Nigeria
national team is finally out of the 2013 FIFA Confederations cup in Brazil. It
wasn’t a surprise to most football analysts; none of the emerging football
nations from Japan, Mexico or Nigeria could create any upset. So as expected
Europeans and South American teams dominated the tournament.
However, the
Confederations cup served out its purpose. It was an eye opener for the Super
Eagles coaching staff; that there’s a lot of work to be done. Perhaps, it
finally dose-off the euphoria of AFCON win and Stephen Keshi’s unbeaten run as
the Nigeria’s national team coach.
The tournament
exposed some of the weaknesses of the Nigerian side and brought to fore the
kind of quality required at that level of football competition.
The Game against Tahiti
Although the
Super Eagles won the game 6 – 1, the Tahiti national team wasn’t a match for
any of the teams at the tournament.
However, the
game against Tahiti immediately exposed the vulnerability of the Nigerian team.
There was a fundamental problem with the Super Eagles attack as players like
Brown Ideye, Ahmed Musa, Sunday Mba were shooting wide.
Again, the
fact that Tahitians were able to score a goal also showed how weak the Nigerian
defence was.
The Game against Uruguay
I thought
the Super Eagles could give the Uruguay team a scare, but the game began to
show what the exact problem was. The Nigerian team lack the quality to compete
at this level. The individual players in the team were just average and couldn’t
make any impact.
Diego
Forlan, Luis Suarez and Cavari took the game above their standard to give
Uruguay their first win. Uruguay 2 Vs 1 Nigeria.
The Game against Spain
I personally
think the Nigeria team put in their best performance of the tournament in the
game against Spain, especially at the midfield. But the quality of the Spanish
team was far beyond what the Nigerians could
handle.
The world
and European champions took the Match away from them; outplaying the African
Champions at every department of the game. Watching the Nigerian side miss
begging chances further exposed the lack of quality for players like, Mohammed
Gabo, Brown Ideye, and Joseph Apala… Spain won the game by 3 – 0.
Stephen Keshi’s Post Match Verdict
The Nigerian
coach bemoaned his team and said he missed Victor Moses and Emmanuel Emernike;
that both players would have made a huge difference in the team.
Keshi said
the Nigeria team is still ‘work in progress.’ Would go back to amend all the
faults he observed during the tournament.
Super Eagles Rating at the Tournament
If I have to
rate each department of the Super Eagles over 100%, I will give the Defence
30%, Midfield 50% and Attack 15%. I personally think Mikel Obi, Elderson
Echiejine and Kenneth Omeruo were able to step up their play during the
tournament.
My Personal Verdict
I think
Nigeria best legs were not included in the team. FIFA Confederations cup was by far a different
ball game from AFCON.
We require a
lot more technical intelligence from the bench and a blend of quality players
selected to do the country proud. This is the lesion for the 2014 FIFA world
cup – that’s if Nigeria eventually qualifies.
