due to Rohr's bizzare obsession with height. It has zero to do with his ability.

Exactly. How can you be 6'5 and concede a goal like that? Something is amiss. It might be an issue with hand eye coordination. It might be a reflex thing. Could be a confidence thing, but something is wrong somewhere.

[Robotnik]

I have seen what I wanted to see from this friendly.

This team is not ready end of story.

There is no purpose to their football. Poor decisions all over. No game management

They have the ingredients to be one of the best at Afcon, but with a poor goal keeper it's probably not going to happen.

[Robotnik]

I have seen what I wanted to see from this friendly.

This team is not ready end of story.

There is no purpose to their football. Poor decisions all over. No game management

They have the ingredients to be one of the best at Afcon, but with a poor goal keeper it's probably not going to happen.

[Robotnik]

I have seen what I wanted to see from this friendly.

This team is not ready end of story.

There is no purpose to their football. Poor decisions all over. No game management

They have the ingredients to be one of the best at Afcon, but with a poor goal keeper it's probably not going to happen.

[Robotnik]

I have seen what I wanted to see from this friendly.

This team is not ready end of story.

There is no purpose to their football. Poor decisions all over. No game management

They have the ingredients to be one of the best at Afcon, but with a poor goal keeper it's probably not going to happen.

[Tobi17]

I have seen what I wanted to see from this friendly.

This team is not ready end of story.

There is no purpose to their football. Poor decisions all over. No game management

They have the ingredients to be one of the best at Afcon, but with a poor goal keeper it's probably not going to happen.

I think we heard you the first time

[Robotnik]

I have seen what I wanted to see from this friendly.

This team is not ready end of story.

There is no purpose to their football. Poor decisions all over. No game management

They have the ingredients to be one of the best at Afcon, but with a poor goal keeper it's probably not going to happen.

[Bigpokey24]

A few months to the AFCON in the Ivory Coast it has become clear that Nigeria will indeed be a major contender for the Cup. The Achilles heel, however, is atrocious goalkeeping. That information was in clear view in the game against Saudi Arabia.

You may read this and accuse me of hyping, but the signs are there that Nigeria’s chances at a fourth AGFCON win is emerging. Forget the score in this game. Watch and analyze the game when it is shown again! Nigeria really is a dangerous team. After Nigeria went behind, they went a gear or two up and Saudi struggled to cope. The difference between the two teams became a gorging- depth. But let me point to other issues.

First, Nigeria’s explosiveness on the counter is both evident and devastating. To be frank, very few teams in the world can cope with Nigeria’s counter especially when it is in in full flight and the current kinks are cleaned up, especially the final pass.

Second, Peseiro’s imprint on this team is at least clear in one respect. This team seeks to possess the ball in totality. No longer do we have a Nigerian squad with center backs who hoof the ball and pray. The current center backs play the ball with a pass target. This, in my opinion, was why it was clear that Ekong and Balogun’s days were numbered. One had hoped Awaziem was the best guy! But he failed to take the opportunity early on. The current center backs may not be the Nirvana but they surely can play possession football with confidence.

I liked Lookman today. He has really settled into more confident display for Nigeria but he had an awful miss in the opening half when faced with goal. But wait….. While Lookman was good, when Moses entered the fray his forward approach completely unraveled the Saudis. Moses is far from washed up. He clearly belongs and today he reminded everyone with an assist and infliction of nightmare on the Saudi defense. On the other side, Chukwueze continues to underwhelm. .The pitch in Nigeria was blamed for his wayward shooting but the wayward shooting today may be blamed on the Saudi heat?????

On the attack, it is a deadly combination with Boniface and Osimhen. But it has not clicked YET. There was a play in the second half when Victor was wide open, but no one found him in the box. That weas stunning considering that Victor is the best lad for Nigeria. The Manager must ask questions here. If the pair gets clicking, then there would be problems for defenses.

But then we arrive at Uzoho and Nigeria’s goalkeeping. I thought that Uzoho had come around months ago but his horrendous attempt to manage a high cross today was just AWFUL and a goal was the result. Yet, he is the best Nigeria has put in goal for years now. It is not getting better. You look at the bench and all you can do is cringe! This will be the Achilles Heel at the upcoming AFCON.

Just by thoughts.

This is a beautiful right up, I watched the game , and the gulf in class was huge. The team is actually improving . Now we do have a major issue and this issue will determin if we win the cup or not. Goalkeeping, Goalkeeping, Goalkeeping. This falls on the coach and he is to blame 100%. If he wants to be a succcess , he must fix this.

WE have some serious depth , but the goalie and and a few defenders are going to mess us up if we do not fix it. Kele is very, very relevant to the SE, be it a starter or from the bench . For me he is a better player than Samu

Ndidi is back, and my goodness it pains me he is at Leiceister. Our Ndidi is back

[Bigpokey24]

Not sure why Boniface and Osimhen can’t work. There were flashes of what’s possible today although I think the partnership also means Osimhen spends too much time in areas of the pitch where he not dangerous but that can be worked on.

