Russia v Nigeria - 1:1 FT

[kawawa]

I am content with our midfield. Add Iwobi, Chukwueze and 1 other creative guy and we are getting closer.

The back 5 wouldnt start for us, or shouldnt anyway. And the forwards wouldnt, with Osimhen and Lookman.

I think there's now quality depth.
The next thing is to figure out which combination works best together.
I would seriously consider keeping this set and just adding Iwobi and Lookman for Dele and Simon, respectively.

In the back, with Aina and Felix we will be more solid. And you also have the flexibility of moving Bassey to Leftback if you want.

Really drop Simon? Dude is hardest working player outside of Vic O and plays well more often than not

Considering the formation we play, and for balance, you have to pick one between Simon and Lookman. Simon shouldn’t be playing AM for us, when we have Iwobi, Chukwueze and Uche. You are agree right?

For some weird reason, I think people forget that we have Lookman in our team

Are we going to play one constant formation irrespective of opponent? Should we not have redundancies? Iwobi, Simon, Lookman, Uche and may be Chukwueze (from an n=1) can play AM. Simon, Iwobi, Lookman can also play from the left, Chukwueze, Uche can play from the right. What is wrong with versatility. I for one would take take a Simon anytime because even when he has a bad game he tries for the team.

Most teams have a primary formation. This is because if you mix and change formations every match, your players will get confused - more confused than the opponent. I am hopeful that you understand this?

In my understanding of the English language, the presence of a primary formation means there is a high possibility of using a secondary formation occasionally. Why build your team based only on the primary formation if you can call on a different one occasionally. I am hopeful you understand this? I think Chelle knows what he has in Simon.

[vancity eagle]

I just checked all the previous matches Russia has played and realized they had not conceded a goal since 2023 until today against us? and we played them with a aging defence and no Chukwueze, Osimhen, Lookman, Iwobi, Aina and even Dessers
who is looking the part... that's some crazy stats from Russia, really good team that has been frozen out of international football due to the whole shitty war.

Very true but we also need to state the quality of opposition they faced Zambia, Grenada, Syria and Vietnam these are not top football nations while nigeria is suppose to be one.

They also beat Serbia 4-0

[vancity eagle]

i know every body will blame the RB for the goal conceded, but #7 is the actual problem.
The right back behind him was about to get double teamed . He should have been closer to the guy on the ball.

Yup.

Some have tried to compare Samuel supposedly getting burned to Sodiq getting abused, but it was an overlapping run and Samuel didn't have a teammate helping out.

It wasn't really Samuel's fault at all he was doing the job of TWO players.

[Vindave]

i am comfortable with the result and performance. We could have performed better, but some players showed that they belong and thats the most important thing.

Leaving Moscow (against their first team) with a draw, with our second team, missing 8-9 first 11 players, is very very impressive. I keep saying that if the coach selects his team on merit, we can be very competitive.

Fair result. But that was never the issue..

But very unimpressed with the performance.
No discernible improvement from game to game under this coach.
None whatsoever...

Just prepare úr application to take over the Managers job.

[Ugbowo]

Twi things can be right.

Chelle and this 4-4-2 diamond is really bad for our personnel and we don’t look good in build up and are very vulnerable in wide areas.

Fredericks to me was the revelation this 3 games. He needs to play senior football this coming season ASAP.

Nothing else was particularly revealing. Tolu, goal aside, looked like a serviceable deputy since Rwanda game. Boniface, albeit not a terrible performance is being judged more for his personality than his play. Uche will give us depth but he’s no starter. He was tired 3 mins into scone half and should have been the first one off the pitch not Boniface. Simon was really poor and this was probably Bruno’s worst game for the SE.

Chelle not seeing the folly in his system will be our greatest undoing.

[txj]

Twi things can be right.

Chelle and this 4-4-2 diamond is really bad for our personnel and we don’t look good in build up and are very vulnerable in wide areas.

Fredericks to me was the revelation this 3 games. He needs to play senior football this coming season ASAP.

Nothing else was particularly revealing. Tolu, goal aside, looked like a serviceable deputy since Rwanda game. Boniface, albeit not a terrible performance is being judged more for his personality than his play. Uche will give us depth but he’s no starter. He was tired 3 mins into scone half and should have been the first one off the pitch not Boniface. Simon was really poor and this was probably Bruno’s worst game for the SE.

Chelle not seeing the folly in his system will be our greatest undoing.

Its very sad to see peeps twisting themselves into pretzels to make excuses for a manager who is not improving the team.
The team is not improving. We can't even play out from the back (even Andorra can!) and the MF is not controlling games...

