Former Super Falcons coach, Godwin Izilein has decried the lack of creativity in the midfield, adding that the team continued to lack fighting spirit and exhibit that lukewarm attitude in their play under Super Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro.
Izilein stated this in an interview with NAN, where he said nothing has changed in the team despite the team’s 10-0 victory over Sao Tome on Monday in a 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
He advised Peseiro to take a look at players in the Nigeria local league that could combine well with the foreign-based players.
“I am yet to see anything new, it’s still the same old pattern of play; lukewarm attitude towards games should be changed.
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“They have no fighting spirit, it is only Victor Osimhen that does that and he does not get a good ball from the wingers. He (Osimhen) needs that deep penetrative passes.
“The basic fact is that we are still not playing as a team, that individual play is still very much visible in our games.
“There is also a need to introduce into the team element of speed, they are too slow for my liking.
“Another missing link is that of creative midfielders. With this, it will create that effectiveness in our attack as well as cover the defence.
“Our wingers should also remember that great goals are scored from pull-out.
“There is nothing new with the Eagles under the current coach for us to be celebrating 10 goals, we are yet to get that rhythm Eagles are known for.”
29 Comments
He’s not lying
what was his impact on the falcons as a coach? Persons that scored 10 goals in a single match has nothing special. OK, continue
Were was izlien when CAR defeated Nigeria,even wen sierra Leone drew Nigeria in Benin
U forgot mar da gas and CAR abi
Abeg what do some person take before addressing the press, or do they forget to take their drugs? England fell to Hungary by 4:0 one small country stop Italy from qualifying, nobody have cry foul, but here we reduced people market price and break a more than two decade record, but someone is still complaining. Who do us this thing, how did the falcons fare during your rein as their coach. How many record did you set and break. We suppose to be in the finals and qualify for the World Cup assuming eguaveon played this way. Hmmmmm
One of those typical dreamers who does not appreciate what others are trying to do. Go on dishing out PhDs to the coach and his boys whose heads are not in the clouds. Their feet are rooted on the ground. We love the change that has come to the SE. Despite losing both matches in their recent US outing, we saw a lot of positives in their game. They carried that over to the AFCONQ, resulting in a much-improved outing. Do they really deserve balls of fire for their efforts?
We realists like what we’re seeing. Keep going, Oga Peseiro and the illustrious boys. You’ll take us there.
All old these old men en. You should have Just said “Egbe kin yi wa, EMI lo kan”. Go straight not by using corner.
Nonsense and Nonsense….oro were
If there is no link from wing how does osimhen scores 2 goals by nodding.
This guy didn’t make no sense. Izilein is a dead wood who have nothing to offer. Our new Oga coach have sent a positive message to the rest of Africa that there is a new ‘Police Commissioner in Town’ not Egueavon who could not deliver when it matters most. Izilein just want people to know that he is still alive. l guess he must be finding life very hard these days. For Nigeria Super Eagle to beat another National Team with 10 zero and for Izilein to still consider that not good enough is, to me, crazy with jealousy based on hatred. It was a headline news here in USA and l was proud to read as l watched it.
Look at this old man. He failed woefully with the Super Falcons. And needed up our u17 team in Gambia so much that no one even knows we ever had an u17 team in that era. The only good thing that came out of that squad was Sunday Mba.Tjamsk to Stwphen Keshi And now he’s talking about Peseiro. What exactly did Peseiro do wrong against STP to deserve this criticism? Bad belle. He’s been one of the early enemies of the new coach. No wonder he’s been jobless for years
Lol! So, it’s the inclusion of Homebase that’ll make them special abi? Okay na.
This man has a few valid points but to say that the Homebased players are the solution to our creativity problem and being blind to the improvement in our performances is unethical and unprofessional.
So what are the valid point you said he has then ?
For any team to score 10goals in a match that is 1 goal every 10mins.that is brilliance …cameroon played this team scored only 2goals home and away,Ghana played sao tome and scores only goal last. There’s an improvement in the team…zeal and ruthlessness
If a small country defeat Nigeria they will say that there’s no small country in football but if Nigeria massacre small country they will say that the country is ten thousand in population ,bad belle will always be bad belle
Omo the thing tire me. 10.zero no be moimoi.
This is exactly ridiculous. How could they have scored that number of goals if they lacked those qualities he mentioned?
Some people are so stupid that you can’t even try to make sense out of the comments attributed to them.
