Victor Osimhen, Daniel Akpeyi and Joe Aribo have returned to the Super Eagles following the announcement of the 24-man squad for next month’s 2021 AFCON qualifiers against Sierra Leone, Completesports.com reports.
The names of the invited players was published on the NFF’s verified Twitter handle on Thursday.
Also making a return to the Eagles are Oghenekaro Etebo and Club Brugge forward Emmanuel Dennis.
There is a first call-up for 26-year-old Switzerland-born goalkeeper Sebastian Osigwe who plays for FC Lugano in the Swiss top flight.
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Osimhen missed the Eagles’ friendly games against Algeria and Tunisia in Austria due to coronavirus issues at Napoli.
The trio of Etebo, Aribo and Akpeyi were all absent against the north Africans due to injury.
CSKA Moscow winger Chidera Ejuke, Midtjylland’s Frank Onyeka and Kevin Akpoguma of Hoffenheim were part of the invited players.
However, Genk striker Cyriel Dessers, who made his Super Eagles debut against Tunisia, did not make the list.
Other players invited for the double-header against Sierra Leone are Maduka Okoye, William Troost-Ekong, Kenneth Omeruo, Leon Balogun, Semi Ajayi, Chidozie Awaziem, Zaidu Sanusi, Ola Aina and Jamilu Collins.
Also listed are Tyronne Ebuehi, Ahmed Musa, Moses Simon, Alex Iwobi, Kelechi Iheanacho and Samuel Chukwueze.
Meanwhile, seven players have been put on standby. The players are Francis Uzoho, Samson Tijani, Kelechi Nwakali, Shehu Abdullahi, Paul Onuachu, Ramon Azeez and Ikechukwu Ezenwa.
Uzoho only recently returned to action after being out with injury and was in goal for Apoel Nicosia in the Cyprus Cup on Wednesday.
Super Eagles 24-man squad for AFCON qualifiers against Sierra Leone:
Goalkeepers
Daniel Akpeyi
Maduka Okoye
Sebastian Osigwe
Defenders
William Troost-Ekong
Kenneth Omeruo
Leon Balogun
Semi Ajayi
Chidozie Awaziem
Zaidu Sanusi
Ola Aina
Jamilu Collins
Kevin Akpoguma
Midfielders
Oghenekaro Etebo
Tyronne Ebuehi
Frank Onyeka
Joe Aribo
Forwards
Ahmed Musa
Moses Simon
Alex Iwobi
Emmanuel Dennis
Victor Osimhen
Kelechi Iheanacho
Samuel Chukwueze
Chidera Ejuke
Standby
Kelechi Nwakali
Francis Uzoho
Samson Tijani
Shehu Abdullahi
Paul Onuachu
Ramon Azeez
Ikechukwu Ezenwa
By James Agberebi
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COMMENTS
CSN Nawao….
How can u pple post a half-baked bread?
No mind them…similar to what I read on owngoal.
Even a mad man knows Uzoho, Osimhen and Aribo will definitely get call up when fit
Pls can we stop inviting Kenneth omeruo, Akpeyi and awaziem we don’t need players playing in Half baked league or Competition abeg..
Including jamilu Collins and Ahmed Musa.. There are all playing in Half baked leagues..
We need to invite Bassey of rangers fc, Tella and that Fulham CB
Awaziem is one of the best man-markers in that team. He’s very versatile too. Just that the coach hasn’t really decided on how to deploy him in the team. Anytime I watch him, I remember Emeka Ezeugo in the 1994 team. Each time he’s called upon, he always gets the job done. Coach Rohr should just make up his mind on how to play him in the team. But to me, he’s an asset.
What about the rest other guys playing in Half baked leagues
Like who?
Nice selection..am delighted to see Zaidu sanusi, Dennis,joe Aribo in d team..Rohr tnk u for inviting d new goalie (osigwe) cos we Neva still get number #1 oo..anyway try him let’s see..it’s not about inviting new players but use dem rightfully let’s see..Onuachu shouldn’t be on standby at all..a local based striker should be there..wasted space.. Up eagles.!
Omeruo, Collins, Musa and Ezenwa
Mr David, you’ve no reason for mentioning those vital players were u expected you to ask for the exclusion of Paul Onuachu who is not fitted to our game
This is the list of SE
Goal keepers
Osigwe,okoye and Akpeyi
Defenders
Collins,sanusi,ebuehi, aina,ekong,balogun,awaziem,akpos,ajayi,omeruo
Midfielder
Etebo,aribo,iwobi,onyeka
Attackers
Musa,chukweze,bonaventure, ejuke,simon,ihenacho, osihmen
Pls house what is wrong with Ramon AZeez? Why such a talented midfieder not on the list?. He is more experienced than Frank onyeka
He is recovering from injuries. Onyeka is competing in the UEFA champions league.
Ramon Azeez has played just a handful of games this season whereas Onyeka has been very active domestically and in the champions league for Mitjylland
House have u guys noticed that the only out and out striker in the list is victor Oshimen? Should anything happen to him or in case he under performs what is plan B?
Dennis can do well if given d chance..he is d other #9 I see there..
Wow! The first report didn’t include the list.
I knew Dessers won’t be invited cos he was treated like Maja but I believe he will get his chance next tym especially if we can win home and away and qualify with two games left.
Happy to see Osigwe among the list even Dennis really want to see what this guy can do with us.
Nice Team list
@ Sean, Rohr may have considered the African terrain in inviting certain players. Dessers is definitely an eagle and a very decent player. His moments are coming. You don’t force these things. The African terrain might just be too risky considering the importance of this game. The midfield options clearly shows we seriously need look for lots of options there. We are clearly lacking there. Happy to see Nwakali in the standby list but just that a really big man on that standby list won’t let I n I have clear view of other players there. Lol.
@Glory…you are right bro.
The house, the list is not bad just that Ramon Azeez is a good midfielder, Ebuehi also is good but Paul Onuachu but Paul Onuachu does not march our play pattern so he should stay put with his international football trading.
A lot of defensive players, it’s even up to 10 defenders because Tyronne Ebuehi is being listed as a midfielder…
I just feel it should be 8 defenders with the exclusion of Omaru and Awaziem with at least six mid field players… but I can’t question the coach’s decision it’s his job.
Well nice list good to see fan favorite Osigwe and Ejuke on the list. with six pions we are in Cameroon already!!!
Love reading you guys God bless you all…
UpSuperEagles!!
I think it was an error.Ajayi was suppose to be on that list among the midfielders not Ebuehi
We need to stop inviting omeruo, awaziem and jamilu Collins
@ Larry broda man, Lolzz. I am waiting for you to say something about Ola Aina whom Rohr refused to play during the two recent friendlies, now amongst players invite. You called everyone blind in one of your post regarding this issue, but maybe it’s better to be blind to see better these days. Hahaha…
@Glory,
i would rather wait and see the match day starting 11. As usual, the list is filled with questionable selection.
Goal keeper: Why is our best performing and most active GK Mathew Yakubu left out. Ikechukwu Ezenwa on standby ..FRAUD!! Alloy Agu needs to be more transparent.
Defence: 6 central defenders and 10 defender for a match against Sierra Leone..
Midfield: looks okay.. The combination of Etebo, Aribo and Iwobi will do.
Attack: looks okay.
I hope Olayinka, Maja, Tella, Dennis and Moffi are being considered.
Hmmm, baba look well you will see bonaventure maybe na Dennis cousin.. Lol
Oops!! Dennis is on the list.
hahahahaha…[email protected] wetin do you? All because you wanna criticize Rohr haba. lolz. IF Rohr invites those players you mentioned, some will blame him. This whole thing has become like a circus to me. Too many cook they say, spoil the soup. I personally, have lots of things to say about the team, formation, players to invite, and players not to invite, the entire coaching method etc. But who am I compared to Rohr with years of experience in these things? We seem to constantly underestimate how difficult it is to work in a nigerian setting. Everytime I remember the difficult working terrain nigeria/nigerians can pose, I just find it hard to criticize Rohr. Pressure coming from everywhere and especially now, he is not getting any more protection from Pinnick and co. I subscribe to just allowing Rohr do his job, while we all give him the needed support. If he fails, then get rid of him, with a thank you sir for the time spent. But as far as I know, Rohr has not done badly yet. Its just been a case of some fans getting too emotional/sentimental about Rohr’s position as SE manager.
