Wednesday 23 July 2014

My World Cup notebook 1BY KENNETH JUDE

My World Cup notebook 1BY KENNETH JUDE
Our football is in shambles. We have glided back to square one. The dramatis personae take so much relish in washing and drying our faded robes in public glare.

Suddenly, we are back to the proverbial drawing board which has become our wont whenever we put up a shabby display in any competition. But the stark irony is our inability to draw out workable template to move our football to the net level.

Rather than do the right thing once and bask in revitalised fortunes, we only succeed in kicking ourselves in the foot by dithering, passing blames and pointing fingers.

Nations who are futuristic have long moved on after being eliminated from the just concluded FIFA World Cup. They know that spending valuable time in looking to the future by correcting their errors at the mundial is much beneficial than licking the wounds of defeat on end.

Pundits and close observers of Nigerian football have over the years been served this same menu which has always taken us to nowhere. It has become our character to exchange verbal fist or outright employment of uncouth adjectives to run down the integrity and character of perceived enemies. We have failed many times to show refined attribute reminiscent of the office we occupy. Whatever involves money, we throw all caution to the winds with scant abandon. Our football house has become a boxing ring of sorts. We respect no rules.

We have regrettably mastered the art of circumventing laid down order and procedures that govern the game. It’s a sad commentary on our collective integrity as the perceived giant of Africa. Many a time, some discerning minds have had to question our right to this appellation owing to our penchant to beat the drums of war and disunity almost every time in our beleaguered history. After drawing the ire of football governing body FIFA in 2010 as a result of unnecessary meddlesomeness and sickening interference, we are back again in the news.

We may have hastily harkened to FIFA’s demands that formed the prerequisite of reversing the ban on the country’s football, those who should know maintain that it is a mere cosmetic adventure that is meant to cover the ills in our football house other than a genuine efforts to right and wrongs. In as much as FIFA have temporarily lifted the ban on us, its germane for us to imbibe the culture of doing things properly and eschew conducts that continuously paints our football dark.

We should occupy our minds with how to improve our national team who performed below-par at the World Cup. Some pundits have argued that our ‘boys’ did their best and should be applauded for a job well done. They maintain that their match to the round of 16 was a mean feat hence they deserve loads of accolade. These arguments only leaves one to wonder how some fellows follow the game.  Having been so ‘lucky’ to find ourselves in a group that included new comers Bosnia, Iran and Argentina, one had thought that Nigeria will roll over Bosnia and Iran and pick the next round ticket before facing a hugely talented Argentina side led by the Mercurial Lionel Messi. Back here in Nigeria, soccer buffs had predicted that the Super Eagles will trounce Iran and Bosnia mercilessly. With our pedigree as African champions, morale was sky high in the country and in the camp. 

Our boys were brimming with confidence. They underrated both Iran and Bosnia but such confidence was soon to fizzle out like ice cream when we played out an insipid barren draw with Iran on match day one. We struggled to string passes together and were matched and hobbled by a highly motivated Iranian team. The draw was a let down to the nation who had placed so much hope on the team. We somehow defeated Bosnia by a lone goal and lost to Argentina in our group match to finish second before squaring up against France in the round of 16. 

We fail 2-0 to the Deschamps – tutored French side and were dumped out once again from the World Cup. To some, Nigeria did not deserve to beat France and it was even better that they lost by a ‘small’ margin because they were abysmal throughout the four matches that they played. For others, Nigeria played to their strength and should be patted on the back for holding Les Blues up until the second half before letting in the goals. While every individual is entitled to his/her opinion, we will be better off if we analyse Nigeria’s performance at the World Cup without sentiments and taking sides. We must learn to tell ourselves the truth and not sweep pertinent issues under the carpet only to regret our stand in no distant time.

In one of my pieces prior to the kick-off of the World Cup, I had stated in clear terms that Nigeria had a very slim chance of winning the World Cup. I arrived at such conclusion not because I love my country less or simply being unpatriotic. I knew deep within me that our team, as presently constituted, lacked the mental strength and teeth to match the likes of Germany, Brazil, Netherland et al. We may have entered the tournament as African champions but one could easily have foreseen a poor outing in the samba enclave following our not-too-impressive warm up games. In the matches we played, there were clear signs that our coaches did not have the formula to drive the team. We struggled in front of goal and managed to play 2-2 with Scotland and applauded ourselves.

