Goalkeeper: Vincent Enyeama To win any football competition in the world a reliable goalkeeper is required and Nigeria is blessed with two very good shot-stoppers in Vincent Enyeama and Austin Ejide. Vincent-Enyeama-007.jpg Vincent Enyeama: Super Eagles safe hands However, Enyeama has remained first choice under Coach Stephen Keshi and will get the nod to man the post at the World Cup. The Eagles vice-captain had a fantastic season with Lille of France with an amazing 21 clean sheets and went over a thousand minutes without conceding a goal. The former Enyimba player’s biggest attributes are his ability to command his area, confidence going into one- on-one duels with opposing strikers and he is a very good shot-stopper like we witnessed against Paul Scholes at the 2002 Korea/ Japan World Cup and against four-time World Player of the year Lionel Messi at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. He may just be handed the captains arm-band for the Brazil 2014 tournament. Center Back’s : Godfrey Obaobona and Kenneth Omeruo These two lads came through for Nigeria football just at the right time and proved how valuable they were with some stellar performances at the 2013 African Nations Cup which Nigeria eventually won. Oboabona.jpg Oboabona can tame even the best of strikers Omeruo was a revelation for Middleborough in the just concluded English Championship season on loan from Chelsea and has been rewarded with an improved deal at Stamford Bridge on his return. His fearless nature stands him out and he is calm on the ball and plays it out of defense beautifully which is a stamp of the modern day center back. Obaobona likes to get among the goals and has already scored three for his club Rizespor in his first major season in Europe which is more than Mikel obi has scored for Chelsea in the English premier league for eight years. The former Sunshine Stars defender is powerful and has the ability to hit freekicks but hasn’t been called upon often to do so in the Super Eagles jersey. However, the only fear is that both players has never been to the World Cup before and may struggle to deal with expectations as they are not the most experienced duo you can find but the coach prefers their chemistry to the exclusion of the squads captain, Joseph Yobo. Full Backs : Efe Ambrose and Uwa Echejile Efe Ambrose can easily be referred to as the most consistent Nigerian defender in Europe and he even captained his club Celtic for some matches in the just concluded season which is a huge statement of how much the club values him. Uwa-Echiejile.jpg Echiejile not afraid to go into tackles In modern football, the full backs are more like wingbacks because of their ability to push up and support the attack and also recover in good time to do their defensive duties. Here, Ambrose may struggle because he is not solid on one-on- one situations and may need the support of Onazi or Omeruo to cover for him whenever he pushes upfront or faced with the task of marking very tricky wingers like Angel Di Maria of Argentina - whom he will likely confont when Nigeria plays against Argentina. Uwa Echiejile is a sure berth like the other three defenders mentioned above to play in the starting eleven and he has grown in confidence since he cemented his place in the senior national team. He may not possess the shooting ability or delivery skills of Taiye Taiwo but he is a decent defender that joins the attack and his recovery rate has improved like we witnessed at the 2013 African Nations Cup. But if Echejile gets injured during the competition, who plays in his position? Naturally Juwon Oshaniwa is supposed to slot in but Keshi seems not to have requisite faith (why take him then) in the Israel- based defender as he did not call on him for the Scotland game and completely ignored him against Greece even when Echiejile went off injured. Efe Ambrose was preferred instead while Kunle Odunlami came on and slotted in at right back. Obaobona or Omeruo could also be asked to play at full back positions since they are utility players or stick with Ambrose on the left like England does with Glen Johnson sometimes which will free up space for Joseph Yobo to play and add a little bit of experience to the back line. The Midfield: Ogenyi Onazi and Mikel Obi Mikel Obi surprisingly will be making his first appearance at the World Cup as he was ruled out through injury from the last tournament in South Africa. Mikel-Nigeria-Greece.jpg Mikel Obi dictates play for the Super Eagles The Chelsea man is perhaps Nigeria’s best midfielder because of his ability to dictate play from midfield. He is one of the most intelligent Nigerian players of the modern era and it shows on the pitch with his choice of passes and ability to command the respect of his team mates both on and off the field of play. He is not very mobile but he makes up for that with his special long range passing but one aspect of his game that needs drastic improvements is his pace. Ogenyi Onazi is one player that has warmed himself into the hearts of Nigerians with his style of play. He mixes it with the Italian grit and the Nigerian flair and playing alongside Mikel in midfield will be a joy to watch at the World Cup. The Winger’s : Ahmed Musa, and Victor Moses Victor Moses did not enjoy the best of seasons on loan to Liverpool in the just concluded English premier league season and needs the World Cup to remind everyone what a wonderful player he is. Musa-runs.jpg Ahmed Musa can comptete with Usain Bolt for speed Moses greatest trait is his ability to beat defenders with pace and create assists for team mates but he also likes to showboat sometimes which takes his concentration away, it is the coachs job to make him stay focused and help him improve on his final delivery which is very poor whenever he gets to the final third. Musa has shown a lack of potency on many occasions when he is through on goal which can cost the team dearly at the World Cup. The Strikers: Osaze Odemwingie and Emmanuel Emmenike Osaze Odemwinge is one of the newest members of the Super Eagles squad under Coach Stephen Keshi but he is one of the most experienced players in the group and he offers a lot to the team. Emenike against Greece.jpg Emmanuel Emenike can shine at the World Cup stage Because of Keshi’s love for the 4-3-3 formation, Osaze may find himself with a midfield role and if the Eagles adopt a 4-2-3-1 formation the Stoke City striker may find himself playing in the hole just behind Emmenike which will not be a bad idea as the former Lille of France forward is capable of passing, shooting and tracking back. Emmanuel Emenike is a power house and is blessed with pace which is a great asset for the Nigerian forward. The Fernabache striker played a leading role at the 2013 African Cup of Nations as he led Nigeria to her third title but he will be without favourite strike partner Brown Ideye who was dropped. Editor’s note Nigeria is blessed with so many talented players but the coach has placed his trust on this selected group to deliver a good tournament. And if you feel Ramon Azeez or Shola Ameobi or any other player should make the starting line-up ahead of these players we’ve previewed you can share that knowledge with us. Gracias!
Posted on: Mon, 16 Jun 2014 12:54:22 +0000
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