Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr is set t hand Nigeria debut to FC Midtjyland striker Paul Onuachu and Valentine Ozornwafor with the duo’s callup ahead of this month’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the Pirates of Seychelles and the friendly against Egypt’s Pharaohs, both taking place in Asaba, Delta State reports Completesports.com.
Onuachu is currently Nigeria’s top scorer in Europe this season with 17 goals in 28 games for FC Midtjyland this season.
Rohr also left out his captain, John Obi Mikel who is currently playing regularly with Middlesbrough and the pair of Leicester City forward, Kelechi Iheanacho and Fenerbache of Turkey winger, Victor Moses from the squad.
Shanghai Shenhua striker Odion Ighalo gets the nod in attack, with the former Watford striker been supported by Ahmed Musa, Victor Osimhen, Moses Simon, Henry Onyekuru, Alex Iwobi, and Samuel Kalu.
THE FULL LIST
Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho (Anorthosis Famagusta, Cyprus); Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Katsina United); Daniel Akpeyi (Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa).
Defenders: Olaoluwa Aina (Torino FC, Italy); Abdullahi Shehu (Bursaspor FC, Turkey); Valentine Ozornwafor (Enyimba FC); Chidozie Awaziem (Caykur Rizespor, Turkey); William Ekong (Udinese FC, Italy); Leon Balogun (Brighton & Hove Albion, England); Kenneth Omeruo (CD Leganes, Spain); Jamilu Collins (SC Paderborn 07, Germany).
Midfielders: Semi Ajayi (Rotherham United, England); Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Oghenekaro Etebo (Stoke City FC, England); John Ogu (Hapoel Be’er Sheva, Israel).
Forwards: Ahmed Musa (Al Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia); Victor Osimhen (Charleroi SC, Belgium); Moses Simon (Levante FC, Spain); Henry Onyekuru (Galatasaray SK, Turkey); Odion Ighalo (Shanghai Shenhua, China); Alex Iwobi (Arsenal FC, England); Samuel Kalu (Girondins Bordeaux, France); Paul Onuachu (FC Midtjyland, Denmark).
By Johnny Edward.
Copyright © 2024 Completesports.com All rights reserved. The information contained in Completesports.com may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the prior written authority of Completesports.com.
COMMENTS
Not a bad list. Let’s go Super Eagles!!
Nice list! Happy for Paul Onuachu and Valentine ozornwafor.
Am happy kelechi has been left out in this party. He really needs to wake up from slumber and start working very hard. Super eagles Jersey is not any player’s birthright as you have to work to earn it.
I wish Onuachu all the best….
Semi Ajayi has good passing accuracy compared to Wilfred ndidi and he can also score any time with his heard.
He can also score from 25yards and beyond.
the triumvirate of Wilfred ndidi, semi ajayi and Alex iwobi will be interesting to watch in the mildfield.
i wished samu was able to make the list.I guessed his club’s relegation battles might have affected him… but better days lies ahead of him.
I heard Mikel had issue with Leon Balogun in the world cup that might had affected his decision to stay off the national team for now but hopefully, the parties will bury their hatch and let the sleeping dog lies prior to the AFCON proper.
No Taiwo Awoniyi Yeye people, this is how they destroy the self esteem of an inform player. Even Brazil invited a one goal credit Vinicius based on consistent performance and we ignore the most inform striker who has been scoring the goals week in and out. Bossu Rohr I greet you and your olodo assistants.
How about the new kid on the block, Samuel Chukwueze? And what’s the deal with Mikel Obi? Has he retired? Is Musa effectively the capo of the SE? Or is Mikel waiting for the Afcon proper to join the party again? Samuel Kalu — really wondering how he would be in the right frame of mind. God will intervene.
Chukwueze hasn’t been regular of recent. Still better than moses simon
From this 23man Squad for Seychelles & Egypt, it is clear to everyone observing that Rohr has already zeroed in on @least 20 players, he will take to Nations cup baring injuries or recall of Mikel or Victor Moses. Rohr likes the familiar so door on experimental new players seem to be nearly shut. Whatever happens let’s hope Super Eagles deliver their best & bring smiles to our faces.
Weak matches you invite Ighalo to play and when we have strong matches you’ll invite Success and co just to make them look bad and get no further look in your politics will catch you soon mark my words.
The list above from gaffer Gernot Rohr represents to me ” a statement of intent” that he is not taking the 2 upcoming games likely.
Formality as the game against Seychelles may be, a victory will still earn the Super Eagles points towards FIFA rankings while a win in the friendly against Egypt will not only do the same, but also add a feel-good factor to the players and fans alike ahead of the Afcon.
Looking at the list, one can see that Ozornwafor has reaped the reward of his hard work at the just concluded U-20 Afcon whilst the wait for Onuachu to be called up to the Super Eagles is now over after many seasons of eye-catching performances in Scandinavia.
This list also shows the strongest indication yet that Iheanacho’s strong grip on a spot in the Super Eagles is loosening while the invitation of his much talked about replacement (Taiwo Awoniyi) has not materialized.
Mikel Agu’s current injury layoff has proved costly as he now also have Semi Ajayi to content with in that position when he recovers.
Ajayi has posted some breathtaking performances for his club from defensive midfield position recently.
As far as the 2019 Afcon is concerned, Rohr appears to have made up his mind on his 3 goalkeepers as only injury seems to be the only reason why he would drop any of Uzoho, Ezenwa or Akpeyi.
All in all, it is a pretty decent list of pace, power and passion.
With the exception of Mikel Obi and maybe Victor Moses, any “fit” player not in this list would have to do something special to make the Afcon proper.
With all due respect to the coach he have not demonstrated the commitment to solving the attacking midfield position in the super Eagles..we don’t have a creative midfielder right now so journalist should please come up with the list of creative midfielders in Nigeria and abroad for this gaffer..iwobi, iheanacho, etebo, and even Michael obi have not shown enough creativity in the middle of the pack when the chips are down…Please folks who can list 10 Nigeria creative midfielders that can replace the four I have mentioned…
I was expecting Awoniyi in the party, alas… But a good squad still. All Players on form except…. Leon Balogun who is not a regular with Brighton and has been struggling with a shoulder injury.
A squad of surprises (as Rohr is wont to do), its always perilous second guessing his squad list. but whichever 23 he calls up will have enough to do away with the Seychelles and to test Egypt.
There will be time still later on with other friendlies to have a closer look at Awoniyi and Chukwueze.
I don’t think there’s plenty of time left as the next list will be for AFCON camping. Osimhen and Onuachu will have a point or two to prove. The list is mostly of players trying to fight their way into the team while others not invited who’ve been an integral part of the team will have to work harder to hold on to their shirt. All in all it’s a very good list to prosecute the next two games.
I believe there’s still time for Awoniyi & Chukwueze. I bet they will be in the U23’s list for the qualifiers against Libya around the same period the senior team is playing Seychelles & Egypt. The team is gradually filling up with quality. Exciting times!!
Campaigned after the elections. You just realized Paul Onuachu deserves a place in your team? Shi o, what a pity.
How about Adi? You are still joking with the team but I have no choice but to try what I could to bring the best out of the coach Rohr and his followers. They have no choice but to wake up.