Those matches revealed a lack of striking options in the team. Coach Stephen Keshi remained adamant in inviting our most potent striker of last season to the World Cup bound team. He remained his stout self by not pandering to widespread call to have Ikechukwu Uche in the squad. Even our nations’ cup hero, Sunday Mba was dropped from the travelling party with Keshi coming out with the theory that the attacking mid-fielder did not show hunger in making the squad. He also explained that he dropped Ike Uche because, according to him, the Villarreal of Spain striker is tactically-indiscipline. Not a few persons frowned at Keshi’s reasons for dropping 2 of our best goal-getters. Many contend that the Eagles could have fared better if Uche was in the team. They hinged their belief on the players’ stellar season in front of goal for his club during the past season. They were quick to point out lapses Ike Uche could have remedied had he been in Brazil. Many were taken aback by the inclusion of Uchebo, Ameobi, Odunlami and Azeez in the squad ahead of Mba and Uche.

These players, if truth must be told had little or no business in Brazil. Not only were the matches rusty, they were simply not the kind of players upon whose shoulders millions of Nigerians placed their hopes on. The match against France revealed to a very large extent, our coaches’ lack of technical depth and tactical nous to tweak changes in matches. Our team was laid bare when our ‘engine room’ Ogenyi Onazi was injured. Mikel Obi, who had been on ‘leave’ in the group matches further exposed his lack of composure, firmness and grip on the team as a natural number ‘10’ should do. All our most hyped player could do was to stroll leisurely on the pitch and was giving out the ball with relative ease. Mikel had a terrible World Cup. One had expected him to do more than create more enemies for himself.

He was supposed to be our talisman in Brazil but ended up being a ‘blacksheep’ of the family. His timing were poor, he was largely indecisive and shaky on the ball. Today, he is in a state of limbo as his club career longs in the balance. Chelsea is willing to off-load him but there are no genuine suitors for the 26-yearold mid-fielder. This has led the London side to lower his price-tag in a bid to woo buyers. Yet there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel for him. One hopes that he gets a new club before the transfer window slams shot as failure to do that will be utterly detrimental to his career because Jose Maurinho realistically does not have him in his plans for next season. He spent much of last season on the bench and many had expected him to use the huge World Cup platform to re-instate himself in the mainstream but he fluffed the chance and is bitterly feeling the pinch today.

Our high-flying Victor Moses is not better off. Having been loaned to Liverpool last season, the diminutive mid-fielder’s return to parent club Chelsea is in doubt. He was confined to the bench at Liverpool and failed to convince the world at the World Cup. How on earth he will warm himself into the heart of Maurinho is what is agitating the minds of his fans. One hopes that he regains his form and go on to fulfil the massive potential in him. Had our coaches’ gone to the World Cup with our best legs, there would have been a good replacement for Onazi when he was stretched off the pitch after a wild lunge on by French mid-fielder Matuidi. Our coaches seemed clueless in the circumstances and made comedy of the whole situation when Reuben Gabriel was called upon to replace him ahead of Ramon Azeez who appeared to be coming in for Onazi.

Reuben Gabriel showed why his club has released him as he failed to find his feet or cover up the huge gap left by the absence of Onazi. He ran back and forth without knowing who to mark or the responsibility to perform. 

I don’t know of any African team that would have failed at the group stage had they been in our group. We were in a group that any of the other African contingents to the mundial would have sailed through. This is not to say that other teams in our group did not have the right to qualify. They did. But on the other hand, our pedigree, experience and galaxy of talents gave us an edge over Bosnia and Iran.
We were lucky to qualify from our group, and the level to which luck can take someone was in display against France. France were not at their best, to say the least. They struggled to contain us but we showed them too much respect and lacked the will power to stand our authority on the game until we went behind.

Our coaches must learn how to accommodate players’ foibles. Top coaches know how to handle players who are recalcitrant. The altitude of dropping our best players for big competitions must be done away with forthwith. Stephen Keshi must learn to obey his employers; there should be that mutual understanding and harmony in working conditions if our football must grow. Our country is blessed with an embarrassment of talents that we should not be tottering in major competitions. Government should also hands-off football for those saddled with the responsibility to do so. This constant embarrassment by FIFA is not the best thing for a nation that is striving to build a viable football culture.

To be cont...

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