HomeNigeria National Teams

Super Eagles Hold First Training Session In Garoua

Super Eagles Hold First Training Session In Garoua

The Super Eagles will have their first training session
in Garoua on Thursday (today) ahead of their opening game against Egypt at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, reports Completesports.com.

The training will hold at the Stade Roumdé Adjia, Garoua venue of the Group D encounter.

The players and their officials arrived Garoua on Wednesday night.

Two players, Italy –based Tyrone Ebuehi and fellow wing back Jamilu Collins, who plays in Germany, are both expected to team up with the delegation in Garoua. Forward Odion Ighalo is no longer expected as a result of issues with his Saudi Arabian club.

The Super Eagles will take on the Pharaohs of Egypt in their opening game next week Tuesday.


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 The information contained in Completesports.com may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the prior written authority of Completesports.com.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

WORDPRESS: 37
  • Richie 2 years ago

    I g h a l o . . .

    What an unceremonious way to finally call time on an international career, left to me, he should have stayed retired the moment he copped that Golden Shoe @ Egypt nearly three years ago…well, it’s all good, he can now proceed to finally enjoy his retirement with his modest achievements on the national team level, cos I really don’t see him slugging it out with the likes of Sadiq, Taiwo, Victor et al should the Eagles make it to Qatar

  • I would like to express my delight at the team’s safe arrival in Cameroon and their preparations for tomorrow’s friendly and Tuesday’s epic battle against Egypt.

    There have been well documented hiccups and poor practice from the NFF in the Super Eagles’ preparations for this tournament. Most of them are avoidable but this is not new to any NFF administration : we have been here before and the Super Eagles haven’t always unduly suffered.

    It was under incumbent Gernot Rohr that this same NFF fielded ineligible Shehu against Algeria in a crucial world cup qualifier which led to points deduction for Nigeria. My point is, NFF’s ineptitude over the years have been very chronicled.

    My hope is that the coaching crew and players can somehow put these behind them to produce some truly memorable moments in Cameroon.

    Winning the tournament will be tough, no so much as to how the NFF has botched the team’s preparations. Rather, it owes to the quality of some fantastically gifted teams in the tournament.

    But I still believe the Super Eagles can hold their own.

    Several things haven’t gone well but some other things appear to be steering in the right direction.

    For fans, it a split choice between taking a pessimistic or optimistic outlook to expectancy from the Super Eagles.

    Hopefully the team will conjure that Nigerian Spirit that always seems to thrive in the face of insufferable adversity.

    I believe in these boys and wish them well when hostilities begin next week.

    Come on Super Eagles! Come on Super Eagles!

  • Four four two 2 years ago

    @Rachie U echoed my thoughts . Once Sadiq Umar is able to score vital goals and stir the team to at least the semis ,then its Over for Odion and Onuachu . Indeed its a golden opportunity for sadiq to stamp is feet as Osihmen’s deputy. Not forgetting Awoyini. Any of them that does well will stake a claim for that coveted position and send Odion and Onuochu to eternal retirement

    • Greenturf 2 years ago

      Well you could be right but football has all to do with current form.
      Any striker painting Europe red with goal will give the coaches no chance but to give him a look in whether he missed playing in the nations cup or not.

      • Richie 2 years ago

        @Four four two— Yes o!

        @Greenturf— My broda, Ighalo and Ibrahimovic no be the same quality o… even if their surname start with ‘I’ togeda..lolz

        • Greenturf 2 years ago

          Ha ha you never know with football..let’s say Ighalo moves to Newcastle and Onuachu moves to the premiership too and they both hit the right form if you were the coach of the super eagles will you leave them out of your call ups because Umar did well in the Afcon?
          My point is getting a regular call up goes beyond nations cup performances,you have to be at the top of your game post nations cup to keep your place otherwise the next in form striker takes your place one example to make my point easier is our own Sunday Mba.

          • Richie 2 years ago

            The Ighalo wey English people for Newcastle don dey reject already? Lol

      • Greenturf 2 years ago

        Oops!No choice rather

    • Golden Child 2 years ago

      Sadiq is a more assured finisher and player. What makes Osimhen a beast though is his boundless energy and pressing.