This man need help from us all. If we don’t help him before it is too late, the result he is going to get in Egypt would be worst than the one in Russia. But if you failed to do your part now, you do not have to complain in the end ooo.
You heard my voice About Paul Onuachu, you invited him now. For sure,
You are going to do the right thing before the tournament in Egypt this year because I will keep pointing fingers to the areas that needed to be fixed in your time.
The goal keeping department needs to be strengthen and this is where I will never agreed with you. We have so many young goal keepers who can give it all for the Country but you turned you back to them.
For instance, we have African Buffon and so many good goalkeepers in England but you keep deceiving Nigeria like APC and PDP. No wahala, at the end of the day, you have no choice but to delivered.
This list is not bad but please do more Mr. Rohr. You don’t have to rely on any player. Your reserve bench must be stronger and with the intelligent youngsters players than ever if you really want to win the tournament. France team as an example. A word is enough for the wise. Ire o. God bless Nigeria!!!
Omo9ja, you just have to chill. I guarantee you we are going in the right direction. You keep forgetting that this is AFCON not the World Cup which is far higher quality so it is impossible for the result to be as bad as in Russia no matter the team we present. Our aim is to win the tournament. Have you realised that Rohr has lost only once to African opposition since he took over in 2015. He has played Cameroun home and away, Algeria home and away, Senegal in friendly etc. These are the cream of Africa. Only loss was to South Africa which was our wake up call. So be optimistic as far as Africa is concerned we are one of the favourites.
Rohr, always on point..
good list of players inv..
Is well understand that SE have to help Balogun to hit the track.. We need his experience during Afcon
It seems Rohr has finally yielded to the U20 coach request of allowing Chukwueze travel with them to Poland in May for the U20 WC.
All in all,a great list indeed. Iheanacho,a player full of promises is finally getting his reward of laziness.
Good list,just inject Mikel that’s a perfect package , those saying Mikel had issues with Leon Balogun,come on,rumour can spread.
Great list! Happy to see Onuachu finally gets a chance. As for Iheanacho, hopefully this is the wake up call he needs.
I havnt s€€n mik€l in action 4 a long tim€,
Good list.
Took some courage on the part of Mr. Rohr to omit fan favoirites Mikel, Iheanacho and Awoniy and also to being in new players.
Good work coach Rohr.
Fan favourite Awoniyi Really… Let me tell you our best talent as of present is Samuel Chukwueze We all saw what he did against Uganda and what he did to Sergio Ramos and Gerald Pique two great defenders when Villarreal met Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. This coach Rohr has no god damn clue what he is doing.
For those of you who have been asking, “who will Osimhen and Awoniyi replace?” Well, Coach Rohr has answered you!
●You cannot lose your place in your club and retain your spot in the Super Eagles. Our national team is not a rehabilitation ground
●If you retire from the national team at the peak of your career, we will wish you luck and move on without you!
●You cannot excuse yourself from crucial qualifiers and just stroll back into the squad when others have done the dirty work of qualifying us for a major tournament like the AFCON
●The fact that you were at the World Cup does not guarantee you an automatic position in the AFCON squad
The bottom line: every player is appreciated but no one is indispensable, even the captain fantastic.
Well done Mr. Rohr!
I hope you will say well done to Rohr when he lose a crucial match without the captain?
@Greenturf, I will not congratulate him if he loses a crucial match without his captain. However, I am aware that:
i) There are no guarantees he will win if his captain plays;
ii) They have been winning crucial games since his captain went on ‘leave’.
I don’t expect them to lose, but if they do, I will appreciate his efforts if he didn’t make wrong decisions that led to the loss.
you Nigerians Really no nothing about football How the hell can you say that Mikel is carrying Middelsborough on his shoulders and yet you say such rubbish..A coach leaves a player Samuel Chukwueze who still has Sergio Ramos in his pocket from the game Villarreal played against Real Madrid. He also made Marcelo look slow. Yet you guys clamour for the inclusion of a player that plays in Denmark Let me tell you people if this coach takes this sort of squad to Afcon Nigeria is getting knocked put in the round of 16. GUARANTEED!!!!!!!!
Weldone ehn….”Mr Know Everything about Football”……Why not wait till wen he releases his afcon squad before spitting out fire and brimstone. Its a dead rubber qualifier against Seychelles and an under-strength Egyptian friendly we are playing and not the afcon proper yet.
The list with Onuachu in is the best that our respected coach can present at this time. Iheanacho is a complete let down to himself and the Nation. Leicester may be seeking to off load him soon if he not careful. l have problem with Balogun but l think the coach have no choice but to bring him in. l hope our Captain Mikel will be available in the future in Egypt. l also hope Victor Moses will rescind his decision to appear in Egypt as well, l am relying on the NNF chairman statement here though.
You know nothing about football my friend Samuel Chukwueze / Alex Iwobi are the best attacker at the moment in Nigeria enough Said
All eyes will be on Paul Onuachu whose invitation has astonishingly taken so long to come.A very good forward and a good addition to the squad.
Meanwhile,conspicuously missing is Taiwo Awoniyi whose omission was shocking to fans.I was expecting that name to be top on the list of oversea based players.Another surprise omission is Azubuike Okechukwu whose form in Turkey has been eye catchy.A very good combative midfielder very skillful with great confidence on the ball.
You could argue we need two natural left backs but Moses Simons form in Spain playing as left back and Aina’s deployment also in that position for club could be the reason one natural left back was invited.Chima Akas did so well for eagles under Oliseh and he is playing good football in Sweden and was first choice left back under Oliseh and is capable of fighting for a place in that position with Collins.
Well in all honesty this list is very good.You can see Rohr’s lists since he started his romance with super eagles a good lists unlike his predecessors
@Greenturf, I will not congratulate him if he loses a crucial match without his captain. However, I am aware that:
i) There are no guarantees he will win if his captain plays;
ii) They have been winning crucial games since his captain went on ‘leave’.
I don’t expect them to lose, but if they do, I will appreciate his efforts if he didn’t make wrong decisions that led to the loss
Very decent squad, strong enough to take on Seychelles in the dead rubber game and Egypt in the friendly.
Surprised not to see Awoniyi listed after all his brilliant runs in the Jupiler league, as a matter of fact Oshimen who played in the same league got an invitation ahead, though he was invited for the Uganda tie. Perhaps, Awoniyi will have to wait a little longer to earn his first Eagles call.
Also I am pleasantly surprised to see the inclusion of high riding Paul Onuachu, who is unargueably the tallest Nigeria player at slightly over 2m tall.
Given his slender and long frame, he has not ceased to score crucial goals for his Danish side.
WELL DONE PAUL, this a well deserved invitation by all standards.
With the invitation of this gangling striker and Osimhen, one can imagine Rohr’s admiration for tall strikers, perhaps this explains reasons Awoniyi’s non inclusion in the national team.
One would recall that Simy Nwankwo was tamen to the world cup on account of his big frame 6″4ft
Paul Ebere Onuachu has shown to be a proven goal scorer over 2 seasonsthat he joined Midtjylands fc in the Danish league.
