I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and the earth… Other things are the creation of the mind or more or else hallucinatory images occurring in the minds of those prophesying. Most times when I read predictions made so authoritatively about sporting events, I wonder if these prophets think that other countries don’t worship God Almighty. I read one of such disturbing prophesies this week urging NFF to retain the services of Austin Eguavoen which in any case is given, if Nigeria hopes to beat the Black Stars of Ghana in the two-legged clashes slated to hold on March 23 in Accra and March 29 in Abuja, in one of the Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers for sole qualification ticket.
The prophet who has a right to air his views no matter how myopic told his interviewer that Ghana would beat Nigeria if Eguavoen fielded the Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa in the two matches against Ghana. I was tempted to laugh the predictions off but on second thought I decided to put the revelation in the public domain to see if the Prophet’s prophesy would come to pass. I wonder how the prophet would want Musa to feel by this prediction? Musa has won many games for Nigeria, scoring goals with aplomb. Musa is Nigeria’s highest goal scorer at the senior World Cup scoring against great football nations such as Argentina with Lionel Messi playing. Why he could suddenly become a bad dream for the Eagles is laughable given who Musa is and what he stands to represent. I read the story online and felt strongly to share it with you, the dear reader so that we can fast and bind such bad predictions. I’m not a prophet, but I predict that Musa will be among the scorers for Nigeria in both matches against the Black Stars in Accra and Abuja.
What this Prophet’s prophesy reminds football lovers is to challenge the Eagles to take the two games seriously and beat Ghana very well such that the prophet would recant by saying he was misquoted. The prophet couldn’t have been looking for attention or seeking cheap popularity – no. He is well respected in the world and had made predictions that came to pass. But this one on sports, we shall jump over it in glory.
I’ve chatted with Eguavoen very well even before he got this job and what my reading of his mind looking at his body language is that he would retain Okoye in goal. Eguavoen won’t bench Okoye because of the goal he conceded against Tunisia, since he believes that soccer is teamwork. If the midfielders did their job by marking the goal scorer when Nigeria lost possession in that game, perhaps they would have helped the defenders to provide the shield the goalkeeper needed. Okoye saw the ball late just as nobody expected the Tunisian to shoot from the distance. Had Okoye saved that ball, we would have lacked adjectives to describe the save. So, Okoye stays, although Francis Uzoho was brilliant against Guinea Bissau.
The Eagles’ defence at AFCON wasn’t that efficient with occasional slips which weren’t punished. Ola Aina didn’t quite recover from his high pressing game from the flank leaving spaces, one of which was punished by the Tunisians for the only goal in one of the Round of 16 games which ended Nigeria’s campaign in the continental soccer fiesta. William Troost Ekong’s game improved although his combination with Kenneth Omeruo wasn’t as enterprising to instil confidence in the midfield. Wilfred Ndidi had to fall deep into the Eagles’ defence to plug the loopholes in the defence. It is expected that the return of Balogun if match fit would give the team’s central defence the steel to lock out the Ghanaians in both legs at Accra and in Abuja for the ticket to the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Joe Aribo earned his stripes in the four games he played. But the return of Oghenkaro Etebo to the team’s midfield is the elixir needed to crush the Ghanaians in March. Unfortunately, Alex Iwobi who would have brought width into the side’s midfield play has been red-carded and ruled out of the game against Ghana. It remains to be seen who Austin Eguavoen would deploy in the midfield to complete his 4-4-2 formation which opens up towards the flanks. It is looking like Simon Moses would drop into that role against Ghana now that is looking very likely that Napoli FC of Italy’s Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen would be fit for the two-legged ties.
Samuel Chukwueze who ought to have paired his Golden Eaglets’ mate Osimhen up front was a huge disappointment for the Eagles in Cameroon during the Africa Cup of Nations. He was rightly substituted in all the games that Nigeria played. Chuwkueze was awful in his performance and pundits won’t be surprised if Eguavoen looks in the direction of Odion Ighalo to pair Osimhen in the team’s attacking onslaught. Onuachu, if he is fit could help the Eagles roughen the Ghanaians, leaving Chukwueze holding the short end of the stick in terms of likely strikers to pair Osimhen upfront against the Black Stars. Pundits won’t be surprised if Eguavoen drops Taiwo Awoniyi who flattered to deceive all through the competition, although like Chukwueze and Sadiq Umar scored a goal each for Nigeria. It won’t be out of place if Eguavoen pairs Osimhen with Umar in the team’s attacking formation going by his performance against the Tunisians when he was introduced into the game, although he didn’t impress everyone in the third game against Guinea Bissau which Nigeria won 3-1.
Eagles stars must approach the two matches as if their lives depend on it. It is the ambition of any serious-minded professional player to participate in the senior World Cup. Need I restate how former Nigeria international Austin Okoha used the France’98 World Cup to earn a mind-boggling contract with Paris Saint Germain (PSG) in Paris?
Beating Black Stars in Ghana on March 23 is a task that must be done. It will reduce the tension on the players if Nigeria beats Ghana in the first game. At the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, the Eagles had no leader that the players deferred or one who inspired the others with his performance of the field. This is the distinguishing line that has set Nigeria apart when you consider the fact that is the only team to beat the Egyptians in the competition. Against Ghana, the Eagles need a leader on the pitch to direct the affairs of the team.
For the Egyptians and Senegalese who are in Sunday’s finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane are their leaders whose inspirational displays galvanise the others. Both men who play for Liverpool in the English League are their country’s captains. Again, the Eagles lack team spirit and the winning mentality to always change the momentum of the game. Our players are established stars in Europe to know those in the opposition to mark out as we did to Salah in the opening game. We left the Tunisians to play their game forgetting that they had blocked off Moses Simon. Common sense ought to have told our players to unlock Moses from the Tunisian shackles by marking them one-on-one. It would have thrown the game open.
Egypt and Senegal who are in Sunday’s final game have been tactically disciplined and kept their shape in terms of their formations and how they wanted to play. It is the reason the two countries are in the AFCON final on Sunday.