By Ettedem Philip
The Super Eagles on Sunday 9th of October 2016 defeated the Chipolopolo of Zambia by two goals to one to give Gernot Rohr his second win.
Nigeria in a good stead in the group with with three points deservedly earned away from home as both Cameroun and Algeria shared the spoils.
It was an interesting victory for Super Eagles as Zambia mustered a second half fight back which had Nigerians at the edge of their seats but still got the job done.
Below are some key observations from the game i will like to share;
1- Ideye should be our striker, the game against Zambia provided Ideye with the perfect opportunity to prove his worth to Gernot Rohr that he can be the leading marksman for the Super Eagles considering the absence of Odion Ighalo who wasn't available because of his father's burial and Ideye grabbed the opportunity with both hands as he was tireless at the other end of the pitch.
He worked hard and also link up play with Iheanacho and Iwobi and even grabbed an assist. Though he didn't score and even missed a good first half opportunity (which was offside anyway) but he put in a good shift and it's safe to say he should and will be our starting centre forward against Algeria.
2 - Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho are the future of Super Eagles. This two young lads, Iwobi and Iheanacho are definitely the future of Super Eagles as they both put up a virtuoso display and grabbed the goals that earned Nigeria the three points. Iwobi was good in the first half though he was played out wide, he still drifted infield to have a piece of the action and had some good moments as he formed a good understanding with Ideye and Iheanacho as he capped it up with his first international goal.
Kelechi Iheanacho was also impressive and the composure he showed for the second goal was unnatural for a 20 year old and it is our hope that they will keep up this consistency and grow into better players.
3-Carl Ikeme is here to stay. The truth is that Ikeme has always done well when he was called upon. If you remember his debut against Tanzania, perhaps he was the only reason Nigeria left with a point.
But Nigerians were still unconvinced especially after Enyeama's unceremonious retirement from international football but all those talks of Enyeama coming back will die down after Ikeme's superlative performance as he made five vital saves to preserve Nigeria's lead and stamp his authority on the No 1 shirt for Nigeria.
4- Wilfred Ndidi wasn't a bad choice after all . Eyebrows were raised when Ndidi was named as our Right back instead of Abdullahi Shehu. This is a player who plays as a defensive midfielder for his club Genk so him playing in an unfamiliar role demands such reaction but he did well in the first half as he dealt relatively well with the threat of Tembo and won most of the aerial challenges. In the second half when Chisamba Lungu was brought on and Tembo switched to the right flank, things changed, he had some hard times coping with the trickery of Lungu and there was no support from Moses Simon which meant he was always under pressure but Gernot Rohr corrected that by bringing on Esiti to put more bodies to protect the full backs.
Wilfred Ndidi wasn't bad as a right back but whether he continues there remains to be seen.
5 - Time is ticking for Keneth Omeruo,
It seems a distant memory now for Kenneth Omeruo the boy who dislodged Joseph Yobo from the starting XI in South Africa 2013 and man marked Drogba out of the game in our quarterfinal game against Ivory Coast which heralded a new centre back.
But all those hopes have faded after his slip against Zambia allowed Mbesuma to pull one back for Zambia as this has preceded former errors, some were very expensive, notably the game against South Africa where he slipped to allow Tokelo Rantie score and ultimately deny Nigeria a place in 2015 Nations Cup.
The time is almost up for him especially when Leon Balogun comes back he will be a bit part player for the team or worse case scenario he might not be called up at all.
The Super Eagles on Sunday 9th of October 2016 defeated the Chipolopolo of Zambia by two goals to one to give Gernot Rohr his second win.
Nigeria in a good stead in the group with with three points deservedly earned away from home as both Cameroun and Algeria shared the spoils.
It was an interesting victory for Super Eagles as Zambia mustered a second half fight back which had Nigerians at the edge of their seats but still got the job done.
Below are some key observations from the game i will like to share;
1- Ideye should be our striker, the game against Zambia provided Ideye with the perfect opportunity to prove his worth to Gernot Rohr that he can be the leading marksman for the Super Eagles considering the absence of Odion Ighalo who wasn't available because of his father's burial and Ideye grabbed the opportunity with both hands as he was tireless at the other end of the pitch.
He worked hard and also link up play with Iheanacho and Iwobi and even grabbed an assist. Though he didn't score and even missed a good first half opportunity (which was offside anyway) but he put in a good shift and it's safe to say he should and will be our starting centre forward against Algeria.
2 - Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho are the future of Super Eagles. This two young lads, Iwobi and Iheanacho are definitely the future of Super Eagles as they both put up a virtuoso display and grabbed the goals that earned Nigeria the three points. Iwobi was good in the first half though he was played out wide, he still drifted infield to have a piece of the action and had some good moments as he formed a good understanding with Ideye and Iheanacho as he capped it up with his first international goal.
Kelechi Iheanacho was also impressive and the composure he showed for the second goal was unnatural for a 20 year old and it is our hope that they will keep up this consistency and grow into better players.
3-Carl Ikeme is here to stay. The truth is that Ikeme has always done well when he was called upon. If you remember his debut against Tanzania, perhaps he was the only reason Nigeria left with a point.
But Nigerians were still unconvinced especially after Enyeama's unceremonious retirement from international football but all those talks of Enyeama coming back will die down after Ikeme's superlative performance as he made five vital saves to preserve Nigeria's lead and stamp his authority on the No 1 shirt for Nigeria.
4- Wilfred Ndidi wasn't a bad choice after all . Eyebrows were raised when Ndidi was named as our Right back instead of Abdullahi Shehu. This is a player who plays as a defensive midfielder for his club Genk so him playing in an unfamiliar role demands such reaction but he did well in the first half as he dealt relatively well with the threat of Tembo and won most of the aerial challenges. In the second half when Chisamba Lungu was brought on and Tembo switched to the right flank, things changed, he had some hard times coping with the trickery of Lungu and there was no support from Moses Simon which meant he was always under pressure but Gernot Rohr corrected that by bringing on Esiti to put more bodies to protect the full backs.
Wilfred Ndidi wasn't bad as a right back but whether he continues there remains to be seen.
5 - Time is ticking for Keneth Omeruo,
It seems a distant memory now for Kenneth Omeruo the boy who dislodged Joseph Yobo from the starting XI in South Africa 2013 and man marked Drogba out of the game in our quarterfinal game against Ivory Coast which heralded a new centre back.
But all those hopes have faded after his slip against Zambia allowed Mbesuma to pull one back for Zambia as this has preceded former errors, some were very expensive, notably the game against South Africa where he slipped to allow Tokelo Rantie score and ultimately deny Nigeria a place in 2015 Nations Cup.
The time is almost up for him especially when Leon Balogun comes back he will be a bit part player for the team or worse case scenario he might not be called up at all.
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