NewStats: 3,259,793 , 8,170,916 topics. Date: Monday, 26 May 2025 at 02:56 AM 5xz6l

You are actually right. We saw it under Rohr when Rohr did play a back 3. We saw it too under Peseiro at the Afcon albeit as a 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-3 because we played a 2 man midfield basically with FRANK ONYEKA AT THE HEART OF WHY OUR MIDFIELD PILLARS STOOD FIRM.

The 3421/343 sometimes felt like a 3-4-1-2 with Lookman ing Osimhen uptop which is why they could play off each other and take instintual turns to attack the space leading to Goal.

Danielnino00:
But seriously, if we must play a 2 man striker to accommodate Osimhen and Lookman, why don't we start with 3-5-2...
I don't understand why subsequent coaches have failed to see how well that formation will suit the team...
Aside Simon, who is inconsistent, we don't really have any better winger for us to be playing 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 all the time... 3-5-2 will give us more balance in midfield and defense...

Anyway, what do I know?

Add Calvin bassey to that list

Blueelf:
My take even though unpopular:

1) NFF is nothing but a corrupt organization. Unfortunately, they are an extension of a failed Nigerian state,so no surprises here. In saner climes, when you miss out on two world cups, the football organization will be overhauled and key men sacked and then probed. But it will be business essential as usual. After all, Tinubu is our president

2) Certain players should be eased out of the national set up. I know someone of them are favorites of people won this thread but if I'm being honest, Ndidi has never had an excellent game for nigeria. His monster performance week in and out for Leicester those days was the reason he got called severally. But even when he was in his prime, he was average at best for the Super Eagles. I'm not surprised at his lacklustre performance over 2 games. What surprises me if why chelle saw this and kept him in the starting line up. This doesn't inspire confidence in Chelle's decision making going forward.

3) This take will ruffle so many feathers but anchoring your midfield creativity on a subpar player as iwobi is a recipe for disaster. The guy is an average player. While I commend his loyalty to choosing Nigeria over England from the get go, the truth is we must not be sentimental. If we're being objective, Iwobi's games are usually a strong 6/10 for us and have been so since AfCON ended. We can't be tweaking positions just to fit someone into the team. We have done this so much for iwobi and he ends up delivering average performances

4) Odimhen is doing too much of a carry job and it's worrying. The moment he looses form or gets injured, we are in hot soup. Literally

4) Lookman didn't really perform well today. 6.5/10. He should more, otherwise, he remains a solid member of the first team

5) please stop inviting iheanacho to the provisional list thereby reducing slots for more deserving players. I don't see the justification for his continual invite. I mean, you don't even have to be a UEFA licensed coach to see this. Haba! His time is up in the SE

6) Old man Ekong should be eased out slowly from the team. He has given his best and he can't do more than this. He should be dropped to the bench for a more younger defender and let him mentor from there. From there, let them ease him out slowly. We can't keep depending on a defender his age to anchor our defense. It's not tenable at all.

7) I don't know if it's me being emotional but we need to stop picking players like some are already guaranteed a place in the team. That's why some players don't give their all because even if they perform poorly, next list, they'll be sure to see their names there. As it stands, only players like lookman, Osimhen, Ola Aina, Iwobi and Ekong have really paid their dues. The rest need to be told that they need to fight for their shirts. All this jamboree of Iheanacho and Chukwueze should stop. I mean chunks had 1 goal in how many matches as an attacking winger for his club side. Is he the best we can do at that position? And this is a genuine question please

TheSuperNerd:
Leave Lookman alone Trans. Fix your gender choice first before attacking the reigning Africa's best. Thank you lady, abi na mister. Should I call you mister? 😁

Trans ke?🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Rwanda and Zimbabwe had near zero resistance in their transition towards our goal. The ease at which they get close to our goal is a pain since Finidi. Shows Shield is missing.

Odunayaw:
Where this gets problematic is you make the only other option to be that home based stars will whip teams. That is false.