      They are both quick and can play of the shoulder of the last defender but Sadiq has better all round movement. In my estimate, these two are the best Nigeria has now. The others who can do a decent job are Awoniyi & Dessers.

      One thing for sure, with Sadiq in the team, Osimhen has competition now.

  • Am not afraid.the boys will do well in Cameroun I don’t see Egypt winning we should stop this issue of Ighalo and nff I believe in the players in camp am not regretting the absent of Dennis because he is not better than iheanacho.with the likes of chukwueze.ejuke.simon.nothing do us.let’s souport and pray for our boys. God bless 9ja.

  • pompei 2 years ago

    The unlikely boys might have a bigger impact than expected. Guys like Olayinka, Ndah, Nwakali.
    THIS IS FOOTBALL. YOU NEVER KNOW.

    • benakay 2 years ago

      All three will likely be passengers and are there as training material.
      Under normal circumstances, none of them deserve to be on the squad.

      • Golden Child 2 years ago

        @benakay, I am not so sure on Nwakali, he brings something different. No one in that midfield possesses the passing range he has. The last midfielder that had that quality was Mikel Obi.

        His inclusion would allow our speedy attacking players to stretch teams.

  • You guys should calm down remember 2013 edition after our first match with Burkinafaso we concluded that the team will not make it to knock out stage but we saw a different team against codevoire.in football you never can tell.

    • Papafem 2 years ago

      No one should condemn this team until you see them play. The is still good by AFCON standard, trust me. It’s a matter of determination and their willingness to succeed. Which team did Zambia bring in 2012, yet Ghana fell, Senegal went down, so was Ivory Coast with all their class stars in top leagues of Europe. Only Nigeria can stop Nigeria in Cameroon.

      • Dr. Drey 2 years ago

        Oga…Zambia did not bring a team with a 2 weeks old coach.

        The Zambian team that won the 2012 AFCON was the same one that almost knock Nigeria out of the 2010 AFCON at the qfinal stage, If not for God and Enyeama. The likes of Rainford Kalaba and William Njobvu left Mikel and Kaita gasping for breathe for 120 minutes. Nigeria was playing for and barely held on for penalties vs that Zambian team

        That team had long had something up their sleeves. Coupled with the fact that they had the spirits of their fathers who fell in an aircrash in 1993 a few yards away. Dont use them as consolation or as source of motivation.

        Look for teams that changed coaches 2 weeks to a tournament, bungled players selections disgracefully, went with a midfield that hand not played together with the attack before and still won the tournament, as your source of inspiration and motivation

        • Papafem 2 years ago

          @ Dr Drey, football is a very dynamic game, trust me. I’ve been watching it as an avid follower for over 30 years now. I can tell you that something can just happen, and the whole story will change. Don’t be surprised; we can beat Egypt in that first match, and the team becomes extremely difficult to handle throughout, irrespective of all we faced before the competition. It’s such a strange game.

          If you look at the Super Eagles of Algiers ’90, it was far more experimental than this. Some of them were even in secondary school then, like Daniel Amokachie. Oyekanmi was just 17 years, just like Dan the Bull. In fact, Of the 18 players in the squad, 15 were playing in the domestic league! Only Andrew Uwe (Belgium), Friday Elaho (Denmark) and Rashidi Yekini(Ivory Coast) plied their trade abroad. It was an hurriedly assembled team. No Stephen Keshi (Belgium), Samson Siasia (Belgium), Austine Eguaveon (Belgium), Uche Okafor (Belgium), Peter Rufai (Belgium) and a host of others. Their first match was a disaster. They lost by 5 goals to 1 to Algeria, a team highly motivated by Porto’s Raber Madjer and Desert Foxes’vociferous fans. However, the turning point cane in the match against Egypt. We won by a goal to nil , and that was it. Nigeria got to the final and became a real problem to the same Algeria in that second meeting. That was the beginning of the Nigeria’s golden era in football because by the time those players who were becoming pompous and were subsequently dropped returned to the team in 1991, competition for places had become extremely fierce. Some lost their place totally.

          You can’t hear the noise of the cloud forming and throw away the water in the house in anticipation of rain. You need to see the rain falling before emptying your buckets in the house. Many of us have condemned this team even before they kicked a ball. And I know why. It’s because they thought some players should be there who are not there. What if the present crop of players are all the country has to present? No Ighalo, no Dennis, no Osimhen, no Onuachu, no Dessers, no nothing, just these ones in Cameroon now. I know many of us won’t sound this way. We would have been hopeful and hail Eguaveon’s list. We would have praised the NFF for doing a yeoman’s job and sing the praises of Pinick for selecting the best legs for the country.

