The Super Eagles Must Improve Or Else...

After limping through to the Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers play offs drawing 1-1 with Cape Verde, the Super Eagles need to improve drastically if it hopes to make it to the World Cup finals in Qatar next year.

The Super Eagles despite starting well against Cape Verde, scoring in the first minute through danger man Victor Osimhen and having the better of the first half chances and possession, could not build on their first half performance and get the second goal that would have confirmed their place in the play offs and calm the nerves of fans all over the world viewing the winner takes all match. 

The Super Eagles struggled to break down the well drilled Cape Verde team in the second half and even though Cape Verde didn’t create many chances throughout the game, there were a few nervy moments in that second half for the Super Eagles late on. 

But at this stage of the qualifiers, it is the results that matter and not how great the performance is. The Super Eagles needed a point to qualify for the next phase and a point they got. Job done.

However, now that they are through to the play offs, we need to examine their overall performance especially those of the past 2 months and begin to ask if the Super Eagles are moving in the right direction.

There is no doubt that winning 4 games, losing 1 and also drawing 1 out of 6 is not a bad score card by any standard. All the same, we need to look at it in the context of the quality of opposition. Liberia, Central Africa Republic and Cape Verde are hardly elite African teams but they all seemed to give Nigeria a game. 

Perhaps it is because Nigeria is one of the most respected teams on the continent and as a result, teams often raise their game whenever they take on the Super Eagles. In any case, the Super Eagles hardly displayed the organisation and tactical discipline other teams in the group showed.

Maybe it is Rohr losing his mojo, or the players are not following his instructions or the team is dependent on their individual quality to see out games. Whatever it is, this needs to change in the next phase as we could come up against the likes of Egypt, Algeria, Morrocco, Senegal and Cameroon in the play offs.

Many of these teams would be more ruthless when we are sloppy at the back and be well drilled defensively. 

Speaking of sloppy, Leon Balogun has been shaky at the back for the Super Eagles of late. I believe Rohr’s switch to a back 3 was made to protect his lack of pace. His mistake led to our loss to CAR in Lagos but he recovered in the second leg to open the scoring in Douala. He was also quite outstanding when the Eagles took on Liberia in Tangiers but his performance on Tuesday was again poor to say the least.

Questions should also be asked why out of the blue Ighalo is back in the team. He is no longer cutting it at the highest level anymore. He should not be strolling into the team on the eve of a tournament. This is disrespectful in my opinion to the players who have worked their way into the team since his departure. There are other strikers who should be given a chance. One of which is Cyril Dessers and even Sunday Awoniyi. 

Rohr speaking in his post match press conference said that he believes the Ighalo-Osimhen partnership will work. Meaning that he plans to use this 3-5-2 formation in the AFCON in January. The truth is that we have too many wingers in this team for Rohr to stick to this formation. 

Ademola Lookman who is also a winger is expected to complete his switch from England to Nigeria and could be available for the AFCON and World Cup play offs next year. 

This is not forgetting the likes of Chukwueze, Ejuke, Musa and so on who are creative options from the wings. 

The Super Eagles have always thrived playing in a 4-3-3 formation and while 3-5-2 is useful when playing against a more superior opponent, it will not suit some of the technically gifted players we have who play on the wings.

Super Eagles On The Brink

The Super Eagles in Tangiers defeated Liberia 2-0 in the 5th round of matches of the African qualifiers for the FIFA 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar to put Nigeria on the brink of qualification for the play offs needing just a point at home. 

If this was the Super Eagles of 2 or 3 years ago, we would have had no fears of a possible upset in this winner takes all game against Cape Verde. But this current Nigerian team has shown a few times this year that the unthinkable is possible. 

Just last month, we lost shockingly at home at the Teslim Balogun stadium to the Central African Republic 0-1 at the last minute after failing to break them down throughout the whole game. Earlier this year, this team threw away a 4 goal lead to Sierra Leone and failed to win the return leg in Freetown in the AFCON qualifiers. 