Make I even see what you regard as criteria. Pray tell

This conversation will continue for as long as we continue to struggle against teams except we want to chicken out by saying there are no longer minnows in African football which is a big lie. I will prefer home based eagles being beaten by fellow African teams than parading two APOTYs and other big names in Europe falling like a pack of cards.

yinkeys:
Randy Waldrum in 2023 said we will not qualify for World Cup, with the way we run our football
istrative wise, countries have left us in the past
Checkout Rwandas display of sponsors & ours
We have refused to move with the times

1. Make Osimhen Vice captain
He’s a once in a generation talent from Nigeria
No disrespect to Yekini but Osimhen is the better striker. He needs to show us the way forward. He’s our best/most ambitious player tbh
2. Osimhen should be involved in selecting the merit list going forward, I’m sure the guy will be really hurt right now
3. All the blame should go to NFF, they are not transparent with anything
From coach hiring to players listing

Paddy paddy NFF
We may not qualify for 2030 World Cup if they continue to run NFF like politics in Nigeria

Before start of qualifier or after 2 games?

9JAMac10:
I have unfollowed all of them on Snapchat. These guys are only good off the pitch and not on it. Most cuddled and the weakest group of players Nigerians has had in 30 years

story 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

TheSuperNerd:
You are actually right. We saw it under Rohr when Rohr did play a back 3. We saw it too under Peseiro at the Afcon albeit as a 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-3 because we played a 2 man midfield basically with FRANK ONYEKA AT THE HEART OF WHY OUR MIDFIELD PILLARS STOOD FIRM.

The 3421/343 sometimes felt like a 3-4-1-2 with Lookman ing Osimhen uptop which is why they could play off each other and take instintual turns to attack the space leading to Goal.

Onyeka was pivotal to the success of that 3-4-3 at the AFCON, no caps.... I mean, Conte, who popularised that formation (I might be wrong, but he used it to devating effects at Inter and Chelsea) had energetic midfielders to keep the middle tight... Onyeka was that guy..

I'm sure if Ndidi was fit at the AFCON and Peseiro decides to use him as partner to Iwobi, he won't have gone far...
I respect Ndidi for what he has achieved career wise, but he is clearly past his best and he is definitely not the right choice in a 2 man midfield

Rwanda got 8points with 4 goals. Omo. Mere 4 goals and conceded 4 goals again.

charlesemeka85:
Trans ke?🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Nwayo u sef. How far with una Ex, Ten Hag?

TheSuperNerd:
Ball playing midfielders.

Uche is one. Akinsanmiro is another. Nwakali in EFL League one is another but let's forget him.

The first 2 are ball playing midfielders who will do a good job, I am convinced but no... we keep snubbing this "conundrum" coach after coach nd after coach.

Even Eguavoen mentioned this when he failed to bear Rwanda at home and also knew this when we failed against Ghana. My problem is that they know but still don't get proactive on the solution.

Am sick of all these using stats in Europe to select players that will face African based players wey we no know their stats. We need to be more talent wise in our approach to selection. How can we be struggling to beat Rwanda and Zimbabwe at home just how?

Danielnino00:


Onyeka was pivotal to the success of that 3-4-3 at the AFCON, no caps.... I mean, Conte, who popularised that formation (I might be wrong, but he used it to devating effects at Inter and Chelsea) had energetic midfielders to keep the middle tight... Onyeka was that guy..

I'm sure if Ndidi was fit at the AFCON and Peseiro decides to use him as partner to Iwobi, he won't have gone far...
I respect Ndidi for what he has achieved career wise, but he is clearly past his best and he is definitely not the right choice in a 2 man midfield

This @emboldened, right here is the truth. I keep saying it. Personnel matters.

I am devastated.

Eric Chelle has his faults

but

I'm putting this loss (yes, its a loss) 100% on the players.

Professional players should be able to defend their lead and see off a game of this magnitude.

Close shop. Change formation to 10 - 0 - 0 Park the bus, even if you're a forward fall back & defend.

There was too much space for the Zimbabweans to exploit for that their equalizer.

Ndidi had his usual lacklustre game. He was strolling and did not pick up that player who ran from deep.

