Former Nigerian forward, Jonathan Akpoborie believes the the Super Eagles is capable of overcoming the Black Stars of Ghana in the 2022 FIFA World Cup playoff slated for March.
Akpoborie made this known in an interview with Completesports.com, where he said that the team’s performance at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations was something to celebrate.
Recall that the three-time AFCON champions were knocked out in the Round of 16 by the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia after losing 1-0 on Sunday.
However, the former Wolsfburg star said that the team has the potentials to edge the Black Stars in both legs of the playoff.
“I don’t really think Nigerians should be worried about the Super Eagles chances of defeating the Black Stars of Ghana in the World Cup playoff. This particular game will bring out the best performance from the players and I know they won’t disappoint,” Akpoborie, a former member of the Golden Eaglets that won the FIFA U-16 Championship in 1985 told Completesports.com.
“Their performance against Tunisia should not be used to judge the players; sometimes a team plays well and may be unfortunate to score goals. I agree that the technical crew should have identify some of the lapses in the team and will put things right before the clash against Ghana.”
Nigeria will seek to make their seventh appearance at the global football Mundial while Ghana will be hoping to qualify for only the fourth time in their history as both West giants resume their rivalry.
The final round of the World Cup qualifiers will take a two-legged home and away format with both matches to be played between March 23 and 29. The exact dates and kick-off times are yet to be set.
15 Comments
Just like us the SE fans, ex players have also voted for the Eagles to carry on but we need to hear from the federation.
The three players missing in the Super Eagles line up are Odion, Osimhen and Amoo. If Eguavoen can get hold of these guys, the game against Ghana will a mere formality. Since we have all agreed to look ahead, I would suggest that Eguavoen invites the following players:
Okoye, Uzoho, Akpeyi, EKong, Balogun, Aina, Ebuehi, Omerua, Collins, Iwobi, Aribo, Amoo, Ndidi, Ndah, Moses Simon, Victor Moses, Odion, Osimhen, Dennis, Orode, Iheanacho, Olayinka, Zaidu, Musa and Chukwueze.
People don’t still understand that football is not about big name stars. It’s about the team. The Tunisian team that defeated SE had many local players that is why it was a wrong move to have sacked Rohr. But people would still not learn. It is high time Nigerian fans increased their sophistication in watching a football match. All that was needed in the Tunisian game was a cautious approach and sporadic attack but we were too much in a haste to win. If continue in this way, We end up having a bunch of frustrated players because they are also human. Italians have mastered the act of getting results even when the football is pleasing to see and their fans are cool with it. They have been very successful too. But when you try their style of play with Super Eagles people would start complaining about heart ache.
This was the same arrogant you guys display and Nigeria was booted out in the round of 16.
You are calling a world cup play off mere formality? If Equavon like he should tell the players to go in and express themselves. E go shock you.
Only a coach without tactics will tell players to go in and express themselves. Yes, that’s because he has nothing to offer the players.
Having slept over and done a critical analysis on the team I have arrived at the following conclusions
[1] Henceforth Aribo should be played has a number 10 instead of box to box. Aribo combines the goal scoring threat of ihenacho and the wide and eek attacking passing of iwobi. This vital especially if we are playing a team with a low block defence that the one Employed by Tunisia and CAR.
[2] Iheanacho should be played in the attacking position as no9. He is a natural goal scorer.
(3) Sadiq showed in the last match that he is a big game player so should be retained while Awoyini should be dropped to go learn more how to dribble as a striker.
[3) Ndidi and Onyekachi should play in the double pivot role so that any defence won’t be expose on the counter when Ndidi is beaten like against Tunisia.
(4) We still need VM. The NFF should go approach him again. We are not the first and won’t be the last to go beg a talented player who retired prematurely to rescind his decision.
5) Finally, Egu should be retained has SE coach and be given a free hand to rejig the team for better performance against Ghana and the world cup
My contribution bro assist our Super Eagles to defeat the Black Stars is.
