How far would we have gone at WC 1998 with Bonfrere?

[Scipio Africanus]

The man led us to football gold in Atlanta 96. Was it Troussier that was fired after a dismal run of friendly performances against Germany, Netherlands and Yugoslavia and let to the hiring of Bora Multivitamin?

I no remember anymore but we played beautiful attacking football under Bonfrere

[Benedict Iroha]

He also led us to the 2000 Nations Cup runners up. Nigeria and politics.

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

Denmark would’ve beaten us 5-3 instead of 4-1.

I don’t know what the obsession with playing beautiful football is about instead of playing to win.

When you look at the African teams that have performed well at the WC, getting past the 2nd rd, you’ll see that they were all very good defensive teams and decent attacking teams. They certainly were no tiki taka type teams. The great Cameroun teams of the 90s, Senegal 2000, Ghana 2010 and Morocco 2022 were all very good defensively. We used to fear the indomitable lions mostly because they were able to stop us. Not because their attack was so great.

Imho, you’re not going to beautify your way past the likes of France, Argentina, England, Croatia and other top teams. Been there done that! The game becomes a grind at the highest level, the team that makes the most defensive mistakes is guaranteed to lose. We have already shown we can score goals against any team in the world at the World Cup.

What we’re yet to show the world is if we can hold our defensive shape for 90 mins without falling asleep at the crucial moments. It will require a total commitment to team defense along with the attack. We started to see that with Pesseiro, unfortunately it’s no longer. Let’s hope the next coach can continue.

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

Look these WC defensive lapses. What do they all have in common?Failure to track runs and giving the opponent time and space.The 2024 team was much better at this but they eventually
Caved to CIV under tremendous pressure.

[media] [/media]
[media] [/media]
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[media] [/media]

[Scipio Africanus]

Denmark would’ve beaten us 5-3 instead of 4-1.

I don’t know what the obsession with playing beautiful football is about instead of playing to win.

When you look at the African teams that have performed well at the WC, getting past the 2nd rd, you’ll see that they were all very good defensive teams and decent attacking teams. They certainly were no tiki taka type teams. The great Cameroun teams of the 90s, Senegal 2000, Ghana 2010 and Morocco 2022 were all very good defensively. We used to fear the indomitable lions mostly because they were able to stop us. Not because their attack was so great.

Imho, you’re not going to beautify your way past the likes of France, Argentina, England, Croatia and other top teams. Been there done that! The game becomes a grind at the highest level, the team that makes the most defensive mistakes is guaranteed to lose. We have already shown we can score goals against any team in the world at the World Cup.

What we’re yet to show the world is if we can hold our defensive shape for 90 mins without falling asleep at the crucial moments. It will require a total commitment to team defense along with the attack. We started to see that with Pesseiro, unfortunately it’s no longer. Let’s hope the next coach can continue.

Argentina won this last WC playing beautiful attacking football. African teams often fall short at the WC because they struggle to create and finish chances. You think we would have beaten Brazil and Argentina in Atlanta '96 with a dull defensive display? No. The only way to beat them was to attack them all game. By the way does Brazil 1 Germany 7 ring a bell?

All those African WC teams you mentioned were eventually found out because they struggled to score goals. You have got to be able to create and score quality chances to make it into the elite of world football.

[Scipio Africanus]

Look these WC defensive lapses. What do they all have in common?Failure to track runs and giving the opponent time and space.The 2024 team was much better at this but they eventually
Caved to CIV under tremendous pressure.

You are talking as if playing attacking football and defending well are mutually exclusive. They are not. You have to condition the players properly and make sure they understand their roles very well. This is how you stamp out "big-man" football.

[Gotti]

The man led us to football gold in Atlanta 96. Was it Troussier that was fired after a dismal run of friendly performances against Germany, Netherlands and Yugoslavia and let to the hiring of Bora Multivitamin?

I no remember anymore but we played beautiful attacking football under Bonfrere

Probably group stage exit…

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

Denmark would’ve beaten us 5-3 instead of 4-1.

I don’t know what the obsession with playing beautiful football is about instead of playing to win.

When you look at the African teams that have performed well at the WC, getting past the 2nd rd, you’ll see that they were all very good defensive teams and decent attacking teams. They certainly were no tiki taka type teams. The great Cameroun teams of the 90s, Senegal 2000, Ghana 2010 and Morocco 2022 were all very good defensively. We used to fear the indomitable lions mostly because they were able to stop us. Not because their attack was so great.