As for Fredericks, he needs to take his career into his own hands. The S. Korean CD who was in the same WYC as him has played games in the cup and league for Brentford...

This is the most options we have had in the SE, since Keshi had to scrounge for players...

[Synopsis]

Wy can’t we just stick with a normal 4-3-3?

[Lolly]

Twi things can be right.

Chelle and this 4-4-2 diamond is really bad for our personnel and we don’t look good in build up and are very vulnerable in wide areas.

Fredericks to me was the revelation this 3 games. He needs to play senior football this coming season ASAP.

Nothing else was particularly revealing. Tolu, goal aside, looked like a serviceable deputy since Rwanda game. Boniface, albeit not a terrible performance is being judged more for his personality than his play. Uche will give us depth but he’s no starter. He was tired 3 mins into scone half and should have been the first one off the pitch not Boniface. Simon was really poor and this was probably Bruno’s worst game for the SE.

Chelle not seeing the folly in his system will be our greatest undoing.

Bros, I need to ask you something since you are a coach.

In the game against Russia, can you help me fill in the gaps…

1. Who were the 2 upfront?
2. Who was the midfielder at the top of the diamond closer to the 2 upfront?

[joao]

Thanks Lolly for posting these pictures, as they show how bad out defending was in that match.

Seems like our defenders simply love crowding the ball, with no appreciation
for the positions of the opponent players. Three of our defenders are pre-occupied
with the guy with the ball, as if he is named Messi.
Also look at the bottom of the pictures, and see how the lone Russian was unmarked
while both our players closer to him were simply eager to go 'help' where the ball was.
I can just imagine if a through pass gets to the Russian 'loitering in our box unattended'.
Further more, such crowding positioning of our defenders make it harder to pass the ball
from the back if we happen to intercept it.

When I look at the top teams, the defending is less of a crowding of the person with the ball,
but more of a positioning by defenders to cut off passes while one or two other defenders challenge
the opposition player who is moving the ball.

[danfo driver]

Twi things can be right.

Chelle and this 4-4-2 diamond is really bad for our personnel and we don’t look good in build up and are very vulnerable in wide areas.

Fredericks to me was the revelation this 3 games. He needs to play senior football this coming season ASAP.

Nothing else was particularly revealing. Tolu, goal aside, looked like a serviceable deputy since Rwanda game. Boniface, albeit not a terrible performance is being judged more for his personality than his play. Uche will give us depth but he’s no starter. He was tired 3 mins into scone half and should have been the first one off the pitch not Boniface. Simon was really poor and this was probably Bruno’s worst game for the SE.

Chelle not seeing the folly in his system will be our greatest undoing.

Its very sad to see peeps twisting themselves into pretzels to make excuses for a manager who is not improving the team.
The team is not improving. We can't even play out from the back (even Andorra can!) and the MF is not controlling games...

As for Fredericks, he needs to take his career into his own hands. The S. Korean CD who was in the same WYC as him has played games in the cup and league for Brentford...

This is the most options we have had in the SE, since Keshi had to scrounge for players...

You guys are so funny (I dont mean you and Ugbowo, specifically) but this made me laugh out loud! You insist on Ekong and Ajayi. One of them failed at Tottenham, failed most of his career, playing Div 2 football and ended up on Saudi. The other one has been a Div 2 merchant all his career and was just released by a Div 2 Club. Yet, you want to "play out from the back. WTF is wrong with you guys?? The media and fans support the call up of players who are actually bad. This is not me being mischievous. Players who are actually very bad that even Div 2 clubs do not want them, but yet, you guys smile and twerk and say you want to play out of the back and compete at the highest level.

Whats the problem here?? Am I the only one with a brain in that country?? I know most of you are highly educated, so what is the problem? it cant be corruption anymore, so are you guys just trolling me at this point?

[Ugbowo]

The game started with Simon and Boniface as the front 2. Uche was at the tip of diamond.

But Simon is 29 and has habits that he can’t rid of after few training sessions. His instinct is to make the wide run and stay wide. He cheated left everytime offensively. Uche started to join Boni up top whenever we managed to go past the mid third. By the second half we were so disjointed, it was Uche with Boni and Simon was doing his thing on the left. Whatever that was.

Imbalance offensively makes defensive transitions even worse. We were ragged in the press at times. The players do not understand the system and it’s showing really bad.

The goal we conceded was a simple overload we had no solution for. The supporter for the RB was the holding midfielder. It should have been the RMF Fisayo. He was not even close to the play.

