Eagles must beat Malawi silly

Beyond the mind games between Coach Stephen Okechukwu Keshi and his Belgian counterpart Tom Saintfiet tinkering the Flames of Malawi which has over shadowed the crunch Group F World Cup qalifier for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the Eagles must ensure that this encounter puts paid to all the psychological warfare and near insults by beating the Malawi national team silly at the U.J Esuene stadium this Saturday, September 7, 2013.

In recent weeks, Tom Sainfiet has tried to play a deep psychological warfare in our national team, its preparations and a direct attack on Stephen Keshi and the response from Keshi has led to a recent report by the Malawi Football Federation to world governing football body, FIFA over comments which referred to Sainfiet as a “White dude”.

The actions according to the Malawi FA have been described as racist and a personal attack on the coach according to Suzgo Nyirenda, the General Secretary of the federation which was widely circulated in the media last week.

Unfortunately for the Malawi team and its crew, they have may have succeeded in pushing Keshi to ensure that the Super Eagles come out with anger and wrap up the game early and send clear signals to such countries that next time, you don’t mess with the big boys.

Saintfiet’s anger can be clearly understood having come close to clinching the Technical Director Job of the NFF only to be dumped at the last minute following a directive by the Honourable Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdulahi who preferred a Nigerian for the job.

His present job with the Flames of Malawi was at his own instance as he voluntarily made an appeal to tinker the team with great expectations and hopes for a sweet revenge this weekend in Calabar, Cross River State.

As it stands, the Eagles need just a point, a draw to qualify for the crucial stage of the World Cup qualifier. Nigeria leads Group F with 9 points, while Malawi is second with seven points and needs an outright win.

Beyond the advantage of playing at home, the Eagles once again must show superiority against Malawi by beating them silly with a clean score line and  this  is why the team must be selected strictly on merit and present form without any personal interest or experimental formation.

Watching the Eagles play against South Africa at the Nelson Mandela Challenge in South Africa which they triumphed 2-0, I am satisfied that the team is beginning to take shape especially with the striking role where Uche Nwofor looks like a sure bet using his physique and prowess to make defenders have nightmares on the field.

In my view, I believe Keshi does not need to invite a legion of home based players for this match as only five will feature in Calabar, but we should be able to concentrate on building a good team based on the outing of the team in previous encounters.

The return of Emmanuel Emenike to the team remains significant and it would be interesting to see the formation Keshi would pair the Fernabache forward and Uche Nwofor to bang in the desired goals even as we welcome Chelsea midfielder, Mikel Obi back to the team after missing out on the Nelson Mandela Challenge due as he was indisposed.

Between March and September 7 when the Eagles will play Malawi, the Eagles have vastly improved having beating Kenya and gotten a point in Namibia and with the experience at the Confederations Cup in Brazil in the summer, this team may be on its way to fulfilling its potentials as the players are set to make history and ensure that their country inches closer to another World Cup qualification.

In their last home game in March against Kenya, the Eagles were unimpressive, struggling to an 85th minute equalizer by Nnamdi Oduamadi which many soccer paundits attributed to the lull in the team after the nations cup victory.

This game this weekend, presents another perfect opportunity for the Super Eagles to adorn the Green and White Jersey with pride and play for total victory.

The players themselves realise that a victory on Saturday would set them closer to Brazil and they understand the importance of being at the World Cup means to them.

This game provides a clear opportunity for Keshi to present his best squad of finest players the country can vouch for, the game may; perhaps provide an indication of the direction of Nigerian football in the next four years.

In playing to win, we must play collectively, the technical depth in the team must be felt, the quality on the bench must be able to make an impact, no player should under-rate an opponent, the team psychologist must work on the team psyche, our victory must be convincing in style and pattern, we must realize that the final whistle determines the out come, we must not be fatigued especially in the    second half and the crowd must keep cheering till the final whistle is blown and vicotry is achieved.

I must commend the NFF so far for ensuring that the welfare needs of the players have been addressed including the match bonus conflict which has been resolved based on the recommendations of the Ministerial panel. I hope these knotty issues have been communicated to the technical crew and platers as we expect total concentration for the team this weekend.

The greatest motivation for the Super Eagles on Saturday would be the presence of the President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GCFR), our sports loving President, who has shown great interest and commitment to the success of the Super Eagles at all times as we urge him to turn up in Calabar and make his presence electrify the atmosphere with frenzy as we paint the U.J. Esuene Stadium all decked in our Green and White jersies.

Beating the Flames of Malawi is no big deal. The challenge of Saintfiet and his boys will not be under rated or overlooked but they will be a threat to our progressing to the next round of the competition.

I am sounding rather over-confident, maybe it is because I believe in the quality of our players in the team like Victor Moses who dazzles his opponents with his quality dribbles and croses from the flanks, the mercurial approach of Mikel Obi in the midfield , the power of Super Eagles returnee striker Emmanuel Emenike in the atack, the hunger of Uche Nwofor, the passion of John Ogu in the midfield, the versatality of Ogenyi Onazi, the speed of Ahmed Musa and the leadership qualities of captain Vincent Enyeama between the sticks.

The more crucial stage remains the last fixtures which will determine Africa’s five representatives later in the year as the opposition will definitely be stiffer.

Our victory against Malawi should boost our FIFA ratings as we hope to avoid some of the big guns during the pairings for the final rounds.

The Eagles remain our best export. They remain our pride. They remain our tool of national unity and integration. They remain our heroes. They African Champions and on Saturday, September 7, 2013 at the U.J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar, they must file out with one mission, one vision and that is to dim the Flames of Malawi. Duid I hear you say 4-0? Yes, we can do it. Goodluck guys.