Of course, the team rallied after these disappointing performances to defeat CAR in Douala in the World Cup qualifiers and got the job of qualifying for next year’s AFCON done by winning their next 2 games against Benin and Namibia. But they could easily have done so with 2 games to spare thereby giving some fringe players an opportunity to showcase their talents.

In their game with Liberia, Gernot Rohr was reluctant to bring in subs who could have changed the game’s dynamics only bringing on Chidera Ejuke and Ahmed Musa when he could have made up to 5 subs. It was not like the team were playing very well or had the Liberians under the cosh. Perhaps Rohr trusted his first 11 and was too timid to make more changes. It took a stoppage time penalty to seal the victory for Nigeria eventually. 

Against Cape Verde which comes up in the next 24 hours, if things don’t go according to plan, he had better be more courageous otherwise we will be kissing Qatar goodbye. 

I believe the Super Eagles have got enough to get at least a point that will see Nigeria through to the play offs. No disrespect, but If we can’t get a point against Cape Verde at home, then we don’t deserve to be in Qatar anyway.

The real issue for me is the quality of opposition that we might face during the play offs because truth be told, the Super Eagles have not been vintage for a while now. And while grinding out victories is welcome when you are struggling, it shouldn’t be the norm.

I will dwell more on this after the game against Cape Verde if we qualify. For now, I wish the Super Eagles the best of luck.

World Cup Exit: Could Nigeria Have Survived?

The Super Eagles were finally knocked out of the World Cup by perennial nemesis Argentina 2-1 at the St Petersburg stadium after a late strike by Argentina's Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo to give Argentina the dramatic winner in a thrilling encounter.

This defeat extends a run of 4 previous straight defeats for the Super Eagles at the hands of Argentina at the World Cup group stage. It is a run dating back to the 1994 World Cup in the USA.

This game though was a good opportunity for the Super Eagles to end this miserable run and get one over Argentina who have become somewhat of a bogey team for Nigeria at the World Cup. Unfortunately, they fell short again against a chaotic and ageing Argentina squad.

The Super Eagles yet again started this game cautiously and showed little attacking intent as they accorded Argentina too much respect as they failed to threaten the Argentine defence in the first half. 

One begging question remains: why has Gernot Rohr failed to arrest what has become a theme for the Super Eagles since the England friendly- their lack of an attacking threat in the first half of games?

Is it plausible that the team are simply following the game plan Rohr has set up for them?

Lionel Messi gave Argentina the lead in the 14th minute. An organised and well drilled team would not give Messi the kind of room he was afforded to wreak havoc so early in the game.

Had the team been better organised as a defensive unit at the start and prevented Messi from grabbing that early opener perhaps the uncertainty that has bedevilled this Argentine squad in this World Cup could have given the Super Eagles a psychological advantage.

Credit where credit is due though, the team did very well in ensuring that Messi didn't have a sniff for the rest of the game as they continually crowded him out and won the ball off him.

The Super Eagles as usual turned up in the second half and grabbed an early equaliser after Javier Mascherano brought down Leon Balogun in the penalty box. Victor Moses stepped up to Coolly convert the resultant penalty.

Nigeria however failed to put the game to bed as Odion Ighalo who had come on at the start of the second half as a substitute for the ineffective Kelechi Iheanacho wasted 2 gilt edged chances to make an Argentina comeback an uphill task.

In earlier posts on this blog, I have been critical of Odion Ighalo's scoring record for the Super Eagles. It has ultimately determined Nigeria's fate at this World Cup. One of Gernot's Rohr's failings has been his inability to scout for prolific strikers for the Super Eagles instead he has put his faith on a misfiring striker.

As harsh as this is on Ighalo, there is a reason why a 29 year old striker who supposedly should be in his prime is plying his trade in China. No decent team  in the top leagues in Europe would have Ighalo as their first choice striker. He is simply not clinical.

