I enjoy sneaking into viewing centres to watch the weekend games because it gives me the opportunity to gauge how sports lovers relate with The Nation and Sportinglife. I deliberately enter such places when games have begun to avoid attention. Yet, I’m recognised and debates start. I listen to their views and leave better informed.
These fans follow the game. They perceive writers as experts in their trade. Yet, I tell them that they always confound me with their depth of knowledge. The fans are not always impressed with my silence but that is who I am.
On Saturday, I watched Chelsea lose 1-2 to Sunderland. l looked out for John Mikel Obi to see if he would start the game. Mikel didn’t but I was satisfied with what I observed as it concerned his relationship with the team’s manager Jose Mourinho. Mourinho won the battle to keep Mikel from Manchester United. Mourinho again sought a psychologist to talk to the Nigerian in the early days at Stamford Bridge to see himself as a professional and not a disc jockey.
As the Chelsea game progressed without Mikel, I nursed writing a stinker about Mourinho because the squad he set out against Sunderland was too weak not to have the Nigerian play a significant role. But my sentiments for Mikel faded out when Samuel Eto’ O scored the opening goal. As Eto’O celebrated, he ran towards the bench to dance Azonto. Then I changed my mind on Mourinho.
The Special One tapped Mikel behind him, shrugged his shoulders while dancing on his seat to copy what Eto’O was doing and he smiled. Mikel got up to tap the excited manager on the shoulder and shook hands across Mourinho’s shoulders. I was bowled over. No malice against Mikel, I muttered in between a smile. Mourinho clearly has Mikel in his plans and keeps him on the bench for tactical reasons. It dawned on me that Mikel would be our joker at the 2014 World Cup, only if our coaches are following his game through Chelsea’s matches.
Indeed, Mikel chose his 27th birthday night to prove his world-class act against Athletico Madrid in Spain on Tuesday with a remarkable performance, although he would be excluded from the return leg game at Stamford Bridge next Wednesday. Mikel was Chelsea’s Rock of Gibraltar against the Spaniards, with his stout defending, culminating in a yellow card late in the game.
Mikel’s sterling role on Tuesday showed that he is fit for the Mundial. He showed he could be handed duties to decide how a team should play. He galvanized Chelsea’s defence with his spirited challenges to wrest the ball off Atletico’s players. He earned seven points out of ten from ratings. This underscores why he needs to make Brazil 2014, the platform to wrest the Africa Footballer of the Year award from Yaya Toure next time around. Did I just see you sneer at the thought? Mark my word, Mikel looks set to be one of the heroes of the 2014 World Cup, if he maintains the fitness I saw on Tuesday night and shows the fighting spirit and doggedness while playing for Nigeria. Mikel needs to be told to avoid poking his nose into disputes on the pitch. Such commentaries are done by the team’s captain. The yellow card Mikel received was unnecessary. And this isn’t the first time he has been punished for side comments by the referee.
But would Mikel show the same level of understanding with our coaches if kept on the bench for tactical reasons? Read my lips. For sure, our coaches have not earned our players’ respect with their tactics; nor have they shown that they would be fair to all with their selection methods? If Mikel plays in Brazil with the kind of tactical discipline he exhibits playing for Chelsea, the Eagles will be difficult to beat, especially if our coaches compliment Mikel’s qualities with the right players in the midfield and attack.
Writing bits of this column on Monday evening, I saw three Argentine players score all the goals with which Manchester City beat West Bromwich Albion 3-1 in England in a rescheduled Barclays English Premier League game. My heart froze, not because the goals were spectacular, but because it meant that the Argentines would be a free-scoring side at the Mundial. Two of the goals were scored by defenders, although the goal that West Brom scored came from a sloppy defending from one of the scorers, Zabaletta. Add these feats to Lionel Messi’s stunner against Atletico Bilbao on Sunday, then you will appreciate why the Eagles must strive to grab the six points from their first two games, lest the World Cup is over. Indeed, the Argentines are on fire. But they could turn out to be club performers at the World Cup. That is our prayer because it is about time the Eagles got out of the World Cup group stage.
My consolation is that Nigeria’s game against Argentina is our last. The Argentines could have qualified. They wouldn’t need the three points and could rest some of their big boys for the second round tie. The flipside is scary because if the Argentines need the game and we haven’t secured six points, then our misery would be complete. God forbid. But do we have any idea of how Iran and Bosnia play beyond our usual beating of the chest? My fear for the Eagles at the World Cup is Bosnia, especially if they lose to Argentina. If we beat Iran, we would assume that things are right and not make daring changes to address the flaws noticed playing Iran before the Bosnia tie. That has been our albatross at the Mundial. We celebrate pyrrhic victories. Brazil 2014 World Cup won’t be any different, with the cocky coaches we have in the team.
Carlos Quieroz, we are told, has been compiling our tapes ahead of the opening game. He is renowned for spying on teams. Indeed, he worked for the most successful manager in the English game Sir Alex Ferguson. But the big question would be if Iran has the type of players to interpret his strategies against a better exposed and talented Nigerian side. We’d better not draw that opening game, lest we kiss the competition goodbye. Again, God forbid. I don’t want to be accused of being a prophet of doom. We must keep it tight at the defence. We must anchor our midfield on Mikel and pray that he understands that we must score goals by releasing the balls early to any free mate. Our strikers must not be wasteful. They must score goals not attempt to be classy in their efforts.
Our preparations for the World Cup began on Tuesday when the Technical Committee members impressed it on the Eagles chief coach to convince them that some of the players reported to be injured were good enough to be taken to the World Cup. Equally important was the directive that the coach should inform those he dropped about his decision. This is the trend in other places because he could need them for subsequent assignments. The NFF must get the chief coach to address the media after releasing the 35-man or is it 38-man squad for the World Cup. Nigerians deserve to be told why those selected made the list irrespective of what the coaches’ contract state. When we lose, the country is like a grave yard. Most times, the coaches walk away and we are to stew in the mess.
We are tired of fielding half-fit players. Those with recent history of injuries must be subjected to rigorous medical tests here to confirm if they are fit. The era of rewarding injury-hit players with a place in our World Cup squad simply because they secured the ticket for us is gone.
NFF President Aminu Maigari’s condescending posture towards directives from superior bodies has helped us achieve a lot in our soccer. Last weekend, the news was broken that the Federal Government was toying with the idea of constituting a Presidential Task Force (PTF) to be headed by Cross River State Governor, Liyel Imoke. My first response was to celebrate the decision because the governor has been the bridge to the growth of the beautiful game here. I also know that the NFF men would be favourably disposed towards working with him.
I was therefore not surprised when Maigari backed the decision to have a PTF. He hinged his decision on the fact that the task of lifting the World Cup in Brazil isn’t essentially an NFF affair. I agree, especially if the government is spending its cash on the project. It simply means that with the governor, the government would give enough cash. More so when the NFF are ready to work in tandem with those appointed. This is the way forward, if we hope to make any meaningful impact at the Mundial. Take a bow, Maigari. Up Nigeria! Up Super Eagles! Oba Khato Okpere, Ise!
