Super Eagles Assistant Coach Daniel Da Bull Amokachi must forgive me for this slip. In fact, I almost missed out the name of John Mikel Obi as one of the Nigerians who have rocked the English game with their sublime skills.
Perhaps, my slip may have arisen from the pains Amokachi caused those of us who support Liverpool. It may sound funny because that should be the reason why I shouldn’t remember to list him. On this score my unreserved apologies to Amokachi. I plead that he doesn’t walk alone. Don’t ask me what I mean. Amokachi knows exactly what I’m saying having played in the Merseyside derby for Everton.
There is also Efan Ekoku, the first man to score four goals in a game in the Barclays English Premier league era while playing for Norwich. He was in the Eagles side to the 1994 World Cup held in the United States (US). I won’t forget the exploits of the Ameobi brothers and Sone Aluko, one of the few Nigeria-born players who dumped England for Nigeria.
The list of Nigerians playing soccer in England is legendary. It just struck me that Danny Shittu once played for Bolton in the Premier League. With these exclusions, it should convince those who think that I have issues with Amokachi that nothing like that exists. I could have hidden under the cloak of listing a few because of space constraints. Not so for me because Amokachi ranks high on any Nigerian internationals’ list. Amokachi is, indeed, a legend of the Nigerian game. I rest my case.
Easily the pick of the pack of performance by Nigerians in Europe is Mikel Obi, who scored his first Barclays English Premier League goal after 185 matches. What struck me first wasn’t the goal but the fact that Mikel will soon join the list of players who have played 200 Premier League matches. I hope he celebrates it with a goal.
Again, this writer was excited that Mikel proved he could score goals. 24 hours after Mikel struck, the only African that can cause Nigerians pain by depriving Mikel of the 2012/2013 African Footballer of the Year award, Yaya Toure, scored one of the four goals that ruined Manchester United’s title defence. Yaya plays for Manchester City and is the incumbent African Footballer of the Year.
For those who felt strongly that the Special One, Jose Mourinho, ruined Mikel’s career at Chelsea by converting him to defensive roles, they must do a rethink. The burden of scoring goals for any player rests with his predatory instincts which can only be actualised when such a player is adventurous.
John Terry plays in the heart of Chelsea’s defence, yet he surges forward to score goals for the team. Ghana’s Michael Essien plays in Mikel’s position sometimes and scores goals. Ramires also plays in Mikel’s position at Chelsea and scores goals. The onus of scoring goals lies with Mikel and I hope that this is the catalyst he needs to join the legion of midfielders, such as Lionel Messi, who score goals with aplomb.
One had been skeptical about Mourinho’s sincerity to give Mikel the desired games. But listening to him on television last Saturday, one had hope. Mourinho told the world that he introduced Mikel and Ramires for the game against Fulham for freshness and to add width to Chelsea’s forward surge towards the goalpost. He also explained why he preferred Oscar to Mata. It is no coincidence that Mikel and Oscar scored the two goals that separated Chelsea from Fulham at dusk on Saturday evening. Indeed, it was the hallmark of a good tactician, such as the Special One.
While Mikel had a ball with his game, Victor Moses’ second outing for Liverpool caused pains. Hitherto lowly placed Southampton nicked a lone goal victory over the Reds, with the own goal scored by Liverpool’s reliable midfielder Steven Gerrard.
Liverpool was awful against Southampton, making the few upfront runs by Moses counting for nothing. Pundits were, however, looking forward to Moses’ combination with Louis Suarez and Sturridge beginning with Wednesday night’s show-stopper at Old Trafford between Manchester United and Liverpool, a fixture Wayne Rooney described as bigger than the Manchester derby. Rooney surely knows what he is saying, having also played the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton severally. Moses will definitely have a fruitful season at Liverpool, given the way both players played on Wednesday.
Moses has distinguished himself with Liverpool. A goal and three regular shirt appearances justify why he left Chelsea. It will also help Nigeria’s course at the Brazil 2014 World Cup.
The story from France is exciting about goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama. Several cleansheet outings show that he is in form, which should be good news for holidaying Stephen Keshi. Enyeama’s sparkling form spells doom for the Ethiopians as the October 13 tie in Addis Ababa approaches.
Interestingly, Brown Ideye has found his shooting range by scoring goals for his Ukrainian side Dynamo Kiev at a time when Fernerbahce FC of Turkey’s management are worried over the scoring form of Emmanuel Emenike.
Keshi would sigh at the Turkey side’s agony because he knows how to utilise Emenike to score goals. What Ideye’s return to scoring form does for the Eagles is that it increases the team’s fire power upfront and equips the coach with enough options to nail the Ethiopians in Addis Ababa on October 13. Victory over the Ethiopians at home is what the Eagles need to make the return leg in Calabar on November 16 a formality.
Our midfielders in Europe, except for Mikel, are having a torrid time with their clubs. They have performed below par, with some of them taking the stick from their coaches. One hopes that their poor forms with their clubs would be corrected with 15 days to the battle of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa.
The biggest fillip in this discourse is that most our players are playing regularly for their clubs. And it is an added advantage as we prepare for the Ethiopians.
Huge cheers for Keshi
Stephen Keshi is a good sport. He reads. He listens and has opted for the diplomatic resolution of his seeming intricate matter with Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet. I must commend him.
Recently, one wrote in this column the need for Keshi to swallow his pride and negotiate for an out-of-FIFA-court settlement over the alleged racist comments on the then Malawi coach Tom Sainfiet.
On Wednesday night, the story broke in one of Malawi’s national newspapers that Keshiwa hoping that FAM would withdraw the case in the spirit of sportsmanship. FAM chief executive officer Suzgo Nyirenda confirmed that “he (Keshi) called me last weekend to ask if there is a way we can sort out the issue amicably, but I told him that it would need Tom’s consent.”
“We only facilitated the complaint on behalf of Tom as an association. Otherwise; it is between the two of them,” said Nyirenda.
Keshi wants an amicable resolution. The NFF must reach out to the FAM chief to see how they can reach Saintfiet through him. I know that Saintfiet won’t do any business with the NFF, given the way he was shoved aside for the Nigerian job.
But with FAM, Saintfiet will listen, especially when he is told that the initiative came from Keshi. We must save Keshi from an imminent five-match ban, no matter the quality of defence we may have for the Big Boss. I don’t want us to let this chance slip because we never can tell what FIFA chiefs will decide.
To avoid regrets, the NFF must move fast to mend fences with Saintfiet. That is what the Belgian needs to withdraw the case. He wants to make Keshi the fall guy to get back at the NFF and the Nigerian government. Who is the coach who doesn’t want to work in Nigeria? It is the easiest way to stardom. Clemens Westerhof, Johannes Bonfrere, Father Tiko; the list of foreign coaches who made name coaching Nigeria, is endless or is anyone disputing this? Oba Khato Okpere, Ise.