In Denmark Please bros don’t make me laugh even a three year old can play in that weak league.. Super EaGLES HAS BECOME A TEAM FOR MEDIOCRITY AS LONG AS YOU PLAY IN EUROPE YOU CAN PL A Y FOR THIS SHITTY TEAM IT DOESN’T MATTER WHICH COUNTRY WHAT A SHAME!!!!!PERIOD!!!!!
Shitty comments from a crappy individual. Asamoah Gyan was playing in UAE for years, yet was terrorizing teams all over Africa and at the world cups. Patrick Mboma was playing in Japan wen he led the lions of cameroun’s attack to a consecutive afcon title. The bulk of the Egyptian team that won 3 straight afcons were either playing for zamalek or al-ahly in the Egyptian league. Jay-jay okocha remains one of Nigeria’s biggest exports but apart from PSG (who wasn’t even the biggest of teams back then) I cant remember him playing for a ‘TOP’ team. If you are intelligent enough, you should get my logic.
your logic is very stupid As you have mentioned Patrick Mboma actually you ingrate he was playing in Cagliari (Italy) at the time he led Cameroon to Afcon. Asamoah Gyan was in Renne and immediatly went to Sunderland Rennes is a good team in a good league France.. Please ingrate before you type check your facts.. Samuel Chukwueze is a gem and no country who has such a player will drop him for a player that shines in the danish league, a league that’s not even as good as the English championship
Who are the agents of Ezenwa and Akpeyi?those guys must be good in palm greasing.a technically sound coach would give Ighalo a break because the Chinese league just started and invite the man of the moment Awoniyi instead.Dropping iheanacho was long over due I ve said it before I would say it again the guy is not super eagles material.
Lol Sunnyb, especially Akpeyi. That guy’s agent is a warrior 🙂
Regarding Iheanacho, abeg when he is in form, he is a SE material. But for now, his non-invitation is thoroughly deserved.
If its invitation on merit am wondering why Balogun would be invited cos he has been on the bench in his club for so long now. Good list. However I wish Awoniyi and Ajayi were invited. I also feel the coach may have shut the door on Isaac Success and Brian Idowu for now. I also doubt whether Onazi may ever be invited again whenever he comes back from injury. Happy that Onuachu is finally getting a look in. However am surprised at the inclusion of Awaziem. Methinks hes not yet matured enough. Meanwhile I heard Tyronne Ebuehi is back playing hope the coach hasnt forgotten him. At a time we sang the high praises of a certain Noah Sarenren Bazee, pls can someone tell us what is up with him we dont hear anything about him anymore. God bless Nigeria.
Bazee got injured again after successfully coming back from a lengthy injury.This lad needs our prayers because injuries has continually kept him on the sidelines at Hanover.
Right now he’s on the treatment table unfortunately.
Again? Oooohh thats too bad. I feel so sorry for the young man. He will be healed by God grace. Thanks a lot for the information.
Amen!
You welcome.
Does he actually want to play for Nigeria.
Hahahahaha…….Iheanacho is not a SE material….??? A player whom Leicester coughed out almost 15m pounds to get from Man city isn’t a super eagles material. Lolz. I rest my case
Overall, it was a good squad list. I am super pleased to see Onuachu on this list although, I would’ve loved to see Akpom and Ajayi but …
Iheanacho should step up or watch his place permanently taken by other in-form players
Who’s in a better form than Awoniyi 6 consecutive team of the week performance and you ignore so when is the right time to encourage him when Brazil is already calling Vinicius. I have been forced to comment because of this big surprise may God save our country and Mikel has been brilliant of a late I wonder whos the scout of the SE or are they rigging here again??? I’m laughing
Awoniyi’s time will come besides he has played just 7 games for his new club let’s give him a little more time. And Mikel is trying to settle into his new club. He would definitely make the afcon squad.
CHIMA.E….. home sweet home, welcome back.
Blood is thicker than water indeed I just hope this will not kill the spirit of the young man called Awoniyi. I am really gutted this should have been his show to take Seychelles to the cleaners!
I also think Ndidi of the recent past needs to improve his game. The Ndidi we saw when he first came to Leicester is different from what we are seeing now. I just hope complacency is not setting in. Am not saying that he isnt doing well. I rather think he has more to give than hes giving now. Also the coach should look at the attacking midfield position. Apart from Mikel and Iwobi i dont see any other. Etebo cant fill such place well. As for Ogu am sorry bcos the inclusion of Semi Ajayi will mean slimmer chances for him bcos the Ajayi guy is simply on fire at the moment and I wont be surprised if he displaces either Etebo (in defensive midfield role) or Balogun (in central defence role) in that first team. Hoping that the coach will take Mikel to the afcon cos if he doesnt, it wont augur too welp for the team. Yet i still think no winger in that team has the pedigree of a Victor Moses yet. Kalu Simon Onyekuru are all good but not in the class of a Moses. I still think we need him at afcon if he rescinds his decision.
Finally I think this afcon was given to Egypt as a compensation gift for pushing Ahmad Ahmad in as caf president. The implication is that Egypt and Caf will do everything possible to help Egypt win it and to make Mohammed Salah the player of the tournament. Now that ambition is what our super eagles must go all out to truncate. First our NFF must insist on VAR technology for every match at the afcon. Recently Algeria coach in 2010 came out to say Egypt fixed their afcon match in 2010 which Algeria lost 4 nil. They paid Algeria to lose. Therefore nothing is impossible with Egypt and thats why we need VAR. Secondly I have a feeling that suicide bombers are going to strike major cities in Egypt during the afcon. Thats why i have a problem with them hosting. The Egypt of today is a very fragile and effervescent environment in which things can easily degenerate for the worse. Thats why am shocked at why they would grant Egypt the hosting right. Up till as recently as december there were still suicide bombing in Cairo yet they gave them the right to host. The Egyptian govt is losing tourism revenue and thats the political reason why they want to host and win. Lets pray my fears dont come to fruition though. Peace !!!
I share your sentiments bro. The fact that the rights were awarded rather controversially makes my fears even worse. Or how can you explain CAF shifting the date of the award behind by 48hrs without informing the SAFA officials, from a friday to a wednesday. SAFA officials were still arranging for their trip to cairo the next day (thursday) when they heard the rights have been awarded to egypt already. Lmao. Oh….Africa my africa.
Awoniyi’s omission is criminal in my opinion. 6 straight weeks in the Belgian league team of the week is enough statement to be heard by even the deaf. Especially when a capable substitute for Ighalo hasn’t been found yet. From whatever angle anyone wants to look at it Taiwo is a rank higher than Osimhen in this game. Otherwise, no surprises in this list. Every invitee is justified, as well as every dropped player too.
In my opinion Awoniyi should have got the invite ahead of Osimhen who to me is not ready for the assignments ahead.
Osimhen should play for the Olympics.Super eagles is a premature invitation for this young lad.
Sometimes we should be patient with this invitations.
However,its rather criminal not to invite a player who has excelled at all levels of the Nigerian youth teams a player who recently was in the team of the week for the sixth consecutive weeks in the Belgian top flight to a player who was listed just once in six weeks and playing in the same league.