No one is thriving in the system and Chelle is forcing it through. We are getting “results” but the signs are there. We don’t have a training camp to install a new system and we are clearly struggling. He needs to play these players to their strengths and then adopt a different in game strategy as needed.

[danfo driver]

Wy can’t we just stick with a normal 4-3-3?

The so-called 433 sef completely collapsed the team against Russia after the coach changed to 433 to accomodate the Russian-based Eagle. We only regained a little control after he brought in Ogu to play a 3-4-3.

I am a huge fan of 433 - its my fav formation. However, I do not even think our problem is formation. Our problem is the insistence by the NFF, Media and Devilish Fanbase on inviting players who are not worthy. For instance, you cannot be released by a Div 2 outfit for being sh1t and then come to Nigeria and be a starter -- do you know how bad that is? And you want that person to perform against Russia? LOL.

[danfo driver]

Seems like our defenders simply love crowding the ball, with no appreciation
for the positions of the opponent players. Three of our defenders are pre-occupied
with the guy with the ball, as if he is named Messi.

What do you expect though?

- RB - benchwarmer in Turkey
- CB - failed at Tottenham, Div 2 merchant, now struggling in Saudi
- CB - Div 2 merchant, now clubless
- LB - Greece

What do you expect?? These are very poor footballers. I am astounded at what you guys think we have? Our best defenders are not permitted to play for us, so that the dross sh1t up here can take their place and you guys support it! So what are you complaining about?

[Dammy]

Twi things can be right.

Chelle and this 4-4-2 diamond is really bad for our personnel and we don’t look good in build up and are very vulnerable in wide areas.

Fredericks to me was the revelation this 3 games. He needs to play senior football this coming season ASAP.

Nothing else was particularly revealing. Tolu, goal aside, looked like a serviceable deputy since Rwanda game. Boniface, albeit not a terrible performance is being judged more for his personality than his play. Uche will give us depth but he’s no starter. He was tired 3 mins into scone half and should have been the first one off the pitch not Boniface. Simon was really poor and this was probably Bruno’s worst game for the SE.

Chelle not seeing the folly in his system will be our greatest undoing.

Its very sad to see peeps twisting themselves into pretzels to make excuses for a manager who is not improving the team.
The team is not improving. We can't even play out from the back (even Andorra can!) and the MF is not controlling games...

As for Fredericks, he needs to take his career into his own hands. The S. Korean CD who was in the same WYC as him has played games in the cup and league for Brentford...

This is the most options we have had in the SE, since Keshi had to scrounge for players...

You guys are so funny (I dont mean you and Ugbowo, specifically) but this made me laugh out loud! You insist on Ekong and Ajayi. One of them failed at Tottenham, failed most of his career, playing Div 2 football and ended up on Saudi. The other one has been a Div 2 merchant all his career and was just released by a Div 2 Club. Yet, you want to "play out from the back. WTF is wrong with you guys?? The media and fans support the call up of players who are actually bad. This is not me being mischievous. Players who are actually very bad that even Div 2 clubs do not want them, but yet, you guys smile and twerk and say you want to play out of the back and compete at the highest level.

Whats the problem here?? Am I the only one with a brain in that country?? I know most of you are highly educated, so what is the problem? it cant be corruption anymore, so are you guys just trolling me at this point?

Dude, give it a rest! No one is insisting on Ajayi and Ekong, it’s the choice of the coach!!!
Nothing we post here has any influence on the national team selection and you should know that and stop blaming any fanbase!
The most culpable for dodgy selection to the SE are the NFF and our highly compromised media, who do not carry out their due diligence by ensuring transparency and accountability in the selection of national team’s squads. The media promote players who are past their prime and are complicit when undeserving players are invited.

[Ugbowo]

Wy can’t we just stick with a normal 4-3-3?

The so-called 433 sef completely collapsed the team against Russia after the coach changed to 433 to accomodate the Russian-based Eagle. We only regained a little control after he brought in Ogu to play a 3-4-3.

I am a huge fan of 433 - its my fav formation. However, I do not even think our problem is formation. Our problem is the insistence by the NFF, Media and Devilish Fanbase on inviting players who are not worthy. For instance, you cannot be released by a Div 2 outfit for being sh1t and then come to Nigeria and be a starter -- do you know how bad that is? And you want that person to perform against Russia? LOL.

That substitution confused the heck out of me. He pushed Fisayo up with Tolu and asked Olakunle to do what exactly? Run up and down the right? Has he watched Kunle play??? Meanwhile Simon was still doing whatever on the left.

We didn’t change formation until Ogbu came in.

Simon and Uche were very tactically indisciplined in that game. I just don’t think they understood their role. Boniface was the only that I thought has an iota of the tactics in play and what responsibilities were. But he was the first off the pitch.