There is no hunger, no zeal, no urgency, no creativity, however ten unreplied goals were scored by the team in a 90 minute period. I smell another Odegbami popping his head up, testing the waters to see how he will be received and how many followers will join his distraction and hate campaign against the coach
Mark that name very well, he is one of the enemies of Nigerian Football. Why are we like this ? This is the reason why our continent would never move forward. A coach led his team to victory with a record breaking margin and this dude does not have nothing constructive to add than to state that there is not new and that the SE are not playing as a team. How do you score 10 goals in a single match without conceding and yet you did not play as a team. Chei ! The black man’s heart is truly black.
It is like saying one’s child scored 100/100 and the father turns to the son to berate him. Let us learn to celebrate excellence . How many teams have beaten Sao Tome with the margin. In fact I dare say alot of these Nigerian coaches are racist. Where were these criticism when Egus Baba had a resounding failure? Now because a Caucasian is handling this team , they suddenly become voluble. Self centred lot, who are looking out for their selfish interest. When was the last time we put 5 goals past any team? The last time would probably be at the Continental cup in Brazil.
Did you talk of Nigerian players?
Before we start talking of local players which Nigerian club has reached the quarter finals of CAF Champions league after Enyimba in 2003/2004 or CHAN after Stephen Keshi’s final duel in South Africa?
The corruption in Nigerian football is impacting negatively on the players and Until that is eradicated I don’t see any Nigerian player in the current Super Eagles.
People are yet to realise the impact Jose Peseiro is making in this team. So unfortunate. Sao Tome or Tahiti, Central African Republic or Serra Leone, when last did Nigeria score 10 goals in a match? Abi people are not well ni? 10 goals in an international match, and people can’t still see that something new is happening in this team. Not sure Sao Tome has ever been beaten that bad by any Country. Ghana and Cameroon struggled to beat this team in the past with all their pedigree. Nigeria could have score as many 16 in that match. Osimhen alone could have gotten 6 or 7. Last time I checked, Nigeria takes her feet off the pedal any time they’ve gotten 3 or 4 goals. You will see them turn a competitive match to a practice session, with players playing to gallery, showboating and entertaining the crowd. But in this match, these guys were hungry fsmn serious from the beginning to the end. In fact the intensity with which they scored the first goal was the same as the one that produced the last one. Isn’t that an improvement? How long have we waited for this ? Sao Tome has suddenly become a nation of some hundreds just because we beat them that bad. If we had drawn or lost, the story will be there’s no small country in football again. Chaiiii….my people. God will forgive you una o. Anyone that is not happy with that performance just because it was against STP should go for mental test o.
Beaten a cheap, z rated team is what Nigeria is noted for and choking when they meet Ghana is a stated, historical fact lol!! We ll meet this same team ten times and we ll find a way to win lol
Beaten silly by a cheap Japanese team is what Ghana is noted for and choking when they meet Nigeria only for away goals rule to come to the rescue , historical fact lol!! We ll meet this same team ten times and we ll find a way to win lol
Toilet is better than you
Ghana is a cesspool
Kumasi is a shit hole.
Speak up Izilen, where was the hunger against sierria leone. They were lucky to have won the game. Obviously we can see the team is getting boring, you very right some players just need to vacate the national the team. Is this not the same team that played 2 friendlies and lost. Have yet to see any difference in the coach styles with the previous coaches that took up the coaching assignment
This is not the same team that played two matches and lost.
The objective of the NFF is to assemble a good team for the national teams. There are many ways to achieve this.
1. Age group teams that will feed the senior national teams.
2. VIP scouting as coined by the NFF where they scout overseas for Nigerian eligible players.
3. Development of the local league which ideally should be the most sustainable option.
No 1 & 2 are in full gear currently but No. 3 will continue to prove a challenge. The objective of including home based players is to strengthen the senior team. Where the foreign players are better than their local compatriots, the choice of foreign players must overide the local players and vice versa. Those who clamour for local content are either mischievous or just plain clueless. The objective is to find the best players fir the senior team at all times. It is a flawed logic to insist on local players at the detriment of quality.
Those who do so are only looking to line their pockets.
Super Eagle are work in progress. I want to believe with time. There will be improvement.
We need more quality young players in defence, creative midfielders and experience in goal keeping department.
We have what it takes to be the best.
Up eagle!
I agree with you 100%
The only difference is the goal margin but pattern of play is lacklustrous. They have not jelled as a team. They can’t get a good goal from a compact team. Let’s be honest and not carried away by goals scored against a team a good secondary school team can equally win.