Imho, you’re not going to beautify your way past the likes of France, Argentina, England, Croatia and other top teams. Been there done that! The game becomes a grind at the highest level, the team that makes the most defensive mistakes is guaranteed to lose. We have already shown we can score goals against any team in the world at the World Cup.

What we’re yet to show the world is if we can hold our defensive shape for 90 mins without falling asleep at the crucial moments. It will require a total commitment to team defense along with the attack. We started to see that with Pesseiro, unfortunately it’s no longer. Let’s hope the next coach can continue.

Argentina won this last WC playing beautiful attacking football. African teams often fall short at the WC because they struggle to create and finish chances. You think we would have beaten Brazil and Argentina in Atlanta '96 with a dull defensive display? No. The only way to beat them was to attack them all game. By the way does Brazil 1 Germany 7 ring a bell?

All those African WC teams you mentioned were eventually found out because they struggled to score goals. You have got to be able to create and score quality chances to make it into the elite of world football.

Talent matters. Argentina has some of the best players and depth in every position, that’s the main reason they won. They have the players to execute the beautiful game and they got better as the tournament progressed.

We don’t even have 1 single MF, DF or goalie that can be considered top 10 in his position in any of the top 5 leagues, maybe Bassey. Onyeka was our best MF at Afcon and Troost Ekong was our best defender. I’m not saying attacking football is bad, it’s just that we don’t have the talent to play that way against the best teams and not leak goals. The best teams have the best players in defense and attack. Historically, we haven’t been able to score enough goals at the WC to compensate for our defensive Lapses vs the better team. Argentina has been beating us at the WC for 28yrs. We ain’t going to beautify our way to victory with Onyeaka, Sanusi and Yusuf.

[Scipio Africanus]

The man led us to football gold in Atlanta 96. Was it Troussier that was fired after a dismal run of friendly performances against Germany, Netherlands and Yugoslavia and let to the hiring of Bora Multivitamin?

I no remember anymore but we played beautiful attacking football under Bonfrere

Probably group stage exit…

We made the finals of two tournaments when he was coach. How do you come by your belief that we would have been bounced in the first round under him at WC '98?

[danfo driver]

[aruako1]

The man led us to football gold in Atlanta 96. Was it Troussier that was fired after a dismal run of friendly performances against Germany, Netherlands and Yugoslavia and let to the hiring of Bora Multivitamin?

I no remember anymore but we played beautiful attacking football under Bonfrere

Troussier was fired before the friendlies but after qualifying us for the World Cup. We lost those friendly games under Bora Militinovic.

[Coach]

Did Argentina play beautiful attacking football or grind and wear teams down? Their midfield was packed full of workaholics who put in more of a shift than Orwell’s Boxer.

[Scipio Africanus]

Did Argentina play beautiful attacking football or grind and wear teams down? Their midfield was packed full of workaholics who put in more of a shift than Orwell’s Boxer.

Both things can be true. Exactly the point I made to His Royal Highness. Their goals against Poland, Mexico, Netherlands, Croatia and France were works of art

[Scipio Africanus]

The man led us to football gold in Atlanta 96. Was it Troussier that was fired after a dismal run of friendly performances against Germany, Netherlands and Yugoslavia and let to the hiring of Bora Multivitamin?

I no remember anymore but we played beautiful attacking football under Bonfrere

Troussier was fired before the friendlies but after qualifying us for the World Cup. We lost those friendly games under Bora Militinovic.

Thanks! I think that there was a great level of comfort under Bonfrere that allowed us to play great football

[Lolly]

Denmark would’ve beaten us 5-3 instead of 4-1.

I don’t know what the obsession with playing beautiful football is about instead of playing to win.

When you look at the African teams that have performed well at the WC, getting past the 2nd rd, you’ll see that they were all very good defensive teams and decent attacking teams. They certainly were no tiki taka type teams. The great Cameroun teams of the 90s, Senegal 2000, Ghana 2010 and Morocco 2022 were all very good defensively. We used to fear the indomitable lions mostly because they were able to stop us. Not because their attack was so great.