Exactly my brother. Taiwo has played in all versions of AFCON from U17 to U23, He has similarly been to all WCs in these categories too. He’s playing in his ‘4th’ club now in europe and was also in the CHAN camp in 2014 too if my memory serves me right. 6 straight team of the week appearances and all that. Compared to Victor who’s only played in 1 AFCON and WC at U17 level. Taiwo doen not only score, he also makes lots and lots of assists too, and is also good with his hold up play. I think victor is being rushed into the SE unnecessarily.It would have been understandable if there were no options on ground…but with Simy, Taiwo, Junior Ajayi all waiting in the wings, then there’s really no need to rush victor. A very talented striker he is tho.
@Drey,
comparing stats this season for Victor Osimhen (25 games, 11 goals, 3 assists – 1959 minutes) this season and Taiwo Awoniyi (29 games, 9 goals and 2 assists – 1501 minutes), it is clear that Victor has deserved his callup ahead of Taiwo, also Victor has two senior caps, in addition to under 23 and under 17, whilst Taiwo’s call ups have been limited to the Under 23s and below.
I think Rohr made the right call for the two strikers, Onuachu’s stats (29 games, 17 goals, 5 assists 2222 minutes this season) also beat Taiwo’s
@ Big D. They both deserve call ups surely. if you have followed by posts of late for me it has either been Taiwo or victor or both of them. Your stats are spot on. But I would have preferred you weigh on both players since the beginning of the year, when Taiwo changed clubs. 6 straight jupiler league best XI places. Single handedly secure 15 points for his team since January to move them out of the relegation zone to challenging for a play-off place. Clearly Taiwo is on form at the moment, and there cannot be a better time to invite a player for international duty, than when he is on form. Osimhen may have played 2 games for the eagles, thanks to the favour he find in the eyes of the coach, and not necessarily because he has justified it at club level, but Awoniyi has more tournament and big game experience than him and is maturity is very evident in his style of play. That goal he score against congo at the 2015 U20 AFCON still rings in my head till today, its one he would score again against the biggest teams in the world if the opportunity presents itself. The boy is pure class.
I’m also glad about the instant promotion of ozornwafor. I saw this coming from after the U20 afcon group stages. Though i though it will be the trio of Ozonwafor, Oremade and Ikuowem that will be promoted immediately. We would only be deceiving ourselves to think they are ‘young’ as we deceived ourselves with Rabiu Ibrahim back then.
.
I’ve always maintained we have no business having 2 30+ year olds as ‘BACK UP’ goal keepers in the SE. What are they backing up….? What are they understudying at the age of over 30. We need just one. not two. And that one has to be Ezenwa. Akpeyi is still leaking goals in SA like a basket. He conceeded yet another embarrassing goal which denied Kaizer chiefs 3 points last weekend. We should do away with him and have either alampasu or oremade as our 3rd chioce. the 1st choice, the main keeper, the 2nd the back-up and the 3rd the understudy, learning from the 1st 2. a 30+ year only shaky and error prone understudy doesn’t really make logical sense in any way
Alampasu and Oremade should rather take the places of Akpeyi and Ezenwa
With regard to the goalkeepers, like Sunnyb pointed out above, one is starting to suspect some powerful agents are having a strong say. I watched the Kaizer Chiefs Vs Highland Parks (Kaizer actually won 3-2. Highland scored a cheap goal in the 78th minute to make it 3-2 from 3-1, throwing the home team and fans into a panic).
I was like, why is it that rather than inspire confidence, Akpeyi somehow gives opposing teams and strikers great confidence that they could score and win? You see it written all over his face as soon as a striker is with the ball in or around the 18. His timing is poor, his positioning is suspect, his reflexes are not really sharp. To convince anyone Ezenwa and Akpeyi are the best backups to Francis is hard to believe.
I’m afraid to say that unlike in the days of Enyeama and Rufai, the goalkeeping may be our undoing at Afcon. Otherwise, bar that dept and a couple of swaps here and there, Nigeria is good to go for the trophy. The other real contenders for me are Senegal, Egypt and maybe Morocco and Tunisia.
I’m actually referring to the game against polokwane city or so…maybe played last midweek. The one that ended 1-1 with the ball slipping underneat akpeyi’s armpits from over 40 yards
Kel, for someone who is a self-confessed Akpeyi fan, I have to admit that his recent form hasn’t inspired confidence at all.
I have followed about 12 of his recent games and spotted, at the top of my head, like 5 high profile errors – that is too much (even for an ardent fan like myself to stomach).
From dropping a routine catch to slipping and conceding a goal from a back pass (communication from his defender didn’t help) to making a mess from a speculative effort to letting in the last simple goal last weekend.
It is too much!
Well, I wish him well.
Akpeyi’s goalkeeping skills are not in doubt but if you watch his demeanor last weekend, he looks bereft of confidence.
If he does go to the Cup of Nations, that may well be his last tournament for Nigeria because if he doesn’t sort out his mental fragility, he should just kiss his Super Eagles career good bye.
The funniest of his bloopers for me was a scenario when the ball was strolling out for a goalkick, akpeyi stretched full length to bring it back to play only to spill it right in front of the opposing striker. The dude simple told him in zulu “siyabonga ka xulu” and slotted into the empty net. That was when i knew akpeyi’s case is irredeemable. lmao.
http://www.kickoff.com/news/93457/fabian-mccarthy-points-key-issue-kaizer-
.
Imagine moving to a new club and so far its been complaints and lamentation from the employers.
Thanks Dr Drey. The last I heard is that Akpeyi still has the backing of the management of his new club.
I read through the article and comments in the link that you provided however some of the contributors appear to blame the lack of goal scoring (rather than Akpeyi’s shortcomings) for their woes. Some of them even appear to disagree with the opinion of the writer.
In any event, Akpeyi’s Super Eagles career is living on borrowed time. His errors and obvious lack of confidence are impossible to ignore.
I try not to give up on players quickly; I just hope he hasn’t given up on himself.
Good list here…
Have seen that most,(if not all), are 95percent OK with the list..
Methinks, no matter who is called, there would still be complaints, cause someone would definitely be left out, there is so much space in a team,a team can take..
I think the coach chose his team based on Favourite, consistency and future..
Firstly, every coach has his favourite, no matter what the fan thinks,the coach sticks to them. For a reason left to the coach.
Tite has his favourite in Alisson as number one in Brazil , even if arguably Ederson is better. And he sticks with Weverton as third choice, leaving out Neto totally,who is much better,in my humble opinion…
Same in France, Deschamp sticking with Zouma, Thauvin ,over better players like LaPorte, Gamiero, Ben Yadder.
Even in Chelsea, with Sarri sticking to Jorginho.
So I understand Rohr stand with the Akpeyis, Ezenwas,and Osimhen for this. Even when Taiwo has been hot for some while now..
Consistency is another thing, he has a team already, he doesn’t want to just tweak it for tweaking sake, you don’t change a winning team unless when necessary.
Besides, he has called up some good legs that have been consistent so far, and maybe in the future, the rest uninvited would get their chance.
They should just keep the momentum going…
And for leaving out the cap, Mikel, I feel that is personal..
My take is that Mikel opted out, we shouldn’t forget his father has been kidnapped twice, it is emotional.remember,this footballers are humans, and maybe he needs time to get over this.
