If there were doubts about who Nigeria’s biggest export to European football is, then the in-today, out- tomorrow saga that characterised John Mikel Obi’s move to China answered it all. Mikel is in China and he did well in the team’s first training session. He was also exceptional in his debut game Wednesday night. That was expected, especially after Oscar scored for his Chinese team in his debut appearance.
I hope Mikel knows why he couldn’t tie down a first team shirt at Chelsea beyond the fact that Anthonio Conte didn’t seem to like him. If Mikel had been scoring goals in his defensive midfield position, Conte will use him, knowing that the team’s owner will not question his choice of players. Conte appreciated Mikel’s talent. He knew that Mikel understood his theatrics. He never walked up to the manager to question his selection like most players. He also didn’t rudely submit his transfer request. Mikel was calm, little wonder Conte showered encomiums on him. Take a bow, Mikel (MON) for being a worthy ambassador.
Now that Mikel is in China, he should sharpen his scoring instincts and crack the ball home easily. Goals win matches. Not many people remember those who played well in a game. It is the names of scorers and their faces that headline all reports in the media. Those who scored exceptional goals sit back to savour the commentaries associated with their knack for goals.
“I could easily have stayed in Chelsea for the remaining six months of my contract but it won’t be in the best interest of my nation, as they need me match fit when the World Cup 2018 qualifiers resume,” Mikel told Owngoalnigeria.com.
“It wasn’t an easy decision to make but I seriously need matches to stay fit for Nigeria. Nigerians don’t deserve to miss out of the World Cup after back-to-back failure to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations.”
It is quite remarkable to hear that Mikel considered playing for Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup in Russia in making his move. Playing at the World Cup is every player’s dream. And there cannot be a better way to quit playing at the highest stage than after a good outing at the World Cup for your country.
Mikel’s move to China highlighted key movements for some of our big Eagles stars and the younger ones. Worthy of mention of these transfers is the signing of Ndidi by the defending Barclays English Premier League champions, Leicester City. Ndidi’s transfer had several hiccups, with the team’s manager Claudio Ranieri telling the international media that he had not seen Ndidi play before. I wasn’t startled by Ranieri’s scathing comments of not seeing the Nigerian play before. It was insulting because Ndidi is a World Cup star at the U-20 level. He was exceptional, with pundits tipping him to dazzle the world with his sublime skills.
Ranieri’s comments on Ndidi could be forgiven, what with Manchester United’s manager Jose Mourinho waiting to grab Ndidi, if the deal falls through. Mourinho has pulled several stunts in the transfer windows including luring players who were already in England for other clubs to join Chelsea, when he was the club’s manager. So, if Ranieri said he hadn’t seen Ndidi play before, I know why.
I wasn’t, therefore, surprised when Ranieri fielded Ndidi in the crucial English FA Cup away game against Everton at the Goodison Stadium in Liverpool. Indeed, Everton had beaten Leicester at home 0-2 in one of the Barclays English Premier League matches. It was a vendetta game for Ranieri, so, he needed an Oscar to swing the game in his favour. For a manager who hadn’t seen Ndidi play, many would have thought that it will take forever for him to play against Everton. Ranieri watched Ndidi at two training sessions and picked him to start the game. Ranieri’s decision was right. Ndidi was voted the British Broadcast Corporation (BBC’s) Man of the Match, with his Nigeria mate Ahmed Musa scoring the two goals that earned Leicester a fourth round tie in the English FA Cup.
Ranieri’s post-match comments should help Nigerian coaches know a little about the dynamics of coaching adding that:”Ndidi trained just two training sessions with us but played with fantastic personality. He recovered a lot of balls and played well. For 20 years old to make his first game against Everton, it’s unbelievable.”
The implication of Ndidi’s sterling debut outing is that he increases the options for Eagles manager Gernot Rohr in the midfield. It seems to me that Oguenyi Onazi’s daysas regular in the Eagles are numbered. Onazi is talented. But he plays in the Turkish league, which isn’t as competitive as the English Premier League. We don’t need any prize to guess right that Ranieri will field Ndidi in Leicester’s subsequent UEFA Champions League matches. Such games will help Ndidi grow to become the star that pundits predicted he will be when he starred for the Flying Eagles at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, where Nigeria crashed out in the quarter finals, losing to Uruguay.
