It will be difficult getting Samson Siasia to re-jig this Dream Team VI because they are African champions. Any talk about injecting new players into the team will be rebuffed on the grounds that these people got the country the Rio’2016 Olympic Games ticket and should be allowed to reap the fruits of their labour. What a country.
This victory is now a curse. It has swept under the carpet the fundamental flaws in the squad. The poor match reading skills of the coaches resulting in the team losing its two-goal advantage in the second half. It doesn’t matter now for the coaches to be taken on refresher courses or does it matter for a renowned match reader to be employed to support the coaches, having seen how the Dream Team VI almost lost a 3-0 advantage at half time against Mali, only to end the game at 3-2 in our favour? We do not think that the coaches must sit down to examine their tactics, having seen the Dream Team VI lose a 2-0 half time advantage against Egypt to secure a nerve wrenching 2-2 draw. No one can suggest anything to Siasia. After all, he picked the squad that we roundly condemned as weak in the defence, yet they are African champions. If we give Siasia the kind of free-hand he got to pick this wobbly side, then we should forget about repeating the Atlanta ’96 feat of Nigeria winning the gold medal. Nor would we get close to play in the final like we did against Argentina at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.
Siasia has been talking, playing to the gallery because there won’t be a drastic change to this squad ahead of the Olympic Games in Rio d’ Janerio, Brazil. Siasia’s team to the All African Games wobbled, such that we clinched a bronze medal through penalty shootout. After the games, Siasia promised changes. I doubt if such changes were noticed in this team in Senegal. If there were changes, they translated to the difference between six and half a dozen. There wasn’t any significant change beyond the fact that the team won the trophy. We struggled against Algeria in the final game, with many people leaving where they watched the match after we conceded an own goal. We benefited from a fluffed penalty loss by the Algerians in the same way as we escaped against the Senegalese. Our performances in most of the matches were awful, nerve wrenching.
Siasia should know that the biggest pool to find players for Nigeria is at the U-23 level. He must know that in other climes, the U-23s is where players are drafted into the senior team to strengthen weak areas. The Eaglets’ squads of 2015 and 2013 have talented players, such as Musa Mohammed, Alfa Abdullahi and Idowu Akinjide. These boys are better defenders than those Siasia fielded in Senegal.
I feel strongly that Chidera Ezeh, Chidiebere Nwakali, Musa Yahaya, Godwin Saviour and Kelechi Iheanacho will bring out the best in Etebor Oghenkaro, the only player in the Dream Team VI who can easily walk into the Super Eagles’ midfield and get a shirt. Our coaches must stop this pre-match talk of handing over the game to God to decide. We need to hear some tactical discussions or they keep quiet like most big coaches do before games. When our coaches thank prayerful Nigerians and God after big victories, such as this, I wonder what they say to our players before, during and after matches.
What our coaches forget are the promises they make to Nigerians before leaving the country. They don’t highlight their poor preparations. They don’t tell us about the unhealthy circumstances under which they assembled the squads. Rather, they thank NFF chiefs and indeed anyone tasked with taking the team to such tournaments for doing a good job.
I wonder why our coaches can’t be consistent with what they say. As for Siasia, he never takes the blame for flaws in his team. His doublespeak makes him the laughing stock among the players, even though he is a good attacking coach.
If Siasia must win the gold medal in Rio, he must overhaul his team 100 per cent. His goalkeeper’s heroics, if at all there was, can’t take the team anywhere because the Olympics platform is bigger and with ruthless finishers who will punish any kindergarten error, such as he committed in the first two matches. Perhaps, if Siasia had a better reserve goalkeeper, he should have introduced him, given the monumental mistakes of the jittery first choice.
