How can we get the SE to play like Spain?

[Bigpokey24]

Two fast and exciting players out wide, a complete deep playing DM and a feisty wing back like Cucurella

We can emulate such and make the SE great again

[danfo driver]

Select the right coach, who will select the right players and implement the strategy. It doesn't actually take much. Bielsa went to Leeds and they were playing like Spain in Div 2. Maresca went to Leicester and in pre-season, they were already playing like Spain in Div 2.

I wrote this in the Spain v France game thread:

One interesting thing I noticed and enjoyed during the match, which I heard quite a lot over the last few weeks --

- i watched a video where Pep spoke about the importance of players being "very close to each other on the pitch," and concentrate on shorter passes.

- when i went to watch Uruguay play, I heard Bielsa shouting at the players to come closer to the ball.

- I saw a video of Maresca at Chelsea's training yesterday, asking the players to "keep position," "calm down, dont rush" "stay close"

- Watching spain and seeing how close they are to the ball, making small triangles when they pass, which completely draws the opponents out and creates spaces behind.

Very fascinating! I remember watching Belgium last week and I noticed how far away their players were from the ball and most of their passes seemed very long. And it caused them to lose possession quite often.

[danfo driver]

[Scipio Africanus]

Teach them ball control first.

[Tobi17]

1.Right coach

2 Right system/a competent NFF that isn't corrupt

3.Player selection of young talents mostly from a thriving academy/club structure (we have that with Beyond limits already if the NFF are serious about investing in home grown talents).

4.Final retirement of uncoachable deadweights who play more for the checks at their lower league clubs than for the game.

5.Lastly and most fundamentally, having a programme for kids that starts to instill in them from an early age how to play like Spain...a "La masia" type of academy where only the most talented players are picked up and properly groomed through the youth ranks. And oh, also weeding out mediocres like Ladan Bo$$o and Salisu from our football system.

[Cellular]

Everyone who has contributed to this thread so far has made valid contributions.
They have identified the problems and identified the solutions.
Much like what ails us as a country, the solution to our problems is right there among us.
Danfo Driver, as much as he tries to avoid discussing politics, always seems to see the interjection of our daily lives with our (bad) politics.
People see the right thing, know the right thing, and DO the WRONG thing
We have to reorient ourselves.
Demand more from ourselves.
Hold ourselves accountable.
You can't have an NFF that wasn't chosen on merit.
Which begets coaches not chosen on merit.
Which then chooses players not chosen on merit.
And expect to play like Spain.
You reap what you sow.

By the way, try going to some Brazilian soccer forums, and you will think you are in a Naijarian forum.

[Tobi17]

Everyone who has contributed to this thread so far has made valid contributions.
They have identified the problems and identified the solutions.
Much like what ails us as a country, the solution to our problems is right there among us.
Danfo Driver, as much as he tries to avoid discussing politics, always seems to see the interjection of our daily lives with our (bad) politics.
People see the right thing, know the right thing, and DO the WRONG thing
We have to reorient ourselves.
Demand more from ourselves.
Hold ourselves accountable.
You can't have an NFF that wasn't chosen on merit.
Which begets coaches not chosen on merit.
Which then chooses players not chosen on merit.
And expect to play like Spain.
You reap what you sow.

By the way, try going to some Brazilian soccer forums, and you will think you are in a Naijarian forum.

Well that's hardly surprising cause Brazil have been sh*t lately, they will feel right at home on here with us.

[mate]

Everyone who has contributed to this thread so far has made valid contributions.
They have identified the problems and identified the solutions.
Much like what ails us as a country, the solution to our problems is right there among us.
Danfo Driver, as much as he tries to avoid discussing politics, always seems to see the interjection of our daily lives with our (bad) politics.
People see the right thing, know the right thing, and DO the WRONG thing
We have to reorient ourselves.
Demand more from ourselves.
Hold ourselves accountable.
You can't have an NFF that wasn't chosen on merit.
Which begets coaches not chosen on merit.
Which then chooses players not chosen on merit.
And expect to play like Spain.
You reap what you sow.

By the way, try going to some Brazilian soccer forums, and you will think you are in a Naijarian forum.

Well that's hardly surprising cause Brazil have been sh*t lately, they will feel right at home on here with us.

Make room for Croatia...we've entered the chat.

We too are sh*t lately!