I feel the captain would come back when he is ready. He is doing fine. And the super Eagles is doing good… So all good… We keep going..
These lazy scouts and coaches needs to hold a press conference and explain to us the criteria for inviting players.Guys trust me money Dey exchange hands,I said it before and I would say it again, our Julius Berger coach acts like a suspect sometimes, a technically sound coach would not invite likes of Akpeyi, Ezenwa. AWONIYI is currently the best striker in Belgium league but as usual our coach invited Someone else in the same league ahead of him. Up Naija.Anyway we ve seen this movie before this’s how Christian Chukwu was inviting one Yeye Emmanuel ekwueme,Ekpenyong and Peter Ijeh ahead of Martins.like China said I hope this would not affect that young man moral.
Hmmm…my people. We are playing against Seychelles! By now, I think u people should have known how rohr works. Ebuehi was neglected for many matches b4 the breakthrough against Argentina..same for onyekuru and Kalu. Even this Onuachu was watched for 2 good years. Osimhen has been part of the team since.my only concern is Goalkeeping department…if we are truly building for future, then I wonder what will happen when Akpeyi that refuses to improve at the age of 33 will finally leave the team. Awoniyi is the main man for the future but his invitation will depend on the performances of Osimhen,Ighalo and Onuachu (another hit man for the future). Awoniyi might even make it to Nation’s cup.
Battle of the Golden Eaglets:
Success and Iheanacho 2013 Eaglets out, Awoniyi and Osimhen 2015 Golden Eaglets In. Form is temporary, class is permanent.
Isaac and kelechi might be struggling now, but how soon we forget when Victor struggled for 3 years at Wolfsburg and Awoniyi’s sojourn at Gent.
All 4 players have class, but as two wane, the other two are on the rise. here is hoping that Isaac and Kelechi find their feet soon.
Now comparing stats for Victor Osimhen (25 games, 11 goals, 3 assists – 1959 minutes) this season and Taiwo Awoniyi (29 games, 9 goals and 2 assists – 1501 minutes), it is clear that victor has deserved his callup ahead of Taiwo, also as Victor has two senior caps, whilst Taiwo’s call ups have been limited to the Under 23s.
Taiwo is tipped to be called up once again to the Under 23s (the matches against Libya is during a FIFA international WINDOW so his club should not have any problem releasing him).
Did I want to see Victor in the Super Eagles squad, indeed, he deserves it, but so does victor who played 45 minutes against Uganda last time and in the loss against South Africa in the first match of this qualification series. I’ll expect once AFCON is over, Ighalo will probably retire from international football and then there is space for Taiwo to attempt make the shirt his.
having said that, we do need at least 4 strikers in the Super eagles and with Victor, Taiwo, Kelechi and Isaac, depending on form and condition, there is no reason all four cannot make it. lets not forget that there is still Stephen Odey banging in goals for Zurich, Onuachu for Midtylland, Junior Ajayi for Al-Masry and a host of others who are hoping for a place in the squad.
Having said thatI’m still scratching my head at why Leon Balogun made the callup particularly as he is currently injured and is not featuring for his club.
As for Ozornwafor, Oremade and Ikouwem, I think they can make the step up to the under 23 rather and see how they perform there, before the senior Super Eagles, afterall the under 23s need help.
I think you left out Junior Lokosa and Tyronne Ebuehi among players waiting in the wings for another invitation soon.
On the debate on Awoniyi and Osimhen (Awoniyi, Isaac Sucess and Iheanacho were set of Eaglets 2013; Osimhen, Chukwueze and Kelechi Nwakali were sets of 2015); if I were the coach I don’t think I will hesitate to pick Osimhen. In fact, despite his young age, I will promote him as one of my main strikers just like 19-year-old Mbappe of France. Nigeria has a deluge of promising strikers, including Awoniyi, but for me there’s something about Osimhen’s style and killer instincts that is waiting to explode in the fullness of time. Something that border on being a genius, just like Mbappe. His sense of awareness in the 18 and reaction time is super sharp. Let’s not forget he holds a FIFA record and did it effortlessly and with no airs. It was like “normal” for him.
In my opinion, on one hand, there are skilled and talented forwards like Giroud, Griezmann and Lukaku; and on the other hand, there are football prodigies and geniuses like Mbaope, Kingsley Corman and, yes, Osimhen (still a diamond in the rough). They are bold, they are young, they are super talented and they walk straight to the best starting elevens in the world. They just need the right environment to blossom and Osimhen has not really found it. 2 other pure talents still in development for me are Tyronne Ebuehi and Sammy Chukwueze.
I have watched all Nigerian strikers and one thing I’ve come to associate with Oshimen is whether in the U17, U23 or SE, he makes his presence count always and nearly always scores on his debut. He sometimes outshines the other established members of the team on the field. I see Osimhen as the naturally successor for SE Number 9 shirt. Players like Odey, Awoniyi, Ajayi and co are going to be supporting strikers.
It is getting late for you guys to say the truth. Where were you guys when omo9ja was fighting for the betterment of the Super Eagles?
You guys were calling me names but today, I give glory to God for opening your inner sights to see the truth. It is time to wake up. I re o. God bless Nigeria!!!
WHo is this one…??? Which lie lie truth. For your mind now your prophesies are coming to pass or what…? You never cease to amuse yourself. Lmao. We are still waiting for you to name your agege and Iyana-ipaja players that you said are better than the current super eagles o.
Bro can i have email address
Some are still accusing the coach of bribery despite inviting players he feels can beat Seychelles silly. Even if our U-20 team play against Seychelles they will beat them silly. I’m even certain that Lobi Stars or Enyimba will score at lest 2 goals against Seychelles. The match against Egypt is just to test certain players and see how they fit in.
I heard Odey, Chukwueze and Kingsley Michael have been called up to the U23 Eagles, but Awoniyi’s name hasn’t been mentioned to be on the list of foreign pros for the Olympic team. Awoniyi should be the top striker for that team, of which I believe Osimhen should also be an integral member of our Olympic Eagles. While I’m absolutely certain that Success and Iheanacho will return to the SuperEagles as soon as they return to form and full fitness.
IMHO. I think Osimhen deserves his spot in the SuperEagles at this time ahead of Awoniyi. Osimhen struggled for almost three years at Wolfsburg, but as soon as he steps into the Belgian league he bacame an instant hit and was scoring goals for fuI n. Awoniyi couldn’t score a single goal at Gent until he returned to Mouscron. He must be consistent first before he can truly deserve his call up to the SuperEagles. In Osimhen and Onuachu we have enough firepower to prosecute the next two games.
@Aphillydegreat,
depends which sites you read. Owngoal are mentioning some names and ScoreNigeria are mentioning others. I think its guess work and a little rumour peddling. But I have found Owngoal to be very close to accurate often
AYPhilly, you forget that Taiwo was scoring for fun for this same Mouscron in his first spell and at FSV Frankfurt before then. His misadventure at gent wasn’t really due to his lack of ability, but rather a lack of belief from the coach and unwillingness to alter team tactics to suit one player. Taiwo thrives in a 2 pronged strike force. It wasn’t a surprise then when the same player who was subdued at gent won 6 straight places in the leagues best XI.
l wonder what happen to Bryan Idowu who play his games in Russia this time. Could he have lost form or he is been consumed by the Russian snow, ladies and gentlemen. At the moment, Aina is injured, Balogun is not doing well with his Club, why do our seasoned coach left Bryan in the Cold.
