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| Stephen Keshi | Must Stay!!! |
Finally, the Super Eagles were knocked out of the World
Cup by more organised and purposeful French team. It was obvious that the team
lacks depth and that has been the case since the Team list came out.
I always say this - when the tactics of the coach fails,
no good flows from the players, then, it’s
the FIGHT in the players that wins the match. The Super Eagles put up a great
fight but it was not enough to break another record of qualification to the
Quarter-finals of the World Cup.
This concluding part of this article will focus more on the way forward, suggestions
and recommendations for the team;
If Enyeama finally leaves, who step in?
After the loss to France, it was reported that
Vincent Enyeama is considering hanging his gloves and this sends shivers to our
spine in Nigeria. Is going to be Austin Ejide (who is even older than Enyeama),
the ‘fat’ Chigozie Agbim or the ‘untested’ Daniel Akpeyi? The GK position has been one of the most
effective one and carefully chosen in the Super Eagles. Which way to go?
 |
| Vincent Enyeama | The Gifted Hands. |
Yobo finally leaves.
A 100th cap was the target for Joseph
Yobo but even with that, the veteran showed class, commitment and leadership throughout
the tournament. The big question now is – who is/are going to be the real
deputies for Godrey Oboabona and Kenneth Omeruo. Azubuike Egwukwe? OR the search
for new central defenders begins. Do we have the time to scout?
We’ve got Juwon Oshaniwa.
Just like the lyrics to one of Taylor Swift’s
songs - there were question marks hanging around the head of Stephen Keshi for
taking the so called ‘unknown’ Juwon Oshaniwa to the World Cup. After two matches,
he showed great and top-notch performances to justify his inclusion in the
team. Can we say he is a worthy deputy for Elderson Echiejile or we can see
Taye Taiwo at the end of the tunnel? We need pacey full backs like most European Countries.
No depth in the Midfield.
It was evident in the match against
France that we lack depth in the team. After news confirmed that Micheal
Babatunde will miss the France Match, I knew it was going to be an uphill task
for Stephen Keshi and the technical crew. We only had Ramon Azeez, Reuben
Gabriel and Uzoenyi Ejike on the bench. But Keshi opted for Victor Moses but no
actual effect from him in the middle of the pack. The search for the new Jay Jay
Okocha must begin but wait, do we even have scouts in this part of the world?
Ogenyi Onazi over John Obi Mikel
We don’t need to dwell more on the
shambolic performance of Mikel but rather proffer solution(s) to obvious challenges. The real impact of Onazi was not really
felt in the course of the tournament until an unfortunate injury by Matuidi against
France showed to us that, Onazi was the BRAIN and POWER HOUSE of the midfield. I
believe it’s high time Mikel gets competition for the Super Eagles’ shirt or
maybe jettisoned out of the squad. And I ask, Can we build the team around
Onazi?
 |
| Ogenyi Onazi | The Unfortunate Injury. |
The Frontline?
It’s sad that the highest goal scorer at
AFCON 2014 failed to score a single goal at the World Cup. Should we say he
missed ball services from the midfielders/wingers or he missed his favourite winger
– Brown Ideye? No obvious blame for Emmanuel Emenike at the World Cup because
the set up of the team was in question throughout the competition.
Going Forward?
Now that rumours are making the rounds (without
valid confirmation) that Stephen Keshi had resigned as the National Team Coach,
what is the fate of NFF, the loving fans and Nigeria Football? Remember, the
AFCON Qualifiers start in September. We need Keshi to stay for continuity!!!
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