Bright Osayi was also found wanting and culpable for that goal.

Ekong, what kind of atrocious defending was that? You dey fear to cause penalty but you for put leg for that ball na. Na 50-50 e go be.

Una just waste Osimhen hard work. goals and effort for nothing.

Mehn, I am sad.
.

yinkeys:
Randy Waldrum in 2023 said we will not qualify for World Cup, with the way we run our football
istrative wise, countries have left us in the past
Checkout Rwandas display of sponsors & ours
We have refused to move with the times

1. Make Osimhen Vice captain
He’s a once in a generation talent from Nigeria
No disrespect to Yekini but Osimhen is the better striker. He needs to show us the way forward. He’s our best/most ambitious player tbh
2. Osimhen should be involved in selecting the merit list going forward, I’m sure the guy will be really hurt right now
3. All the blame should go to NFF, they are not transparent with anything
From coach hiring to players listing

Paddy paddy NFF
We may not qualify for 2030 World Cup if they continue to run NFF like politics in Nigeria
Corruption don wound us finish

You started well but lost me at 1 and especially 2. Which one is that he should select the list? In what capacity? This is not monkey post choosing.

You cannot have a disciplined team by making one player a star boy. You destroy the teamwork.

Osimhen clearly has discipline issues and you want to make it worse.

Goke7:


This conversation will continue for as long as we continue to struggle against teams except we want to chicken out by saying there are no longer minnows in African football which is a big lie. I will prefer home based eagles being beaten by fellow African teams than parading two APOTYs and other big names in Europe falling like a pack of cards.

And when they are beaten? You look for better home based or what then?

I give stick to whom stick is due instead of hasty generalization.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoUnocqnjsw?si=wONi4bquv867mvw_

Goke7 abeg bury this Homes based talk. It is stale. Since all these wafu and chan and what not tournaments etc, we still never see 1 or two that are good enough to displace players in the current setup. Pls no bring that Sunday Mba talk either. The usage of that angle is stale too.

We see how the NPFL teams are terrible in caf club competitions b2b with some of the best legs in the league having lack of technical and tactical setup over and over.

If they were the ones that played ghana in Abuja that night, the riot for worse that one.

Let them show improvements and then go far in the Caf CL and CC and we can start that discussion again. After all, we got Enyeama from there. That's how solid it should be. They should step up.

At least back in the day you can have hope from just reading Complete Sports that a npl club can defeat a Tunisian or sudan or Egyptian side. Now, we can't even boast of any npfl club that can best a congo club in caf cl.


Abeg abeg.

Do you guys realize how crazy it is, that there is a possibility that 10 African counties will be at the next World Cup and Nigeria won’t be there?

TEN! We used to qualify with 5 spots. 10 whole slots and we mess it up in the most ridiculous way possible, because what in God’s name are all these draws about?

Every single thing is rubbish. I didn’t have hope before these two games, but drawing to Zimbabwe in Uyo is not it. Those first 3 draws were not it.

I haven’t had any hope in the Super Eagles in many years; the NFF is just a bunch of pot-bellied, unreliable, greedy men that wouldn’t know sports development if they slammed their heads into a book about it. Our age grade teams have been left to rot, we have not bled a new player into the senior team from those ends since Osimhen and Chukwueze’s 2015 set.

That is the first sign of our failure. You cannot keep running to Europe to fill up slots for players. There are so many talented players in Nigeria, but this country stifles growth so much.

There are a bunch of very corrupt-laden reasons that explain why we are where we are, but nothing has worked in Nigeria for 10 years now, and this rot has been a long time coming.

Ten slots! Ridiculous! We can go back on this thread and find posts where we swore we would qualify with ease if Africa had a 10-slot World Cup, they give that to us and we’re languishing in 4th place. I’m so incensed and disgusted!

The only positive thing is that those NFF freeloaders will not pack their opportunistic selves to USA next year under the guise of any yeye tournament.