Many things I don’t understand

[txj]

Twi things can be right.

Chelle and this 4-4-2 diamond is really bad for our personnel and we don’t look good in build up and are very vulnerable in wide areas.

Fredericks to me was the revelation this 3 games. He needs to play senior football this coming season ASAP.

Nothing else was particularly revealing. Tolu, goal aside, looked like a serviceable deputy since Rwanda game. Boniface, albeit not a terrible performance is being judged more for his personality than his play. Uche will give us depth but he’s no starter. He was tired 3 mins into scone half and should have been the first one off the pitch not Boniface. Simon was really poor and this was probably Bruno’s worst game for the SE.

Chelle not seeing the folly in his system will be our greatest undoing.

Its very sad to see peeps twisting themselves into pretzels to make excuses for a manager who is not improving the team.
The team is not improving. We can't even play out from the back (even Andorra can!) and the MF is not controlling games...

As for Fredericks, he needs to take his career into his own hands. The S. Korean CD who was in the same WYC as him has played games in the cup and league for Brentford...

This is the most options we have had in the SE, since Keshi had to scrounge for players...

You guys are so funny (I dont mean you and Ugbowo, specifically) but this made me laugh out loud! You insist on Ekong and Ajayi. One of them failed at Tottenham, failed most of his career, playing Div 2 football and ended up on Saudi. The other one has been a Div 2 merchant all his career and was just released by a Div 2 Club. Yet, you want to "play out from the back. WTF is wrong with you guys?? The media and fans support the call up of players who are actually bad. This is not me being mischievous. Players who are actually very bad that even Div 2 clubs do not want them, but yet, you guys smile and twerk and say you want to play out of the back and compete at the highest level.

Whats the problem here?? Am I the only one with a brain in that country?? I know most of you are highly educated, so what is the problem? it cant be corruption anymore, so are you guys just trolling me at this point?

Once again avoiding the issue.
Even if you for one moment took out those two players, it still doesn't explain our inability to play modern organized football.
Andorra defenders are able to build up play. They may not be world class, but with proper team organization, both Ekong and Ajayi can do it.

[amafolas]

i know every body will blame the RB for the goal conceded, but #7 is the actual problem.
The right back behind him was about to get double teamed . He should have been closer to the guy on the ball.

Partly right. There was another player closer to the RB.

For me, its not about proximity to danger. It's about correct positioning in defensive phases.
In this pic, everyone in the pic is relatively in a proper position except #7.



The white area in this pic is where he ideally should be positioned or at least hustling to get back to.
That way if necessary, the RB takes the overlapping runner, while #7 picks up the man on the ball.

There is also also another missing person. The forward playing in the center area should be positioned where i have that big oval

[Lolly]

The game started with Simon and Boniface as the front 2. Uche was at the tip of diamond.

But Simon is 29 and has habits that he can’t rid of after few training sessions. His instinct is to make the wide run and stay wide. He cheated left everytime offensively. Uche started to join Boni up top whenever we managed to go past the mid third. By the second half we were so disjointed, it was Uche with Boni and Simon was doing his thing on the left. Whatever that was.

Imbalance offensively makes defensive transitions even worse. We were ragged in the press at times. The players do not understand the system and it’s showing really bad.

The goal we conceded was a simple overload we had no solution for. The supporter for the RB was the holding midfielder. It should have been the RMF Fisayo. He was not even close to the play.

No one is thriving in the system and Chelle is forcing it through. We are getting “results” but the signs are there. We don’t have a training camp to install a new system and we are clearly struggling. He needs to play these players to their strengths and then adopt a different in game strategy as needed.

So we obviously were not playing 4-4-2 diamond. Only on paper but not on the pitch.

And it is becoming more obvious with each match that most of the attacking players are struggling to understand their role in this new formation. Our attacking play has no pattern and the personal are obviously just winging it. The movement is poor with players running into each other’s space (which happened too many times in the midfield). I think Chelle is confusing the players and this might be our downfall again Rwanda and SA in September.

[amafolas]

Thanks Lolly for posting these pictures, as they show how bad out defending was in that match.

Seems like our defenders simply love crowding the ball, with no appreciation
for the positions of the opponent players. Three of our defenders are pre-occupied
with the guy with the ball, as if he is named Messi.
Also look at the bottom of the pictures, and see how the lone Russian was unmarked
while both our players closer to him were simply eager to go 'help' where the ball was.
I can just imagine if a through pass gets to the Russian 'loitering in our box unattended'.
Further more, such crowding positioning of our defenders make it harder to pass the ball
from the back if we happen to intercept it.