Iheanacho deserves a special mention too. He had a poor first half against Argentina and was subsequently hooked at half time. I have been an advocate of his instead of Ighalo. He as well failed to live up to expectation.

Rohr in his press conference after the Argentina game admitted that Iheanacho was not fully fit so this probably explains Iheanacho's display against Argentina. However, should Rohr have started him considering the fact that we had other fitter attackers?

Alex Iwobi was ineffective on the wings in the first game against Croatia but we have seen in times past how effective he is when he plays centrally especially in the friendly against Argentina last year where he scored twice. Could Rohr not have used him ahead of an unfit Iheanacho to partner Ahmed Musa in attack?

Marcos Rojo eventually restored Argentina's lead in the 86th minute and they were able to manage the game till the final whistle leaving all of us to wonder what might have been had we taken the chances that fell our way and managed the game excellently at the latter stages.

Game management- a strategy that only a coach can instill in a team is one of the reasons why Nigeria lost this match. Rohr apparently failed to do this. Because if he had, he would have known that results elsewhere were going in our favour and we didn't have to win at all costs and leave our defence exposed. 

There is simply no reason why the Nigerian defence should be light at the back so late in the game such that a defender would come so far forward and have all the time and space in the world to convert a volley unmarked! Victor Moses was at fault here as he failed to track the run of Marcos Rojo on time.

Rohr then went on to make substitutions that turned out to be too little too late. Rohr again failing to make the right calls. Couldn't he have made some of the substitutions earlier when Nigeria was on top while Argentina were disjointed? 

Had he made the right calls perhaps some of the tiring legs would have been removed so that the fresh ones would keep the game tight in midfield or defence thus preventing the space Rojo had to score Argentina's winner. Small margins.

What does the future hold for Gernot Rohr? Should he keep his job? Common sense dictates that he should since he has built a good team already. And with some tweaks in midfield and attack we should see Nigeria rise again. 

His future of course will be decided by the NFF. But it is clear for all to see that Rohr made some mistakes with some of the personnel he took to this tournament, how the team approached games and getting the best out of his squad. This is hoping he learns from this experience if he is retained. 

What Next For The Super Eagles?

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) elections come up in a few months time. Fingers crossed Amaju Pinnick and other key executive members of the NFF board will be re-elected into office so that the good foundations that have been laid by this current crop of NFF leadership continues to be built upon.

Nigeria has never had it so good for decades in terms of the visionary and exemplary leadership exhibited by Amaju Pinnick and other board members. Their continued presence in steadying the ship will ensure the giant strides they have made continues to bring success long term. 

The African Cup of Nations qualifiers resumes later this year. This team cannot afford to miss out of it next year if they are to go on and become a force in world football. Nigeria started the qualifiers with a 0-2 home loss to South Africa. We need to get back on track quickly if Nigeria is not to miss out of AFCON for the third time in a row.

Rohr, if he keeps his job, should as a matter of urgency find a dependable striker(s) who will bang in the goals. Enough of the wastefulness up front. The team survived in the World Cup qualifiers because goals were spread throughout the team but when that seized we have struggled. 

Rohr should also look at our midfield and see what alternatives the team can have to captain John Obi Mikel. This is not to forget that he needs to play these players according to their strengths and not shoehorn players in order to accommodate favourites.

One positive though from this early ouster is that it appears we have a settled defence and a decent deputy to Carl Ikeme in Francis Uzoho who hardly put a foot wrong in this tournament.

This Super Eagles team certainly has potential and could rule Africa in no time if the coach is not sacked but allowed to continue to improve the squad and correct the mistakes he made at this World Cup.

A Close Look At The Final 23 Man Squad

The Super Eagles final 23 man list for the World Cup in Russia which commences on June 14 later this month was announced on Sunday a day after the international friendly against Engand in which the Eagles lost 2-1.

