Author: The Nation

GUINEA-BISSAU’S head coach, Baciro Cande, said his team will be going for another victory, Monday, following Friday’s historic 1-0 win over Nigeria’s Super Eagles in their 2023 AFCON qualifier in Abuja.

He said: “For the second leg, we shall go back to plan how best to play Nigeria. Of course, we will be going for another victory. We still respect the Eagles despite our victory today (on Friday).”

The two teams will meet again on Monday, at the Estadio 24 de Setembro in Bissau, where the Super Eagles will seek to avenge their home loss and claim the top spot in the group.

Cande said, “We did a thorough analysis of the Super Eagles players and how the coach usually sets up his team, and the boys did the rest by sticking to our game plan with resilience and determination. It paid off, with Balde scoring what proved to be the winner.

Cande had earlier boasted that they were in Nigeria to avenge their defeat to the Super Eagles at AFCON 2021 in Cameroon, and beating Nigeria would stand out as one of the best moments of his coaching career.

The Wild Dogs currently top Group A of the 2023 AFCON qualifiers with seven points from three matches, one point ahead of Nigeria, who are second with six points. Sierra Leone are third with two points, while Sao Tome and Principe are at the bottom of the group with one point.

FOLLOWING the March rankings released by FIFA, Nigeria’s Super Falcons are still the number-one team in Africa.

The Falcons finished fourth – behind champions South Africa, Morocco, and Zambia – at the 2022 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, relinquishing the crown they won in 2018. After that outing in August, the Super Falcons fell to their lowest rating of 46 on the FIFA ranking.

Nigeria have claimed only one win – over Costa Rica – since then but remain ahead of South Africa, who are second on the continent, with Cameroon, Ghana, and Cote d’Ivoire completing the top five.

Interestingly, Nigeria moved three spots up the global ranking to 42nd. That is 12 rungs above African champions South Africa, placed in the 54th position. The three West African giants, Cameroon, Ghana, and Cote d’Ivoire, are 56th, 59th, and 64th, respectively.

The United States remain the top team in the world, followed by Germany, while Sweden, England, and France complete the top five.

Two of the Super Falcons’ group stage opponents at the FIFA Women’s World Cup are in the top ten, with Canada sitting in sixth while co-hosts Australia are in tenth. Nigeria, however, fare better than Northern Ireland, which occupy the 45th position.

The Super Falcons’ best-ever placing on the FIFA ranking was 23rd in July 2003.

EVERTON midfielder Alex Iwobi has said that the Super Eagles will improve and do better in the second leg of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Guinea-Bissau.

Iwobi stated this during his post-match interview while pleading with the team’s supporters not to give up on the players.

It was a shocking result in Abuja on Friday as the Djurtus beat their host 1-0 at the Moshood Abiola Stadium.

“All we can do is to improve and to all the fans, all I can say is that they should stick by us and support us because we give 100% not just for ourselves, but also for our nation.

“Next time we are going to do our best and make the country proud.”

The former Arsenal man noted that they are proud of wearing the national colours, which, according to him, is a privilege.

NIGERIA head coach Jose Peseiro says he would be surprised if he was fired following the team’s shock defeat to Guinea-Bissau.

The Super Eagles succumbed to a 1-0 loss in front of their fans in Abuja on Friday, thanks to Mama Balde’s goal in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

As a result, Nigeria slipped down to the second spot on the Group A standings – a point behind leaders Guinea-Bissau with three matches left.

The Portuguese tactician spoke to the media including Nigeria’s Daily Post after the game which was played at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium.

When asked if he will be surprised if he’s fired following the loss to Guinea-Bissau, Peseiro replied: “I would be surprised if I’m sacked now.

“In today’s game in the first 30 minutes, we created chances, but the likes of [Victor] Osimhen, [Samuel] Chukwueze, and [Wilfred] Ndidi could not score.

“But I believe my team played better than the results reflect, so for me, it’s a joke to talk about sacking me.”

The Super Eagles will look to avenge the defeat to the African Wild Dogs when the two teams meet at the Estádio 24 de Setembro in Bissau on Monday.

Robert Lewandowski swapped perennial winners Bayern Munich for crisis club Barcelona last summer. After winning 10 Bundesliga titles (two for Borussia Dortmund, then eight at Bayern), the Poland striker wanted a new challenge. He wanted to help take Barca back to the top of Spanish and European football. In an interview with ESPN’s Martin Ainstein, he speaks about swapping Bavaria for the Catalan coast, the process Barca are undertaking under coach Xavi Hernandez, Gaudiola and Carlo Ancelotti.

