Can Nigeria make its dominance in Youth Tournaments count?

The Flying Eagles of Nigeria on Sunday night defeated hosts, Senegal, in the final of the African U-20 Youth championship 1-0 to claim Nigeria's 7th championship title in the prestigious competition since its inception in 1979.

Bulbwa's excellent finish in the first half was enough to give Manu Garba's team the victory in a pulsating game.

The Nigerian team leaves the tournament unbeaten in 5 matches after defeating their hosts in the opening match 3-1, thrashed Congo 4-1, held to a 2-2 draw by the Ivory Coast and defeating the black satellites of Ghana 2-0 in the Semi final.

The Flying Eagles will now go on to play Brazil, North Korea and Hungary in the group stage of the FIFA World Youth Championship to be held in New Zealand in May this year.

While Nigeria's victory in Senegal was sweet, the big question remains: can we transmit this success in age grade competitions to the Super Eagles where victory in tournaments really counts?

It's a question that only time will tell at this point as we start the rebuilding process of restoring our national team to the top of African football. Our success in the AYC competition with 7 titles is in stark contrast to the Super Eagles who have only won 3 African Cup of Nations titles.

The primary aim of age group tournaments is not to attain victory in a competition rather, it is to discover and develop raw and exceptional talent that could go on to replace tired and ageing players in the national team.

This over the years, unfortunately, has not been our primary aim and as a result, it has affected the Super Eagles. The Super Eagles have failed to dominate Africa over a sustained period the way countries such as Egypt and Cameroun have. 

Though Nigeria failed to defend her AFCON title which she won in Tunisia in 1994 in South Africa in 1996 because of a last minute withdrawal from the tournament as a result of a dubious political statement by the country's then dictator, General Sani Abacha, Nigeria has failed to put up any serious title defence after becoming champions of Africa. In 1982, Nigeria was knocked out in the first round of the African Cup of Nations. While Stephen Keshi's AFCON winning team of 2013 failed to even qualify for the tournament in Equitorial Guinea where they were supposed to be the defending champions.

You would suspect that if there was a fluid progression of players from the U-17, U-20 and U-23 junior teams to the Super Eagles, the way Keshi's squad struggled for form during the last AFCON qualifiers would have been avoided.

The mere fact that since Keshi took over from present U-23 coach, Samson Siasia, he has not been able to discover one natural right back for the national team let alone a back up, shows a flaw in the way we run our teams. Efe Ambrose a centre back by trade filled that void pretty well since Nigeria was not regarded as a force to be reckoned with after we failed to qualify for the AFCON of 2012. We carried the element of surprise and probably the tag as dark horses albeit one of the favourites in South Africa in 2013 where we peaked after the group  stages and at the right time. Before anyone could take notice, we were already champions.

After the World Cup, teams did their homework on Nigeria and they spotted one or two vulnerabilities in Keshi's squad which they exploited ruthlessly. The end result was we were bundled out during the qualifiers. That we failed to qualify for AFCON isn't new but the performance of the team throughout the qualifiers was not the stuff you would expect from a reigning champion.

Nigeria has failed to replace players like Okocha, Yekini, and even Stephen Keshi himself with equally outstanding players after they quit the game.This may be where our problems lie. Even though we have won a lot of bronze and silver medals at AFCON, Nigeria has failed to defend her title or even retain it. This complaceny has to end.

We should look at in form players when selecting players for the national team. There must be a system put In place to monitor the progress of youngsters as they climb up the ladder. The Nigeria Football Federation should collaborate with corporate sponsors and establish football academies to complement the few already existing ones in the country. 

Moreover, a paradigm shift must be made by the NFF with emphasis from winning at all costs at age grade competitions to talent pursuit and discovery so that the senior national team can be competitive.

Should only Managers be kicked out when teams perform poorly?

Former Sunderland manager, Gustavo Poyet was relieved of his duties a few days ago after Sunderland's dismal performance at home in last weekend's premier league game at the Stadium of Light where resurgent Aston Villa trounced Sunderland 4-0.

The Sunderland team as a whole were dire especially the defence parading seasoned professionals in John O'shea and Wes Brown. Seb Larsson coming on 3 minutes after the second half had started is a fair reflection of the discipline and state of affairs in the Sunderland camp. This type of sloppiness by Seb Larsson would never occur under the watch of a manager like Jose Mourinho.

