End Of An Era: Arsene Wenger

Last weekend, Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger dropped the bombshell that shocked many as he announced that he would be leaving Arsenal at the end of the season. He is leaving with one year remaining on his contract. 

The announcement which came out of the blue has, as it should be expected, sparked joy and relief for the 'Wenger  Out' brigade while it has led neutrals and supporters of Wenger to wax lyrical and pay tribute to his achievements and legacy at Arsenal.

Sir Alex Ferguson, arguably Wenger's most bitter rival, commended his decision to step down. He statement was: "I am pleased he has announced he is leaving at this stage of the season as he can now have the send off he truly deserves".

" He is without doubt one of the greatest premier league managers and I am proud to have been a rival, a colleague, and a friend to such a great man". Ferguson added.

Arsenal captain, Per Mertasacker, who is also stepping down at the end of the season to join the Arsenal coaching staff said he was 'sad and emotional' at the announcement. 

Other premier league managers such as Jurgen Klopp, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte also had some kind words to say about the Frenchman.

Arsene Wenger, who has endured a turbulent season this year and the year before, paid tribute to the fans and the club. 

"I am grateful for having had the privilege to serve the clubs for so many memorable years. I managed the club with full commitment and integrity." He said.

Wenger joined Arsenal on 1st October 1996. And at the end of this season, he would have spent 22 years at the helm. He won 3 premier league titles and a record 7 FA cups during his reign. He also led Arsenal to the final of the UEFA cup and Champions League.

Wenger who is currently the premier league's longest serving coach is also overseeing Arsenal's worst premier league position since he became manager. Arsenal currently lie 6th on the league table and will have to win the Europa league if they are to return to the Champions league next season.

Why is Wenger stepping down?

The last few seasons has seen an increase in fans discontent about the failure of Arsenal to challenge for the premier league title. Arsenal last won the premier league title in 2004-the season they went unbeaten. 14 years ago.

His critics point to the fact that Wenger keeps lowering the bar in terms of expectations by stating that the top 4 is a trophy since it guarantees a Champions League place. Sadly, Arsenal will for the second season in a row finish outside the top 4.

A few days after his announcement that he was stepping down, Wenger revealed that the decision to leave now wasn't his. This implies that the powers that be at the Emirates namely, Stan and Josh Kroenke have noticed the signs of apathy and disaffection of some of the VIP support and have decided to act before profits start to dwindle. 

In recent weeks, many Gunners faithful have decided to show their frustrations by voting with their feet. The sight of many empty seats at the Emirates and the slow renewal of season tickets would have sent alarm bells round the Arsenal boardroom.

In a nutshell, Wenger has been forced to step down. 

How will Wenger be remembered?

After spending 22 years on the Arsenal hot seat, there will of course be a lot Arsenal supporters and indeed observers of the premier league will remember Arsene Wenger by. 

He brought new and innovative ideas to the English game when he arrived England. He changed the diets and nutrition of his players such that several players careers were prolonged as a result. He also transformed the football too. Boring Arsenal was no longer boring.

He challenged the established order. He threatened Sir Alex Ferguson's domination of the league and won 3 premier league titles which culminated in the season of the 'Invincibles'. That season (2003/04) where Arsenal remarkably went unbeaten in the league. They would continue the run for 49 matches.

Wenger holds the record for the highest number of FA cup titles. He has won 7. 3 in the last 4 years. Unfortunately, it has done little to pacify his staunchest critics. Many of his critics believe he should have left on a high after winning any of these FA cup titles.

This is not to forget that Arsenal's move to the Emirates from Highbury was managed spectacularly by Wenger who ensured that the quality of Arsenal's football was not compromised and that they still competed with the likes of Chelsea and Man United for the league. 

With the paucity of funds due to the building of the Emirates stadium and later on, the paying of debts incurred by the club for the financing of the project, it became a Herculean task for Wenger to compete with rivals in acquiring the best players. He managed the situation admirably. Players like Nasri, Fabregas, Coquelin, Sagna, Clichy, Van Persie etc were transformed from players who were virtually unknown into players in high demand by the best clubs under his guidance.

But for every success of Wenger, his critics who want him out can easily point to his failures as a manager. 

Wenger was often accused of not having a plan B and being tactically clueless when teams shut out Arsenal or are very physical when playing his team.