Goal machine , monster machine, best team in Africa , best players in the world , No country can challenge our striking force , we are the best ..... Now see tears everywhere... Man dem pulling words like I'm devastated 🤣🤣

Super Chickens, where you dey?
Fly high wey dem no fit,
Every match na wahala,
Chasing glory them no fit
Even to Qualify for Worldcup, them no fit

Kicking ball like say na rock,
Fans dey shout, “Make we show”
But na jumbled es,
Now dem dey cry “Omo, wetin be dis show?”

Coach dey talk, “We go win!”
But hope dey fade with every play,
Super Chickens, na wetin happen?
Those way wan sacrifice me to the Gods, don turn burnt offering to the gods 😭

yinkeys:
Randy Waldrum in 2023 said we will not qualify for World Cup, with the way we run our football
istrative wise, countries have left us in the past
Checkout Rwandas display of sponsors & ours
We have refused to move with the times

1. Make Osimhen Vice captain
He’s a once in a generation talent from Nigeria
No disrespect to Yekini but Osimhen is the better striker. He needs to show us the way forward. He’s our best/most ambitious player tbh
2. Osimhen should be involved in selecting the merit list going forward, I’m sure the guy will be really hurt right now
3. All the blame should go to NFF, they are not transparent with anything
From coach hiring to players listing

Paddy paddy NFF
We may not qualify for 2030 World Cup if they continue to run NFF like politics in Nigeria
Corruption don wound us finish

You’re even worse than those fools in the Glass house.

Match highlights. Wasted performance 🤦🏽‍♂️

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxaZ5m_yelE?si=AVZs1IiiX7F4B1V5

yinkeys:
Randy Waldrum in 2023 said we will not qualify for World Cup, with the way we run our football
istrative wise, countries have left us in the past
Checkout Rwandas display of sponsors & ours
We have refused to move with the times

1. Make Osimhen Vice captain
He’s a once in a generation talent from Nigeria
No disrespect to Yekini but Osimhen is the better striker. He needs to show us the way forward. He’s our best/most ambitious player tbh
2. Osimhen should be involved in selecting the merit list going forward, I’m sure the guy will be really hurt right now
3. All the blame should go to NFF, they are not transparent with anything
From coach hiring to players listing

Paddy paddy NFF
We may not qualify for 2030 World Cup if they continue to run NFF like politics in Nigeria
Corruption don wound us finish

🤣🤣

Super chickens may not be at a World cup till 2034 . Utterly gutted about this result. Let’s countdown to Afcon in December

The NFF goons are too comfortable. We reward failure, mediocrity and incompetence too much in this country. What then is the metric for excellence? What are the standards that every one needs to meet? What happens to those that fail to meet the standards? Are they rewarded with more time? Do they fail and have no looks over their shoulders? Do they sleep at night so well?

Those guys are failures. Wafcon is around the corner. If we have a good outing and win now, they'll take the glory. Tueh

charlesemeka85:
afobeer to be consumed by the gods 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Mujtahida:
Praiiisssseeeee the lord!!

Thank you Ogun, thank you Amadioha. Accept this two bitter kola.

In sha Allah, we will qualify. Let me go and fast today.

Is a miracle working God, is a miracle working God

Schnapps, alligator pepper and one white fowl.

Last last afobear will be offered to the gods.

charlesemeka85:
later na u go dey cry say dem wan ban u for 15 years 🤦‍♀️

oya do the needful 😏🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

cry for me bro

daveP:
Goke7 abeg bury this Homes based talk. It is stale. Since all these wafu and chan and what not tournaments etc, we still never see 1 or two that are good enough to displace players in the current setup. Pls no bring that Sunday Mba talk either. The usage of that angle is stale too.

We see how the NPFL teams are terrible in caf club competitions b2b with some of the best legs in the league having lack of technical and tactical setup over and over.

If they were the ones that played ghana in Abuja that night, the riot for worse that one.

Let them show improvements and then go far in the Caf CL and CC and we can start that discussion again. After all, we got Enyeama from there. That's how solid it should be. They should step up.