What makes this defeat particularly frustrating for Sunderland fans is that Aston Villa prior to this game were the league's poorest attacking team with just 15 league goals prior to that game. This game's performance was surely not as woeful as their performance at Southampton were they shipped in 8 goals. It was so bad that they had to offer their travelling fans a refund for all their troubles for that fiasco at St Mary's. What has upset many in Sunderland is that the team made Aston Villa look world class. Anyone who has watched Villa under Paul Lambert this season would know Villa are anything but.

This defeat was ultimately the last straw and Sunderland has since appointed Dick Advocaat to rescue what is left of their season. The big question is: is Sunderland's struggles this season the sole fault of Gustavo Poyet? If it isn't, should players also be held more accountable? 

If players are to be held more accountable, how should they be made more accountable? 

Even looking at Sunderland's performance under Poyet last season where they defeated City, United and Chelsea away from home in an amazing escape from relegation and also playing in the Capital One Cup final against Man City, didn't Poyet deserve to at least see this season out before being axed?

Of course, people will look at the impact sacking a manager and bringing in a new one can do to revitalise a team. Players out of favour are a given a chance to prove their worth, players are motivated to be in the new manager's good book, some even play like they are fighting for their future either at the club or elsewhere. 

A good example is the impact Tony Pulis had in his spell at Crystal Palace and is now having at West Brom. He took over from Ian Holloway and led Palace from rock bottom of the EPL to mid table safety. He even ended up as League manager of the year last season. He has worked his magic again at West Brom this season after taking over from Alan Irvine who was shown the exit door in January after a spate of poor results.

Another example is Tim Sherwood who galvanised Spurs last season after the sacking of Andre Villas Boas and now seems to be repeating the trick with Aston Villa after they booted out Paul Lambert.

Sacking a manager and replacing him however, doesn't always yield the desired effect. Felix Magath was appointed to save Fulham from relegation last season but Fulham still ended up relegated and now are facing relegation into league one!  Same scenario for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who had to leave Cardiff after failing to keep them up last season in the EPL and their poor form continued in the championship.

So back to the argument, is it fair to make only managers the scape goat when a team is playing poorly? What about the players who are often not held accountable by the fans or media? 

In my opinion, it isn't fair if a manager who has a proven track record to be sacked without some key or senior players being made to face the music in some capacity if their performances have not been up to scratch as well. The power players have  in determining the fate of a manager's position should be checked in some way. 

Villas Boas position at Chelsea was undermined by senior players at Chelsea when he was their manager. Chelsea only started giving their best after Di Mateo took over in a classic example in which players yield so much power. 

Why do they have so much power? Well some players are obviously untouchable and you can't just sack and replace players like you do managers who don't have a transfer window like players do. Besides quality replacements aren't easy to acquire after the summer.

Undoubtedly, there are bad managers, and they should be fired when they fail to perform or get the best out of a squad. But a situation where club directors sack good managers just because of the lure of big money that would be gotten if they retained their league status and not consider other mitigating factors such as player attitude or squad unity coupled with some bad luck to me is just unfair! 

It's sadly,the nature of the beast the game football.

 

United's FA Cup ouster and why they have to bounce back.

Manchester United, sadly, were knocked out of the FA Cup by in form Arsenal on Monday night in a thrilling game that had everything neutrals want to see. There were goals, drama, red cards, dives, controversial incidents, world class saves, you name it. 

But it was the gunners who go home with the victory and a place in the semi final of the FA Cup and will face the winner of the replay between Bradford and Reading at Wembley. For United, it's going to be another trophy less campaign for the first time in 26 years. All Manchester United have to play for right now in order to salvage their season is to secure a place in the top 4 so that they can make a return to the Champions League.

Easy, right? Unfortunately for United supporters, it isn't. Man United's next 5 games are pivotal if they are to remain in contention for the champions league places. United play Spurs in their next game at Old Trafford. Spurs are just 3 points behind United and are also pushing for a top 4 place. United then travel to Anfield to play Liverpool who on current form are  strong favourites to win that game. United then host struggling Aston Villa who have been rejuvenated by new manager Tim Sherwood. You would fancy United to win this one but they then host Manchester City and travel to Goodison park to play Everton in what is a tricky fixture. 