Hahahahaha…[email protected] Maybe Rohr will have to consult the name callers on this forum when compiling his team lists ahead of each match day, because they know, monitor and communicate with all Nigerian players in Europe better than him.
Trust me, they will name players who have even retired without knowing…..LMAO
Gbamm.!!! U just hit d nail [email protected] n Nigeria emotional fans n pressure..Rohr has done badly bro..e nor easy to work for naija at all..True talk..I hail
I think what happened is Rohr has maintained the team for the last friendlies for cohesion since there is little time given for international playoffs.So what he did was to add a couple of players like Bonaventure for injured Kalu and of course the regulars who are back from injury.
The team listed above for the games next month is good enough to see off Sierra Leone.
In future games we expect a few more additions as nationality switch of some players are given green light by FIFA.
No, Super Eagles belong to the igbo’s
Who let this dog out?
So far so good I think the list is fair enough, however I think the coach should do more in scouting of midfielders ( creative ones oh! I’m tired of defensive football)
Rohr should use this opportunity to make up his mind on the defenders he prefer instead of always inviting ten defenders thereby limiting space for other departments.
I’m especially happy for Dennis, the guy is quality!
who knows if oga Rohr will give him playing time.
All the best to team Super Eagles!!!!!!!!
We must be sincere and honest, with Rohr defensive philosophy super eagle will struggle for achievement. Why on earth will a coach invites 10 defenders? Are we going to war? Awaziem is no longer regarded as a centre defender in the team, he’s a right back. Also he invites 5 centre defenders, for what? I am beginning to have doubts about the coach, it won’t be funny he will play Ajayi in the midfield as he does in the last freindly game. No matter the case maybe Azeez or Tijani will perform better in the defensive role than the testing dude Ajayi. Please don’t come here to tell me stories about Rohr winning ratio, let’s discuss the reality.
The winning ratio is fantansy abi….? It is not reality….LMAO. All the games the “defensive coach” has won were won in the dreamland, or maybe they were played on African Magic….Lolz. When we win pick another 6 points this November and land in yet another tournament with games to spare dont celebrate it. You can join the rest who claim they prefer not qualifying for AFCONs to participating and even coming home with a medal.
@Dr drey the winning ratio is fair, thank goodness we have bunch of talents to achieve better winning ratio rather than fair blah blah blah. In my own opinion, Rohr need to update his technical ability to 2020 version lol. No coach invites 10 defenders, who does that?
Semi will compete for a midfield spot. I’m sure it was a clerical error to list in defence and Tyrion Ebuehi in midfield.
I think the problem Rohr is having is that he likes all the full backs. Saidu Sanusi has come in after his outstanding season in Portugal but Rohr can’t bring himself to leave Collins, Awaziem or Aina out of the team. Awaziem is cover at centra back and right back, Aina is cover at left and right back positions, Collins is left footed and a cover at left back.
I think with time Awaziem and Aina will start getting fewer call ups (Felix Uduokhai is still going to join this year); which is sad bc they’re good players; but the team needs to improve. NFF cannot keep catering for the match bonuses and ticket fees for a bloated squad.
@sammy, I prefer Adbarioyo and Ademola lookman ahead of uduokhai at this time.
NFF should be fast to get felix Udoaika,we need solid defenders,world cup is not Africa nations cup
Guys, dont you think a berth should have been giving to Bryan Idowu ahead of Khimki ahead of Collins playing in the 2nd division in Germany?
Would Bright Osayi Samuel not be invited now?
@Edoguy,before this week, that idowu scored, when last have u heard of him?
We are playing against sierra Leone not Germany. The list is out, let’s talk about the players on the list.
The team list looks good, the defenders are there to compete for places, only the fittest will be chosen on match day and others will be back up.
Like someone said, I think Rohr is undecided about some players while he is also going to trim some players from the team as time goes by.
The midfield looks good with the return of Etebo and Aribo.
Another chance for onyeka to prove he deserves a place in the midfield ahead of Ajayi. Also ajayi needs to prove he belongs in the team because the way things are going he may be frozen out of the central defence with all the new defenders coming into the team.
The attack also looks good.
All those clamouring for Dennis now have their wish. I hope he gets some time on the pitch so we can see what he has to offer.
My man Ejuke is back, he should start on the left with the absence of kalu, but knowing Rohr, moses simon will likely replace kalu on the left with chukwueze on the right (so predictable). I Hope he tries another attacking formation. There is so many to choose from with these players it will be a waste not to try them.
Anyway, im happy with the list.
My apologises to alampasu and yakubu but like I said Rohr likes his Goalies BIG and/or experienced. Better luck next time
Hmm..good point @sportsfan.. however, I think if anyone is going to be frozen out of defence, it is not Ajayi. He plays regular football in the premier league
Why would someone who is not train to be a coach will say why is Musa in the team? Giroud of France always in d team despite not a regular in his club. One certain Belgium player was a starter while playing in China before joining Dortmund last year or so. Crying why Ramon Azeez is not in d team despite not fit and such a person is claiming to be better than the coach. All this clamouring for this player and that player simply cos is your favorite must stop. For those saying having 10 defenders, in every list defense is where u have d highest cos you have to invite 2 in every department. Besides there are some players there who can be useful in another department like Aina,Ajayi and Awaziem etc.
this list clearly proves that Super Eagles still lacks depth. you don’t have this kind of list and expect to reach the semi finals of the world cup.
let’s begin with the defenders. Collins and omeruo shouldn’t even have been called. they are surplus to requirements. do they have quality? of course. but their league is the problem. also why are we bringing 5 center backs for? and that’s assuming ajayi was the intended name for the midfield not tryonne! the only execuse for this is if rohr plans on using back 3 formation, probably the 3-5-2. but that would also fault the execuse of 4 fullbacks – ola, sanusi, Collins, ebuehi. if it was a 3-5-2 Rohr is planning then bringing 4 fullbacks are unnecessary since Moses Simon and Bonaventure could also compete as wingbacks
secondly, Ahmed Musa is the solid proof that SE at best is an African giant but not world. there’s no big national side that would invite musa for any reason. not Brazil, not Argentina, and surely not France! why? he plays in the most obscure league in the list and yet you would think he would be popping up to 30 goals. but in about fifty appearances he was unable to even score up to 20.
am I against Super Eagles? God knows I’m not. do I hate omeruo, Collins or Musa? no. my complaints are from the perspective of someone who truly wants SE to progress to the greatest heights!
and please someone help me tell Rodgers to explain to us why he still benches Iheanacho! let this guy go to a Spanish side that plays europa football.
Super Eagles all the best!!
I think this is the reason why some people question GR selection. What is the basis for selecting Musa? He hasn’t played competitive soccer for any clubside in awhile, so if the basis for inviting players is that the players should be active, then Musa doesn’t deserve an invite. Also why put Ezenwa who has kicked a soccer ball in almost a year on the standby list and Yakubu is not on the standby list. Other than Osigwe, Yakubu is the only goalie that plays regularly (one can understand not being invited to the main team but not on d standby list is shocking g imho). Why also have 10 defenders for goodness sake? Against Sierra Leone we are inviting 10 defenders then against France it might be 23 defenders. I try not to criticize GR too much but this list is dubious to me. Knowing the midfield is our Achilles hill i would have suspected that he address this problem. Yeah glad to see Etebo and Aribo back but he ought to have tried to fix this problem. This is a situation where Nwakali should have been invited not on the standby list. The reason is that if Musa who doesn’t have a club at the moment can make the main list then atleast Nwakali plays few minutes here and there for his team and knowing we need to strengthen the midfield. It can’t be that the reason for inviting Musa is for fire power as we have enough fire power to see off Sierra leone imho. Am not in anyway advocating for Nwakali as I think he is too slow and tracking back would be hard for him but considering the fact that we are lacking in that department and Azeez being hurt, he is the logical choice imho.
I prefare Maduka Okoye to Akpeyi. i pray that Super Eagles will win on Friday 13th November 2020.