          By AFCON standard, this team is still fairly good compared to others coming for the competition. With good tactics, we can still muster a very good first eleven.

          Okoye is about the best thing we have in Europe right now as far as goalkeeping is concerned. Our back 4 will still be solid with Zaidu (a serious attacking threat Rohr never used seriously) Aina is still super sound with very good covers. If we doubt Ekong, Liecester has shown us how use Ndidi. If We doubt Omeruo, Rohr has taught why Awaziem could be a better option. In the wide, Chukwueze and Simon will always be a problem for any team to curtail. Don’t forget we still have Ejuke who is a monster in his own right. Aribo has been super good for Rangers. His last match for us shows he’s already adding some steel to his game to be relevant against African oppositions. If Ndidi would play in the defence, Frank Onyeka can take his place as a defensive midfielder. And the addition of Nwakali , if he hits the right cord, could be the game changer. Even without Ighalo and Osimhen, our attack is still quite fearsome. That Sadiq of a guy is a marauding beast. Awoniyi has improved a lot on positional play, goal-mouth awareness and even his stamina. I love the way he executed some of his goals this year season in Germany. No one should forget Iheanacho. If he turns up, our attack can really be devastating. There are a lot of players I didn’t even mention like Iwobi and Tyronne. Did anybody notice how well Ebuehi played against Benin in Lagos during AFCON qualifiers? And Iwobi, love him or hate him,he is about the best player in that set up with the trickery, twists and turns around in the final third that trouble opposing defenders. What else are we looking for?

          The major change I noticed is just the coaching staff. These players have been together for at least 4 years. They know each other like the palm of their hands. And I trust Eguaveom to provide the needed leadership. He’s not new on the task. He’s not new to the team. He’s not new to the competition. And the tips I got from their training sessions show that a lot of things will change in terms of tactics, techniques and corporate mentality. Maybe that’s all they even need to do well. They team was becoming sterile and highly complacent under Mr Rohr.

          I have this strong feeling that SE will not only play well in Cameroon; they will go far. And if they don’t, we move!

          • Dr. Drey 2 years ago

            Papafem.
            I commend your level of optimism, as well as how well you have had to dig into the past to try to find a parallel. Only that I would have loved you to tell us from you 30 years of following football, 1 team that has changed its coach 2 weeks to a major tournament, overhauled (albeit unintentionally) its midfield and attacking personnel 1 week to the tournament, played no friendlies with the new set of players who are largely going to be playing together for the first time and still gone on to win (or “do well”).

            Mind you, “doing well” is relative. But based on all the names you rolled out, doing well on a good day should be playing in the final. But even bookmakers have seriously had a rethink of that over the course of the last few weeks. You need to hear what neutrals, people who are not blinded by patriotic sentiments are having to say about our chances at this AFCON. All of a sudden, not even the technical crew of the team can place a substantial bet on playing in the showpiece event. Doing well to most people, even the biggest optimists, now is reaching the qfinals. And in all sincerity, that’s the most realistic outcome for anyone who loves his/her health at the moment. Anything bigger than that will be a miracle of multiple proportions, bigger than making dryland out of a sea.

            Many of us are still under the illusion of “we being the only ones that have players’ names we can drop”. Many of us are still under the illusion of real life football being a plug and play electronic system, where we just assemble 28 players and they start functioning with 100% energy optimality and efficiency. We have willfully thrown away the place of chemistry, understanding, individual differences and assimilation and team psychology, especially as regards huge tournaments like the AFCON where scenarios change every 15 minutes.