Dream Team VI’s defenders were appalling in all their matches. They were timid and clueless. They were easily beaten by any pass. They watched the opposition play than they tried to intercept the passes. All Dream Team VI’s matches were not convincing. The defence got so bad that it conceded an own goal, even when the team was leading Algeria in the final game. What gave the Dream Team VI victory was pure luck and divine intervention which, happily, Siasia has acknowledged. We can do better. We have better players. Siasia doesn’t need to do any scouting round the country. No time for that now. He should rather look at the Golden Eaglets’s squads of 2013 and 2015 to pick his Olympic team. Dream Team VI’s attacking line was its strength. But I still think that Siasia or is it NFF? – can reach out to get Kelechi Iheanacho and other younger boys in the squad, provided he will use them effectively to produce the results.
Siasia needs to read what one of his assistants told the press about his squad. He needs to take the assistant’s recommendations seriously, if he wants to be carried shoulder high in Brazil next year.
Assistant coach Fatai Amoo was quoted to have said: “Impossible is nothing; it’s quite possible the present squad go ahead to win gold at the upcoming 2016 Olympics in Rio as the 96’ Atlanta set performed in the years back, but not under the present scenario that preceded the side’s campaign at the just concluded Africa U-23 Cup of Nations in Senegal. The motivation for this current squad and coaching crew is low compared with the 1996 Olympic team.
“Of course, we must overhaul the team by getting the best players all over the world, not overlooking some shining stars in the present squad. Things must change completely, in addition to the total overhaul of the team as we will be meeting the world’s best in Rio for us to hope for a repeat performance of the 1996 Atlanta golden era,” said the former Nigerian assistant coach to supersport.com.
Well said Amoo. But, please, what was your contribution to the team’s selection? Or did Siasia pick all the players himself without consulting his lieutenants?
Mikel, I dey laugh o!
I don’t want to believe that John Mikel Obi wants to play for Nigeria at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. He should be told clearly that there isn’t any vacancy in the Dream VI.
When Mikel was eminently qualified to play for Nigeria at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games where we lost 1-0 to Argentina in the finals, courtesy Di Maria’s crafty chip over an onrushing Nigerian goalkeeper, he chose club over country.
Mikel didn’t behave like Lionel Messi, who forced his way to play for Argentina, irrespective of what FIFA rules said about clearance to play for Argentina being Barcelona FC of Spain’s management’s prerogative. Nothing happened to Messi when he returned to Barca – with a gold medal. He joined the league of top world soccer stars who played at the Olympics.
It is this feat of playing at the Olympics that Mikel wants. His wish shouldn’t be granted since he isn’t in as top form as when we needed him most in Beijing. If Mikel played against Argentina in 2008, we would have beaten the Argentines.
I know that Mikel won’t have the audacity to tell Samson Siasia he wants to play at the Olympics, given what he put the coach through in 2008. Siasia will definitely laugh because he went through hell trying to persuade Mikel to play.
No tears for Mourinho
Jose Mourinho had no business returning to Chelsea after he was sacked. If he missed the big crowd associated with the English game and indeed the media blitz, Mourinho should have gone to either Manchester United or Manchester City.
Both teams were tottering at the time Mourinho made the second move to Chelsea. If he did, he would have taken his pound of flesh on the Chelsea owners by beating the Blues when his team faced Chelsea. Well, Mourinho is human. He knows better now and won’t make that kind of mistake again.
Mourinho will surely get a good team. He may want to rest until the January window, but knowing who Mourinho is, he could return to the European game. Chelsea, beware.
Mourinho gave the English game the new competitive edge it is having today. Many big players are coming to England because Mourinho always played with the big stars. The English press will miss Mourinho’s thrills and sarcastic jibes. The referees and the English FA chiefs will also miss him.
As for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, he would be sad but relieved that no coach would taunt him with such toga as “Specialist in Failure.” Indeed, Mourinho was asked when he returned to the English game if he could cope with the new trends since things had changed. He chuckled and replied by asking if Wenger had won the English Premier League title since he left. Such were the antics of Mourinho- the world’s most exciting football manager.
Take a bow, Mourinho, you changed the face of the English archaic game for the exciting soccer we have seen since you entered England. Good luck in your new endeavour. All hail Jose Mourinho, “The Special One”.