The list as expected has generated some controversy on social media and not a few Super Eagles fans have voiced their discontent at some of the players that made the final 23 man list.

The general consensus though is that  Ogenyi Onazi and Joel Obi should not make the squad to Russia due to their poor performances during the recent friendly games against Congo DR and England.

The last straw for many has to be the 2 players' showing in the game against England where their shocking performances in midfield exposed the Nigerian defence causing them to be under undue pressure and also failing abysmally to control possession with several misplaced passes. 

The performace of the team in that first half against England was woeful and the root of it was in the midfield where Onazi and Obi where having a shocker. 

It was so bad that even the English media felt unsure how to come to terms with England's dominant display because their performance had to be evaluated within the context of a very poor performance by the Super Eagles. 

They knew this was not the best the Super Eagles could offer and of course, when Rohr made the necessary tactical tweaks and changes, the Super Eagles put in a far better showing in the second half.

At the end though, Gernot Rohr had a decision to make and one wonders if the FIFA rules had not been a stumbling block whether Rohr might have looked for alternatives outside his provisional squad. 

Members of the provisional squad: Dele Ajiboye, Stephen Eze, Junior Lokosa, Uche Agbo, and Moses Simon had been dropped after the Congo DR friendly while Mikel Agu and Ola Aina were both dropped after the England game. 

From all indications, Rohr has stuck with the players he used to prosecute the World Cup qualifiers. Moses Simon though misses out due to injury. As for the home based players, Rohr probably feels this tournament has come too soon for the likes of Lokosa and Eze to challenge the established order.

The surprise inclusions have to be Simy Nwankwo who after a decent debut against Congo DR makes the cut and Joel Obi who has failed to impress in 4 friendly matches he has started for the Eagles this year.

Chelsea full back, Ola Aina sadly misses out after a poor showing against Congo DR which culminated in a reckless challenge that led to Congo's equaliser from the penalty spot. It has to be said though that Ola did not play in his best position which is right back.

Who should start and what needs to improve?

Starting with the goal keeper, it appears Rohr feels Francis Uzoho represents Super Eagles' safest hands. Since his debut against Argentina last year, Uzoho has been in goal and it's unlikely Ifeanyi Ezenwa will upstage Uzoho at this stage. 

Would Ezenwa have allowed Harry Kane's shot to creep under him like Uzoho did in the England friendly? Very unlikely, but Ezenwa seems jittery when dealing with crosses, perhaps a factor in Rohr's decision to settle for Uzoho as his number 1.

Uzoho however, needs to avoid a repeat of his error in the England friendly during the tournament proper. He has so far shown he can deal with crosses easily.

In the defence, Tyrone Ebuehi has emerged as a strong contender for the right back position after 2 commanding displays against Congo DR and England. 

He should be given the nod to start at the World Cup as Shehu Abdullahi who is a midfielder by trade was exposed in the first half by Raheem Sterling and Ashley Young in the England friendly. Shehu was also often caught out of position thus exposing Troost Ekong.

The central defence pairing of Ekong and Leon Balogun still looks solid and even though they had some difficult moments against England in the first half they were not helped by a porous midfield that had Joel Obi and Onazi having an embarrassing performance.

Whoever Rohr picks at left back, it might not make much difference in an attacking sense. Bryan Idowu or Elderson Echiejile seem good defensively but offer little going forward. Idowu though seems to be the one that has Rohr's trust.

In midfield, John Obi Mikel played his first game for the Super Eagles since the Argentina friendly and seemed slightly off the pace. Another game against the Czech Republic should help bring him up to the levels he should be at the World Cup.

Hopefully in Nigeria's match against Croatia, Wilfred Ndidi will be fit to partner Mikel in midfield. Rohr obviously sees his importance to the team and has elected not to risk him until he is fully fit. Onazi's poor form as well would have convinced Rohr not to gamble with Ndidi's fitness.