You have achieved almost everything in your career. How do you keep going?

Lewandowski: After so many years in one league, in one country, I think I achieved everything I could achieve. I’m very glad about what I won with Bayern Munich, what I achieved there. But in the end, you’re thinking not only about football [in terms of] football, but you’re thinking about football as your life. And at one point I thought: ‘OK, I have achieved everything, I have a comfort zone there, but in the end what makes me more happy?’ I [thought] maybe I need a change.

There is a phrase that says if you are too comfortable in a place, move somewhere where you have challenges.

For sure. I had one moment [when I realised] I didn’t feel what I felt before. I was afraid if I didn’t change something, that this energy, this love for football that was going the wrong way, that would go down more. I know I am 34 years old now, but it’s only a number because I know I can still play at a high level for a few years.

Xavi Hernandez gave you many compliments a couple of days ago. He said you changed the club’s mentality. Why did he say that?

When I came to Barcelona, in my head the only challenge is to win, it doesn’t matter who we are playing, it’s to win, to score goals. Of course, at Barcelona, I have to decide what is sometimes more important: to score the goal or to win the game. I know that Barca needed time after a difficult few seasons but also that titles are important. So, the first thing is always that with the club we have to improve. We have to make the next step to not only play better, but to win more.

I saw the potential in the team even if two years ago Barcelona had big problems. But now, I’m sure that everything we are doing, how hard we are working … in the end we will achieve our goals. Even still, for example, we had the problems in the Champions League and this is what we have to think about, what we can do better next season. It’s a process and it’s impossible to change [everything] in one week or one month. You need more time.

Right now Barcelona are winning games that in the past they didn’t. A lot of 1-0s. But the philosophy is not necessarily seen in those games. What do you think about this?

We are in a process and you cannot change or build everything, you have to be focused first to build a very strong defence. And defensively we’re playing well, but offensively maybe we have a lot to change to play better football, to create more chances and score even more goals. The most important thing is to win the game. The next step will be to [create] more [chances] and score more goals, but to still [remain strong] defensively. It’s also about the mentality. We have to still be focused on defensive [qualities], but we have to risk more. We cannot be afraid because in attack, and if you know that the back is safe, it’s easier to decide: ‘OK, I can take risks, I can try something new.’

Let’s talk about coaches, you have had some of the best. What is the best thing about Jurgen Klopp, for example?

His personality. He is the guy who can be like a father, the guy that can help you all the time, but also he’s the guy who can try to push you. This is the guy who you can go to him, speak with him. We are all human, we all have problems. He’s not only the coach, he is the guy who … you can learn from him, also [about] life. I learned a lot under him.

Guardiola. What is special about him?

Pep is the coach who changed my mind about football. Sometimes I don’t know if it’s good or not, because sometimes I’m thinking that maybe if I am stupid, that it’s easier to play because [now] I see too much. I think too much and I see too much sometimes during the game. But that helped me a lot also, if I see and I can change things and [communicate that to] my teammates: ‘They’re playing like this, so maybe we change also our movement, our style or system.’

I was working with Pep for two years and I spoke with him a lot. I remember one day he said to me, ‘I can help you only with how to build the action, how to build up with the ball, to bring the ball to the box. But what you are going to do with the ball, I can’t help you because you know better than me. But everything until the box, I can help you because I know how to build it up, how to change the sides, how to move the position … everything. But in the end you are better than me. So you decide.’

And Carlo Ancelotti?

He’s the guy who gave me amazing self-confidence. He gave me maybe what I missed and he gave me the self-confidence that I didn’t have before. He’s an amazing human. He’s the guy who takes care of you.

You’re talking about people who are being human with you at the same time as they want you to perform. They see that the key is to connect with a human being.

That’s true. Sometimes people forget that we are human and think we are a machine, robots, that we cannot have bad feelings, a bad mood. People can think we are the product, that we’re going to training, to the game and we don’t do anything else. It’s not correct. OK, we got the talent, we’re working very hard to be where we are, that is one thing, but also we’re coming back [home], we have a family, we have kids, we have problems, we have to do these kind of things that everyone does every day. We can have bad moments. Sometimes it’s like that something inside you feel, but you don’t know what it is exactly.

Did you have these dark moments in your life?

