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Tag: Siasia

  • Siasia to tour Europe for new Dream Team invitees

    Siasia to tour Europe for new Dream Team invitees

    Nigeria Under 23 coach Samson Siasia has made the goalkeeper, defenders and attackers the scapegoats for the Dream Team’s failure to qualify for the final of the football event at the All-Africa Games following their 3-1 loss to Burkina Faso on Tuesday.

    And the ex-Nantes striker is travelling immediately after the Games, possibly to Europe, to run the rule over some players he plans to hand call – ups for the Africa U-23 Cup of Nations.

    “We will make corrections after the All-Africa Games. I plan to travel to talk to some players I have already penciled down, then hopefully, the team should  assemble in the first week of October to prepare for the Africa U-23 Cup of Nations. Certainly, some of the players I brought to Congo Brazzaville will have to give way,” Samson Siasia said.

    The Dream Team will play Congo in the bronze medal game on Thursday, starting from 1500 hours Nigerian time.

  • Siasia to overhaul Dream Team for CAF championship

    Siasia to overhaul Dream Team for CAF championship

    Dream Team VI coach, Samson Siasia, will overhaul his team ahead of the African U-23 Cup of Nations, which will serve as qualifier for next year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

    Siasia said he is happy that the worst has happened at the All-Africa Games and will correct his mistakes.

    “We will make corrections after the All-Africa Games. I plan to travel to talk to some players I have already penciled down, then hopefully, the team should be assembling in first week of October to prepare for the Africa U-23 Cup of Nations,” he told africanFootball.com.

    “Certainly, some of the players I brought to Congo Brazzaville will have to give way.”

    He added: “I never imagined losing to Burkina Faso, but then my midfielders played so well, my defenders and attackers let me down, can you imagine my attackers not being able to convert about eight chances that came their way?

    “To make matters worse, the defenders were asleep on a day they should have been up and doing. Who told the central defenders to keep offside trap the way they did?

    “I am totally disappointed, we can’t play like this in Senegal and expect to qualify for the 2016 Olympics. No way!

    “We were so bad that anytime the ball beat the defenders, even my goalkeeper could not stop any of the shots fired at him.

    “Football is a team work where errors are bound to occur, but it’s the ability of fellow team mates to cover for one another that makes a team great, that I didn’t see on Tuesday.”

     

     

  • AAG: Siasia happy to avoid Congo

    AAG: Siasia happy to avoid Congo

    Nigeria’s Dream Team VI head coach, Samson Siasia has praised his wards for the 1-1 draw against Senegal in the ongoing All Africa Games (AAG) in Brazzaville, Congo.

    The result ensured that the nation’s Under-23 side finished top of their group on four points while Senegal are runners-up on two points.

    Siasia said with the preliminary race well done his focus will now be on how to play their semifinals opponents.

    “My boys made me proud, I love their fighting spirit to concede a goal that late and come back to equalise is a sign that the boys have a strong mentality.

    “I must also praise Mustapha who was able to calm his nerves to score the equaliser.

    “For now let’s just go and savour our qualification for the semifinals as this draw has made us to avoid the hosts, Congo who would have been tough to play.

    “I would prefer playing them (Congo Brazzaville) in the final,” said the former Super Eagles manager to www.thenff.com.

    Siasia assured his side will not let Nigerians down in the next stage of the championship.“We will not let down our guards for now nor disappoint Nigerians. We will definitely make some positive chances in the next matches,” said Siasia.

  • Siasia slams Dream Team after Congolese scare

    Siasia slams Dream Team after Congolese scare

    NATIONAL Under-23 Coach, Samson Siasia says the team were lucky to record a 1-1 draw against Senegal in their last Group B game of the men’s football event of the Brazzaville 2015 Games on Saturday.
    A last minute equalizer from substitute, Mustapha Abdullahi ensured that the Dream Team VI secured the valuable point to finish top of the group.
    However, a visibly angry coach Siasia in a chat with NationSport immediately after the match played at the Kentele Stadium expressed worry over the team’s inability to convert their numerous chances in the game.
    He said: “It was a terrible one, it wasn’t a good match. I was expecting a better play from what we had in the first game. But so many mistakes right from the first half, passing the ball to the opponent, loosing possession, we can’t even keep the ball, we can’t string four to five passes among ourselves, it was a terrible one.
    “We keep having chances and cannot score right in front of the goal. Senegalese players didn’t had enough chances too, the only chance they had, they score. We create lots of chances we cannot score. Though I keep asking the boys why is it that we cannot score goals? It’s terrible, wasn’t a good game at all, we were just lucky.
    ” I’m angry because simple things they have to do but they don’t do it and it gives us problem. You can’t keep the ball for too long when you can pass it, these are just easy things.