If Man United manager, Louis Van Gaal can navigate these fixtures and still remain in the top 4 it would be a tremendous achievement. Besides, you would expect LVG's team to kick on from there and solidify it's position in the top 4 or even top 3 because Arsenal are only a point ahead of Man Utd and you would fancy the gunners to drop a few more points. 

But this United team based on current form is unlikely to go through all those games without dropping a fair number of points especially against the likes of Liverpool and Man City. The smart money would be on them rather than on this current United team which seems low on confidence, cautious and lacking in identity and style.

Of course, United still have good attacking players and an excellent goalkeeper but the defence has been suspect, the midfield is lethargic and its build up play towards goal has been slow. They do dig deep to get results and keep possession especially against lesser teams but you would expect that they would be found out by their rivals who are a class above teams in the bottom half of the league.

LVG has a lot on his hands. He will be given time by the United hierarchy to try and sort things out. But if his tactics this season are anything to go by, then it's hard to see how he can improve the squad. Something needs to be done.

United have to play the United way and win games convincingly. The fans may be lenient in their criticism of LVG compared to that that was given to David Moyes but there is no guarantee their patience won't run out if the brand of football United are currently 'entertaining' their fans with doesn't come to a grinding halt. Moreover, a place in the top 4 could suddenly be out of their reach if the rich vein of form of Liverpool and Spurs continue.

Why Capital One Success was crucial for Mourinho

Chelsea last Sunday defeated Totenham Hotspur 2-0 in the Capital One Cup final match played at the Wembley Stadium in a game where Chelsea weren't spectacular but still bore all the hallmarks of a typical  Mourinho side who have been well prepared for a big game.

They were very professional, organised defensively and ruthless when opportunities presented themselves in the game. In a game where Spurs early on had the upper hand after early attempts by Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane had hit the crossbar and forced Petr Cech to make a save respectively, Chelsea captain,John Terry scored with Chelsea's first shot on target. A shot with a deflection off Harry Kane which led to the opening goal. This goal would have led any Spurs fan fearing the worst of what could be the outcome of the match with Chelsea now in the driving seat. 

And their fears were confirmed when Diego Costa put the game beyond any doubt with his effort ending up at the back of the net shortly after the resumption of proceedings with another shot taking a wicked deflection off Kyle Walker. Spurs tried to get back into the game but they met stiff resistance from a Chelsea rear guard marshalled by John Terry. 

As the game started drawing to a close, Jose Mourinho was animated on the touch line, celebrating with his assistant and punching the air for another masterstroke of a performance by his squad. It is fair to say that while Chelsea weren't at their best, Mourinho got his tactics spot on. Bringing in Kurt Zouma to fill in for the suspended Nemanja Matic was another shrewd decision from the master tactician.

After the game ended, Mourinho called his wife to announce the result. A result which ended a 3 year trophy drought for the Special One. The Special One's last trophy success was Real Madrid's La Liga success in 2012. For a winner like Mourinho, it must look like ages. Managers like players, are human and are susceptible to self doubt during dry spells. Another trophy less season which has been unlikely for a long time this season would have heaped a lot of pressure on Mourinho if the standards that were used against his predecessors were used against him. No wonder this victory meant so much to Mourinho and his players. 

Mourinho after the game said effectively that finals weren't meant for playing pretty, it was all about getting the result. That was the bottom line. Not many would disagree with him. 

And now, with Man City handing Chelsea the initiative after slipping up at Anfield earlier that day, Chelsea have an opportunity to tighten their grip on the league table. Chelsea have momentum with their Capital One Cup success. Chelsea are expected to go on now and win the league. 

And if they do, that would be Mourinho's 25th trophy of his managerial career. His 8th for Chelsea not to include the possibility of a Champions League success as Chelsea look like favourites to reach the quarter finals after their 1-1 draw with Chelsea in Parc de Princes.

If Mourinho had started to have doubts about his ability to win trophies after a 3 year wait, his current predicament would dispel any lingering doubts in a hurry.