I had a few moments in my life, for sure. It’s not like my way [has been] easier. It was also painful at times. But even when I had these [dark] moments and I was thinking: ‘Come on, what’s going on?’ I try, I do, but something doesn’t work. You have to be patient, you have to think: ‘OK, if you work hard, if you are focused on football, think about what you can do better, faster, fight for a better performance…’ I have to fight, I have to try. Maybe a solution [arrives]. Maybe I will be lucky. Maybe I get a ball from someone who makes a mistake and I have to be ready.

Arsenal youngster Bukayo Saka has been getting his kicks this season while getting kicked.

Saka, 21, has 19 goal involvements in the league to date, a tally of 10 goals and nine assists only surpassed by centre-forwards Erling Haaland (33) and Harry Kane (22) as the Ealing-born star has helped keep the Gunners five points clear of Manchester City with a relentless mixture of creativity and hunger for the fight.

He was recognised in London Football Awards at the Roundhouse in Camden with the Young Player of the Year award, but it is not the first time he has been singled out for individual focus.

Opponents have tried various roughhousing tactics on Saka, even the artisans of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who tried to nullify the winger in last month’s meeting with a series of tackles that belatedly earned makeshift full-back Bernardo Silva a yellow card.

In a rare fit of pique, Saka reacted angrily to similar treatment in their next game at Aston Villa, after which manager Mikel Arteta revealed Arsenal would investigate whether there was evidence across recent weeks to suggest he was being targeted.

Saka is the eighth most-fouled player in the Premier League with 45 free kicks awarded in his favour, some way short of Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha on 64. It is those that have gone unpunished which cause some at Emirates Stadium a degree of consternation.

Saka’s peacefulness comes in part from his upbringing, born to Nigerian parents Adenike and Yomi, as well as his faith. He reads the Bible every night and during the  awards ceremony, which raises funds for Willow — a charity that helps give terminally ill 16 to 40-year-olds in the UK special experiences, Saka is generous with his time, posing for selfies and signing autographs either side of discussing his game.

“I just try to be as professional as possible, take care of myself,” he said. “Eat the best, sleep as much as I can. When I’m in training learn as much as I can and in the games just play 100%. I leave the rest in God’s hands.

“God’s been taking care of me. Some tackles, I could have been lucky but I wouldn’t call it luck. I believe in God and he’s taking care of me.

“I’ve just been staying fit and hopefully I can continue doing my best for Arsenal on the pitch so we can have some happiness at the end of the season now.”

As is typical of Arteta, he instructed Saka to concentrate on what he can control. The Spaniard believes Arsenal should be able to modify their use of the ball to reduce the risk of Saka being unfairly challenged.

“I think he’s talking about the type of balls I receive,” Saka explained. “For example, as a winger if you receive the ball on the touchline with my back to the defender, even if I’m the defender, I’d do the same: come in straight and fast, close you down.

“So of course there’s going to be a lot of pressure and a lot of contact. I think he’s talking about those type of balls, the type of balls where I don’t have much space to manoeuvre and the defender can close me down quickly and be really aggressive.

“People will know me more now, I’ve played more and more football, more and more at the higher levels as well so they will know more what my game is about. So they will be setting up plans to stop me of course and foul me and stuff like that.

“It is normal for most wingers. The same happens for most of the other wingers in our team when they play. I just have to keep adapting, keep adapting, learn how to play one vs. one, two vs. one, three vs. one, whatever it is. Just keep developing. That’s the beauty of the game. There’s always going to be something different every week. It is about me trying to break it down and ultimately winning the game.”

Saka’s defiance is typical of the singlemindedness which has help elevate him from Arsenal’s Hale End academy to helping spearhead a title charge in just four years.

And a lot is being asked of him. Saka has amassed 2,320 minutes across all 27 league games this season, a figure only surpassed by 11 outfield players in the whole of the league.

Despite an impressive individual tally, Saka insists he has not yet met the set number of goals and assists he aimed for in August — numbers he continues to keep private — but a continuation of his current form would surely render that achievement a matter of time. Eleven Premier League games lie in wait, plus a Europa League round of 16, second-leg clash against Sporting CP on Thursday, the same day as when Saka is a certainty to be named in Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad for games against Italy and Ukraine later this month.

The football never stops. Asked whether he is feeling fresh, Saka adjusts himself in his seat and measures his response.

“I’d say mentally, I’m just happy to be on the pitch,” he said. “If I put it to you this way: would I rather be injured or on the pitch, I want to be on the pitch. If I ask myself when I was younger where I would want to be, and it was on the pitch playing for Arsenal every week competing at the highest level, I’d take it.

“So, I’m happy. I just want to continue to push to the end of the season and then in the summer I can lock myself in my room and sleep for the rest of the summer.”