  • AAG: Siasia unveils starting XI for Senegal tie

    AAG: Siasia unveils starting XI for Senegal tie

    Dream Team VI Coach, Samson Siasia, has named his starting XI for the team’s final group B game at the ongoing All Africa Games in Congo.

    Despite securing qualification to the knock out round, the Nigeria coach has decided to start the game against Senegal with his strongest squad, allnigeriasoccer.com reports.

    It means Daniel Emmanuel will be in goal, while Sincere Seth, who has passed a late fitness test, Obanor Erhun, Ndifreke and Segun Oduduwa will provide cover for him in the match slated for Saturday afternoon.

    Skipper Azubuike Okechukwu will be supported in midfield by Kingsley Sokari and Etebor Oghenekaro.

    The trio of Umar Aminu, Junior Ajayi and Etor Daniel will lead the charge for goals.

    Starting XI:

    Emmanuel, Seth, Ndifreke, Azubuike ,Oduduwa, Erhun, Umar, Etebo, Ajayi, Sokari, Daniel

  • AFTERMATH OF TANZANIA DRAW: NFF, Oliseh, Siasia meet again

    •Glasshouse chiefs insist Nations Cup bigger than All African Games
    •Want five Dream Team VI boys back in Eagles
    •Cast doubts over Eagles’ midfielders
    •Board meeting holds today in Port Harcourt

    Sportinglife can reveal exclusively today that eggheads of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are unhappy with the quality of players in the Super Eagles and have directed that the coaches of the senior team Sunday Oliseh and Dream Team VI’s tactician Samson Siasia must sit in a heart-to-heart discussion, if the country must qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

    In Saturday’s post-match discussions outside the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Nigerians including NFF board members were miffed over the decision to deplete the Eagles to strenghten the country’s quest for a gold medal at the 2015 All African Games (AAG) holding in Congo.

    The arguement in most circles after the game hinged on the fact that the five players (Ogenekaro Etebor, Kingsley Sokari, Christian Pyagbara, Chima Akas et al) could have been allowed to participate in Saturday’s barren draw game against Tanzania and join Dream Team VI in Congo after the game.

    Those in this school of thought argued that Afcon is a bigger competition compared to the AAG stressing that even if Siasia needed the boys for his matches, he could have agreed for them to play the Tanzanian game before coming to Congo.

    This school of thought posited further that Siasia pressed the panic button to strenghten his team when he knew that the Dream Team VI’s game against Egypt wouldn’t hold.

    The other school of thought were livid with the way the midfielders played in the game. They challenged Oliseh not to invite all those who manned the midfield, describing them as being sluggish and unprepared to give their best in that game.

    “Siasia knew that the game against Egypt wouldn’t hold, he ought to have released the five boys to the Eagles when the full training began in Abuja with the arrival of the foreign-based stars instead of taking them to Congo. If there was synergy and cooperation between Siasia and Oliseh, the dream team coach would have released the boys to the Eagles.

    Sportinglife scooped that a line may have been drawn which favours the presence of our best players at all times in the Eagles, especially as the age grade teams are meant to discover new players.

    Consequently, a board meeting of the NFF would likely hold today in Port Harcourt where an overview of the Tanzanian game will be discussed just as the strategies for the Eagles’ remaining games would be studied.

  • Siasia fails to get Saviour, Abdullahi’s replacements

    Siasia fails to get Saviour, Abdullahi’s replacements

    Nigeria’s Dream Team VI will be at the All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville two players short of their 20-man final squad after they failed to replace overseas-based Godwin Saviour and Shehu Abdullahi.

    The Belgian club of Saviour KV Oostende have refused to release the forward, same as Uniao de Madiera of Portugal held back midfielder Shehu Abdullahi.

    AfricanFootball.com has learnt that unless dramatic happens, coach Samson Siasia will only have 18 players available for selection as it is no longer feasible to effect any last-minute changes.

    Turkey-based Umar Aminu and skipper Azubuike Okechukwu will join the squad directly in Congo, while new Liverpool-signing Taiwo Awoniyi has been left out to sort out his club future.

    The team departed Abuja  Monday afternoon aboard a chartered flight.

    They are drawn in Group B along with Ghana and Senegal after Egypt withdrew from the tournament.