This list is good enough to beat Sierra Leone and qualify for the AFCON next month. I particularly like the invitation of Dennis. Hopefully he takes his chance if given this time. Glad to see Etebo and Aribo back. Akpoguma will most likely partner Ekong or Balogun in the heart of defense. Omeruo and Awaziem will have to prove beyond doubt in this window that they still remain relevant or be dropped altogether. Zaidu has locked up the left back position while Ebuehi will be my preferred choice at right back. Aina can either back up Ebuehi or fight for spot at left back. On the flanks is where options aplenty. I hope Ejuke can start on the left with Chukwueze on the right. Iheanacho and Osimhen in attack. The most important thing now is cohesion and efficiency/effectiveness. SuperEagles all the way.
The team is not bad, i think Rohr wants to see his defenders one more time thats why he invited all of them, omeruo dont have any business to do with the team, i prefer aina to ebuehi anyday anytime, i dont see what ebuehi have done for eagles for him to be prefered ahead of creative aina that will be pure foul play. good to see ejuke and dennis in the team, nwakali should have replaced omeruo, maja should also have replaced musa who is currently clubless, still hoping to see ejiara and josh unomah finaly complete their switch, as far as i am concern our midfield still needs work, if onyeka can be called from denmark that means there is hope for onazi
Lol not onazi, that guy is finished!!
Aina is not better than Ebuehi. Did you see Aina play on the weekend, he was rubbish. Rohr wants consistency.
I agree with Maja. He should come into the squad. Also, Simy should be given a berth. I also think Collins playing in the lower division of german footbal should not be considered ahead of Bryan Idowu
@Collins id, you saw the double standard from a guy like Edoman? You can call Frank Onyeka a crayfish midfielder from Denmark but not Onazi who if fit is still miles ahead of most of the midfielders we have today… OK o, we are watching in 3D.
@JimmyBall, Why did you mention my good name ?. Edoguy might be my own cousin but l am Edoman, who live in retirement in sunshine state of South Florida, USA. Hi Edoguy !!!Love you are doing.
thank you
I am reading you comments from Mexico. Great job Edoman
Maduka Okoye will most likely get the nod in goal. Zaidu, Ebuehi, Ekong/Ajayi Balogun/Akpoguma, Etebo, Aribo, Iwobi, Ejuke/Chukwueze, Osimhen, Iheanacho. With Etebo and Aribo there will be creativity and blind side runs to the box while Iwobi plays a free role. The attack will function well in a 4-3-3 formation. Two attackers one winger like @Sportsfan mention in one of his analysis. Either Ejuke, Osimhen and Iheanacho. Or Chukwueze, Osimhen, Iheanacho. Or Simon, Osimhen, Iheanacho. Or Dennis, Osimhen, Iheanacho. Or perhaps Musa, Osimhen, Iheanacho. For me there’s no separating Iheanacho and Osimhen in this SuperEagles attack. Unless Rohr decides otherwise. With the exception of Ndidi I think this are the best the SuperEagles can offer for now. Obviously most of them have been in the team since 2016. And most of them have played together since their U13 days. Now is the time to get the best out them and make them a cohesive well drilled unit between now and the AFCON in Cameroon as well as the WorldCup qualifiers.
Good list, good job in bringing back Denis, but I still don’t ve faith in our midfield yet. I will wait till after the match before commenting further.
A BIG COMPETITION IN THE GOAL KEEPING DEPARTMENT. AKPEYE IS ONE OF THE BEST IN SOUTH AFRICA.
_ Super Eagles team shaping up _
It is fast becoming difficult to distinguish fact from fiction when it comes to the perception of Rohr’s handling of the Super Eagles as the latest list released generates talking points that can be hard to substantiate .
Too many defenders: the latest list released contains 9 defenders but is this too many? Not exactly.
Traditionally, Super Eagles squads to major competitions usually contain 6 to 8 defenders so having 1 extra is not such a wide variation from the norm (more so when you consider that Semi Ajayi can moonlight as a defensive midfielder).
Unsettled squad: no less than 13 of the players invited have been part of the squad before the 2018 World Cup.
The bulk of the rest of the players have been in and around the squad in the past 2 years. This is a stable squad with few new (largely deserving) faces here and there.
Questionable additions: international football squad selections can be inexplicable at times. This is by no means a monopoly to Nigeria. Squad selections will always raise a few eyebrows here and there.
Ahmed Musa justified his call up for October friendlies by assisting 1 goal and causing an infraction for a Nigeria penalty. Regardless of his current club status, national team coaches believe in his abilities at this time and that is all that matters.
Questionable omissions : it is hard to see any player whose omission from the 23 man list can be seen as jaw dropping. Having said that, someone like goalkeeper Matthew Yakubu can feel aggrieved for, at least, not making it onto the standby list.
However, the end will always justify the means. Moreover, Paul Onuachu who was not named in the standby list for October friendlies leapfrogged those on it to make it to the main list and in fact saw meaningful game time.
In all, I think we have to get used to quite a lot of quality players not making Super Eagles squads simply because of the sheer number of options opening up to coaches on a regular basis.
This group of players have massive potentials, it is up to Gernot Rohr to unlock these and unleash them to the world.
@ drey thank you a lot!
all the victories of rohr were done in Dreamland!
when rohr was handed a job over a team that couldn’t qualify for afcon back to back! afcon! I mean afcon, my fellow brothers. and still had to battle for a one for all spot to the world cup. considering also that he had to battle it against Cameron ( at that time African champions), Algeria (the most inform team in Africa at that time), and Zambia (who also were desperate). looking back Super Eagles had absolutely no chance. Rohr just lost the country’s greatest goalkeeper of all time to useless politics. I remember reading an analysis of a former ex- international Nigeria player that said that Algeria and Cameron were the only teams that likely to qualify. but what happened? rohr proved all his critics wrong!
people were still not satisfied. they started complaining that he didn’t qualify for the round of 16. how laughable! he competed against former silver medalist nation that had arguably the greatest footballer of all time! and Croatia that also went to the final in that outing, also owning players like rakitic and modric. by God’s grace we defeated sirgusson Iceland.
but people still complained!
you didn’t qualify for afcon, and when you went after four years you came back with a medal.
but people still complained!
what do you want? win the world cup? with your kind of players that still struggle for a place in their team against those that win the champions league
truly, when you think of it, Rohr achievement only happens in Dreamland. we the fans have quickly forgotten what SE was before Rohr arrival. am I in support of all his decisions, of course not. I won’t even call myself his fan. I just wanted to remind you all of reality, that the only reason we think SE can win the world cup is because of rohr. ten years ago that thought won’t even across our mind.
I am a fan of Super Eagles and I hope the best for us all!
Nice piece Kingston. Well thought out.
@OmoEsan,l shared the same thought with you.
HIGHLY EXCITED 2 SEE GK. OSIGWE ON D LIST. THIS GUY IS IN TOP FORM AND D MOST HIGHLY CONSISTENCE NIGERIA GK IN EUROPE SINCE 2017. KUDOS 2 G.ROHR 4 dis. PLS ROHR CONSIDER C.DESSERS ONCE MORE. HE WILL DEFINATELY FIT IN S.EAGLE SETTINGS 4 SURE & U WILL NEXT AFCON.
Good enough List I only question Ahmed Musa but I won’t drag on about that. I don’t think he will start I think Chidera has convinced Rohr of his potentials so i see Chukwueze and Chideira on either side of wing.
Abeg Rohr and NFF Make Una begin paper work shap shap for Lookman o. I no wan here say Enghland don call am up oooo!! dat go be the worse tory wey I go hear dis year consyning ball o. Abeg I take God beg una o
Why would someone who is not train to be a coach will say why is Musa in the team? Giroud of France always in d team despite not a regular in his club. One certain Belgium player was a starter while playing in China before joining Dortmund last year or so. Crying why Ramon Azeez is not in d team despite not fit and such a person is claiming to be better than the coach. All this clamouring for this player and that player simply cos is your favorite must stop. For those saying having 10 defenders, in every list defense is where u have d highest cos you have to invite 2 in every department. Besides there are some players there who can be useful in another department like Aina,Ajayi and Awaziem etc.
@Tayo Musa functions best as a impact player from bench it has been so even since the days of Late Stephen Okechukwu Keshi. At best he can come in last 10 mins when Sierra Leone is tired that can be his role.