As for who partners Mikel and Ndidi in midfield, this will depend on Rohr's tactics and what he believes may be our best combination. Alex Iwobi seems to relish a central role and his performance early in the second half against England helped galvanise the team.

The third midfielder would probably be between Oghenekaro Etebo, John Ogu and Iwobi.

In the forward line, Moses will always get the nod on any of the wings as well as Iwobi if Rohr elects to go for a 4-3-3 formation. Musa who seems to be rediscovering his form can be useful as an impact player.

With Moses Simon's injury causing him to miss out, a lot of the forwards could be made to play on the wings. Kelechi Iheanacho could also fill in on the wings if  the situation demands such.

One problematic spot for the Eagles seems to be the striking position. Odion Ighalo seems to be Rohr's preferred option but he has so far proved inconsistent, wasteful and unprolific. His hold up play and strength is good but his finishing has to be better if the Eagles are to progress beyond the group stages.

Iheanacho is more clinical but lacks height and strength. And against the best defences this shortcoming may pose a problem especially if the Eagles are chasing the game.

Can Simy Nwankwo turn out to be the solution? He seems to have good feet, tall and hopefully, decent in the air. He had a good showing against Congo DR but will he be able to cut it at the World Cup since he remains relatively inexperienced? Would Rohr start him over the likes of Ighalo or Iheanacho?

The Verdict

Based on what the Super Eagles have showcased so far this year in friendlies, Nigerians had better hope that there is more to come from the team. If the kind of mediocre and shoddy display the team  exhibited in the friendlies against Serbia, Congo and England are anything to go by, then expect the Super Eagles to end up bottom of Group D.

Super Eagles World Cup Squad: Who Could Miss Out?

        

On Monday this week, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) submitted the provisional squad list of the Super Eagles that will represent Nigeria at the World Cup Finals in Russia next month to FIFA.

The list will be whittled down to 23 after a series of friendly games and training sessions would have given the Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, a fair idea the best players fit and good enough to perform well at the world cup.

The list as expected included the usual suspects such as Captain John Obi Mikel, Victor Moses, Ogenyi Onazi, Ahmed Musa and Kelechi Iheanacho amongst others.

As usual with provisional squads, a few surprise inclusions and wild cards have made the cut. Players such as Dele Ajiboye who is Plateau United's shot stopper, Junior Lokosa who is the NPFL's top goal scorer with 18 goals for Kano Pillars, Simeon 'Simy' Nwankwo from Italian side Crotone who has been in hot form recently and Stephen Eze a defender who was impressive at CHAN 2018 and now dorns the colours of Lokomotiv Plovdiv in Bulgaria have also been included.

All 4 players will be hoping to impress the coach enough to warrant a spot in the final cut of 23.

       

While it is good to see deserving home based players given the opportunity to stake a claim to be put on the plane to Russia, the final 23 man shortlist appears predictable and it would take a big and outstanding performance by any of the new faces to persuade Rohr to change his mind and drop an established household name.

Would there be enough minutes on the pitch and time for these players on the fringes to give Rohr a welcome 'selection headache'?

It is not surprising that Gernot Rohr has stuck with mainly the players he used during the World Cup Qualifiers. A squad who were unbeaten in the group of death and had already qualified for the tournament before the last game of the qualifiers.

        

But with the announcement of the provisional squads by other countries and seeing how strong they are on paper, one begins to wonder if the Super Eagles will be able to reach the minimum requirement which is the last 8. Getting there has proved elusive for Nigeria since our maiden appearance in the USA '94 World Cup.

So, who are the players likely to be left out or at best be put on standby?

Goalkeepers

Francis Uzoho was in goal for the Super Eagles in the last international break and his performance was suspect but appears to be highly regarded by Gernot Rohr. 

