Super Eagles’ offensive midfielder, Alex Iwobi, regrets that Nigeria not going to be feature at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar later this year is one of the biggest disappointments in his football career, Completesports.com reports.
“I missed the two qualifying matches [vs Black Stars of Ghana] because I was serving suspension from the AFCON,” Iwobi told Completesports.com at the Super Eagles’ Hotel quarters in Abuja.
“I watched the first leg in my house and the second leg I watched with my family. And you can imagine how disappointed we were when we lost the ticket for the World Cup.”
“The boys tried, but Ghana got the results that gave them the ticket. It was a very very disappointing game. I felt so sad, and that must rank as one of worst days of my career. Painful, but that is football for you. It is in the past now and we must move on.”
Also Read – 2023 AFCONQ:’We Must Prove To Nigerians That We Are Back Stronger’ –Sadiq
On the 2023 AFCON qualifying Group A match against Sierra Leone, Iwobi predicts it would be tough, but that the Super Eagles owe Nigerians a win on Thursday.
“Playing at home should give us the upper hand. Last time, they came from 4-1 down to force a 4-4 draw”
Iwobi added: “This time around, we must be watchful, we must be disciplined and we must take every chance to get the result we want. We have to work very hard to overcome them. They were good at AFCON [Cameroon 2021], so we shall not underrate them.”
On the two losses from the recent international friendly games against Mexico and Ecuador, Iwobi says the Super Eagles should have won both games,but were unlucky, stressing that they dominated the games but couldn’t convert the chances created.
By Richard Jideaka, Abuja
7 Comments
Failure of conversion of glaring chances is the undoing of the SE. Why labour to carve out chances and then go limb, failing to take them? Go to the end and pick the reward, men.
Iwobinho, you spoke well.
Keep on keeping on.
Discipline in football can be positional, tactical or structural. The first is the need for a player to maintain his assigned position on the pitch, the second is maintaining the assigned tactics as prescribed by the coach, and the third references the shape of the team
Game play discipline is a defensive doctrine, it is of particular importance when a team has lost possession or is attempting to regain possession, it rarely applies when a team is poised to attack.
Nigeria’s problem is not defensive, most goals against Nigeria have come from mistakes of lack of concentration. Our problem is scoring and winning games, that’s why attention has to be focussed on the channels through which goal scoring opportunities arise. Namely the wings and the midfield.
In the last few games goals have been produced from the wings in particular the left wing where Moses Simon and recently Calvin Bassey the left back have been most productive. Very little has come from the centre which is the domain of Iwobi and Aribo. As for the right wing, those who’ve played there have been on an extended holiday with no sign of return.
So anyone playing Nigeria knows what to do, place attention on the left.
In the last game against Ecuador Iwobi finally woke up and placed a number of through balls that almost resulted in goals. Prior to that I was wondering whether his flouncing around the pitch was to advertise his hair and some hair product.
The problem is bad decision making by the central midfielders. They have displayed a risk aversion by always seeking to square pass or back pass in order to regain positional discipline. That’s why the emphasis on discipline from an attacking midfielder is wrong.
The most dangerous time for a team is when possession changes – coaches call this turnovers, the team that gains possession is faced by a team unbalanced by its previous attacking intent. This is similar in boxing to an opponent boxer being unbalanced by receiving a punch, any professional boxer in that circumstance would press home their advantage by launching a flurry of punches, and not raise their guard as the Nigerian midfield under Iwobi has been doing by stepping back using square passes and back passes to maintain defensive discipline and shape.
When the opposition loses possession the ball should be progressed forward, not sideways or to the back because like the boxer throwing a flurry of punches at an unbalanced opponent, this unbalances even further the opposition leading to goal scoring opportunities. Otherwise you’re giving the opposition time to regain their defensive composure.
A well coordinated pressing game initiated by attackers and synchronised by the midfield would always lead to possession being regained and an unbalanced opponent. Through-passes to attackers should be accurate to feet or precisely angled to the running path of attackers. one touch flicks and lobs should be used in the oppositions third to penetrate defences. 1-2 combinations with attackers in order to progress the ball into the opponents penalty area or with midfielders in order to hold possession.
At the moment Nigeria plays like a one armed boxer with a missing right arm and no jab, and equipped with a singular left cross from Bassey. It is not discipline we need but a positive initiative, intensity in forward ball progression and a higher work rate particularly in midfield and on the right wing. When your best provider of goal assists is a full back it says a lot about the commitment of your forwards and midfield.
Good points.
Our problem is that we don’t convert enough of the chances we create. Even if we make mistakes, scoring enough goals will still win us games. However, no matter how well you play, if you don’t score, you will always be in a precarious position. It only takes one goal from the opponent to take you down, as Msakni and Partey did to us recently.
If we had taken our chances against Tunisia and Ghana, our goalkeeping blunders would have had little relevance.
Real Madrid that just won the Champion’s League make their fair share of mistakes. But they score goals, and their goals carried them through.
THE SE NEED TO START CONVERTING MORE OF THE CHANCES THEY CREATE.
GOALS WIN GAMES.
@Tristsn, Ejuke could be of help at the right wing.
@Trustan, even nobobody commends you for this, I will. Its very insightful. Kudos!
Tristan you presented a proper analyses for Super Eagles technical process which has been performed since tenure of coaches Rhor, Eguavoen and the matches of Peseiro versus Mexico and Ecuador; so I think there are things or elements you forgot with regard to Super Eagles technical situation these are no proper defensive coverage and pressing, offensive playing on SE style of play; no proper finishing by attackers, no proper coverage and offensive and pressing playing by center backs; if Peseiero make overhaul to these technical elements he can creat a new formidable SE which can overpower and surmount Africa in future time.