He was also accused of refusing to spend money in signing better players that would improve the squad even when the Arsenal hierarchy assured fans that there was money in the bank. He stubbornly reiterated the fact that he would only sign players at the right price. This as a result, led to teams like Spurs and Man City leaving Arsenal behind.

Several irate fans have pointed out that one of the reasons that prove that Wenger has lost his mojo is his penchant for selling star players to strengthen direct rivals like Man united and Man City. Top teams hardly sell their top players to domestic rivals. Not for Wenger apparently.... He sold Van Persie and Alexis Sanchez to the Red Devils. He also sold the likes of Toure, Nasri, Sagna, Adebayor etc to City. 

Many of his detractors feel Wenger is loyal to his team to a fault. A situation which leads to a non performing player being given an extended run in the team (Xhaka) or getting bumper contracts for underperforming (Ozil) or keeping injury prone players such as Abou Diaby Tomas Rosicky and currently Santi Cazorla. A slightly more ruthless manager would have pushed such players out of the club far earlier than Wenger would.

Worst of all has to be the trophy drought.  Wenger after spending 22 years in a supposedly big club can only account for  only 3 premier league titles. The last of which came in 2004. He won the FA cup in 2005 but would not win any more trophies until 2014 when he finally ended a drought of 9 years without winning any major silverware by defeating Hull City in the final of the FA cup.

It is also fair to say that part of the reasons Wenger has stayed so long is due to the fact that the club owners feel some form of gratitude and respect for Wenger's management as his presence guarantees profits. Until recently anyway... It took the arrival of the ruthless Josh Kroenke to the scene to convince Stan his father that Wenger's time was up.

Nevertheless, there are many fond memories Wenger will be leaving behind as well as many sad ones in which fans who once adored him feel were opportunities missed due to the stubbornness and pride of the manager.

Wenger, 68, the football purist who considers football to be an art will be missed by those who love him and who experienced the first half of his successful years. The younger generation who have only experienced the consolation of 3 FA cup trophies in the last 4 years and have seen how his stock has fallen and how stale he has become believe the new regime can't come soon enough.

The Sorry State Of The Super Falcons

Last Friday, Champions of Africa, the Super Falcons were given a football lesson as they were whitewashed by the France women national team 8-0. 

The result, to say the least, was humiliating for a country of Nigeria's stature. We are not talking of a team who are minnows in female football in Africa but Africa's supposedly strongest side. A team that has won a record 7 Africa Women Championship titles. 

It is interesting to note that this team is playing her first competitive game since winning the Africa Women's Cup of Nations hosted by Cameroun in 2016. This is a sad indicator why the team played so poorly against France.

I am sure this is not the case with the French but the fact that for a whole year, the Super Falcons did not play even a single friendly match even if it's against inferior opposition to keep the ladies in sync with each other is a serious indictment on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). 

NFF chairman, Amaju Pinnick, was full of apology for the humbling result on Twitter citing 'unintentional neglect' being the main reason for the embarrassment.

This result equals Nigeria's 2 worst defeats in female football history for the Falcons. In those games, Nigeria lost to Norway and the USA by the same score line.

The continued lack of interest in developing and promoting female football in the country and consolidating on the achievements of our female national teams in the past is the reason why teams like Cameroun, South Africa, Ghana and Equitorial Guinea have caught up with the Super Falcons and probably even surpassed them.

There was a time, Nigeria could roll out two different Falcons teams to play in different competitions almost simultaneously. A case in point was when Nigeria hosted the All Africa games and had to send a team to the women's World Cup as well. We comfortably fielded a Team B that defeated South Africa in the All Africa games final thus winning the gold medal while the Team A who were the main squad went ahead to play in the World Cup.

Gone are the days. It would be nothing short of the miraculous if Nigeria can produce 2 senior teams that would match the quality of players we had then. There is no production line to churn out players  for the national team anymore because the female league is in a shambles. 

There is hardly any coverage in the media of female football and of course there are very few women clubs and teams available these days. This is probably due to the harsh economic climate in the country which makes it extremely difficult if not impossible for philanthropists to run female clubs. State governments who run many of the teams in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) are probably not willing to add to the wage bill by owning female teams as well.

Things though have to change if we want genuine success for our female national team. 

When the Super Falcons started making an impact at the world stage it was because we took steps that yielded results. We had a vibrant female league  that had our best players such as Mercy Akide, Florence Omagbemi, Ann Agumanu Chiejine, Patience Avre and others playing in our league in teams like Jegede Babes, Pelican Stars and Rivers Angels.