When I look at the top teams, the defending is less of a crowding of the person with the ball,
but more of a positioning by defenders to cut off passes while one or two other defenders challenge
the opposition player who is moving the ball.

honestly by the time you get to the bottom pictures, the damage is done already. The problem occured in the wings with people not being in good defensive positions. once the attacking player gets behind the defence, all that is left is mostly luck.
I see nothing wrong in the lower pictures. The top picture was the problem.

[danfo driver]

Dude, give it a rest! No one is insisting on Ajayi and Ekong,

Here are CEs members' selections for our two critical games:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=321306

Have a nice weekend!

[Lolly]

i know every body will blame the RB for the goal conceded, but #7 is the actual problem.
The right back behind him was about to get double teamed . He should have been closer to the guy on the ball.

Partly right. There was another player closer to the RB.

For me, its not about proximity to danger. It's about correct positioning in defensive phases.
In this pic, everyone in the pic is relatively in a proper position except #7.



The white area in this pic is where he ideally should be positioned or at least hustling to get back to.
That way if necessary, the RB takes the overlapping runner, while #7 picks up the man on the ball.

There is also also another missing person. The forward playing in the center area should be positioned where i have that big oval

The #7 actually had another player in his sight. The Russians actually overloaded that part of the pitch and we appeared to be a man short. There were 5 Russian players against 3 of us.



I still believe Onyedika should have been quicker to close down the player after they doubled up on Osayi. Look at his starting position and look how far back he was from the guy at the time he crosssed the ball into our box.

[Dammy]

Dude, give it a rest! No one is insisting on Ajayi and Ekong,

Here are CEs members' selections for our two critical games:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=321306

Have a nice weekend!

Those selections are based on likely selection patterns by the national team coaches and it’s different from INSISTING on those players as you put it.
The comments are about predicting what the squad would be!

Nice weekend to you too!

[danfo driver]

Twi things can be right.

Chelle and this 4-4-2 diamond is really bad for our personnel and we don’t look good in build up and are very vulnerable in wide areas.

Fredericks to me was the revelation this 3 games. He needs to play senior football this coming season ASAP.

Nothing else was particularly revealing. Tolu, goal aside, looked like a serviceable deputy since Rwanda game. Boniface, albeit not a terrible performance is being judged more for his personality than his play. Uche will give us depth but he’s no starter. He was tired 3 mins into scone half and should have been the first one off the pitch not Boniface. Simon was really poor and this was probably Bruno’s worst game for the SE.

Chelle not seeing the folly in his system will be our greatest undoing.

Its very sad to see peeps twisting themselves into pretzels to make excuses for a manager who is not improving the team.
The team is not improving. We can't even play out from the back (even Andorra can!) and the MF is not controlling games...

As for Fredericks, he needs to take his career into his own hands. The S. Korean CD who was in the same WYC as him has played games in the cup and league for Brentford...

This is the most options we have had in the SE, since Keshi had to scrounge for players...

You guys are so funny (I dont mean you and Ugbowo, specifically) but this made me laugh out loud! You insist on Ekong and Ajayi. One of them failed at Tottenham, failed most of his career, playing Div 2 football and ended up on Saudi. The other one has been a Div 2 merchant all his career and was just released by a Div 2 Club. Yet, you want to "play out from the back. WTF is wrong with you guys?? The media and fans support the call up of players who are actually bad. This is not me being mischievous. Players who are actually very bad that even Div 2 clubs do not want them, but yet, you guys smile and twerk and say you want to play out of the back and compete at the highest level.

Whats the problem here?? Am I the only one with a brain in that country?? I know most of you are highly educated, so what is the problem? it cant be corruption anymore, so are you guys just trolling me at this point?

Once again avoiding the issue.
Even if you for one moment took out those two players, it still doesn't explain our inability to play modern organized football.
Andorra defenders are able to build up play. They may not be world class, but with proper team organization, both Ekong and Ajayi can do it.

It does. There is a reason Guardiola and his likes go to buy goalkeepers and defenders who can 'pass the ball out.'

As for your last sentence, I agree that organization and positioning helps. But I disagree with your assertion that Ekong adn Ajayo can start playing modern football after failing their entire career. In fact, Peseiro told Ekong to fvxk off and did not want him, but the NFF forced him on Peseiro, who then decided to change his entire tactics for the nations cup to accomodate him - 3-4-3 and push his team to fall deep and play counter attack -- you know why?? Peseiro knows that Ekong cannot play modern day pass out of the back football. I am sorry, but I believe Peseiro more than you on this one.