If he starts a game agaisnt Strong opposition he is always ineffective IMHO (except for Argentina game Many years ago)
Okoye
O.Aina
Ekong
Balogun/Ajayi
Sanusi
Etebo
Aribo
Iwobi
Chukwueze
Osimhen
Chidera
See Squad Sierra Leone go kolo come game time
I believe the list is OK, team lists all over the world is littered with controversies. You can never get all the best talents to play for SE at d same time.let’s support GR as he continues to finetune this team
ola aina vs tryonne ebuehi? I will prefer aina just because I like the guy partially. when you think of ola aina one word comes to mind – creativity. he knows how to bring that much needed spark in the final third, creates assist and crosses that are much needed. while ebuehi is what a fullback should be (apart from his crossing though). strong, fast and technical. I remember what he brought to SE against Iceland. before coming in SE had not taken a single shot on target, but when he arrived his pace at the flank (along with Moses at the other side) brought pressure that was needed for us to score. even his defensive contribution was also impressive. had it not been for the unfortunate injury he could still be playing regularly for benfica, then will would be seeing a beast.
for azeez case rohr is right in dropping the guy. he rarely have game times at granada. couldn’t even make the team for today europa match.
I hope that nwakali picks up in his form quickly. I want to see the guy that won the u-17 player of the tournament again. though he will have to battle it out against ejaria who have a better chance of claiming that no.10 spot for SE behind iwobi. I also wish eberechi eze considers Nigeria, his quality is needed. if he does not, good luck to him.
a midfield with – ndidi, etebo, iwobi, aribo, onyeka/ajayi and ejaria/eze/nwakali is not quite bad compared to other African sides.
as for the defenders, I agree with the opinion that rohr wants to see his defenders one more time. with the likes of tosin adarabioyo, Felix udoikhai and Kingsley ehizibue coming in players like omeruo, Collins and awaziem got a last chance to prove themselves. my take is since normally only 8 defenders are called the afcon list may look something like this – balogun, ekong, akpoguma, udoikhai, ola aina, ebuehi, sanusi and Kingsley (my name sake, Rohr better invites him). tosin adarabioyo could still fight for a spot and ajayi would be used as a midfielder.
Super Eagles all the best!
Your highlighted 8 defenders is lit mehn.
Rohr’s preferred system is 3-3-4. However, the number of defenders on the list may suggest that Rohr is looking at playing 3 center backs and two wing backs, two center midfielders and 3 forwards in a 3-4-3 system.
Possible line up:
Okoye
Akpoguma, Ekong, Balogun
Aina, Iwobi, Aribo, Sanusi
Chukwueze, Osimhen, Ejuke
Solid defense, fluid midfield, explosive attack.
Historically, this Nigeria squad is tough to beat when we play 3 center backs. Rohr is playing it safe. He knows the forward line will likely produce goals. So he has set up the team conservatively to minimize our opponent’s offensive threats.
EVEN IF WE CAN’T SCORE AGAINST YOU, YOU MUST NOT SCORE AGAINST US.
A conservative, practical, pragmatic approach. Not naive or rooted in fantasy.
A good team line up, in my opinion.
If Rohr goes the 3-3-4 route, remove Akpoguma from the center backs, and add Etebo or Ajayi to the midfield. Still a solid formation.
My only regret is that Dessers is not here. However, someone mentioned a very valid point. Rohr may be looking to ease Dessers into the African way of playing. Dessers may be comfortable against a European opponent, but an African opponent is an entirely different animal. Hopefully, Dessers will get other opportunities in upcoming games.
my list ahead of the qualifiers
okoye
akpoguma – ekong – balogun
ola – aribo – etebo – iwobi – sanusi
iheanacho – osimhen
a 3-5-2 set up
@Kingston… Why did Rohr not invite Dessers and play him against Sierra Leone even? Rohr’s invitation is always devoid of optimum utilization. Even in dead rubber games… against weak opponents he will still be playing serious players like Osimhen and Iheanacho… Why not use weak games to try Maja, Dessers and Dennis? Let’s begin to sift players early and define our team. Inviting 9 defenders is too much… IMHO.
@JimmyBall,he selected his best because he wants qualifications first in the bag,then he can have the luxury to experiment with our last games.
Kingston, you spoke well. If people are looking for a magician, then Rohr has provided some serious magic in his time as Nigeria coach. His results have been DREAMLAND results indeed! I still recall how hopeless I felt when I found out that we were in the same group with Algeria, Cameroon and Zambia in the 2018 world cup qualifiers. Algeria, the strongest team on the continent at the time. Cameroon, Afcon defending champs, and one of our most feared rivals. Zambia, 2012 Afcon champs, and very dangerous team at the time. Nigeria, 2013 Afcon champ, but failed to qualify for the next two Afcons. It was a scary time! I just couldn’t see us qualifying from our group! Yet, Rohr qualified us WITH A GAME TO SPARE, wiping the floor with Algeria and Cameroon in the process! For me, even if Rohr does not achieve anything else with this team, what he did for us then is enough to earn my deep gratitude. And who says Rohr is done? I think the guy wants to do something big with this team in Afcon 2021 and world cup 2022. And based on his past results, I wouldn’t bet against him!
@jimmyball mention one weak game we have played in the last ten matches. the first two matches in the qualifications are extremely important because they set the pace and mentality needed by the team. the only time we are going to play a “weak” game is after we’ve qualified for afcon with two (emphasis on two, if it is just one game remaining then we will still use it to further blend the team) games remaining. until then… let’s don’t complain. thanks.
Super Eagles all the best!
what’s wrong with victor osimhen????? red card in less than 40mins???
The weight of the expectation of his price tag seem to be getting to him plus it seems the attackers around him are also more concerned about getting their fair share of goals than playing him in. I am very keen to see how Gatuso sorts out these issues and get them playing as a team in the final third
What about the two goalkeepers invited for the last two friendlies? one an Austrian. Does it mean we’re yet to get our starting 11 all this while? This is amazingly serious
Smile! Gernot Rohr is a man that’s too rigid to change of necessity with what I have studied about his personality. If I were Rohr Simon days in the super eagles were long numbered and markedout irrespective of whatever defensive quality and tracking back quality he has possess. I will rather pay more attention to Denis in that position. If were Rohr I would have decided who are my constant right and left backs: I will pick ebuehi, awazi and zaidu plus Aina as my right, right and left,left back respectively. I will do so because Aina has said it several times that he is more comfortable playing left back than right back position. I will also pick awazi because he marks better than ebuehi but ebuehi is more offensive minded than him so anytime I want strong marking from that right back area I will pick awazi and anytime I want a more offensive minded personality from that side I will go for ebuehi. On the left back position I will build aina to be formidable force to reckon with anytime so any of the two (zaidu or aina) can start my game as the occasion demands. Then, right back and leftback are settled while working on bassey and Ehizibue’s availability to form a good competition to the aforementioned.
In my central defense, I need just a competitive back4,so, I will check between omeruo and Ekong who I want most. I take Ekong as omeruo is more lackadaisical and tends to lost concentration then, I will invite Ekong, akpoguma, Balogun and Ajayi while working on the availability of Uduokhai, Adarabioyo and Torunarigha to create competition for the aforementioned.
In my midfield positions,since Nwakali is fit I will invite him because I have him in my future plans as well as it will boost his club chances, so my midfield will comprise of the likes of: Aribo, Etebo, Nwakali, Onyeka and iwobi while working on the availability of Ndidi, Olise and Ejaria because I know quite well that I am short of reputable soldiers in that important position.
For forwards, I will work on 2point no.9 poachers as well as 4 or 5 wingers based my demands. I will go with Osimehn and iheanacho as my poachers while selecting the likes of: Ejuke, chukwueze, Denis, musa. I will be looking ahead to the availability of Lookman as competitive force to the aforementioned wingers.i will have Dessers on standby list as iheanacho wouldn’t allowed him to come along with Osimehn.
My goalkeepers stand as it is right now but I will quickly placed yakubu and uzoho on the standby list
The following is my list invite if I were the coach today as analysed above:
Goalkeepers:
1. Akpeyi
2. Maduka
3. Osigwe
Defenders:
4. Balogun
5. Ekong
6. Akpoguma
7. Ajayi
8. Aina
9. Zaidu
10. Awaziem
11. Ebuehi
Midfielders:
12. Aribo
13. Etebo
14. Nwakali
15. Onyeka
16. Iwobi
Forwards:
17. Osimehn
18. Iheanacho
19. Ejuke
20. Chukwueze
21. Dennis
22. Musa
Note: I don’t only pick Musa because he is the captain but because he delivers whenever the heating ocassion calls for it.