Our modest success in the World Cup  hosted by the USA in 1999 opened the eyes of clubs all around the world to the quality of players Nigeria could produce and so they started signing these players.

What could have been an opportunity for Nigeria to develop our women's league and produce more talented players proved the beginning of the end as gradually we have stopped producing these top class players who will give France, Brazil, Spain, Germany or the USA a run for the money.

The NFF has done well in organising the friendly with France. There should be more of this sort in future as we prepare for the African Women's Cup of Nations. The NFF earlier in the year hired a Swede, Thomas Dennerby to take charge of the team. The team's battering by France was his baptism of fire. He must begin to realise the work on his hands now.

The women's league has to be made vibrant again. The league doesn't have to be a long season or have many teams. An 8-12 team league won't be bad for starters.

The NFF also needs to find a way to rekindle interest in female football in the country even though it is struggling to do so for their male counterparts. There has to be a sponsor for the league with broadcast rights sold to interested media houses who will show the games on TV.

Clubs and organisations who have an interest in registering female teams should also be encouraged to do so even if it is at an amateur level. The money the NFF can get from the sponsors of the league or any competition can help many a team stay afloat and grow when they receive substantial sums for their participation every year.

The current NFF regime has shown a level of leadership, vision and professionalism never seen before. If they can extend these traits to women's football in Nigeria then posterity will judge them favourably.

7 Reasons Why Chelsea Is Struggling

Chelsea lost at home in last weekend's premier league fixture to high flying Tottenham 1-3 at Stamford Bridge in a game which almost confirms that Chelsea will not be in the Champions league next season with only 7 games remaining. 

This defeat is the latest in a long list of disappointing defeats and performances for Chelsea this season. 

Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte, who won the premier league title in his first season in England and was hailed for the introduction and his effective use of the 3-4-3 formation has seen Chelsea's fortunes go south this season. Chelsea lie 5th in the league with 56 points and are 8 points behind 4th placed Spurs. 

Only a spectacular collapse by Spurs will see Chelsea gain passage to the UCL. Knowing how Chelsea has treated even more successful managers in the past  then it is anyone's guess what will be the fate of Conte in the summer especially if they don't win the FA cup. 

But why have things gone wrong for Conte this season?

1. That text to Diego Costa

At the end of last season, Conte sent former Chelsea striker Diego Costa a text  as players were about going for a deserved break that he was no longer in his plans for next season and should find himself a new club.

It led to a saga between Costa and Conte which eventually led to Costa re-joining former club Athletico Madrid last January. The only problem for Conte is that he has so far failed to acquire a prolific replacement. Conte signed Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid but he has struggled so far to fill the large boots of Diego Costa.

2. Choosing Morata over Lukaku

Chelsea signed Morata for £60m from Real Madrid and he has so far delivered 11 EPL goals for Chelsea. Conte decided to over look a tried and tested Romelu Lukaku who could easily fill the void left by Diego Costa's all round play and favoured a more sleek and 'intelligent' striker.

The gamble hasn't worked very well this season and now Conte has had to sign Olivier Giroud from Arsenal to help with the goals.

Lukaku on the other hand, has scored his 100th premier league in the colours of Manchester United.

3. Replacing Batshuayi with Giroud

In the January transfer window, Conte allowed Belgian striker, Michy Batshuayi join Borussia Dortmund for the rest of the season on loan and went ahead to sign Arsenal striker, Olivier Giroud.

In a cruel twist of fortunes, Batshuayi has gone on to flourish at Dortmund while Giroud has hardly made an impact at Chelsea. Why Conte failed to give Batshuayi a run in the side despite Morata's struggles with injury, form or adaptation to the premier league is a mystery.

4. The sale of Matic to United

For some reason, Antonio Conte allowed the sale of Nemanja Matic to rivals Manchester United for £40m pounds and replaced Matic with Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko.

Matic had formed a formidable partnership with N'Golo Kante in Chelsea's central midfield last season and so the sale of a key element in Chelsea's title winning team is baffling.

Bakayoko it turns out does not have the same defensive discipline as Matic because he is more attack minded. This has left Chelsea exposed in midfield and defence as Kante is left alone to do all the dirty work.