     

    U23 final squad

     

    Goalkeepers: Emmanuel Daniel, Yusuf Mohammed, Jimoh Lucky Abdullahi

    Defenders: Erhun Obanor, Segun Oduduwa, Mustapha Abdullahi, Sodiq Atanda, Seth Sincere, Semiu Laidi

    Midfielders: Azubuike Okechukwu, Oghenekaro Etebo, Ndifreke Effiong, Kingsley Sokari, Shehu Abdullahi

    Strikers: Godwin Saviour, Junior Ajayi, Daniel Etor, Austin Oladepo, Umar Aminu, Christian Pyagbara

  • Siasia disappointed with Egypt’s AAG withdrawal

    Siasia disappointed with Egypt’s AAG withdrawal

    Nigeria’s U-23 Eagles Coach, Samson Siasia has expressed his disappointment with the sudden withdrawal of Egypt from the football event of the All-Africa Games billed for next month.

    Nigeria was due to face Ghana, Senegal and Egypt in the group B of the games but the Egyptian FA pulled out leaving the group with only three teams after the Confederation of African Football turned down the option of replacing the young Pharaohs.

    The news was made known by the Confederation of African Football without stating reasons for their decision.

    In accordance with Article 19 (B) of the regulations which states “If a team withdraws after having qualified for the Final Tournament, but before the actual start of the Final Tournament, the Organizing Committee may replace it by the last team it has eliminated, if the circumstances are favourable…”

  • Oliseh, Siasia

    Oliseh, Siasia

    We must work together

    Super Eagles’ Head Coach, Sunday Oliseh and his U-23 team counterpart, Samson Siasia, have told themselves they must work together for each other to succeed as Nigeria football looks to a much brighter future.

    Both respected technicians met at the office of the NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi on Friday afternoon as Oliseh came to familiarize with NFF Management and Staff.

    “Whatever we might feel, the truth is that we are both condemned to work together. We have no choice than to pool resources together and see how we can both help ourselves succeed in our different but complementary tasks,” Oliseh, who was the first to arrive, said.

    Both men were integral part of Nigeria’s Golden Generation – the 1990s squad that took Nigeria to number five in the world rankings, won the Africa Cup of Nations and reached the Round of 16 at consecutive FIFA World Cup final competitions. Oliseh was also in the U-23 team that won Olympic gold in 1996.

    “I have coached the Super Eagles before and I know the nature of the job. It is no picnic. But we will always be in contact so that we can help each other at all times,” responded Siasia.

    While Siasia’s U-23 team is heading to the All-Africa Games in September, and also looks forward to participation at the African Olympics qualifying tournament (Africa U-23 Cup of Nations) in Senegal in December, Oliseh will be frisking for three points against Tanzania in the race for a place at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, and also has 2016 African Nations Championship and 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying races to deal with later in the year.

    NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, praised the duo for the maturity and pragmatism and assured that the NFF will give them, as well as coaches of other National Teams, all the support to succeed in their assignments.v

  • Siasia confesses: Clubs frustrating my plans

    Siasia confesses: Clubs frustrating my plans

    Head Coach of the U-23 National Team, Dream Team, Samson Siasia has cried out to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to come to his aid by talking to clubs in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) to release their players for preparation for next month’s All -Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville.

    Siasia expressed this frustration during Tuesday evening’s training session at the FIFA Goal Project when he had only eight of the invited players, as the others were not released by their clubs after he permitted them to play last weekend games.

    “How can I prepare well for a competition as important as the All Africa Games (AAG) when clubs in the local scene have refused to release their players for the camping exercise? We have barely two weeks to our first game and up till now I have only eight players to work with.

    “Most of the club managers called to appeal that we allow their players play last weekend games, a request I approved, with an appeal to them that they should release the players on Monday. This is Tuesday and I still have not seen the players as most of them have called to say their clubs are holding on to them for mid-week games. This is not fair.”

    To make matters worse, some of the invited players who arrived camp earlier, had to leave camp to report to the Super Eagles camp to which they have also been invited by coach Sunday Oliseh.

    According to  Siasia, he had to make this appeal to the NFF who are his employers to intervene on the issue because as things stand now, he cannot submit a list of players for the AAG, as some of his players have gone abroad to sign for clubs.

    Appealing to the clubs to help him out, the U-23 coach said they should give him all the assistance and cooperation they gave him in the early stages of his preparations for the qualifiers as that is the only way he can make the nation proud.

    As at Tuesday’s training only eight players – Segun Oduduwa, Sincere Seth, Ikechukwu Okorie,  Oliseh Ndah, Etebong Elisha, Oladapo Augustine, Mohammed Yusuf and Abiodun  Akande  -trained, while Tonbara Tiongoli, Semiu Laidi and Ndifreke Effiong sat out due to various injury concerns.

    Meanwhile, Siasia has invited three more players to beef up the team. The invited players are Stephen Eze (Sunshine Stars), Lawal Shittu (Giwa FC) and Christian Pyagbara (Sharks FC).

    Siasia said he expects all the invited players to report to camp by Thursday after their mid week games.