[Tobi17]

Everyone who has contributed to this thread so far has made valid contributions.
They have identified the problems and identified the solutions.
Much like what ails us as a country, the solution to our problems is right there among us.
Danfo Driver, as much as he tries to avoid discussing politics, always seems to see the interjection of our daily lives with our (bad) politics.
People see the right thing, know the right thing, and DO the WRONG thing
We have to reorient ourselves.
Demand more from ourselves.
Hold ourselves accountable.
You can't have an NFF that wasn't chosen on merit.
Which begets coaches not chosen on merit.
Which then chooses players not chosen on merit.
And expect to play like Spain.
You reap what you sow.

By the way, try going to some Brazilian soccer forums, and you will think you are in a Naijarian forum.

Well that's hardly surprising cause Brazil have been sh*t lately, they will feel right at home on here with us.

Make room for Croatia...we've entered the chat.

We too are sh*t lately!

To be fair, Croatia are going through the limbo of a transitional phase where some of their old guards are pretty much almost done (Modric etc), and of course the new generation of players who will need some time to form that bond...it's sometimes difficult to strike that balance when rebuilding. But I trust Croatia to be back in full force and better in no time, the right mentality and foundation is already there.

Brazil on the other hand are perhaps in a conundrum of producing a surprisingly low number of world class level players (i personally think even that Endrik kid is massivelyoverhyped), they are yet to produce a top level striker and the midfield is subpar- which is rather unusual for a nation like Brazil that churns out exciting players every other season.

[ohenhen1]

1. Fix the local league
2. Fix grassroots football
3. Hire a long term coach. Be patient. Let the coach build his team. Play more team football than ball chase run individual football.

[ohenhen1]

Spain have a great local league. La Liga
They have strong grassroot football
They have good officiating.
They have a competent FA
They don't hire foreign coaches.

What must Nigeria do to play like Spain?

[Damunk]

Teach them ball control first.

That’s the key. First touch.
And speed of thought.
Wiseone posted this in another thread.

I always laugh when amateur beer belly fans describe a Super Eagles player as a “wastepipe” or “junk”. Even the worst player on a Premier League team would look like prime Messi when playing against amateurs. Watch this Rondos training drill by the England team. That is Kyle Walker (one of the best RBs in the world) in the middle. Yet he was made to look pedestrian in the drill. The speed at which the players moved the ball was utterly spell binding.

[Enyi]

1. Fix the local league
2. Fix grassroots football
3. Hire a long term coach. Be patient. Let the coach build his team. Play more team football than ball chase run individual football.

Actually, its the other way round.....

A great National team, gets the locals investing in local football. then investors will invest in the local league to reap from the local league's newly found fame then the league grows.

i.e in Emgland, cycling was not a great passtime untill the English guy won tour de france....Everyone started cycling, Sky then invested heavily in it

Another erxample: MLS - USA hosted the world cup, its NT did well and the locals that hated Soccer became invested in it and rest is history....

Final example, there was a boom of academies in Nigeria and this was born out of the successes of the U-17/20...Now that the success has faded, most of these academies are fading as well...

so like Danfo and Bigpokey said..... Start with playing like Spain

[packerland]

Select the right coach, who will select the right players and implement the strategy. It doesn't actually take much. Bielsa went to Leeds and they were playing like Spain in Div 2. Maresca went to Leicester and in pre-season, they were already playing like Spain in Div 2.

I wrote this in the Spain v France game thread:

One interesting thing I noticed and enjoyed during the match, which I heard quite a lot over the last few weeks --

- i watched a video where Pep spoke about the importance of players being "very close to each other on the pitch," and concentrate on shorter passes.

- when i went to watch Uruguay play, I heard Bielsa shouting at the players to come closer to the ball.

- I saw a video of Maresca at Chelsea's training yesterday, asking the players to "keep position," "calm down, dont rush" "stay close"

- Watching spain and seeing how close they are to the ball, making small triangles when they pass, which completely draws the opponents out and creates spaces behind.

Very fascinating! I remember watching Belgium last week and I noticed how far away their players were from the ball and most of their passes seemed very long. And it caused them to lose possession quite often.

lol at Maresca. The guy is not the messiah. Let’s not forget that Leicester almost blew a 19pts lead and at one point were in 3rd place before a late surge had them winning the championship.