Ifeanyi Ezenwa from Enyimba stepped up to the plate after Daniel Akpeyi performed poorly in the AFCON qualifiers against South Africa and the world cup qualifiers in the game against Algeria. He gave a good account of himself but showed a weakness when dealing with crosses and making poor judgements like the soft penalty he gave away against Cameroon.

Dele Ajiboye could make a good case to be on the plane if he is given a game during the preparations and performs creditably well. It would mean Akpeyi gets the bullet after appearing to fall out of favour since the shambolic performance in the friendly against Argentina.

Verdict : Akpeyi should get the axe.

        

Defenders 

In the defence, Rohr shortlisted 10 players. Rohr is likely to take 8 to Russia meaning 2 players will be dropped. The central defence looks settled barring any injuries to the duo of Ekong and Balogun. This means Omeruo and Awaziem are likely going to be cover for the first choice centre backs. 

The full back positions though seem a tricky one. Shehu seems nailed on to start at right back. Ebuehi and Aina appear to be jostling for the second choice. Aina however has filled in at Left back in the past as well and will be competing with Idowu and Elderson. This is where it gets interesting.

Elderson has been poor for the Super Eagles especially going forward. His passing is wayward and his crosses aren't good enough at this level. He hasn't played for Nigeria since the Zambia game. Idowu on the other hand was impressive on his debut and scored a goal against Argentina. 

Would Rohr stick with experience or will he go for versatility and inventiveness? The only thing going for Elderson is that he is the only left footer in that defence.

Verdict : Eze and Elderson likely to be dropped.

        

Midfielders

In this department, many of the players here are untouchables and barring injuries only the fringe players like Joel Obi, John Ogu or Uche Agbo are likely to drop out. 

Mikel Agu, even though he has been poor in a Super Eagles shirt appears to be in the good books of Rohr. The reason is not far fetched. He has been a consistent performer at club level. He has however failed to transmit that form while in an Eagles' shirt. Will the world cup provide him that platform? Stranger things have happened.

Verdict: barring a performance of outstanding quality in friendlies Joel Obi is likely to miss out due to his poor performance against Serbia. Agbo should join him by virtue of his status and for never really impressing.

         

Forwards

The attacking players like the midfield is filled with the spine of the team. Full of experience, youth and energy. 

Which makes the arrival of Junior Lokosa and Simy into the frey one that has come too soon.

It has to be mentioned though that if Ighalo continues to be wasteful in the friendlies then one of these fringe players should be taken to Russia as a wild card if Rohr sees potential in any.

Verdict: Lokosa and Simy likely to join those to be axed from the team unless of course there is an outstanding performance during friendlies.

RACISM: FIFA And UEFA Can Do More

Russian football again has come into focus as issues of racism reared its ugly head during the week after Ghanaian midfielder, Emmanuel Frimpong got his matching orders for making an obscene gesture at a group of fans who apparently racially abused him during a game while playing for his club UFA.

Frimpong who was slapped with a two match ban by the Russian FA (RFU) afterwards, vented his frustration on twitter calling the Russian FA's failure to sanction Spartak Moscow as well a 'joke'. The RFU had claimed that their investigations showed no evidence of any racist abuse against Frimpong. The question now is, is it logical for a player to react in Frimpong's manner if he wasn't provoked?

Zenit St Petersburg manager, Andre Villas Boas, has sort of given a new twist to the debate on racism in football by stating that the racism problem in Russia is at par with what is obtainable in England. Judging from his utterance, it appears that he is not aware of the magnitude of the problem in Russia or he is in denial. Or how else can one explain why throughout his stay in England he never complained of racism? Mind you, that is not to say that there isn't racism in England. What this means is that if England's racism problems are as bad as Russia's, then AVB would have spoken out like he has been forced to do now in Russia. His comments however, are in contradiction to what his star player, Hulk has said.