            The new coach hasnt even tested his methods whether they will work yet. He has not tested plan A yet and the combinations that will yeild optimality with plan A. Not to talk of Plan B and C. He is still at best hypothesizing all over the place. He is still under the illusion that 100% theory = 100% reality….LMAoooo….Oh God….LMAoooo. I am sure he hasnt even done any scenario trainigns with the team yet and wouldnt even be able to do any till the tournament commences. Because scenario training come with individual and collective understanding of the team. There is but a little than can be done at the moment. There’s that rule of thumb in football that getting 1 thing right during game play requires going over it seven times successfully in training. The 4-4-2 Eguavoen has been drooling over on youtube (which by the way is now archaic in football) how many times has this team practiced and played it, under his instructions…? Once, twice, thrice or twenty times…??? Even a FIFA XI team put together in a week with a coach that is new to all the players can only “hope to do well” in this AFCON against teams who have been together for long.

            Of course, we will qualify from our group, How will we not be 3 out of 4 teams to qualify from a group that contains Guinea Bissau and Sudan…??? But with all those names you reeled out, “doing well” should be at least doing better than our previous outing and anything below that is Failure for us. Because the ” averting the disaster” of not reaching that height was the reason Eguavoen was appointed in the first place…..and nobody put a gun to the FA’s head to take the decisions they took at the time they did, neither did anyone put a gun to the head of the coaching crew to accept the task at the time they did.

            If we had a team the administrators thought was good enough to win the trophy for the former coach to retain his job, it is expedient then that the same team be tasked to deliver…..but as you said, if the dont, We move…but with the guilt of having undone ourselves, by ourselves, for ourselves once again.

            And for the sake, and only the sake of those players, I pray we do…because their careers depend a lot on it in the long run. I dont in anyway pray we go back to the days when our players couldn’t sign for even championship teams like Birmingham city simply because our SE was digging for oil on the fifa ladder.

  • MONKEY POST 2 years ago

    Don’t mind them @Stan let them keep running their mouth with all those lame analysis… Football can be sweet on paper/writing or on text, on pitch is a different ball game entirely…Like my guy Dennis will say: “Party never start, dem don dey carry chair”

  • MONKEY POST 2 years ago

    E don tey wey some of us dey watch Afcon to the extent that we don’t get surprised when the smallest team without the so called Sadiq, Ndidi, chukweze, Ejuke pulls up surprises against a team with a bunch of Awoniyi, Sadiq, Ejuke etc…

  • Greenturf 2 years ago

    So Eguavoen planned replacing Ighalo with Nasarawa United striker Nwankwo??Wow that’s unbelievable!

    • Dr. Drey 2 years ago

      What is unbelievable about that…? They’ve got to market as many players as possible within this window before pajiero takes over.

  • Eguavon is ready to market player for his own selfish interest,so all you clamouring for Cyril,bassey.akpo and the rest foreign born should forget about it,these dude in the helm of affair is only care about his own selfish interests..

  • Dr. Drey 2 years ago

    A whole Technical Director of the Nigerian Football Federation did not know CAF rules on players replacements until he wanted to replace Ighalo after deadline had elapsed and was told, “Hey dont be stupid, you can only replace players based on medical impediments henceforth”…..LMAOooo. What a disgrace….LMAOooo.

    And its not even 3 weeks yet since Rohr left…….LMAooooooo

    Mr (No)nonsense Technical Director……LMAoooo. Bungled invitation of players for AFCON…..and still bungled replacing them too….LMAOooooo.

    Its not him I blame, its those who employed him as Technical Director I blame….LMAOooo…People who had no vision of what they wanted when they were going around searching for a technical director. Engr. Seyi Olofinjana the interviewee turned interviewer during interviews and started asking the interviewers questions, which they couldnt provide answers to…LMAOoo. And rather the interviewers rejecting the interviewee, the interviewee ended up being the one doing the rejection at the conclusion of the interviews by rejecting the interviewers……LMAoooooo

    Epic comedy if you ask me.

    • Hahahahaha . No injure (abi nah wunjure) me abeg with laugh. Interviewee/interviewer palava and sudden, unexpected role switches. Epic comedy for the perfect play on words. Hahahaha

    • Golden Child 2 years ago

      ROTFL… Interviewee turned Interviewer, that cracked me up.

  • Those useless ex-international that always critise rohr haven’t seen anything mechanics in the manner and approch egu went about the list of players and the shame it has brought to Nigeria even in the hands common Saudi Arabians club.

    Is there anything more mechanic than this.

    See the way all of them has been keeping quite like dead river that will never flow. In their minds all is well with se.like I said first game will judge.

    As for egu, keep monitoring players from Nigerian league alone, by your fruit you shall be known.