Imho, you’re not going to beautify your way past the likes of France, Argentina, England, Croatia and other top teams. Been there done that! The game becomes a grind at the highest level, the team that makes the most defensive mistakes is guaranteed to lose. We have already shown we can score goals against any team in the world at the World Cup.

What we’re yet to show the world is if we can hold our defensive shape for 90 mins without falling asleep at the crucial moments. It will require a total commitment to team defense along with the attack. We started to see that with Pesseiro, unfortunately it’s no longer. Let’s hope the next coach can continue.

Argentina won this last WC playing beautiful attacking football. African teams often fall short at the WC because they struggle to create and finish chances. You think we would have beaten Brazil and Argentina in Atlanta '96 with a dull defensive display? No. The only way to beat them was to attack them all game. By the way does Brazil 1 Germany 7 ring a bell?

All those African WC teams you mentioned were eventually found out because they struggled to score goals. You have got to be able to create and score quality chances to make it into the elite of world football.

Talent matters. Argentina has some of the best players and depth in every position, that’s the main reason they won. They have the players to execute the beautiful game and they got better as the tournament progressed.

We don’t even have 1 single MF, DF or goalie that can be considered top 10 in his position in any of the top 5 leagues, maybe Bassey. Onyeka was our best MF at Afcon and Troost Ekong was our best defender. I’m not saying attacking football is bad, it’s just that we don’t have the talent to play that way against the best teams and not leak goals. The best teams have the best players in defense and attack. Historically, we haven’t been able to score enough goals at the WC to compensate for our defensive Lapses vs the better team. Argentina has been beating us at the WC for 28yrs. We ain’t going to beautify our way to victory with Onyeaka, Sanusi and Yusuf.

Enough said. Winning the World Cup is no small feat. You must have depth in all areas of the pitch and a lucky draw.

The only SE team that had the potential to win the world cup was our 1994 team. None of our opponents outplayed us including Italy that knocked us out.

[Coach]

@Africanus, the “attacking football” label is casually thrown around, more often than not, as misnomer. Again, one would ask, “what constitutes attacking football? Is it the number of attackers in the starting lineup? The number of players committed to transitions and attack? The speed with which the ball is progressed from front to back? Is a team boasting 25 shots on goal at the end of a game more attacking than one who managed 7 against the same opposition?

[Scipio Africanus]

@Africanus, the “attacking football” label is casually thrown around, more often than not, as misnomer. Again, one would ask, “what constitutes attacking football? Is it the number of attackers in the starting lineup? The number of players committed to transitions and attack? The speed with which the ball is progressed from front to back? Is a team boasting 25 shots on goal at the end of a game more attacking than one who mattered 7 against the same opposition?

What constitutes effective attacking football, you ask? Simple. Forwards and midfielders scoring goals on a regular basis.

[waka-man]

The man led us to football gold in Atlanta 96. Was it Troussier that was fired after a dismal run of friendly performances against Germany, Netherlands and Yugoslavia and let to the hiring of Bora Multivitamin?

I no remember anymore but we played beautiful attacking football under Bonfrere

No way were we getting out of that group if Bonfere was in place. As clueless as they come. Coaching U23 and coaching WC are completely different propositions.

[Enugu II]

The man led us to football gold in Atlanta 96. Was it Troussier that was fired after a dismal run of friendly performances against Germany, Netherlands and Yugoslavia and let to the hiring of Bora Multivitamin?

I no remember anymore but we played beautiful attacking football under Bonfrere

No way were we getting out of that group if Bonfere was in place. As clueless as they come. Coaching U23 and coaching WC are completely different propositions.

In my view, Bonfrere must be one of the most overhyped managers anywhere.

At the Olympics, the team was already set before he entered the fray.

Many also forget that he was at the helm during the World Cup qualifiers when we lost to both Liberia and Sierra Leone. He was asked about revamping the ream by looking inwards at emerging talents. He claimed then, as many claim today that there were no local talents.

However after he was fired with Nigeria having little margin for errors in the World Cup qualifiers, Amodu was called in. Amodu brought in a few local boys and the team promptly took off and qualified on a tight late run.

We should not forget that.

Sure he was there when we finished second at home at the AFCON, but his career shows he was mostly average and one of those who likely benefits from hype rather than substance. Although, there are numerous such hyped managers in football. He isn't a magician by any means.