Hulk has said that he gets racially abused in nearly every game he plays and has learnt to more or less develop a thick skin. Unfortunately, it appears there are more black players like Frimpong who have low tolerance for vitriol than Hulk. Hulk's club, Zenit has sections of fans who have openly come out to say that they don't want black players in their team. According to them, they are not being racist, it's just their tradition. Well, segregation and racism are close relatives if you ask me.

World football governing body, FIFA, has said they will call on the Russian FA to provide details on the incident but it is doubtful if this inquiry will yield the desired results which are stiff sanctions for clubs or fans who are caught racially abusing black players.

UEFA has taken steps to curbing racism with sanctions such as closing stadia or parts of stadia of teams whose fans have chosen not to keep their prejudice to themselves. But football's governing bodies UEFA and FIFA can do more in this regard.

FIFA and UEFA should begin to sanction FAs that fail to clamp down on racist behaviour of clubs' fans within their control so that they will be forced to take the problem of racism seriously. UEFA should also consider having independent observers in stadiums that have a track record of racist chantings so that no FA can claim it lacks evidence.

Merely acknowledging the problem like Russian FA officials love doing is not enough. Turning a blind eye to overt racism is even worse.

Russia which is billed to host the next World Cup in 2018 may not be under any pressure of losing the hosting right of the  World Cup inspite of the corruption scandals rocking FIFA but calls are being made on UEFA to boycott the World Cup. This is not taking into cognisance the fact that African players who are usually the target of racist abuse by Russian and other East European teams can also pull out of the World Cup to spite Russia. 

The Russian FA will do well to take these threats seriously and try to do more than just talking and take firm action in keeping the problem of racism down to the barest minimum within its stadiums.

Edwin Okon's Dismissal Comes As No Surprise

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have announced the sacking of Super Falcons coach, Edwin Okon, after the Super Falcons failed to qualify from their group in the ongoing FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada after disappointing defeats to Australia and the United States. 

Okon will be replaced by his assistant, Christopher Danjuma who takes over on an interim basis until a permanent replacement is found. Danjuma will be in charge of the Olympics qualifier match between the Super Falcons and Equitorial Guinea.

In as much as Okon should be commended for guiding the Nigeria women's team to victory at the African Women's Championship in Namibia last year, he showed at the Women's World Cup that he was way out of his depth.

He failed to get his team's defence organised in all their group games with opposing teams exploiting their defensive naivety at will especially from set plays. 2 of Sweden's 3 goals in the Super Falcons opening game came from 'schoolgirl' defending during set plays.

He also failed to get the best out of a Nigerian attack which was feared by not a few teams in the tournament. The attack which showed a lot of promise in the first game after forcing Sweden to a 3-3 draw was toothless in their remaining matches against Australia and the USA.

These and his poor tactics convinced the NFF to show him the exit door. Okon can't have too many complaints since fellow rivals, Cameroun in their first appearance at the Women's Wold Cup, exceeded expectations to qualify from their group. 

Nigeria has never gone beyond the quarter finals of the Women's World Cup, a feat it last achieved in 1999. In Africa, Nigeria has been dominant but at the world stage, where it really counts, the Super Falcons have fallen short.

One of the reasons for this persistent failure at the top level is the tactical incompetence of the Nigerian coaches who have been in charge of the Super Falcons over the years. 

The Falcons teams which have always represented Nigeria at the World Cup have rarely been poor technically but talent alone does not win you tournaments. Talent can help a team win against inferior opposition but it might not be enough when they are up against equal or superior teams.

Nigeria has to find a solution to the ineptitude of its football coaches since the hiring of foreign coaches remain out of the question for Nigeria especially in female football.

It appears that most Nigerian coaches are content with mediocrity and are not willing to update their knowledge on the current trends of the modern game. They need to invest in themselves and stop depending on the NFF to sponsor them to coaching courses.

We hope that the Super Falcons will bounce back from their early ouster from the World Cup in Canada and qualify for the Olympics in Brazil next year and do better than previous showings in the female soccer event.

Keshi's contract extension: A reward for mediocrity?

