NIGERIAN FOOTBALL: WHICH WAY TO GO

CURRENT SITUATION
A lot has happened between when Keshi won the Nations Cup last year, and today- We have praised him, cursed him and watched him with doubt. None of these changes the fact that Keshi delivered to us what many foreign coaches couldn't over the years.

This piece isn't particularly about Keshi, but I will mention a few things about his position and performance.

I am a football follower who believes good football is a combination of many elements-discipline, team work, tactical as well as technical abilities. To assemble a great team, a coach needs to have a blend of these elements, and more. The poor outing of our super eagles in recent games has re-awakened the call for a foreign coach from some Nigerians who believe that our local coaches are not good enough to handle the national team and deliver at the highest level. We can't blame such people for not believing in indigenous coaches. We also cannot label them as being 'slaves' or 'westernized'. The truth of the matter is that our coaches have not shown enough to enable us believe in them. On the other hand, we still cannot blame the people who believe that indigenous coaches understand our players and football better, and are in the best position to build a strong team. It has always appeared as though the foreign coaches just come to rip us off.

I won't bother addressing the issue of corruption in Nigerian football as it isn't my focus. I would rather discuss strategic points which may help take our football to the next level.

I agree Keshi is a coach that instills discipline in his team, and can appear very firm and in control. He also gives opportunity to young, as well as home-based players. These are very important elements of a good coach. I must say however, that I do not agree with his tactical approach to games. I watch the eagles most times and cannot even understand the formation. They carry on with their games as though there was never a game plan. Poor passing, positioning and movement. The South Africans and Congolese recently exposed our lack of tactical soundness. A decent team should have good co-ordination:

• How to attack opponents- The number of players involved in basic attacks, the movement of each attacking player, attacking style, amongst others;
• Breaking opponents' attacks- The first marker of the ball when possession is lost, the position and movement of each player relative to that of his team mate(s) e.t.c;
• Ball play- Passing style, position swapping, creativity .e.t.c;
•  Defending- Depth, marking pattern (Zonal/man), function/role of each defender .e.t.c

 

It is surprising the way you see our players all over the place, mostly when we lose possession.
Personally, I do not think it is about having a foreign or indigenous coach. I feel we need to address every aspect of football development in Nigeria.

In the Part 2 of this article, I will highlight the aspects that require attention and strategic actions.

HOW THE BRAZILIANS HAVE FARED UNDER MOURINHO

If you are a disciple of Mourinho, please do not read this!

 As the 2013/14 season draws to a close, I have decided to review how well the Brazilians- Willian, Luiz, Oscar and Ramires, have fared under Jose.

 I will start by saying I do not think Mourinho is a very good attacking coach. Shoot me!

 Willian: Strong and Skillful. I must confess he has not impressed me this term, one bit. Isn't it strange that an attacker who is supposed to score goals and assist has neglected his primary duties? Willian plays more like a defensive midfielder, running around marking for the ball. In addition, it has always been a one-way-traffic whenever he attacks. All he tries to do is push the ball to the left side of his marker and run. What is expected of Willian is creativity and precision. Remember, the fact that he is seen all around the field does not guarantee he is doing the right thing.

Willian is a strong player with some good skills. I think Chelsea deserve much more from the Brazilian.

Luiz: Settled in immediately he joined the club. This mas has been a shadow of himself almost all through the season. Then we ask what has happened to out very own David Luiz? Last summer, there were rumours of Mourinho offering either Luiz or Mata plus cash for Rooney. The portugese played down these speculations and it was only a matter of time before we began to realize they weren't mere speculations. It's obvious Jose doesn't want his defenders to be as adventurous as Luiz. He wasn't Jose's choice early in the season. This was worsened by his injury and he had to force his way back into the team. This man is losing confidence and whenever you see him on the field of play, you just know that he is clearly playing to instructions. He doesn't move around freely and never in control of his own area.

Luiz is a useful asset as he can be deployed in defensive and midfield roles. I also want to see him improve his football, something he has not really done since he joined chelsea.

 Oscar: Oscar the golden boy. Whatever happened to the treasure of last season. Has he not gotten used to playing without Mata? Is he now scared of running the midfield and wrecking havoc on opposition? I leave these questions for my readers to answer. When I first watched Oscar, I just knew he is a potential world best. Incisive moves, great runs and thunderous strikes. The young man has great work rate, good attacking moves and you can always depending on him to break opposition attacks and limit spaces available to opponents. Jose is trying to make Oscar into his own kind of No. 10 but it isn't working. He wants Oscar to hold on to the ball and dribble. Those aren't his best qualities. He isn't a wonderful dribbler neither is he a great passer of the ball. His strength lies in his work rate, sharp moves and killer strikes. Oscar likes to keep the ball moving and not holding on to it. I'm deeply concerned about the young man's career because a rising star must improve by every passing season.

These days I watch him and feel like his game is being complicated. Many times he isn't sure where he should be or what he should be doing. Oscar has years ahead of him. I hope himself and his team would help him make the best of these years.

 Ramires: Have you stopped for a second to think about what has gone wrong with this man? He used to be chelsea's inspiration for attacks. He picks the balls, runs into opponents and open spaces for the attackers. He even scores in many occasions. All he does now is commit unnecessary fouls and consistently enter the referee's book.

Mourinho doesn't allow him the freedom to run freely. He stations Ramires as the man to clear opponents and the ball. What we have seen of Ramires over the past seasons is that chelsea do not have to stay back and mark opponents. Instead this man runs at his opponents and puts pressure on them. He created countless goals doing this. With Matic as a holding midfielder, I see no reason why Ramires cannot venture forward. In these instances, the likes of Oscar can cover for him if need be.

 I hope that Jose opens his eyes to understand the qualities of these guys and put them to best use. 

For the records, I am a chelsea fan. 

Do not forget to leave your comments, they mean so much to me.

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