Idowu was rightly abandoned by the coach simply because he has fallen out of sight in his club and he’s not playing regularly again. The only thing I expected the Coach to do was to invite a new left back(Maybe Chima Akas who plys his trade in Sweden) or any Nigerian playing regularly for his club(am sure we have them out there). Musa Mohammed is another person I still don’t understand why the Coach doesn’t want him in his team.I expect with Ebuehi still injured and Aina now injured too, the coach should pleaseee place his trust in this guy and invite him to the team and not just that but also PLAY him to prove we the fans wrong about our perspective about our former U-20 skipper
Wa gbayi bro! Your comments on Musa Mohammed are spot on. To me, he’s our best full back, forget the club he plays for. His display for Super Eagles against Atletico Madrid (though that was a friendly) before the WC should have convinced everyone. However, I’m not the coach sha…
The Russian winter break is just ended. They take a 3 month winter break Dec to March. Who wants to play ball in the Russian winter where temperatures can reach minus 35 to minus 50???
However, having said that, I think Bryan has had his time with the Super Eagles. He served us at the World Cup and unless he starts doing some thing spectacular with his club, or we become desperate I do t expect a call up for him. Especially as if we have everyone fit we have options at left and right back.
Ola Aina can play left of right back or even almost anywhere in midfield. So with Janilu Collins and Ola we are good at least int we find another natural left back who is versatile also.
Yes, I’ve also called for Chima Akas to have a shot, but the Swedes are also on a winter break as their own league runs from March to November.
At right back we have Ola Aina, Tyrone Ebuehi (when they return) as well as Shehu Abdullahi plus Awaziem I weed that position against The Seychelles and scored.
With Ikouem coming up we have it covered at least for the next few years. And as for Musa Mohammed, let’s see if he gets a call up for the Under 23s. I guess playing hidden away in Croatia is not working for him. He’s playing regularly enough for a look in to the age group squad
If Musa Mohammed is within the age limit I think it’s a good idea for him to be part of the team.Another good player for the Olympics is Defender Stephen Eze.
Apparently,at the under 23’s we have so many good players within the age limit and I expect those who cannot be part of the super eagles for now to use the youth teams as a springboard to be part of the senior national team in the nearest future.
@Greenturf,
Musa Mohammed is 22 and turns 23 in October so is within age limit for the qualifiers. Stephen Eze is 24 already and will be 25 in a few days so is not eligible
Actually, he scored some goals for Gent. Awoniyi has never failed to register a goal in all the clubs that he has played for so far. I have no doubt about Osimhen ability but it is obvious that this SE list could have been better. Afterall,the match is not that relevant and could have provided an opportunity to test fringe and promising players.
I hope the gaffer’s line-up includes fringe SE players like Akpeyi, Aina, Ogu, Awaziem, Ogu, Onuachi, Onyekwuru and Osimhen..
Here are 22 players I drew up all age verified that are eligible. I added Chidi. Nwakali instead of Okechukwu Azubuike. I also omitted Madura Okoye So in fact we can make two full teams or a full squad of 23
https://mobile.twitter.com/okparaonline/status/1102878663421378560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1102878663421378560&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Ftwitter.com%252Fokparaonline%252Fstatus%252F1102878663421378560%26widget%3DTweet
Good day my fellow Nigerian’s, this is my first comment on this post. I am very pleased with this (complete sport) who created this forum for national team fans to express their view on the national team football.
Welcome on board boss. You are in the right place. Beware of the addiction though. This forum can be addictive if you not careful. Lots of wonderful avid fans of the game you will come across. From @deo the very knowledgeable ‘de-facto’ team captain, to @ BigD, the playmaker of this forum who distributes incisive facts and stats like Zidane in his hey days, to rock solid sharp shooting legends like @Kel, AYphilly, Chairmanfemi, Greenturf, Bomboy, Edoman et al. We also have hard tackling defenders like @ Chima, Jones, Ugo iwunze, Ashy (dt 1 is yet to recover from a cruciate ligament injury he suffered a few months ago), Dr. Drey, Adisboy and SunnyB. These ones can end ur career with just one tackle. We’ve also got Omo9ja who sees wat the ordinary eyes cannot see. He’s our team psychic, he knos the matches/tournaments we will win and the ones we will loose years before even the draws are made. Not to forget the millions of supporter club members who only read but never comment. They only help to separate fights bcos things can get a little heated up in here. Otherwise you could get a query from your boss for dereliction of duty just bcos of this forum. So you r very much welcome on board.
#Abeg all of una wey I no mention make una forgive me o. Na windows 98 memory I carry. You are all duly recognized
Hahahaha you this Dr. Drey you make me laugh. I enjoyed reading your philosophy of football poetry. You will make a good writer and poet. Well done.
Totally agreed. Our honorable Dr is gradually becoming a legend before our eyes. Dr Drey, keep it up my dear friend. We love you here.
Dr. Drey, you got me laughing non stop!
Spot on! You know your team mates well!
welcome bro.
Leicester’s Iheanacho and Watford’s Isaac Success have 9 matches between now and May (when the final Afcon list will be released) to force their way back to Super Eagles reckoning.
Going by the dynamics in their respective clubs, one will expect Success to play more matches and perhaps score the odd goal or two to make a case for himself to be included in the Afcon squad. With Iheanacho, the prospect looks bleak.
As it stands, a vast majority of Super Eagles fans have lost patience with the 2013 U-17 World Cup hero and now it appears his national team coach has finally caved in after standing by him for many months. Iheanacho’s star qualities are undeniable but what has become deniable is his application – people just believe that he is not applying himself enough.
I think Iheanacho’s current confidence level is inadequate to support him in the English Premier League (the highest league in professional football). Perhaps Iheanacho should (as suggested by Drey) take a loan deal to a club like Royal Excel Mouscron where I am sure he will make an impact (either scoring or creating scoring opportunities) week after week so much so that his place in the league’s team of the week will be a permanent feature.
It is no coincidence that he has made an excellent impact in cup competitions for Leicester. Only last last season, he scored 4 goals from 5 games in the English FA Cup and 1 goal from 2 games in the English Leagua club for Leicester (playing against the sort of opponents that his compatriots play against in Belguim, Denmark, China, Turkey, English Championship and Saudi Arabia). **Just imagine Iheanacho playing in Denmark; they will name a stadium after him!**
Playing in the English Premier League is currently hurting Iheancho’s Super Eagles credentials and making players playing in less competitive leagues look better than him.
As for Isaac Success, he is already an integral part of coach Javi Gracia’s plans at Watford. If he can stay injury-free, play a healthy amount of games and squeez out some eye-catching goals between now and May, then, he should force his way back to reckoning.