5. The signing of Drinkwater and Barkley

In order to plug the hole left behind by Matic, Conte has tried to rekindle the midfield partnership between Kante and Danny Drinkwater at Leicester's title winning team of 2 years ago by signing Drinkwater from Leicester in January.

Sadly, they have hardly featured together in midfield with Drinkwater finding it difficult getting into the first team. 

Meanwhile, Ross Barkley who joined Chelsea from Everton during the January transfer window as well has barely had a kick since he joined. It's hard to see him upstaging Cesc Fabregas in Chelsea's attacking midfield.

Barkley joined Chelsea after a long injury lay off and will need time to regain full match fitness and his form in order to challenge Fabregas for a starting shirt next season.

6. The beef with David Luiz

One of the decisions Conte made last season that turned out to be a master stroke was the re-signing of defender David Luiz from PSG. 

His partnership with Cesar Azpilicueta  and Gary Cahill in Chelsea's 3 man central defence last season was one of the success stories for Chelsea as they had one of the meanest defences in the premier league. 

But this season, probably due to a bust up off the field, David Luiz has lost his place to Andreas Christiansen who though has looked promising, is young and is prone to the odd mistake just like his mistake against Barcelona in the Champions League where his wayward pass led to Barca's equaliser.

7. His Quarrel With Mourinho 

Conte allowed himself to be side tracked and fall prey to Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho's mind games.

Mourinho had earlier in the season hinted that Conte was a 'clown' due to his exuberant goal celebrations and also made reference to a match fixing scandal  Conte had been indicted in while he was coach of Siena but was later cleared of wrong doing.

Conte of course was visibly irritated and hurt by this and in a press conference called Jose a 'little man' with no profile. 

How this spat with Mourinho which dates back to last season where they exchanged hot words on the touch line has affected Conte this season in the battle for the top 4 is obvious.

How Good Were The Super Eagles?

The Super Eagles kicked off their FIFA  World Cup 2018 preparations with 2 friendly matches against Poland in Wroclaw and against Serbia in London. The results though mixed, revealed the level of work the Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr has on his hands when the tournament kicks off in Russia in June.

At this point, majority would agree that the result in these friendlies is not a major yardstick to judge if this team is ready or if they will go far in the tournament. More important for now would be how they performed.

Did they play in an organised fashion? Where they solid in defence or midfield? Was the goalkeeper up to scratch? Was the attack potent? Was there a fluid style of passing? These and other pertinent questions is what would probably be on the minds of keen observers when assessing the team. 

Uzoho needs more examination

The general consensus of most fans on social media after the game against Poland is that Francis Uzoho who was given the nod by Gernot Rohr to start the 2 friendly games against Poland and Serbia may not be up to the required standard for a team going to the World Cup. 

He was jittery and short of confidence in the first half against Poland. This is probably due to a lack of competitive games and let's not forget, that this was his first start and second cap for Nigeria.

In the game against Serbia, even though he was beaten twice, he showed more composure and confidence. It is safe to say, he stood no chance in saving the goals scored by Serbian striker Alexander Mitrovic. It would be interesting to see if he would still be given the nod to start in goal in the upcoming friendly games already lined up. Uzoho should get more games so that a decision who should be the team's first choice goalkeeper can be  reached easily.

It will probably come down to between him and Ifeanyi Ezenwa. Daniel Akpeyi looks nailed on to be third choice after the embarrassment of a performance in the 4-2 friendly win over Argentina and other shaky performances in the past.

Of course, some fans are already clamouring for the return of Vincent Enyeama. Well, if Enyeama wanted to return, he would have the moment Carl Ikeme was diagnosed of Leukamia. Ikeme who has made the retirement of Enyeama barely noticeable will be sorely missed at the World Cup no matter who we put in goal.

Defence looks solid enough but...

The defence did okay against Poland. They showed grit, organisation and resilience. The central defence pairing of Troost Ekong and Leon Balogun looks to be our best central defensive partnership with decent cover in Chinedu Awaziem and Ken Omeruo. The fullback positions though, remain a headache for the Super Eagles most especially at right back.

Shehu Abdullahi has deputised admirably at right back during qualifiers but his absence was felt against Serbia who spotted a weakness and launched many of their attacks through that wing with Tyrone Ebuehi, who was the man chosen to play there not able to give a good account of himself. He didn't do much either to support the attack. There is no serious competition for Shehu Abdullahi or cover if he picks up an injury or is suspended.