We have the makings of a very good team here. But the goalkeeping situation is now a national crisis.

It worked beautifully today and several chances were created form the partnership. Boniface was massive as he held up play several times was an outlet on countless ocassions. He also had his own chances.

Ill rather play a 17 year old over Uzoho, at least the cadet has a chance to develop. Uzoho has never been a national team caliber goalkeeper. The only attribute he brought is his height, and thats why Rohr kept on inviting him due to Rohr's bizzare obsession with height. It has zero to do with his ability.

Exactly. How can you be 6'5 and concede a goal like that? Something is amiss. It might be an issue with hand eye coordination. It might be a reflex thing. Could be a confidence thing, but something is wrong somewhere.

the way Ndidi looked at him after the goal went in , i laugh tire

[Bigpokey24]

[highbury]

Robotnik's internet is slow and he kept hitting submit. Hence the multiple messages

I agree, this SE team are not very good.
Uzoho, how can you conceed even without any pressure?

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

It’s just a friendly.it’s not a predictor of the future or what team will show up at Afcon, merely a team bonding and tactical experiment. The team could be better at Afcon, it could be worse. I remember when we beat France in Paris in preparation for a WC qualifier only to lose the game and get thrown out of the WC. I also remember the shambolic preparation for Afcon 2013 only to end up winning the damn thing.
The only, perhaps best thing about this game is that it looks like the coach is starting to get control of his team. That’s a very very good development.

[highbury]

Robotnik's internet is slow and he kept hitting submit. Hence the multiple messages

I agree, this SE team are not very good.
Uzoho, how can you conceed even without any pressure?

[highbury]

Robotnik's internet is slow and he kept hitting submit. Hence the multiple messages

I agree, this SE team are not very good.
Uzoho, how can you conceed even without any pressure?

[YUJAM]

Nigeria can win the CAN, for sure. But only if the coach and players go into it with the right attitude. The truth is the team has some weak spots in defense, and midfield and the key is to make the tactical or player adjustments to compensate for these issues. The D needs work because Saudis who do not have a prolific attack yet they were able to create opportunities. Similarly, othee than Ndidi, the midfield lacks players that can hold the ball and keep the possession going. The attack is great but it alone cannot win games against high quality teams

A few months to the AFCON in the Ivory Coast it has become clear that Nigeria will indeed be a major contender for the Cup. The Achilles heel, however, is atrocious goalkeeping. That information was in clear view in the game against Saudi Arabia.

You may read this and accuse me of hyping, but the signs are there that Nigeria’s chances at a fourth AGFCON win is emerging. Forget the score in this game. Watch and analyze the game when it is shown again! Nigeria really is a dangerous team. After Nigeria went behind, they went a gear or two up and Saudi struggled to cope. The difference between the two teams became a gorging- depth. But let me point to other issues.

First, Nigeria’s explosiveness on the counter is both evident and devastating. To be frank, very few teams in the world can cope with Nigeria’s counter especially when it is in in full flight and the current kinks are cleaned up, especially the final pass.

Second, Peseiro’s imprint on this team is at least clear in one respect. This team seeks to possess the ball in totality. No longer do we have a Nigerian squad with center backs who hoof the ball and pray. The current center backs play the ball with a pass target. This, in my opinion, was why it was clear that Ekong and Balogun’s days were numbered. One had hoped Awaziem was the best guy! But he failed to take the opportunity early on. The current center backs may not be the Nirvana but they surely can play possession football with confidence.

I liked Lookman today. He has really settled into more confident display for Nigeria but he had an awful miss in the opening half when faced with goal. But wait….. While Lookman was good, when Moses entered the fray his forward approach completely unraveled the Saudis. Moses is far from washed up. He clearly belongs and today he reminded everyone with an assist and infliction of nightmare on the Saudi defense. On the other side, Chukwueze continues to underwhelm. .The pitch in Nigeria was blamed for his wayward shooting but the wayward shooting today may be blamed on the Saudi heat?????

On the attack, it is a deadly combination with Boniface and Osimhen. But it has not clicked YET. There was a play in the second half when Victor was wide open, but no one found him in the box. That weas stunning considering that Victor is the best lad for Nigeria. The Manager must ask questions here. If the pair gets clicking, then there would be problems for defenses.

But then we arrive at Uzoho and Nigeria’s goalkeeping. I thought that Uzoho had come around months ago but his horrendous attempt to manage a high cross today was just AWFUL and a goal was the result. Yet, he is the best Nigeria has put in goal for years now. It is not getting better. You look at the bench and all you can do is cringe! This will be the Achilles Heel at the upcoming AFCON.

Just by thoughts.