————Okoye———–
Zaidu—Ekong—Balogun—Aina
Ndidi—–Aribo——Amoo
——Odion——Simon——
———–Osimhen——–
Reserves
UZOHO
AKPEYI
IWOBI
EBUEHI
OLAYINKA
AWONIYI
IHEANACHO
SADIQ
MUSA
NDAH
ORODE
DENNIS
V.MOSES
COLLINS
RAMON (MFM)
Error: MY contribution ‘to’ assist
Those of you still putting Okoye as NO 1 are sick, daft and blind.
Okoye does not learn from his mistakes. The same basket errors he made against Sierra Leone last year, he repeated vs CAR, repeated again vs Cape Vade. We thought he would quickly workhand & improve on those areas of flaw before the AFCON but far from it, Okoye sent us packing from the 2021 AFCON 16 vs Tunisia.
He is still the basket Okoye who don’t know how to stop shots (short or long range); poor positioning in his own net and quickly heaps the blame on his defenders each time he concedes cheap goal (Go watch the highlights of the above games).
We have other better and more talented and hard-working shot stoppers home and abroad. The Coach should fish them out.
Uzoho, Adeleye,… Are way better than Okoye pls! We ought to still be in AFCON if we had a better shot stopper that day.
Okoye should be left out on the bench to improve in his club till season end.
We can’t gamble with our world cup qualifications; Okoye is not reliable now. Pls and pls… Enough is enough!!!
Stupid and clueless Iwobi should be blamed for AFCON ouster against Tunisia. We should stop blaming Okoye. What happened to our Midfielders, Defenders and even our strikers that could not even score.
That was how they talk before a depleted Tunisia humbled us at R16.
So finally Eguavoen to lead us against Ghana
Guys! i don’t have problem if Eguavouen should continue with the job or not, but does Eguavouen have the boldness to take this team to greater height, has Eguavouen learnt from his past mistakes, is he willing to correct his flaws, will he select players base on merit, also will he be flexible with his tactics, and play players according to their right positions, will he be discipline as a coach so that he can discipline his players etc…too many questions to ask.
@Greenturf, I just read same on owngoalnigeria. If it is true, then we have to brace ourselves. The sports minister has obviously forced the decision.
And for those who keep brandishing in form players, or players they feel will do better curtsey of their form in top clubs. You should all begin to readjust once Eguaveon is retained because they will always be spots (At least 7 or more of them) for NPFL players in our team lists starting from the world cup qualifiers not because they are any better or deserving but just by virtue of the fact that they have the tag of playing in the Npfl on them.
Like I said the other day, Eguaveon will deface and destroy this team in the coming months. Quality and merit in selection of players will be watered down so that we can improve our league.
I only hope we are ready for it. Ready to see our football set back 26 years. At least back then the league churned out quality players.
Since we refuse to admit that afcon exposed Eguaveon as not good enough to tinker super eagles. Let us brace ourselves. I give it only a few months.
My biggest prayer now is that Ghana does not employ a tactically sound coach so we can at least qualify for Qatar 2022. Because if they do, Eguaveon’s predictable pattern is always an easy pick out. Any sound coach will always outwit an Eguaveon’s team.
Since we prefer entertainment over results & end product. I’ll just keep my fingers crossed.
I say my mind here without sentiments.If the 4-year contract purportedly arranged between NFF and Eguavoen on the Super Eagles is true, then it means that, Nigerians and the Super Eagles will return to the worst days of the National team’s performance in international competitions, just the same way they had their worst AFCON outing under Coach Eguavoen, for the first time in decades. No sentiment intended pls. The truth is that, Eguavoen may initially appear to be doing well, but he will run out of ideas too soon and have nothing more to offer.At that point, the Super Eagles will become chickens again, look too ordinary and will find it hard to qualiify for anything , and then the NFF will get tired of him, “GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD” as they always say, scout for a foreign coach, after 4 wasted years with EGUAVOEN, with the Super Eagles in shambles. Let’s watch and see how the drama unfolds.
Let us watch and see.
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Nigeria fans a clueless. FACTS!!