” people just believe that he is not applying himself enough. “. Its not people who believe, truth is, he just isn’t applying himself enough, coupled with the career rendering lifestyle he has adopted lately. This is definitely not the same iheanacho who scored 26 goals in 41 matches at mancity despite most times coming in as a sub. At a point in time, he had the best minute to goal ratio in the whole of England. Even with 10mins to go coming in as a sub back then, you would have an inkling that nacho will either score, make an assist or make the keeper make a save. But now, its going to 4 months we saw him hit the bull’s eye. A few days ago, I stumbled on some clips of this kid while he was in the national U13 and U15 team coached my Danladi, I went further to you-tube to watch highlights of his exploits at u17 and I just could help but ask….”Who did Kele offend….?”
My very first time on this platform too.
A good list for now, if we consider the fact that we have very limited numbers (23) to invite from a large pool of players globally. A player, I would really like Rohr to consider in the not too distant future is F. Adi playing in MLS. He is a good striker and will provide keen competition to the pool of strikers we have.
MSL just resumed and you want Adi in SE? someone who lack match fitness
The yardstick for selecting players for national assignment is still unclear to me and i’m beginning to suspect some irregularities in SE management. I hope someone helps me out:
Goalkeeping: Uzoho has missed many matches in recent times, has Rohr seen recent performances of Akpeyi and Ezenwa.. Rohr, we are watching! Alampasu is back in portuguese liga, Oremade is in the form of his life.
Defendet: Although, Balogun has never disappointed in SE matches, he should have been left out of this match. Awaziem has always struggled to impress in SE matches.
Midfield: many defensive midfielders! Where are the playmakers?
Striker: Awoniyi currently the best Nigeriapn player on player on the planet, 6 consecutive player of the week in Belgium (an African record ?). ! Mr. Rohr, Are you freaking kidding me. Awoniyi, scored for U-17, U-20, single handedly qualified us for the last olympic( U-23, Siasia dropped him, despite scoring the crucial goals in our final qualifier.Awoniyi is in line to become the new Yekini,Rohr, you can stop him. On current form
My choice for SE striking (#9) position in order of preference: Ighalo, Awoniyi, Success, Ajayi, Osimehen and Onyekwuru.
I’m begining to suspect some foul plays in SE management. The truth shall always prevai.
…larry.
There’s no fowl play @larry.Let’s break down this concerns you listed on your beautiful piece.
1.The goalkeepers listed by Rohr are the most experienced we have currently in the country.This goal minders have been with the team for the last couple of years and were part of the world cup in Russia so its common sense to keep them firmly together besides they are first choice in their respective clubs.
2.Balogun,rather was our best defender during qualifiers for the world cup and had a decent world cup,wasn’t found wanting in our games during the mundial.His experience at the back was instrumental to our qualification for the world cup and remember he has experience of playing top flight football in both the bundesliga and premiership respectively so all this count for something.Though not a regular for his team at the moment but gets involved in the cup games and a handful of premiership games so in all he is not completely redundant and deserves his place in the team.
3.The team has players who can play in the attacking midfield as well defensive.A couple of the lads are versatile and are not predominantly defensive midfielders.The likes of Shehu Abdulahi is a versatile player who can play in both attacking and defensive midfield positions as well as the defence.Etebo is a versatile player too who can play in all positions of the midfield and as well attack.We have Iwobi who is a natural attacking midfielder so we are well covered in that area.
For Awoniyi,i don’t see any conspiracy i think the coach decided between he and Paul Onuachu but opted for the later because he has been more consistent than the former over the past few years.
4.Awoniyi needs to carry on with his scoring form after the international break that is what he needs to do to get the attention of the gaffer who will find him hard to ignore also our next break will be for the nation cup where the coach will draw up a long list of players 30 the minimum so seven more players will definitely join the camp and Awoniyi this time around cant get overlooked.
I won’t say anything now. I just need someone to tell me how Balogun made the list?
don’t we have good goalkeepers in the NPFL
@Larry, welcome to Nigeria the land of mediocrity and anything goes.we need to found out the agents of these three keepers, trust me guys money Dey exchange hands I don’t trust these lazy scouts and coaches of ours.This’s how the late Skippo was inviting Agbim,Ruben,and one Reggae artist to national team, we all remembered the outcome.this coach should be forced to hold a press conference to explain to us the criteria for inviting players, and why Awoniyi was not invited.
Dr Drey, lol best analysis of the day award goes to u Bro.
Must all the players be invited at the same time? even big football countries like Brazil,Belgium France,etc leave out some big players at time. Awoniyi wasn’t invited for now but he can always make d team in future if he continue with his form. @ sunnyb you and the likes are the problem some of these players have. once they are in small form u started calling for their inclusion into national team and later they faded away. Why not allow Awoniyi to concentrate on his club assignment for now in other to becomes an important player for Nigeria in future
Tayo, can u explain to us the inclusion of Akpeyi, Ezenwa or Balogun that’s still not fully fit.This is how chairman Chukwu was inviting Emmanuel Ekuweme and one Ekpeyong at expense of Martins. Hope u dig, just don’t go with the flow
@Sunnyb thank you for helping me out. It is really disturbing how some soccer analysts have become inconsistent with their comments. If you could recall vividly, there was a period when certain sets of players( onyekwuru, chukwueze etc) were doing well at their various clubsides, these same sets of analyst clamored for their inclusion in SE. If these sets of players got invited to SE in their best form, why should it be different with Awoniyi and others ? Something fishy is going on, this BS needs to stop!!
Onyekuru scored over 30 goals in only one and half season in Belgium. He scored over 25 goals at Eupen and scored about 10 goals in the first half of last season at Anderlecht. The consistency was glaring to see that’s why people like me was calling for his invitation before he got injured prior to the Mundial. This season he has already scored about 10 goals.
Now I want you to put on your thinking cap and tell me if that is not consistency??? Chukwueze worked his way into Villarreal first team from the youth team, he was playing in the Europa League and scored at almost every competitions he featured for his club during that span hence the reason for his invitation. By the way he was playing in LaLiga the best league in the world. I don’t know any coach who will not give a player doing well in LaLiga a call up. Although I believe he should join the FlyingEagles after the season.
The gaffer decides between Awoniyi and Onuachu. Over the last two seasons Onuachu has been more consistent than Awoniyi. He is now Nigeria’s top striker in Europe at the moment, albeit playing in the Danish League. Don’t get me wrong I’m absolutely certain Awoniyi’s call up is imminent, but we still need to see that consistency. If he had stayed at Mouscron instead of going to Gent he probably could’ve scored over 10 goals by now and will be invited without hesitation.
Akpeyi and Ezenwa are not my favorites, but they’re at least first choices for their various clubs and Balogun has returned to full fitness training with his club. I think Rohr wants to use those games to allow him gain some valuable minutes which is not a bad idea to prepare him for the AFCON.
Chukwu did not ignore Martins. It was Martins who decided to stay with Inter during the preparation for the AFCON in Tunisia 2004 because he had just broken into Inter’s first team at the time. Ha people can lie sha. Martins was our top striker during the qualifiers for the 2006 WorldCup under Chukwu and yet Nigeria could not qualify for Germany 2006.