As for the left back position, Brian Idowu was given 2 starts in the friendly matches and would probably still be given a look in in the next set of matches but his performance was not eye catching. Most of Serbia's attacks were from their left wing meaning Idowu was not really tested.

Elderson offers experience and is a natural left back but he appears to have regressed when going forward to support the attack. Rohr probably knows this and perhaps it's why he didn't feature in the 2 friendly games. Ola Aina had a cameo against Serbia and should get a few games at left back or right back to see where he best fits in this team. 

The midfield lacks creativity without Mikel

Nigeria does not lack hardworking or defensive midfielders but it does lack creativity when John Obi Mikel is not in the squad. 

This should be a worry for any forward thinking Super Eagles supporter. Mikel is over 30 and could announce his retirement after the World Cup if things get ugly. Even though he hasn't hinted it yet but surely, Mikel is probably an AFCON away from retirement. Right from the qualifiers, the Nigerian midfield struggle to control possession or support the attack when Mikel is substituted or not available. 

Kelechi Iheanacho played the creative role against Poland and would probably need more games to adapt again to this role. His conversion to a striker in England has made him lose somewhat, his creative touch. Nigeria will need someone to step up his game if Mikel happens to get injured, unavailable, suspended or worse retires... 

The defensive midfield and central midfielders that Rohr used during the World Cup qualifiers will probably not change. Wilfred Ndidi is spot on to man the defensive midfield. Who pairs him and Mikel to form the midfield trio is what is up for grabs. 

Onazi was anonymous against Serbia. He wil probably make the final cut but his performance against Serbia was nothing short of mediocre. He probably was saving himself for the World Cup proper. 

John Ogu, Joel Obi, Mikel Agu have not done enough to merit a World Cup place.  Mikel Agu seems to be favoured by Rohr and could make up the numbers but Joel Obi seems to have blown his chance with his wayward passing in those 2 games.

The team's passing in midfield has been awful to say the least in the friendlies and will need to improve drastically when sterner tests come up. A midfield that has Rakitic and Modric in play will pass that Nigerian midfield to death...

Our wingers are great but Nigeria still lacks a reliable point man

Victor Moses won and scored the penalty that gave Nigeria victory against Poland while Alex Iwobi did okay against Serbia. You would expect Moses Simon and Ahmed Musa to put in a shift when called upon but the team still lacks a consistent striker. Odion Ighalo does work hard but is wasteful. You wouldn't count on him going on a scoring run. Iheanacho seems  more consistent but his small frame could count against him when Nigeria take on mean defensive partnerships. 

Ighalo's hold up play is better and would probably cause havoc in many defences. He still needs to be more clinical in front of goal though. 

Rohr may need to look for another decent striker to make up the numbers and who knows, possibly spring a surprise at the World Cup. 

He will probably have a fair idea what he must now do to fine tune this team if he is to achieve the minimum requirement the NFF would have demanded which is a quarter final place. 

He would have to announce a provisional squad in May. Based on what he has seen during this international break, he must know by now that getting out of a group that would parade the likes of Messi, Aguero, Di Maria, Mandzukic, Perisic or Rakitic would be a Herculean if not impossible task. 

Super Falcons Still Remain Unstoppable

The Super Falcons last Saturday retained their Africa Women Cup Of Nations (AWCON) title by defeating the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon on Saturday in the packed Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium in Yaounde 1-0. Victory came with a late strike from Desire Oparanozie in the 84th minute to end any dreams the Lionesses had of winning the title for the very first time. 

The final on Saturday was a repeat of the previous edition in Namibia where Nigeria ran out 2-0 winners over Cameroon. This final however, was more keenly contested  as hosts, Cameroon had the backing of a nation who were hopeful of winning the trophy for the first time at home. The prospect of defeating arch rivals Nigeria made the final a much bigger occasion.

But the Super Falcons had other ideas and with many experienced players who have played at the highest level in the squad, they were able to handle the occasion and come out tops in a difficult final in which the hosts failed to convert some good scoring opportunities.

The victory over Cameroon means Nigeria are Champions for the 8th time. Only twice has Nigeria ever failed to win the title. Nigeria still maintains an impressive record of never losing a final. Super Falcons Coach, Florence Omagbemi becomes the second woman after Uche Eucharia to win the trophy as both player and coach.

This victory over Cameroon was quite a sweet one but the path to victory this time around however, wasn't so smooth.