FOLARIN BALOGUN was subbed in today in Arsenal’s Europa League game. Dubbed THE NEW AUBAMEYANG by Arsenal fans. I think that sums up his potential. At 19 yrs of age, now is a good time to show interest in the lad. Not when he blows up, and England come calling.
these talks about not having a constant starting 11 are inaccurate in describing the nature of national games especially with a team like that of Nigeria that at it’s best is still average
if you were Rohr what would your starting 11 look like after getting carl ikeme, you hear of the unfortunate news of his health which means that you have to keep looking. then probably you found uzoho. after finding uzoho you learnt of his decline in form that was so bad that he left a Spanish division 2 side to settle at Cyprus. then you called akpeyi, hoping that because he is one of the best in South Africa he will perform for SE. but what happens? he disappoints you, his seemingly obvious lack of confidence and shaky nature couldn’t make you rely on him. you are left thinking, what should I do? then you invite okoye. not bad for a young lad but the sad news is he doesn’t get regular play at his team. what about lawal and osigwe? the league they play in are not at all competitive compared to the players of the teams you will meet in the world cup. so tell me Solomon what would you do? how can you have a constant no.1 keeper with situations like this? enyeama has gone, SE are left with goal keepers not half his quality. I ask again what would you do?
Solomon if you were the coach, what would do to have a consistent attacking list after ighalo and victor Moses retired? you hoped musa would carry on for you, only to hear he is being benched at a league as poor as that. okay, if musa is out what about Iheanacho? bad news still, he lost form so bad that he didn’t receive a single minute at his club for almost half the season. this was the same guy that scored four goals in back to back matches for you. then you say to yourself onuachu won’t be bad right? I mean, he may not fit into our style of play but his form at club side suggest he’s got quality. so as the coach you kept trying him hoping somewhere in the back of your mind that he blends, but no another failed project at your hands. Solomon tell me (and I mean no harm) how would you have built a consistent starting 11 with these kinds of situations.
well… you may say -“he has Samuel kalu, Samuel chukwueze and Moses Simon with him, he could have built on that) let’s don’t kid ourselves. are these three players world class? of course not. are they even consistent? still no. is there one outstanding among the three of them that we can say would play consistently? another disappointing no. that means since the three are wingers and only two can play in a match, you will have to be rotating them all the time.
when I said we are not considering the nature of national football I mean that countries don’t have the privileges of buying players like clubs do, so you have to work on scouting talents and integrating them into your team, like Rohr did and is still doing with the likes of Henry onyeakuru, Isaac success, Noah bazee, jamilu Collins, zaidu sanusi, etc.
I’m just being logical. as much as I hate to say it Super Eagles don’t have yet that world class thing to their game. but what’s the grandmother of all bad news? you are working with an administration with absolutely poor leadership like that of our very own NFF.
let’s support rohr. a house divided among it self cannot stand. let’s don’t participate in pulling down our beloved Super Eagles (notice I didn’t say rohr. SE is bigger than any coach, player or NFF president)
Super Eagles all the best!
@Kingston Very fantastic reply. Me too I was wondering which “weak” team Dessers should have played in…..LMAO. The secret to our early qualification for tournaments of late is the unlike our former coaches, Rohr simply does not GAMBLE with qualification matches. He plays his best team available and ensures qualification first before gambling. After gambling against SA in uyo and got burnt, the old man has since learnt his lessons, as a result he still came back and qualified for that tournament with a game in hand as usual.
But we never seem to learn lessons. We almost didnt qualify for 2004 afcon when christian chukwu was busy gambling with the qualifiers and we were almost bundled out right there in benin vs Angola, until the ref manufactured a dubious penalty for us. We still didn’t learn from than and the same Angola rubbed pepper in our eyes 2 years later. We ALMOST didnt qualify for 2008 AFCON too when we almost lost in Abeokuta, thanks to Kanu’s late goal with was actually OFFSIDE but which the ref clearly chose to overlook. We still did not learn from that and Guinea came to slap us in Abuja when Siasia gambled with team selection and paid dearly for it. Teams like Kenya and Congo humbled us right there in calabar no thanks to all sorts of riff raff experimentation by Keshi, culminating in our outster from 2015 AFCON. African guadiola came on board and we started seeing the likes of Igboun, Obaroapko, and one unknown quatity whom he put Mikel on the bench for. The rest is history.
For those crying about rigidity and conservativeness….we have heard you. Thank you….oya make una come begin dey go. When the same coach tries to be flexible, you are the same ones who will blab that he doesnt know his first XI. When he gambles and it backfires, you are the same ones who ask him why did he gamble….when he maintains a stable squad you will complain he doesn’t encourage competition. When he sticks to his guns and we go on a winning streak, pls dont celebrate it….he must do the bidding of EVERYONE for him to gain acceptance.
@Dr.Drey… I thought you guys said Dessers is way above Onuachu even though he plays second fiddle to Onuachu at Genk. So whenever Gernot Rohr plays Onuachu ahead of Dessers nobody should shout because it is clear that Onuachu is not Dessers archilles heel in Super Eagles… Now that Onuachu is not invited based on popular demand from fans… Yet Dessers is not invited and we have to load the invitation with 9 defenders… Well I am not surprised because we have a coach who seems to trust in defence more than attack and midfield as a philosophy. He has to invite Onyeka again who was running all over the pitch against Liverpool last two days largely without touching the ball with his feet… Samson Tijani despite being young is better than Frank Onyeka clearly. Onyeka is Sub-Eagles midfield material.
Samson Tijani can continue his development with the FlyingEagles. He’s one for the future. Onyeka is one of only few Nigerian players playing in the champions league. Even though he remains raw, but he can continue to improve and time will tell if he can continue to be relevant. At least there’s no Mikel Agu on the list whom you say Rohr have affiliation with his agent. Lmao!!! Onuachu is where he deserves to be at the moment. He hasn’t shown that he’s good enough for the SuperEagles. Dessers is the kind of player that needs to be gradually eased to African football. We are on our way to qualify for another major tournament and third in a row under Rohr. Wether he’s defensive despite averaging over 2 goals per game is a story for another day. For now we’re enjoying the atmosphere in the team as they continue to evolve. #FLY LIKE AN EAGLE INTO THE FUTURE. SuperEagles all the way.
Peter Olayinka is doing well and even scored today against Bayer Leverkusen but it appears Rohr already knows his first eleven according to Onyekuru. Ahmed Musa needs to sort his next playing destination before being extended another callup to SE. We have Kayode Olanrewaju another hustler player like Peter Olayinka… Despite topping Austrian Super Liga in goals chart some years back he was not invited and given chance with SE… the guy was also with Shaktar Donetsk years back doing well and no one looked his way… Same as Junior Oluwafemi Ajayi for Al-Ahly some years back who Rohr never gave a chance. We have abundant talents everywhere but invitations often favour some players above others in Super Eagles… We must apply same rule to all.
@JimmyBall, it is too late to complain. Did you know how long it takes this our world class coach to invited Osigwe?
When you talk, they will tell you that you hate the coach. So, you are seeing what others are seeing? I think it is time to sòrósoke. Yes, it time to speak up.
Instead of Oga Rohr to invited this Osigwe in two friendly matches we played against Algeria and Tunisia but the gaffer opted for two golies and he did not give them play time.
Is it now that the coach have to qualify Nigeria to Afcon that he will put Osigwe in goal post?
It is not guaranteed that Osagwe will play.
How about Kayode and other players that are doing well?
Oga Pinnck and the gaffer have no place to hide this time around and includinghis fans. Anything less than quality display from Super Eagles is not acceptable. We have players every where. This is very frustrating.
Even, our local coaches can do more than this. I am tired of this. God bless Nigeria!!!
@Omo9ja guy no be u talk sey make dem no play this ball again. Like they say Super Eagles is our darling team and brings joy to us all no matter the situation.
Anyway nottin do you joor keep riding on bro Lolz.
Rohr is a German manager. He looks at the attitude of the players as well as how they mix with the other players. This will guarantee success on the field of player. @jimmyball, you mentioned Onyekuru, he has fallen out of favour at his club currently. He hasnt played in a while.
Junior Ajayi plays at Al-ahly, Rohr is expecting to make the step up to a better club
Peter Olayinka hasnt been playing for his club
@Jimmy, great observation.!!