[ohenhen1]

1. Fix the local league
2. Fix grassroots football
3. Hire a long term coach. Be patient. Let the coach build his team. Play more team football than ball chase run individual football.

Actually, its the other way round.....

A great National team, gets the locals investing in local football. then investors will invest in the local league to reap from the local league's newly found fame then the league grows.

i.e in Emgland, cycling was not a great passtime untill the English guy won tour de france....Everyone started cycling, Sky then invested heavily in it

Another erxample: MLS - USA hosted the world cup, its NT did well and the locals that hated Soccer became invested in it and rest is history....

Final example, there was a boom of academies in Nigeria and this was born out of the successes of the U-17/20...Now that the success has faded, most of these academies are fading as well...

so like Danfo and Bigpokey said..... Start with playing like Spain

That is like trickle down economics. You are still expecting the national team to be good first by attracting a WOWO coach and scouting foreign based talents. Similar to the approach taken by the NFF. It wont wor k. It hasn't worked in the past. If you want a good national team. You have to build it up from the bottom up, Starting with competent NFF, then youth teams. This is what America is doing. This is what Spain did. Even England has embraced the bottom up approach by introducing the home grown rule. France another successful club has a culture of good home grown talent. Even Argentina has invested a lot in their league and youth football.

[ohenhen1]

There is a trend. The good or serious teams invest a lot in their league and grassroot football. They have a competent NFF. Their policy is not to scout for foreign born eligible SE players. There policy is not hire an expatriate coach. Until Nigeria is serious. We will never play like Spain.

[Babadee]

Select the right coach, who will select the right players and implement the strategy. It doesn't actually take much. Bielsa went to Leeds and they were playing like Spain in Div 2. Maresca went to Leicester and in pre-season, they were already playing like Spain in Div 2.

I wrote this in the Spain v France game thread:

One interesting thing I noticed and enjoyed during the match, which I heard quite a lot over the last few weeks --

- i watched a video where Pep spoke about the importance of players being "very close to each other on the pitch," and concentrate on shorter passes.

- when i went to watch Uruguay play, I heard Bielsa shouting at the players to come closer to the ball.

- I saw a video of Maresca at Chelsea's training yesterday, asking the players to "keep position," "calm down, dont rush" "stay close"

- Watching spain and seeing how close they are to the ball, making small triangles when they pass, which completely draws the opponents out and creates spaces behind.

Very fascinating! I remember watching Belgium last week and I noticed how far away their players were from the ball and most of their passes seemed very long. And it caused them to lose possession quite often.

Biesla that relegated Leeds if you don’t have the players that is a reckless way of playing.


Remember this Spanish team has players from crème de la crème of Europe. Barca, Madrid,City, Athletico etc

This team also won the last Olympic good medal.

Nigerians players are Playing mosly in relegation or mid table teams.

[Babadee]

1. Fix the local league
2. Fix grassroots football
3. Hire a long term coach. Be patient. Let the coach build his team. Play more team football than ball chase run individual football.

Actually, its the other way round.....

A great National team, gets the locals investing in local football. then investors will invest in the local league to reap from the local league's newly found fame then the league grows.

i.e in Emgland, cycling was not a great passtime untill the English guy won tour de france....Everyone started cycling, Sky then invested heavily in it

Another erxample: MLS - USA hosted the world cup, its NT did well and the locals that hated Soccer became invested in it and rest is history....

Final example, there was a boom of academies in Nigeria and this was born out of the successes of the U-17/20...Now that the success has faded, most of these academies are fading as well...

so like Danfo and Bigpokey said..... Start with playing like Spain

That is like trickle down economics. You are still expecting the national team to be good first by attracting a WOWO coach and scouting foreign based talents. Similar to the approach taken by the NFF. It wont wor k. It hasn't worked in the past. If you want a good national team. You have to build it up from the bottom up, Starting with competent NFF, then youth teams. This is what America is doing. This is what Spain did. Even England has embraced the bottom up approach by introducing the home grown rule. France another successful club has a culture of good home grown talent. Even Argentina has invested a lot in their league and youth football.

England and Spain did not do home grown they focused on what we were doing,
Which is heavy focus on Youth football u13-u23.
All them Lamar, Pedro, Williams , olmo are in early 20s,they all played u13 - u 16 together

Their league is strong so they pick the best from their league

[mcal]

...hire a foreign NFA chief and the rest will fall in line.
e go happen one day.
You don't drive a quality car with dirty fuel in it.
Our NFA is bad, and you want them hire a top coach who will be bemused at the behavior of his illiterate employer.