As usual getting the squad together to prepare for this tournament was a challenge for the footballing authorities. Preparations were less than ideal and it showed when the competition began.

The Super Falcons had to be dogged and spirited to overcome the challenges they had coming into the championship if they were to retain their title. They didn't disappoint.

They thrashed Mali 6-1 in their first game. They were held by the Black Queens of Ghana 1-1 in their next game but returned to winning ways by despatching Kenya 4-0.

The semi final was a tighter affair as they were able to overcome South Africa's Bayana Bayana 1-0 to qualify for the show down with tournament hosts Cameroon in the final.

The Super Falcons had to battle a logistics nightmare before they arrived Yaounde as they were made to travel in batches after being abandoned for 6 hours at the airport. The first batch went to Yaounde by air but the second batch had to travel by road after a technical issue occurred with the aircraft. Whether these antics were just psychological attempts to give the Lionesses an edge over the Falcons or whether it was just sheer incompetence by the local organising committee, only the Cameroon FA (Fecafoot) can tell.

On arrival in Yaounde, the Falcons met a noisy and hostile reception both at the airport and even in the city. The players expressed their disappointment at the manner in which they were treated but as it all turned out, they were able to use the negative experience to inspire a resilient and determined performance in the final.

Arsenal's Asisat Oshoala who failed to score in the final emerged top scorer with 6 goals. She was ably assisted by Desire Oparanozie who scored 3 goals. Oparanozie who plays for Guingamp in France, was the hero of the knock out stages as she grabbed the winner against South Africa and Cameroon.

The African Champions are now back home and will be meeting the President soon as he will be hosting them to a reception in Abuja to not only celebrate with the team but to hopefully reward them.

What next for the Super Falcons? Coach Florence Omagbemi has lamented the lack of games in female football and has appealed for more club and international competitions for women in Africa. 

She believes African team's could benefit at international tournaments if there were more tournaments for clubs and national teams. She appealed to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to look into this problem.

Sleeping Giant Finally Awake?

The Super Eagles over the weekend restored some respect and glory to the national team after a convincing 3-1 defeat of the Fennecs of Algeria last Saturday in the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers in Uyo.

Algeria which is one of Africa's in form teams with an attack that is quite formidable prior to the commencement of the World Cup qualifiers were brutally exposed by the rampaging Nigerian attack which counter attacked ruthlessly. A brace for Victor Moses and Chelsea outcast, John Obi Mikel did the trick for Nigeria.

If teams had written Nigeria off as a fallen giant in African football after its failure to qualify for the last and next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON ), this victory over Algeria may be a timely warning that this sleeping giant may be experiencing yet another resurgence.

After the dithering by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in appointing a coach for the Super Eagles after the abrupt resignation of Sunday Oliseh, it appears the NFF have made an astute appointment in the hiring of Gernot Rohr as coach after the ill fated attempt to lure Paul Le Guen.

He has been pragmatic and business like in the management of the squad. A trait which is unsurprising considering where he hails from. These traits have aided in putting Nigeria in pole position to claim the group's sole ticket for the World Cup. 

This is hoping the NFF will consolidate on these early strides made by the German coach by ensuring that they give him all the support he needs to prepare the team for the task ahead. Many that would have watched the team tackle Algeria on Saturday would have noticed that the team is far from being the finished article. There are still lots of work to be done by Rohr if the Super Eagles are to maintain their current position on the table.

August 28, 2017 is when the next round of fixtures is supposed to resume as Nigeria hosts Cameroon. It is an opportunity for the Super Eagles to strengthen their grip on first place if they defeat Cameroon knowing fully well that a sterner test will await them in the return leg. If the Super Eagles can come out with at least 4 points from that fixture, they will be quite confident in sealing their place at the World Cup with a victory against Zambia at home. For Algeria to stand a chance of turning the tables, they would have to win their next 3 games. 

It is still early days yet. August 2017 is a long time. Many things could go wrong between now and then. Key players could lose form, injuries could rule out important members of the squad, or who knows, someone in the NFF could fall out with Rohr or vice versa which could lead to disharmony in camp or even worse, a sacking... Nothing is impossible in this part of the world and so all hands should be on deck until the goal of qualifying is achieved.

Back to the game on Saturday, despite the handsome victory over the Greens of Algeria, there were some areas of key concern for the Super Eagles which Rohr will be looking to sort out quickly if our quest to qualify and actually make a serious impact at the World Cup in Russia is to be realised.