Interestingly, Ndidi would have been a member of the all-conquering Golden Eaglets side that ruled the world in Dubai. He was dropped for failing the MRI scan meant to flush out overage players. But he was drafted to the Flying Eagles where he distinguished himself.
Indeed in the past week, the exploits of Ndidi and Ahmed Musa were captured by the international media, with Ranieri having this to say about Musa: “I want a solid team. I wanted him to understand about the velocity and everything else about English football.”
“I have watched him improve in training every day, but I needed to be sure he could do something for the team out on the pitch. We paid a lot of money for him. He was so, so close to do something good, but he needed to understand the Premier League a bit better.
“It is important for Musa because I saw him in the last month and he is much better. May be he understands better the Premier League, the fight, and everything. He was a very good threat to Everton. It was similar to Jamie Vardy. Everybody was calmer when he attacked the space. It was good,” Ranieri told Leicester Mercury.
“Every league is different. In Italy, there is more tactical and the players must work so hard with the movement. Here you have to understand the spirit of the competition. Every ball is the last ball.
“He was used to playing in Russia. In Russia, he scored a lot of goals because he was quicker than the other defenders. Here, everyone is quick and strong. Now he is more confident and for me much better.”
Good citation for the Nigerian game at a time when Mikel was heading for China. A new dawn beckons for our soccer. I cannot wait, with Nigeria moving a step up to 50th in the world, according to the January 2017 FIFA Rankings published on Thursday. We are seventh in Africa and with an international friendly against Senegal in March, it is almost certain that Nigeria could be among the best 40 countries in the world by June. Beating Senegal, ranked 33rd in the world and the best African side, our movement on the chart upwards is guaranteed. Nigeria World Cup rivals Algeria are 39th in the world and fifth in Africa. Cameroon are 62nd in the world and 12th in Africa. Zambia are 88th in the world and 21st in Africa.
Mind your language
I like the English game. The FA rules are applied to the letter – no matter whose ox is gored. They are unambiguous and there are monitoring units to ensure compliance. This is why the game there isn’t burdened by intrigues. Little wonder Ivory Coast international Bacary Sagna has been taught useful lessons about how to talk with decorum, even if you are hurt.
Sagna wrote on his social media page what appeared to have disparaged Referee Lee Mason over the manner in which he handled Manchester City’s last game against Burnley, which the latter lost 2-1 last week. One of City’s midfielders Fernandinho was sent off.
Sagna posted on his Instagram page that: “10 against 12… but still fighting as winning as a team.” Not satisfied with the feedbacks to his comments, apparently feeling that his message wasn’t understood, Sagna updated it thus: “Still fighting and winning as a team…”
Enough, the English FA spying system reckoned with its agents on the social media, alerting the FA’s relevant unit on competitions about Sagna’s uncouth statement, which they felt was capable of bringing the game to disrepute.
Sagna has been appropriately charged by the English FA in a terse statement on Tuesday. It said: “Bacary Sagna has been charged for misconduct, contrary to FA Rule E3 (1). Clap for the English FA chieftains. Not so in Nigeria where the social media has been desecrated with alarming and unsubstantiated comments on the game, its competitions, the practitioners and its affairs are being handled by the organisers etc.
Sadly, we hardly hear of sanctions from the NFF. When they try to act, it is upturned at the higher level for reasons which had been dismissed in the past. At other times, weak rebuttals are made by proxies of the loudmouths. This isn’t enough. Such inflammable utterances or comments must be punished to serve as deterrent to others.
Germany vs Nigeria
Please, don’t wake me up from this sleep. I listened to Super Eagles Manager Gernot Rohr saying that Nigeria could play against the 2014 World Cup champions Germany soon. I took Rohr seriously when the Germans didn’t refute the claim weeks after it was published.
I hope this game is played because it would open a new vista for our players in Germany. I have looked forward to having many Nigerians play in the German Bundesliga. It has been a while we had our stars thrill the Germans weekly as Victor Ikpeba, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, Sunday Oliseh, Jonathan Akpoborie et al did in the past.
The way Rohr spoke at the conference raised my hopes that soccer in Nigeria would soon be the business that it is in other climes.