At least back in the day you can have hope from just reading Complete Sports that a npl club can defeat a Tunisian or sudan or Egyptian side. Now, we can't even boast of any npfl club that can best a congo club in caf cl.


Abeg abeg.

No we can’t and never bury the home based talk if our foreign based players can’t win matches at home. Far from it, we keep using the excuse of how poor our league is to justify the invitation of foreign based players who we keep shifting the time of our matches at home to 5pm or 6pm so they can cope with our weather and still they can’t carry their legs to get us 3 points. It’s a mess but let’s continue to live in denial sha

BankyGee:

You get 😂

Chale , your body is chilled now ?

Saw the Benin V SA highlights. Good fortune cannot be overstated in this life.

Anyway, c'est la vie

daveP:
The NFF goons are too comfortable. We reward failure, mediocrity and incompetence too much in this country. What then is the metric for excellence? What are the standards that every one needs to meet? What happens to those that fail to meet the standards? Are they rewarded with more time? Do they fail and have no looks over their shoulders? Do they sleep at night so well?

Those guys are failures. Wafcon is around the corner. If we have a good outing and win now, they'll take the glory. Tueh

I made this point earlier but someone was asking me what criteria of success am I talking about.

Blueelf:
My take even though unpopular:

1) NFF is nothing but a corrupt organization. Unfortunately, they are an extension of a failed Nigerian state,so no surprises here. In saner climes, when you miss out on two world cups, the football organization will be overhauled and key men sacked and then probed. But it will be business essential as usual. After all, Tinubu is our president

2) Certain players should be eased out of the national set up. I know someone of them are favorites of people won this thread but if I'm being honest, Ndidi has never had an excellent game for nigeria. His monster performance week in and out for Leicester those days was the reason he got called severally. But even when he was in his prime, he was average at best for the Super Eagles. I'm not surprised at his lacklustre performance over 2 games. What surprises me if why chelle saw this and kept him in the starting line up. This doesn't inspire confidence in Chelle's decision making going forward.

3) This take will ruffle so many feathers but anchoring your midfield creativity on a subpar player as iwobi is a recipe for disaster. The guy is an average player. While I commend his loyalty to choosing Nigeria over England from the get go, the truth is we must not be sentimental. If we're being objective, Iwobi's games are usually a strong 6/10 for us and have been so since AfCON ended. We can't be tweaking positions just to fit someone into the team. We have done this so much for iwobi and he ends up delivering average performances

4) Odimhen is doing too much of a carry job and it's worrying. The moment he looses form or gets injured, we are in hot soup. Literally

4) Lookman didn't really perform well today. 6.5/10. He should more, otherwise, he remains a solid member of the first team

5) please stop inviting iheanacho to the provisional list thereby reducing slots for more deserving players. I don't see the justification for his continual invite. I mean, you don't even have to be a UEFA licensed coach to see this. Haba! His time is up in the SE

6) Old man Ekong should be eased out slowly from the team. He has given his best and he can't do more than this. He should be dropped to the bench for a more younger defender and let him mentor from there. From there, let them ease him out slowly. We can't keep depending on a defender his age to anchor our defense. It's not tenable at all.

7) I don't know if it's me being emotional but we need to stop picking players like some are already guaranteed a place in the team. That's why some players don't give their all because even if they perform poorly, next list, they'll be sure to see their names there. As it stands, only players like lookman, Osimhen, Ola Aina, Iwobi and Ekong have really paid their dues. The rest need to be told that they need to fight for their shirts. All this jamboree of Iheanacho and Chukwueze should stop. I mean chunks had 1 goal in how many matches as an attacking winger for his club side. Is he the best we can do at that position? And this is a genuine question please

Calling Iwobi subpar one thousand times, while failing to provide any player up to your preferred par to rival him, will never be anything short of amusing


Iwobi is not the reason why your defense could not hold a 1-0 lead with less than ten minutes to go.

Every time Nigeria loses, you people find a way to force Iwobi into the conversation because the blame card is never complete if his name is not on it.

Una go dey go round and round like this, until you find your actual problem, and it is not Iwobi