    • Kasali Njoku 2 years ago

      Exactly my brother. Nigeria deserves better than this. These administrators are a joke.

  • KENNETH 2 years ago

    Mr man abeg enough of your noise biko. thank God your epistle don minimize since dem don sack your oyinbo master. I don tell you make you burn your TV and not watch the Afcon. Sometimes i believe you read through your ass. Since the coach was informed that a player could not be replaced except if he injured, how is that now his fault not knowing the rules. Leave Eguavoen alone. keshi took unknown players to the Afcon 2013, and they delivered. Your oyinbo with all the preparation he had in 2019, na bronze he came back with.

  • Wow Papa Fem. Thanks for taking me down memory lane with your fun and positive write-up above. The logic it contains is undeniable; the optimism it provides is irreplaceable.

    The parallels you draw with the current team holds much fascination.

    Indeed, expectations were rock bottom going into certain competitions with the Super Eagles from the position of fans. Corruption, questionable team selection and poor practice seem to cast a long shadow of our preparations more often than not.

    But, also ‘more often than not, the Super Eagles pull off eye popping feats of ingenuity that captured the imagination which sadly rewarded shambolic preparations with fruits of success.

    The NFF’s blueprints for achievements in my lifetime is nothing that will either win any awards and will definitely never be taught in any prestigious institutions as gold standard, yet the Super Eagles have attained gold in the ‘less than ideal footballing environment’ that it creates.

    The incompetence and diabolical preparations we witnessing from this Amaju-led NFF ahead of this Afcon is monumental in scale. Yet, however huge some sections of the media which to magnify it to be, the truth of the matter is this: we fans have been down this road before.

    It is nothing more than new disgusting wine in a very old, familiar bottle.

    So, like ‘AY The Great’ said succinctly on another thread, these same issues the dog Nigeria’s football polity – in one guise or the other – are only waiting for us to be discussed next year and into the future.

    So why wail unduly on the obvious? Why allow this NFF steal my peace and sanity, send me to mental asylum only for another administration do wear the same clothes over their rotten edifice next year?

    The truth needs be told and our feelings needs be expressed, I get that. But, from my view so also is my desire not to allow this NFF steal my joy.

    My love for the Super Eagles remains unmoved and unassailable and as you so eloquently said up there Papa Fem, and I quote: “I have this strong feeling that SE will not only play well in Cameroon; they will go far. And IF THEY DON’T, WE MOVE!

    Chikena!

  • Mercy 2 years ago

    I hear alot of people saying nwakali is the guy who play the attacking midfield. I have watched nwakali played on numerous occasions, I don’t think he has that qualities of an AM. Firstly, he too static. These day you need to be a ball carrier to be playing a nos 10 and he is not. He is a play maker no doubt but he loves playing from the deep. He is in the mode of player like xabi Alonso, pirlo etc. This tells his no goal assist in 2yrs. Secondly, he is too slow and not proactive. Whenever he come against a high press team he often lose possession easily.

  • Benjamin Leye-Philips 2 years ago

    To add to Papafem great piece.Most of these players are not new to tournaments owing to their young ages.From the under 17 championships,we have the set of the Nwakalis,Chukwueze set,as well as the kelechi,Ndidi as well as the Taiwo set.In addition during both the Under 23 African championships 2015 as well as the Olympics 2016 in Brazil we had the likes of Sadiq,Awoniyi,William Trost Ekong and the likes and owing to their ill preparedness to such competitions they had podium finishes in all of the above mentioned championships.Moreso we have some who have played in major finals or competitions in the highest order that’s the champions league and even Europa competitions.I believe with the right leadership, mentality as well as a little bit of luck,if we can play and gel as a team, this team will go very far.

  • @kenneth don’t mind them they are praying for the team to fail in cameroun.we will continue to souport the team if they fail am comfortable with our two weeks old coach 1994 Zambia made it to the final and lost narrowly to Nigeria with a brand new team and two weeks coach.

  • @Greenturf tell me what is wrong in replacing Ighalo with a player from nasarawa united.are they not playing football in nasarawa United? Check other teams and you will see home base players in their team.home base players was the reason we won afcon 2013.please stop all this blame and souport the super eagles if you are a Nigerian.

Update cookies preferences