Super Eagles Off To A Good Start But Not Yet Uhuru

The Super Eagles over the weekend defeated 'minnows' Chad Republic 2-0 in Kaduna to give Nigeria a perfect start in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON ) qualifiers. Nigeria who missed out on the last edition held in Equitorial Guinea will be hoping to win the sole ticket for their group which also comprises of Egypt and Tanzania in the next tournament which will be held in Gabon in 2017.

The result was respectable, however, the performance on the field of play was less than Super from the Nigerian side. The Chadians surprisingly didn't come to pack the bus and actually gave the new look Nigerian defence some worries. After they had gone a goal down though, they did their best to contain Nigeria so as not to lose by a large margin.

Goal keeper Vincent Enyeama, was called into action a few times in the first half to make important saves. Enyeama, as usual, was composed and commanding throughout the match.

Leon Balogun, who earned his third cap on the day was made to fill in at right back. He was not comfortable since his natural position is at centre back. He made quite a few errors especially in the first half when the Chadians pressed very quickly.

Again, the right back position continues to remain a thorn in Stephen Keshi's flesh. He is yet to find a natural right back that will slot into that position with ease let alone a natural cover for the first choice right back. A stronger opposition such as Egypt might fancy their chances building their attacks from that wing.

William Troost-Ekong made his debut for the Super Eagles and partnered Kenneth Omeruo in central defence. The defence looked shaky initially because of the high pressing of the Chadians but Ekong eventually settled and gave a decent performance. He is currently a free agent and he willl be hoping that his call up to the Super Eagles will put him in good stead in getting a new club. With more games, he should form a good understanding with Omeruo.

Kingsley Madu, a former youth international, made his debut at left back and was quite impressive especially in the second half when the Eagles were in the ascendancy. In contrast to the right back position, Nigeria is not lacking in quality left backs. But his emergence can only be good for the Super Eagles.

In midfield, Stephen Keshi went for two holding midfielders in Ogenyi Onazi and debutant, Anderson Esiti to shield the defence. Anderson and Onazi who eventually got sent off in the latter stages of the match didn't do too badly. We would expect however, that their discipline and concentration levels will be raised when Egypt comes calling because on a few occasions, Onazi's concentration was suspect and it led to the Nigerian defence being exposed in the first half.

Babatunde Michael was very mobile in the the first half but the creativity which Keshi would have loved him to exhibit was missing and as a result, Rabiu Ibrahim came on in his place and his introduction yielded the impact Keshi would have desired.

Gbolahan Salami, who was deployed on the wing and who seems to be a favourite of Stephen Keshi, probably because of his work rate, got the opening goal. The execution was quite impressive. Fans will be hoping that they will see more of this sort of display from him in subsequent qualifying matches.

In attack, Aaron Samuel who was the lone striker, had a bad day at the office and his substitution came as no surprise. And of course, Odion Ighalo, his replacement made a better contribution to the Super Eagles' cause than him. 

it was Ighalo who carved out the opening for Salami to score the curtain raiser and It was also he who scored the penalty to give Nigeria a second goal and quash any hopes Chad had in getting a positive result from this game.

This victory no doubt is a good one for Nigeria but it is glaring that there is still work to be done. The team still needs a dependable striker. Whether Rabiu Ibrahim or Babatunde Michael become the creative elements our midfield desperately needs is still to be seen. Our fruitless search whether Keshi realises it or not for a quality right back continues.

The team is in transition and so Nigerians will need lots of patience as there will inevitably be bumps on the road as Keshi tries to rebuild his squad and get Nigeria back to the pinnacle of African football.

Pictures are courtesy Goal.com

What Keshi must do to improve the Super Eagles

This article is a sequel to my last piece titled "Keshi's contract extension: A reward for Mediocrity?" As I write this, I am not sure if Stephen Keshi's contract situation has been finalised but we all know that the contract offer by the NFF to Keshi for him to manage the Super Eagles team, barring a twist similar to what you would see in a Hollywood movie,  is a foregone conclusion.

And if that is so, then Keshi has to begin to find ways he can improve the Super Eagles. There are certain key areas of the team Keshi may want to look into as we prepare for the AFCON qualifiers which will commence in June.

For those who are not in the know, Nigeria will be taking on Egypt, Tanzania and Chad in the AFCON qualifiers this time around. There will be no prizes for the runners up on this occasion as it's a winner takes all scenario. This is why Keshi has to pull all the stops and ensure that Nigeria wins the sole AFCON ticket for our group.

Keshi should stop being stubborn

One of the reasons why Keshi failed to take the Super Eagles to the the Nations Cup held in Equitorial Guinea this year is his attitude which many have perceived as arrogance on his part. Keshi stubbornly stuck with and selected players whose performances and form were not up to scratch for crucial qualifier matches and which in the end, didn't pay off for him. 

He also selected some untried and untested players in key games which was a gamble that ultimately failed. Apart from Aaron Samuel and Sone Aluko, every other new player Keshi fielded didn't justify his inclusion. Keshi needs to listen to his critics with an open mind and pick players on current form rather than on sentiments. 

A dependable understudy for Enyeama is needed 

Vincent Enyeama remains Nigeria's first choice and rightly so, but for how long he remains Nigeria's number one is a question Keshi can provide an answer to whenever Enyeama decides to call time on his career with the Super Eagles. 

Austin Ejide has been Enyeama's deputy for a long time now and should step into Enyeama's shoes when Enyeama elects to step down. The problem is, Enyeama  and Ejide are in the same age bracket and that means he is unlikely to be around for too long. That brings up another conundrum for Keshi or his successor.

Keshi needs to begin to scout the land for top class goalkeepers because there is a dearth of decent goalkeepers in our local league which has been producing our goalkeepers for a while now.  He however, has the option of inviting Wolverhampton Wanderers Carl Ikeme to the national team. He is tried and tested and he has loads of experience to fill any void Enyeama's absence may cause.

Chigozie Agbim is the other option for Keshi but Agbim has failed to develop his game. He is a useful backup at best but no more for now. In the games he has appeared for Nigeria, he has been jittery and lacking in confidence. He needs to work on his confidence if he wants to mount a serious challenge for the number one spot.

Keshi needs an established Right Back and a cover as well.

It is shocking that after almost 4 years at the helm, Keshi has failed to find a natural right back for the Super Eagles. A flaw that was brutally exposed during the last qualifiers by the likes of Congo DR and South Africa. He was able to get good cover for Elderson Echiejile in Juwon Oshaniwa who was outstanding in Brazil. But he has failed to find cover for Efe Ambrose who is a central defender by trade. Ambrose has filled that void well over the years but good teams are likely to find weaknesses in makeshift situations and exploit it to the max. And this sadly, was the case in the last AFCON qualifiers.

Keshi needs to look into this loophole and plug it immediately! I recommend that Ambrose be shifted to central defence either as cover for the established pairing of Omeruo and Obaobona or that Keshi drop one of them and pair him with any of Omeruo or Obaobona. 

The central defence needs some shake up too because they were for most times all over the shop when under pressure by their opponents but a tweaking shouldn't be as radical as the right back position which needs some major surgery. Their sloppiness could be explained by the poor form and lack of serious match practice by Kenneth Omeruo. Although, the likes of Azubuike Egwuekwe should not be invited any longer to the Super Eagles. They are just a liability and dinstinctively average.

In my next article, I will discuss areas in the midfield and attack where Keshi needs to work on so that the Super Eagles team can return to their rightful place at the zenith of African football.