@jimmy I understand your observations but when you mention names like this, the question you should be asking is “who would they bench”?. and don’t tell me Ahmed musa, the guy may not be doing well but none of the players that you mentioned have the right to bench him yet. even giroud was benching martial and lacazette for France in the world cup. and the Henry onyekuru that you mentioned, if rohr invite him now, what would you say? so did rohr, who Henry accused of knowing his starting 11, convince the Monaco coach to be benching the young lad?
football is not a matter of “bring this player bring that player”, I don’t know how many of you play football manager kind of game, either pes or fifa, but you will always have the experience of having a wrong signing. I remember buying this player hoping that because he did well for my previous team he will do well in this my new team. what happened? disaster happened. not even a single goal in 8 matches, it was so bad I loaned him during the next transfer immediately!
football is about both finding talents and building on the available. you don’t run off to bring a player in all because of he had 4 spell of good games
I still appreciate your comments though
Super Eagles all the best!
@Kingston…abeg dont mind them. They are town criers…they will always cry over everything. When the coach maintains a stable squad, they cry…..he doesn’t encourage competition. When he mixes things up a bit, they cry, he doesn’t have a stable team. When he doesnt invite iheanacho, they cry. When he invites iheanacho, they cry…..why did he not invite Akpom…LMAO. When he doesnt invite Dennis, they cry….now that he invited dennis they are asking why Ajayi, Olayinka, Kayode were not invited. They have forgotten that this same rohr gave all these players their first chance of national team football when competition wasn’t even this keen. The same coach that invited Osimhen, Aribo, Chukwueze etc once and chose to invite them another time also invited all these other players once and chose not to invite them again….he knows what he saw and he knows what he wants….he knows why he chose to recall some players subsequently after their 1st invite and why he decided not to recall others. When town criers want to cry, they focus their attention on those who are not in the team over those who are in the team, as if those who have been left out are cristiano-messi 1000 times better than the invited ones.
The makeup of every formation always includes more defensive players…a 4-4-2 for instance will always have at least 5 defensive players, similar to a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1. A 3-5-2 will have at least 6 defensive players, same for 5-3-2, A typical AFCON or WC 23 man squad often has 8 to 9 defenders. Rohr has named 9 defenders in a 24 man squad for a double header qualifier (knowing Semi will definitely be deployed as a DM)…that’s JUST 37.5% of the team and town criers are crying their lungs out…LMAO. Their hatred cannot let them reason analytically.
Section by section, we have 4 CBs, 2 Lbs, 2Rbs and 1 extra defender that can play any where across the backline (how that is a travesty beats imagination). We have 2 DMs (onyeka and semi) 2 Cms and 1 Am. In attack we have 2Rwfs, 2 Lwfs, 2 Cfs and Dennis who is versatile enough to play anywhere in the attack. But no…town criers expect only 1 option each in defense, midfield and the wings and 13 CFs….so that when that 1 option is handicapped, we will now convert Chukuweze to a left back and Iheanacho to a DM…..LMAO. Before they claimed Rohr is collecting bribe from players…pls help me asked them if those who were dropped have stopped paying bribes and if the likes of Osigwe and Dennis have finally started paying their own bribes….LMAO. When Lampard plays Kante and Jorginho in midfield he is not a defensive coach, when Klopp plays Fabiano and Wijnaldum in midfield he is not a defensive coach, but when Rohr plays Ndidi and Etebo in midfield, or Ajayi and Onyeka in midfield he becomes a defensive coach. Defensive coach that NEVER packs the bus, plays delightful football, scores an average of 1.8 goals per game and has more wins than draws and losses combined….LMAO. What a defensive coach.
A hated man will be accused of raising dust even if he falls into a pool of water. Anybody that is not happy with the list should go and start smashing their heads on the wall. The coach does not owe anybody any apology for not inviting their favored player(s), what the coach owes Nigeria is to lead us to victories…..whoever and however (defensive, possessive, direct or attacking) he deems fit to carry out the assignment is his prerogative….he gets the reward for success and the punishment for failure. A player is as good as his last match….every one in the 24 man list is as good as his last match and hence merits the call up. At the end of the day only 11 players can start. on 3 subs can come on, while only 7 subs can be on the bench. Anybody who wants to be in charge of inviting players to the SE should apply for the job when Rohr has been sacked and then invited 13CFs to the team. But till then the should hold their peace. When we win games…they should not celebrate because the coach invited 10 defenders. At least they are not clamouring for the invitation of injured players this time around….LMAO
The list is not bad. But personally, I have a few reservations. Starting from the GK position, I want to know what Akpeyi is doing in that list. Whenever the guy is between the sticks for Nigeria and the camera narrows in on him, you will see him seriously sweating and shaking with fright….. and because fear is contagious, even you that is watching will start entertaining some fear. With him, any free kick or outside-18 shot that is on target….. is automatically a goal against us!!
In defence, I would like to know what Omeruo is doing there. He keeps making silly costly mistakes. The Cameroun and Tunisian game is still very fresh in my mind. Up till now I’m yet to forgive him for that Messi goal at the 2018 World Cup. As a defender or a striker, when you make a mistake that hurts the team and fans, you have to show absolute remorse….. The fans will understand and forgive you; after all you are human. In his case, after Messi scored the goal and Okocha who was one of the Supersports pundits that night, blamed him for the goal. Okocha was very right because he was obviously at fault for that goal….. But guess what? His wife went online few minutes later (the match was still on) and lambasted Okocha. To me, that was sacrilege. Okocha is one of the former Super Eagles players I hold in very high esteem and moreso, his analysis was very on point. Similarly, Ighalo who missed a sitter in that same match, was asked after the match about the horrible miss. He said he was sorry for missing the goal but that the fans should know that he is human and shouldn’t be expected to score all the time. That was a very silly apology for a chance that was almost ‘an open net’chance. Actually, I expected him to profusely apologise and then leave the fans to judge him. You don’t apologise and acquit yourself by yourself!! The way he structured the apology, if I were there as he was saying that…… it is either he beats me or I beat him…lol.
In the midfield, I will like to say it very clearly that I was not so comfortable with Semi Ajayi in defensive midfield. He was dispossessed of most of the balls he either won or received from his team mates. He should improve in his ball control.
In attack, I really wonder what Musa is doing in that list. Normally, Musa is a speed merchant and generally, not a bad player. But lack of club, lack of playing time and even while he had a club, the quality of the league was not quite impressive…. these factors has seriously affected his output judging from the two friendlies.
On another note, I want to appeal to the NFF to give Rohr absolute free hand to run the Super Eagles. If you don’t trust him, don’t keep him….. If you must keep him, you have to trust him. There are reports that the man doesn’t have a free hand. I never took the reports serious, until Pinnick gave credence to the reports in an interview he granted last year. For instance, I heard the coach wanted to use Okoye in the match against Lesotho, but he was pressured into using Akpeyi. And the sad part is that….. if the coach fails, even the people who hijacked his original plans will be…. among those to crucify him. Finally, Rohr should shun sentiments and be more decisive in his selections. Some of these players, he is selecting them because he doesn’t know how to drop them
@Ocherome Mma guy true talk good one.. I will not be surprised if Muhammad buhari and his cohorts are strong arming Gernot Rohr on this Ahmed Musa debacle otherwise there is no other foreseeable explanation to his constant invite in light of his steady decline in form and ability… Guy at least one person is talking the truth and shaming the devil.. Kudos guy I will look forward to your responses from hence forth have a lovely day bros!!.
I would much rather have dropped Akpeyi and Brought Mathew Yakubu to come and sit on the bench and learn like he did with Osimhen according to Rohr heheh!! just to show that some of the excuses Rohr has used in the past is being exposed now. because that makes more sense than to bring a basket who just returned from injury last week.
@larry To get you more enlightened. Ekong also agreed to the move to be more closer to his family. Cause he has a house closer to Watford (Google it to confirm). And you can’t compare Watford with udinesse for crying out loud. And for those condemning onyeka, the lad is still young and has a bright future with S.E. So stop lamenting and embrace a good thing..
@ugo iwunze thank you bro. Have a good day too
Waist of space and time over a simple logic. If a player is as good as his last match then why invite underperforming players at the last match Ekong and Onyeka ?
Why is the most active and most performing GK Mathem Yakubu left out of the squad ?
What is Ezenwa doing on the list ?