Ikeme Needs Competent Cover

Daniel Akpeyi was called upon to fill in for Carl Ikeme for the game against Algeria after he pulled out of the game due to injury. Akpeyi didn't exactly cover himself in glory as he was a bunch of nerves initially and even though he could do nothing about the goal by Nabil Bentaleb, his positioning was poor. Ikeme made Nigerians abandon their clamour for Vincent Enyeama's return. If something were to happen to Ikeme... Rohr appeared to have been satisfied with Akpeyi's performance. Nigerians will hope he knows something that they don't.

Rohr Is Yet To Solve The Right Back Conundrum 

Kenneth Omeruo played at right back last Saturday and of course he had some anxious moments during the game as he hasn't played there in a long time for the Super Eagles. The problem which the late Stephen Keshi could not solve permanently with Efe Ambrose is still proving a hard nut to crack. Rohr played Wilfred Ndidi in that role in the game against Zambia and now has experimented with Omeruo in this role as well. He wouldn't have been too convinced by his performance.

Nigeria Still Needs A Dependable Striker

Kelechi Iheanacho gave an indifferent performance at best on Saturday and even though he will have better days in a Super Eagles shirt, the fact that the other strikers in the team such as Odion Ighalo and Brown Ideye seem to be wasteful in front of goal should cause some to worry that this profligacy could yet come back to haunt the team in more difficult games and against more resolute defences.

Will Coming Out Actually Improve Gay Footballers Performance?

A couple of days back, former NBA star, John Ameachi stated in a parliamentary hearing on homophobia in sport that Gay  Premier League footballers would perform better if they were to come out. 

He and British race walker, Tom Bosworth told MPs that players would be able to focus on their sport instead of hiding.

According to Bosworth a non-openly gay footballer could not be enjoying life as much as he could have.

Bosworth claimed his performance recorded a significant improvement after  he admitted publicly that he was gay.

Ameachi who insists that he is in contact with gay footballers who are reluctant to come out said that if an individual uses 1% of his energy to stop being who he is it might turn out to be the difference between being good and being great.

The logical question now is, does hiding equate to one who has stopped being who one really is?

A gay footballer might hide his sexual orientation but has that stopped him from being gay? After all, they might be in gay relationships while hiding that fact from the general public.

I think the argument posed by John Ameachi is flawed.

For one, as I have already stated, hiding one's sexual orientation is not the same as stopping oneself from being who one is. It just means that the gay footballer has a life not known by the public.

And to the crux of the matter, will coming out publicly actually have a positive effect on a player's performance levels? That Tom Bosworth's performance results have improved is hardly enough evidence to suggest that all athletes or footballers will have an improvement in their general performance if they came out.

Maybe in the short term, it might lead to some better performances as a burden would have been lifted from the footballer's shoulders. But what happens after the euphoria that comes with the freedom to openly be who one is has worn off?

In football, a bang average footballer usually remains bang average. Revealing a sexual orientation which has nothing to do with a gay player's footballing skills or intelligence is not going to change much contrary to what Ameachi would have us believe.

The highest profile footballer to ever come out, Thomas Hitzlsperger, was not exceptional in his playing days. He although represented Germany 52 times and played for some decent teams like Aston Villa, Stuttgart and Lazio. But if he were playing today, he wouldn't get into the current German squad's midfield. It is unlikely his public admittance to his sexual orientation would have made him better than he was.

Another important thing to note is that human beings have different ways they react to their environment. While people like Bosworth might notice an improvement in their performance, some others might not record any significant change in their performance and of course, there will be others whose performances may start to suffer. The possibility that there might be some negative or indifferent outcome after a player has revealed his sexual orientation does not appear to figure in the views of Ameachi and Bosworth.

Football being a team sport is not as straightforward as athletics where results can determine whether one is improving or not. With the advent of Opta and other sports statistics companies, a player's performance could be evaluated to a large degree but it all depends on what aspect of the player's game is being assessed. 

Not many players can maintain their best form consistently for long periods without a major or minor slump. Reaching a conclusion as to whether an admittance to a sexual preference is responsible for an upturn in performance might be too simplistic.

Does a player need to come out as gay? If it's important to the player and the player feels it might help him then so be it. The question now is, what does he intend to achieve by coming out?