By the time he invited Martins Nigeria was on verge of not qualifying, guesss what we lost the ticket to ANGOLA IN KANO, because he started the qualifying series with bunch of mediocre strikers.My argument is this,the coach couod ve rested Ighalo and tryout Awoniyi instead.Ezenwa and Akpeyi u remember certain Agbim? Agbim wasn’t top six in our league but magically he went to the World Cup. My friend we need to keep serious eyes on this coaches we mustn’t forget coach Salisu saga. But if u thinks is ok for them to exclude Awoniyi for now then that’s fine. We shall continue to monitor the situation.
Martins was never ever excluded from th national team at any point in his career except for when i refused to honour call-ups. According to him then, he only wanted to cement his place in the inter milan 1st team. At a point in time, it was even rumoured that he was eyeing a call-up to the italian national team. Eventually, the young man made his decision and debuted for the eagles in the unity cup in london, scoring twice against ireland. We followed that up with appearances in almost all our 2006 WC qualifying games, except for the 1st match which we lost to angola in luanda. His competitive debut was in the 2nd match at home against rwanda in which he scored an 80th minute (or thereabout) winner. We never played the world cup series with mediocre strikers. we had the likes of John Utaka, Kanu, Osaze, Yakubu, Martins, Aghahowa, Ogbeche, Makinwa etc in our team then. They were d ones who prosecuted the qualifiers and where the best we had as at then
Drey,the aforementioned players are some bad ass strikers!
You wonder how we couldn’t qualify with this great strikers,tied on points with Angola and lose out on technical grounds,advantage Angola,sadly so.
I could remember Okocha was begged by the nation to honour the encounter in kano against Angola.I can’t remember vividly what happened but he was begged by the entire country days leading to the game that was how huge he was.
Eventually,he rescinded his decision not to play for Nigeria and honoured the game as captain,scored a beautiful free-kick but the worse happened.Angola equalised and it finished in a score draw.
That was a water-shed in our history. Our only sin in that series was loosing 1-0 to angola in luanda (albeit it was in the 85th minute of the game). We won away games against Zimbabwe, Algeria, drew away against gabon and rwanda. Fate just chose to play a bad one on us. So if we now qualify for tournaments with games to spare even after loosing or drawing a few games. We should be grateful.
John Utaka then was playing at a very high level
God bless you Dr. Drey for reechoing my comments. Check out the class of strikers we have at the time. Who is a mediocre among them?? Let’s stop deceiving ourselves as if we have top players scattered all over Barca, Juve, or Madrid. We can only make use of the resources we have so long we can select the good ones among them.
Pls tell them o. Tell those who run around labelling our national team players as mediocres, those who accuse us of celebrating mediocrity. They will still have to go and dig out our ‘world class’ nigerian players playing in barca, madrid, juve, milan, mancity and man u but not being invited to the SE. One of them was once asked to name his own list of preffered SE players and he ended up naming over 80% of the same set of players he calls mediocre as well as a few players who arent even eligible to play for nigeria. LMAO.
Consistency is six consecutive team of the week selection in Belgium, consistency is single handedly leading a club from relegation zone to possible play -off qualification, consistency is scoring for all national team from U-17 through U-23. I hope similar treatment accorded to Martins is not playing out here. If Osimehen is invited, a player that is better on current form in the same league should not be neglected. It’s a simple logic.
Have you forgotten how many goals Osimhen has scored so far? In what was his maiden season in Belgium. How many teams of the week has Osimhen been in when he was scoring??? My guy consistency is not leaving a small club and couldn’t score a single for a club like Genk until he returns to his former club. Club wise Awoniyi has only been consistent at Mouscron. On current form Awoniyi is better, but on consistency throughout the season Osimhen has scored more goals. Do the math.
By the way guys I’m a huge fan of Onuachu .i think is called up was long overdue
Remember…in these two matches,we have nothing to lose.a dead rubber against a lowly rated team and a friendly match with a country that will come without their top star.
We haven’t really seen what BALOGUN is capable of doing lately.. therefore, he needs to play one or both games. AWAZIEM fumbled against South Africa and Serbia before his performance against Seychelles. We need to see him play now that he’s enjoying life on Turkey. Looking at ONYEKURU’s club records, he needs to feature more in National colours.we haven’t also seen more of AJAYI here. But all the same, two new players is too small for a dead match. This is another wasted opportunity after Algerian match. I would av loved the coach to excuse the likes of Ekong, Musa, Ogu, Akpeyi for these matches.i didn’t mention iwobi because we haven’t seen much of him as an offensive midfielder in the national team. Thanks.
My pick for the Seychelles game:
Uzoho, Aina (if fit), Omeruo, Troost, Collins, Ndidi, Etebo, Iwobi, Musa, Ighalo, Kalu.
Depending on how the game goes, I’ll bring on Osimhen for Ighalo, Onyekuru for Musa and Ajayi for Etebo.
In Order to keep the first team used to playing together and to further understand how they can fit together. I see the Seychelles match as a training exercise for the first team.
I’d ring the changes for the Egypt match:
Akpeyi, Shehu, Balogun, Awaziem, Aina, Ogu, Ndidi, Simon, Onuachu and Iwobi.
With upto 5 subs allowed, I’ll have Ozornwafor coming in, also Onyekuru, Etebo, Omeruo and Osimhen coming in for the second half.
What does this Dr Drey know about football? Whether you like it or not new-Okocha Rabiu Ibrahim and new-Eguavon Musa Mohammed are going to the Africa Cup of Nations.
We will kick Rohr out and instal James Peters as the coach to be assisting by the one and only Eddy Dombraye.
Agbim will also make a shock comeback.
Taiwo Awoniyi did not enjoy his time with Gent and had to be recalled by Liverpool in the January transfer window before he was loaned to another Belgian First Division A team Royal Excel Mouscron for the remainder of the season.
The striker is enjoying a purple patch since returning to Mouscron, scoring 6 goals in 7 games, which led to speculation in the media that he could earn his maiden call-up to the Super Eagles which didn’t happen.
Explaining why he struggled to find his feet at Gent, Awoniyi stated that he was not granted enough minutes to show his qualities.
”Ghent is a beautiful place, with a beautiful club, but maybe I was at the right place at the wrong time, first of all, you have to watch the team when I came in,” Awoniyi told Sport/Foot Magazine Belgium.
”There were a lot of new players, we also had to analyze the situation of the club: we did not win matches, one coach was fired, another replaced him, with a new philosophy, a new style, of which I was not really part of it, I went in sometimes 5, 10 or 20 minutes.
”It’s true that I could have made the difference, I did not do it, but what I mean is is that the club as a whole was not in the best of situations.
”I did everything to succeed in Ghent, I can get up and tell whoever I want, I must also be honest with myself, did my best but did not succeed.”
Gent were forced to pay Liverpool a financial penalty after failing to start Taiwo Awoniyi in at least seventy percent of their first-team matches.
Our coach left taiwo awoniyi for his own good reason, the boy is just started to get himself and he needs to focus on his club for now, he wants him to improve more so the goals can keep coming for him,they are playing this weekend so his mind will be focused on the game. We already qualified so we don’t need to call every to the camp. The guys that were invited are ok. Kelechi ihanocho should change his style of play if he wants to be in first team squared