Stephen Keshi is set to be offered a 2 year contract extension by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to manage the Super Eagles presumably till the 2017 Nations Cup finals if we qualify. The deal ought to have been signed since Friday 17th April, 2015 but the NFF seem unprepared to finalise the deal for reasons best known to them. And if reports are anything to go by, the deal will not be signed any time this week. We wait and see how the signing ceremony will pan out.

The aim of this article is not to criticise the incompetence of the NFF in their shoddy handling of the failed contract signing ceremony of Keshi but the decision of the NFF board to reward Keshi with a new contract.

Does Keshi deserve a new deal? Is the hand of outgoing president, Goodluck Jonathan, involved in ensuring Keshi remains coach of the Super Eagles? Is there no other manager the NFF can hire to take the Super Eagles to the next level?  When other coaches like Christian Chukwu and  Samson Siasia failed to qualify Nigeria for a major competition they were shown the door, why is Keshi's case different?

If we are to look at this scenario based on his achievements with the Super Eagles and his past record with other nations then Keshi would get the backing of many to lead the Super Eagles into the future especially because of how he was able to bring in some unheralded players like Sunday Mba who were in the local league to limelight. Players he used ultimately to bring glory to Nigeria in the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in South Africa in 2013 and our qualification for the World Cup in Brazil last year.

However, if we are to look at the team's performance critically, especially after the Brazil 2014 World Cup and their failure to qualify for the African Cup of Nations held in Equitorial Guinea to defend the title they won in 2013, then one wouldn't be overly excited that Keshi's contract is being renewed. In fact, in other climes, many managers' heads would have been chopped off without a moment's hesitation if they had overseen such a mediocre performance that the Super Eagles showcased during the last AFCON qualifiers.

The reality of football today is that you are as good as your last game. And the Super Eagles' recent performances at the AFCON qualifiers where they struggled to beat Sudan in Nigeria and failed to beat South Africa over 2 legs as well as embarrassing losses to Sudan away and Congo at home are the type that even the best in the business of football management would struggle to survive.

To be fair, Keshi didn't have the goodwill and support of the NFF board who were neck deep in crisis between themselves. Who could forget the drama they regularly served the watching Nigerian public as the battle for the leadership of the NFF board unfolded? We had different chairmen emerging through every kangaroo election they held and FIFA were kept busy monitoring the farce as they unfolded.

How many times did Nigeria flirt with FIFA's hammer? Nigeria eventually got suspended though. It took good old president Goodluck Jonathan's intervention for sanity to be brought back to the Glass house and the resulting bans from FIFA lifted.

There were even more twists that played out during the ill fated Equitorial Guinea AFCON qualifiers. Keshi after presiding over a hard fought victory over Sudan, was sacked the following day by the NFF but was reinstated a few weeks later after technical director, Amodu Shuaibu, wisely rescinded his decision to accept the job of managing the Super Eagles for the rest of the qualifiers. He had probably thought  that it was better Keshi was allowed to finish what he had started. The team was in such disarray that no right thinking coach worth his salt would accept such a poisoned chalice which was Keshi's post.

Clearly, Keshi was being frustrated by the NFF hierarchy and it probably had an effect on the team's performance. That notwithstanding, the team had their AFCON qualification hopes in their own hands but at the end, they narrowly escaped defeat to South Africa's Bafana Bafana after another sloppy performance especially at the back in the last round of matches in the group. Two late goals from Sone Aluko could not save Nigeria from being bundled out of AFCON as we forced South Africa to a 2-2 draw.

Now that we are back to the drawing board and Keshi has been given the nod to manage the Super Eagles again, he needs to sort out several problems with the Super Eagles. Problems which led to the fiasco Nigerians witnessed during the last AFCON qualifiers and problems if resolved could aid the Super Eagles to reach the pinnacle of African football again.

These problems and what he should do to tackle them would be discussed hopefully in my next article.