Ekong’s last match was at watford, he was named MOTM. Onyeka’s last match was vs Liverpool, he was rated the top tackler, top interceptor and the most fouled player. Okoye’s last match he was outstanding he has been active for Sparta B. Akpeyi’s last match he returned to the team having gone back to Nigeria to get a new passport (your embassies all over the world are short of passport booklets….imagine LMAO) and sorted the issues he had his work permit to bench another national team goalkeeper and keep his clubs 1st clean sheet of the season. Osigwe also kept clean sheets in his last 2 matches or so. Those who have been invited merit their invitation too. As for Ezenwa go and ask your NFF whom you were rejoicing and commending for inserting clauses of having the final say on who and who gets invited….LMAO. Shebi na una want quota for home based players…LMAO
@Dr.Drey… Frank Onyeka plays just like Anderson Esiti… Very Robotic… Against Liverpool he did not touch the ball up to 10 times before that game ended and he has no command of the ball. As soon as he gets the ball he frees it quickly. That’s the sign of a midfielder who is not confident… He is just not Super Eagles material period.
Hahahaha…so you actually were counting the number of times Onyeka touched ball all through the 90 minutes…LMAO..????. The same Onyeka who didnt touch ball up to 10 times was rated the best tackler, best interceptor, most fouled player, pass accuracy of 87.5% and overall rating of 6.67 by whoscored.com despite being on the losing side. Continue to dey watch back of TV you hear…! LMAO.
Onyeka is very robotic….thank you, we have heard you. Leave the coach to decide if he is a national team material or not (the same way he decided Esiti’s fate). Otherwise, you can go and pursue him with koboko whenever you see him in a SE jersey. The coach should have invited Peter Olayinka instead to play DM. After all if he can play LM with his hustling style of play he can also play DM too….afterall, they are all classified as midfielders. LMAO
I am not worried about the list. After we have qualified for Afcon and player’s like Ejaria et Al complete their Switch, some players on this list Will no longer be invited to the team. Rohr wants to qualify first before dropping them.
Rohr will make history to be the first SE Coach to qaulify in Afcon with 2 games spare. That will be a sign that 2021 Afcon coming to Nigeria. We are going to the tournamen unbeaten .Keep the fire burning boys
Mr. Know it all, must you lie to win an argument?
The truth is Ekong did not win the MOTM in his last match, Onyeka was rated poorly in his last match for SE and his club, Yakubu has been the most consistent GK and has kept more number of clean sheet than the invited GKs..
Perhaps, if Ekong was that good, he would not move from SerieA to Championship. Imagine Ekong leading a team comprising Balogun, Ndidi etc.
This is not the first time that this GR blind-supporter will lie on simple conversation.
Hahahahaaha….who is the lair between the 2 of us…LMAO. 1st of all, you claimed Ekong’s last match was vs Tunisia….. now you are lying he did not win MOTM but ekong still played on sunday and won the MOTM in the game…..https://www.completesports.com/troost-ekong-voted-watford-motm-in-home-draw-vs-bournemouth/…CSN must be publishing ‘fake’ news. He was similarly nominated for MOTM award in an earlier game….https://www.completesports.com/troost-ekong-nominated-for-watford-motm-award-in-win-at-derby-county/…..Ekong did not move from udinese because he was a bad player….he moved because the owners of the clubs (the pozzo family) needed him to help Watford’s promotion push. the owners wouldnt have transferred a bad player to a club they are desperately investing in to gain promotion
lairs will tell you an 87.5% pass accuracy and overall 6.65 rating in a UCL match vs Liverpool, despite being on the losing side is a “POOR” rating….the same way they told us that 60% win ratio as a coach is a dismal performance…..LMAO. They should tell us how many Liverpool players had a better rating in the same match.
If people get rich by lieing on this forum, I will be a beggar at the gates of “some people” on this forum because they would have become billionaires…..or is it not the ones that lied to us that Oliseh had a better win ratio than Rohr….or the ones that claimed 4/5 = 90% or the ones that claimed Rohr has never been owed salaries even for 1 day and that Siasia and Oliseh never had foreign assistants…? LMAO
Hahahahaaha….who is the lair between the 2 of us…LMAO. 1st of all, you claimed Ekong’s last match was vs Tunisia….. now you are lying he did not win MOTM…..yet he still played this last sunday and won MOTM in the game……completesports.com/troost-ekong-voted-watford-motm-in-home-draw-vs-bournemouth/…CSN must be publishing ‘fake’ news. He was similarly nominated for MOTM award in an earlier game….completesports.com/troost-ekong-nominated-for-watford-motm-award-in-win-at-derby-county/…..Ekong did not move from udinese because he was a bad player….he moved because the owners of the clubs (the pozzo family) needed him to help Watford’s promotion push. the owners wouldnt have transferred a bad player to a club they are desperately investing in to gain promotion
This is the news about Onyeka’s ratings in his last match……allnigeriasoccer.com/read_news.php?nid=37837….lairs will tell you an 87.5% pass accuracy and overall 6.65 rating in a UCL match vs Liverpool, despite being on the losing side is a “POOR” rating….the same way they told us that 60% win ratio as a coach is a dismal performance…..LMAO. They should tell us how many Liverpool players had a better rating in the same match.
If people get rich by lieing on this forum, I will be a beggar at the gates of “some people” on this forum because they would have become billionaires…..or is it not the ones that lied to us that Oliseh had a better win ratio than Rohr….or the ones that claimed 4/5 = 90% or the ones that claimed Rohr has never been owed salaries even for 1 day and that Siasia and Oliseh never had foreign assistants…? LMAO
Watford getting back to the premiership is perhaps even more valuable to the Pozzos than Udinese remaining in the Serie A. In a war, you deploy your most reliable, trusted soldiers to the critical zones. That is what the Pozzos did with Ekong. They need Watford back in the premiership asap. And they believe Ekong can help with that.
Abeg tell them o. Tell ‘sensible and smart’ people who are plain ignorant but make the loudest noise, since Dr.Drey is ‘lieing to win an argument’ LMAO. I am so shocked that this time around, they aren’t calling the coach dumb for not including a player who is out injured in the main sqaud.
Hmmmm! What I crave more in your personality na your Retentive memory mehn!
Sometimes I wonder if na human being like me you be!
Omo! I see brain in you o.
Another thing, is that you are always punctual in this arena! I hope you convince me that you ain’t working with this sport site.
Smile! Senior man! I meant no harm o, as you are one of those I learn from via this platform.
Dr. Drey I hail you! Only you na MEN!
What baffles me most is the fact that most of his (ROHR) critics ar CLUELESS, MYOPIC & SHAMELESS.
You keep crying, weeping, wailing & qnashing your teeth over something that another person has an upper hand.
He may decide to do it the way he wants and u can do anything than railing abuses on yourself and ur entire generation thinking u are abusing the innocent young man.
That is the level of “STUPIDITY” his haters are exhibiting on CSN.
One of them was complaing of OSIGWE when CSN only gave us a clue on how the team list would look like; behold Osigwe is in yet he’s still spewing thrash as expected.
Sometimes i wonder where most of us dumps our brains.
When we keep introducing players to the coach, we fail to understand that the invitation of the person we introduce to the coach may affect the first player we presented.
They were crying for EJUKE & DENNIS, now the duo are invited.
They’re now crying for OLAYINKA & KAYODE; who should they drop for the later to come in?
Common sense is not come to so many pple.
Hahahahaha….yet the same people will complain that we don’t have a stable team after 4 years….LMAO.
But @Dr Drey;
i thought this same @JimmyBall was one of those town criers (@crying party) that were wailing and crying for the invitation of “FRANK ONYEKA” b4 the 2 int’l friendlies?
Now that ONYEKA has come to stay he’s still crying….
Why?
Are u sure these pple are not swords with 2 edges???
They keep changing their mouth every now and then….
I think their oga @Omo9ja should coach them well….
But wait o; do these pple reason at all????
Rohr is playing defensive game yet his team is scoring goals….
NIGERIA 3-1 ALGERIA
NIGERIA 4-0 CAMERUON
NIGERIA 4-2 ARGENTINA
NIGERIA 3-2 CAMEROUN
NIGERIA 2-2 UKRAIN
NIGERIA 2-0 ICELAND
:
I just decided not to include the likes of SEYCHELLES, LYBIA, LESOTHO et all the minos….
