Battle of Dares Salam

The party is definitely over for Super  Eagles Coach, Sunday Oliseh as he begins his quest to leave a legacy with the senior national team with his very first match in charge in this weekend’s crunch encounter for a place in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations scheduled for Gabon.

It could not have been a better fixture for the former Super Eagles Captain who takes charge with much confidence from his employers the Nigeria Football Federation and the fans as he brings a new perspective of intellect to the game.

The game against The Tafia Stars of Tanzania on Sunday, September 4,2015 in far away Dar es Salam is a must win as we share the same points with group leaders, Egypt but on better goals difference as only one slot will be available for the competition.

Only comes at a time he must prove his mettle and a victory this weekend may just be the renewed hope the team and soccer fans may just crave for to re-instill that confidence of a once giant and feared national team which was reduced to a sorry state under the immediate past coach, Stephen Keshi.
The stakes are definitely high with this encounter as victory will surely keep the Super Eagles in touch with the Pharaohs of Egypt who play Chad as the group qualification may boil down to when these two African giants will clash during their home and away fixtures.

On paper, the Tafia Stars of Tanzania may not look like some strong threat to the Super Eagles being ranked 139 in the world as at July 2015. They are not a very big side to reckon with on the continent  and they made their first appearance in the Africa Cup of Nations in 1980 with their best result being a first round appearance. They have never qualified for the World Cup.
The Tafia Stars are more dominant in the East African region as they have won the CECAFA Cup three times in 1974, 1994 and 2010 while emerging runners up five times. 

The squad does not parade any notable strong name that should give the Vincent Enyeama led Nigerian side any uneasy calm during the encounter but has an averagely young team for the future including the likes of Goalkeeper Deogratius Munishi at age 26 with five appearances, Kelvin Yondani with 49appearances who leads the defence pack at 30years, Erasto Nyoni with 48 appearances  at 27years and three goals, Mwinyi Kazimoto who holds the midfield at age 26 with 33appearances and five goals alongside Amri Klemba who at 32years has contributed five goals to the team’s strides so far.

The strike force of the team is led by Mrisho Ngassa who has scored 22golas for the team and is 26years, Mbwana Sanata who has scored seven goals and just 23years and John Bocco who at 26years has featured for the team35times scoring eight goals.

Sunday Oliseh had stated during his unveiling that he would make do with his best players across the globe and would not compromise on the player’s fitness as only the best will represent the national team while in charge. He further gave the home based players much hope as about five of the currently in camp will join the rest for the trip to Tanzania.

Obviously, the bulk of the first eleven will come from the foreign legion and Oliseh in a list he released about two weeks ago called up Goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama who retains the captain arm band to lead the side along Carl Ikeme from Wolverhampton Wanderers with defenders Leon Balaogun, Kingsley Madu, Godfrey Oboabona, Willliam Troost Ekong, Kenneth Omeruo and midfielders  Joel Obi, Izumna Ernest Uzochukwu, Obiora Nwankwo,Lukman Haruna and Rabiu Ibrahim.

The strike force of the Super Eagles will feature Ahmed Musa, Emem Eduok, Emmanuel Emenike, Anthony Ujah , Sylvester Igboun and Moses Simon.
Agreed, most of these names may just be hitting national limelight on their maiden invitation the expectations of the content which the new coach is expected to bring into the team which in the past two weeks has been in camp will be unfolded and the first results will determine how far Oliseh and his troops can fly.

There has been so much outcry on the shocking knowledge that Odion Ighalo will not be on this trip despite having a quality pre-season with English Premiership side Watford and scoring on match Day One of the season as Oliseh has stated that the young lad has not been pushed aside but has a lot of future with the national team to prove his mettle which Yours Sincerely fully agrees.

I am also in support of the decision of the new coach to drop Mikel Obi and Victor Moses whom at the moment are not regular features for their various clubs and should be called up on merit.

Nigerians are happy that with the new psyche Oliseh has brought into the senior national team as players would not have to lobby their agents to facilitate their call ups as previously experience a situation which led to the desecration of the legendary number ten jersey by an unknown player in the last fixture of Coach Stephen Keshi.  

Sunday Oliseh must succeed as Nigerians will give him all the required support and good enough since his assumption it has been a very rosy relationship with the Amaju Pinnick led Nigeria Football Federation Board as he has been given a three months advance salary payment, a house and a brand new official car and the new perspective of taking the national team to the Nigerian Stock exchange was a grand novel idea that has made the economic fortunes of the team more respectful with the Organised Private Sector.

And now that it seems that a fresh air and brighter horizon has started to shine on Nigerian football, we must appeal to the leadership of our football to put national interests first before any motive that will derail the team and that includes a clearly spelt out workable plan on the team’s match bonuses and allowances to be paid promptly without delay and bureaucratic bottlenecks and other issues considered strategic for the success of Oliseh and his new team.

The immediate task before the Oliseh new Super Eagles will be to qualify for the2017African Cup of Nations but the long term future will be the gradual process of rebuilding the senior national team, making it Africa’s best once again as we look forward to a successful qualification from the on going group fixtures and winning the trophy and making a bold statement that Africa can get to the last four of the World Cup in 2018 in Russia with the new generation of players waiting to make history like in 1994 where Sunday Oliseh was part of a golden generation that ruled the world.

Our game against Tanzania will be that first step in the race for Oliseh’s legacies and it can only be better if it begins on a winning note then the rest of the puzzles and challenges of his tenure will begin to fall in place. It can only get better especially with the new confidence and Sunday Oliseh and the Super Eagles will surely fly past the Tafia Stars in Tanzania.