The Sudan challenge

Whatever the outcome of the two legged encounters against Sudan in a 2015 Nations Cup must win encounter, the Eagles are on a mission impossible hoping to re-enact history by winning in Sudan and on the 15th at home in the return leg.

For the first time in recent years, the Eagles are being branded as genuine underdogs in a tournament they are expected to defend the title won at South Africa. The Eagles presently lie third on the table far away from table toppers, Congo and rivals South Africa.

We may not  debate how the team got to this embarrassing stage, but one thing is certain that the Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi has gradually killed the national team as his ego and arrogant status coupled with is technical inept status has fast tracked our little gains in the last three years to the doldrums.

The Eagles have to garner all twelve maximum points to give the country any chance of representation at the nations Cup next year and as usual, Keshi is parading once more an experimental side after two years in charge of the national team. Keshi won the Nations Cup with a set of players Nigerians believed will be a strong unit as we were looking forward to a good outing at the last world held this summer , but sentiments and poor tactical decisions robbed the country of quality representation at the mundial as we fielded a team largely unexposed as Keshi continues to depend on a set of players he enjoys side patronage to the detriment of the game in the country.

 

 
We left our best players at home despite endless pleas and today, the same scenario faces the country as our failure to qualify for Morocco 2015 lies us in the face.

Last week, former African footballer of the year, Victor Ikpeba lashed out at Keshi describing his experimental process with green horns more than two years on the saddle as unrewarding describing as a coach whose vision for the national team can no longer enjoy the confidence of Nigerians.

The ex-international had described Keshi as ‘’killing’’ Nigerian football as he wondered what type of builder Keshi is as has placed the country  on a hard corner of qualification so far as Nigerians are still thinking on how qualification will become a reality, as he has further invited rookies to the team for the Sudanese challenge.

Ikpeba stated that Keshi should be a critic unto himself as he is either blaming the players or attacking even ex-internationals who criticize him. His main striker Emmanuel Emenike has also given Keshi the thumbs down as he described some of his actions as a coach as unbecoming especially issues which bother on the welfare of a player being discussed on the media with the coach blaming the player openly.

Emenike had stated that Keshi is sending wrong signals to the fans and has expressed his readiness to opt out of the team if his contributions are no longer needed. Also, the likes of Graba Lawal and Austin Okocha have expressed similar fears on Keshi’s vision for the team where prolific players are excluded from the team because at one time or the other they have criticized his poor tactics as not in line with modern techniques.

The team is condemned to win and the chances of our qualification may just rest on the outcome of these two encounters as Nigerians begin the usual prayers and calculations just to edge out of the group.

The just resolved NFF crisis perhaps unknowingly placed the job to tinker the national team on Keshi’s laps as he was unprepared for this new task having been assured that he would jettison the country for a bigger package in South Africa which has been denied him.

Keshi was not prepared for this new task and it has shown considerably that he remains as usual clueless in the task given to him to raise a formidable national team even as the Sudanese lie bottom of the group.

It is expected that there will be no excuses for the Eagles in these two encounters as the South Africans had an emphatic away victory in Sudan and the Congolese have also had their share and with the expected dropping of points between the first two teams in the group, the Eagles must fly at all cost on that desert pitch and emerge victorious.

At this stage, we have a very difficult task at hand, but we must make do with the arsenal we have decided to use and pray that we have a sustained firepower as the storm will come in full force. It is time for Keshi and his technical crew to realize that this will be their final litmus test and perhaps their last set of matches if the team fumbles in these encounters and he must formulate a pattern that can ensure a winning formula once and for all and put the country’s defence strides on a glowing note.

The new NFF President Amaju Melvin Pinnick has never hidden his dislike for Keshi’s tactics even while he served as a state chairman and this may be his first official assignment to give Keshi the boot if he eventually fails. A draw is not good enough in Sudan for the Eagles. We need an outright victory and the moment of history beckons for the players led by returnee Vincent Enyeama to coordinate his troops for the national glory that beckons.

What we need are the maximum points at this stage and all hands must be on deck to help Keshi achieve this maximum objective and the return leg this Wednesday at Abuja should be a massive movement as we cannot yet again, afford to fall at home as it would spell an instant doom for the team and Nigerians that is why the home support must be massive, intimidating and overwhelming and above all with an emphatic victory.

The task for the Eagles is daunting but they can overcome if we truly believe and have faith in the quality of players we will be parading and the pattern our dear coach who knows it all will feature on the match days.

We can only pray for the best for the Eagles at this stage. All hope may seem lost but there’s a ray of sunshine on the horizon to give us the needed twist of greater expectations as we look forward to exciting results. Goodluck guys. Make history beam positively once again on Nigerian football.