:
but remember those days we use to play “flexible and attacking football” how it use to be when our african QUARDIOLA’s were in charge….
Hahahahahahaha
hahahahahahaa
hahahahahaha
:
chai; see “SUPER CHICKENS”…
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAAHAHAH
HAHAHAHAHA
One day We were playing against NAMIBIA and it was as if SE were facing spannish national team….
Hahahahahaha….
I remember the game against CONGO at calabar;
chai…..
At some point it appears as if we were facing GERMANY…..
But remember; we were playing flexible game….
Hahahahaha….
oga ROHR till 2022….
Haters can look for a nearby TRANSFORMER…
As long as ikechukwu akpeyi remains in the super eagles technical team, daniel akpeyi will always be favoured.
Mr.know it all , Dr.liar,
Ekong is yet to win MOTM award in all his games for watford. The link below provides more about the last match..
https://www.watfordfc.com/match-report/match-report-wycombe-wanderers-1-1-watford.
STOP THE LIES…
William Troost-Ekong HAS BEEN VOTED WATFORD MAN OF THE MATCH following his impressive performance in their 1-1 home draw against Bournemouth on Saturday, Completesports.com reports.
WATFORD CONFIRMED THIS ON THEIR VERIFIED TWITTER HANDLE ON SUNDAY.
After a total of 1,844 were casted by fans of the Hornets, Troost-Ekong polled 54 per cent to emerge winner.
Also Read: Troost-Ekong Gets Very Good Rating In Watford Draw Vs Bournemouth
In second place was Craig Cathcart who had 26 per cent and goal scorer against Bournemouth Stipe Perica got 20 per cent.
Troost-Ekong finished second the last time he was nominated for the Man of the Match award, in their win at Derby County.
Saturday’s game was his second game in the Championship since joining Watford from Udinese.
https://www.completesports.com/troost-ekong-voted-watford-motm-in-home-draw-vs-bournemouth/
What pains me for some people is that they are not only blind on the inside…..what pains me for them is that they are as blind on the inside as they are on the outside. Some have eyes but cannot see….some can see but have no eyes. Empty barrels they say make the loudest noises….LMAO. The world knows who the real lair is here….or maybe it is CSN that is lying….LMAO
I won’t be surprised if the same liar is using multiple profile name because the UFO writes the same way as the liar..
Folks, check out my first comment about the invitation and compare with this :
https://www.owngoalnigeria.com/2020/10/30/ten-defenders-one-out-and-out-striker-a-look-at-the-shock-omissions-in-super-eagles-squad-for-afcon-2021-qualifiers/
Of course UFO is Dr. Drey’s multiple profile name, the same way Oakfield, Ayphilly, Deo, Greenturf, Pompei and others who are not loud mouthed ignoramuses who know more than the coach are all multiple profile names of Dr.Drey. They are not my followers anymore…they have become my multiple profile names….LMAO. He whom the gods want to punish they first strike with confusion….LMAO. All of a sudden people who condemn owngoal now go to read from on goal and post links whenever the narrative suits them….LMAO.
Pls continue to nak your head on the wall about people who are not invited to the SE till 2022….LMAO. Your pains have not started yet. LMAO
Dem must talk…if dem nor talk, dem go die…LMAO
Lmao!!! Owngoal Nigeria has now become a reliable source all of sudden!!!! Someone that doesn’t even know that Dennis was on the list until @Glory called out his bluff. How can you take such a person seriously?? He never come here to talk about football except to be claiming that he’s Belmadi’s younger brother Lmao!! I’ve told him to keep supporting the Algeria team and leave our SuperEagles alone. The same Owngoal they claim was a misguided and fake site has now become their reliable source. Lmao!! They will continue to be confused till 2022.
You just displayed your level of intelligence. Your ring leader knew he could no longer win the argument with lies and decided to call for help from many forumite to bail him out.
Great minds on the other side of thoughts about GR like @Glory,@Deo, @oakfield, @Greenturf and @ Pompei argue with deep thoughts and sometime agree with progressive critics of SE management.
Hahahaha….who told us lies that Ekong’s last match was against Algeria…? Who told us lies that Ekong has not won any MOTM award since moving to watford….? Who told us lies that Ekong moved to Watford because he is a bad player…? Who told us lies that Onyeka was POORly rated in his last match vs Liverpool….? Who told us lies the UBFE is Dr. Drey’s ‘multiple profile name’…..LMAO. Readers know who the BIG FAT LAIR is here…LMAO
Pathetic lair like you LMAO.
After silencing you during the day you now sneak here in the dead of the night to peddle your usual fallacies…LMAO. read all through the thread and see how everyone is helping you by education your stark ignorance…LMAO. You should bow your head in shame.
10,000 0f you cannot take me on. You and your lairs united cannot take me on. I have been busting your lies with facts and verifiable links on this forum since the days of Adam….LMAO. I dont need to call out anyone, Its you and your big mouthed mental regressives who have severally referred to above great minded fellows my followers….today you now took your low level of intelligence and reasoning to another level by claiming another individual is my my “multiple profile name” LMAO. How ridiculously ridiculous…LMAO. I dont need to call out anyone, All the lies you’ve been throwing around have been busted by not only me but by others who have sense and update their knowledge. Just read through the tread again and see how much of your stark ignorance you have exposed…LMAO
Truth be told,I will rather advice that Rohr’s critiques should be left alone to wallow in their own frolic if they refused to aken to voice of reasoning and wisdom. This forum is not a place to exercise 16th century ignorance and expect response.This is a place where u reason intelligently with facts so we can learn from u as knowledge is power and am willing to have one.
I have discovered that some sect have taken it upon themselves to criticise Rohr no matter what he does such people are not well meaning Nigerians,they are enemies of progress who can be akin to those Hoodlums who Hyjacked the peaceful protests to loot and destroyed public utilities.
Have they forgotten that this Peter has been invited before? Is it possible to invite a thousand players at a time? Since Rohr came into the team has he not used more than a hundred players just to balance his team(which is a sign that he’s open minded and willing to invite u where the need arise)? Is the rebuilding of a team not a continuos one Where players will come and go,good ones will loose form and new ones brought in to fill vacuum? Can different faces be brought in at Will just because they are good even where there is no need for them?
Many of u complained that the team was not coherent in the last friendly,and that was because so many new players were brought in due to injuries to the old ones especially at the mid section yet we expect that to happen during competitive matches.There are no small teams in the world football anymore,in case u think SL can be pushed over.
For the man who thinks Ekong moved to Watford cos he’s a bad player,am sure you have seen the reasons from the point made by Dr Drey.Not only has he settled well with Watford he also won the man of the match last match.
We should pls bring arguments that will add values to us.Education is not gathered in the classroom only,it comes also from places like this.Rohr has done well we should support him.
More players are coming through to play for the super eagles of Nigeria. The coach can’t invite all the players at a time but players that fits in tactically to each game plan. The coach i believe must have reviewed the strengths and weaknesses of the Sieralonians and he’d invited the players he dim fit for the contest.
Whichever way, I’m very positive of a good outingas the qualifier draws nearer.
To those complaining why Musa is still making the team. A certain paulihno was playing in China then and yet still make the Brazil first team few years ago. So if Musa still has something to offer, why not? Beside, his football age is just 27years. The man trust in him and I don’t see why he should stop given him a call up..
@Olawale Looool Loool “his football age is just 27” Guy you want to finish us with laughter abi!! Loooolz good line
Hello Guys..The Nigerian Duo Of Cyril Dessers And Paul Onuachu Have Both Scored For Genk vs Eupen.Game Currently Ongoing
I think we should all move beyond this list of players and focus on the game at hand. The list is out and won’t change unless some player gets injured. So lets stop complaining about who is invited or isn’t invited and start talking about tactics. Who should start, what formation should be used. I think on match day only 18 players will be named so lets focus on that.
I will love to see rohr invite this players to the super eagle to blend before world cup
Osigwe, uzoho,maduka, akpoguma,Felix udouhkai,ehizbue,ola aina, sanusi,ekong,omerou, ndidi,aribo,eze, ovie ejaria,lookman,iwobi,etebo,Dennis,desser,osihmen ejuke,simon, kalu,chukwueze
Beg rohr to try them ooo
World cup is ours
That coach has his technical weakness.hes probably just average,not world class as they are trying to have us believe
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