[danfo driver]

lol at Maresca. The guy is not the messiah. Let’s not forget that Leicester almost blew a 19pts lead and at one point were in 3rd place before a late surge had them winning the championship.

Biesla that relegated Leeds if you don’t have the players that is a reckless way of playing.


Remember this Spanish team has players from crème de la crème of Europe. Barca, Madrid,City, Athletico etc

This team also won the last Olympic good medal.

Nigerians players are Playing mosly in relegation or mid table teams.

Guys, how bad is our education system in Nigeria? And how prevalent is mental illness?

"How can we get the SE to play like Spain" - which soley indicates "style of play." And then we have two people who have history of mental illness - one going on and on about Maresca and his messiah or lack of messianic behavior! The other one going on and on about Bielsa relegating teams and being a reckless human being who should be arrested in Spain.

We need serous healthcare and education reform in Nigeria.

[Lolly]

Select the right coach, who will select the right players and implement the strategy. It doesn't actually take much. Bielsa went to Leeds and they were playing like Spain in Div 2. Maresca went to Leicester and in pre-season, they were already playing like Spain in Div 2.

I wrote this in the Spain v France game thread:

One interesting thing I noticed and enjoyed during the match, which I heard quite a lot over the last few weeks --

- i watched a video where Pep spoke about the importance of players being "very close to each other on the pitch," and concentrate on shorter passes.

- when i went to watch Uruguay play, I heard Bielsa shouting at the players to come closer to the ball.

- I saw a video of Maresca at Chelsea's training yesterday, asking the players to "keep position," "calm down, dont rush" "stay close"

- Watching spain and seeing how close they are to the ball, making small triangles when they pass, which completely draws the opponents out and creates spaces behind.

Very fascinating! I remember watching Belgium last week and I noticed how far away their players were from the ball and most of their passes seemed very long. And it caused them to lose possession quite often.

Biesla that relegated Leeds if you don’t have the players that is a reckless way of playing.


Remember this Spanish team has players from crème de la crème of Europe. Barca, Madrid,City, Athletico etc

This team also won the last Olympic good medal.

Nigerians players are Playing mosly in relegation or mid table teams.

They say it doesn’t matter what clubs or league you play. Just get a local coach and the plenty of talent we have in the NPFL, and we will win everything.

The SE can’t play like Spain because majority of the players are lazy with very poor movement and worse decision making.

[Cellular]

Everyone who has contributed to this thread so far has made valid contributions.
They have identified the problems and identified the solutions.
Much like what ails us as a country, the solution to our problems is right there among us.
Danfo Driver, as much as he tries to avoid discussing politics, always seems to see the interjection of our daily lives with our (bad) politics.
People see the right thing, know the right thing, and DO the WRONG thing
We have to reorient ourselves.
Demand more from ourselves.
Hold ourselves accountable.
You can't have an NFF that wasn't chosen on merit.
Which begets coaches not chosen on merit.
Which then chooses players not chosen on merit.
And expect to play like Spain.
You reap what you sow.

By the way, try going to some Brazilian soccer forums, and you will think you are in a Naijarian forum.

Well that's hardly surprising cause Brazil have been sh*t lately, they will feel right at home on here with us.

Make room for Croatia...we've entered the chat.

We too are sh*t lately!

Come onnnnn, Mate.
Croatia has been to the top.
The generation that got them to the top are just getting old but are still competitive.

[Agbako]

If there is any arm of our institution in Nigeria where one will expect serious growth of continuity,. One would have thought it will be the NFF with a strong private office holders backed by fIFA with no outside interference by the Nigerian Govt.

I see NFF as "Shoprite" MTN. Coca Cola. Nestle" etc.. Are these not profit driven businesses that competes daily in the business world. ? Is NFF not an entity that should be competing daily for business success? Lets chew on this for a minute.

But when there is no Vision nothing will ever work. Where leaders of the Chairmanship---- contests strictly on mediocrity/what you can come and steal------ not merit of what have you done and what are your plans for the position and NFF Org. your fighting to lead.

You see folks .... its just down right rubbish from the top. None of us will run our little soccer academy the way NFF does things.. Thats where the problem lies. All the beautiful bandages we are applying here are wonderful to treat an incurable sore,