The Super Eagles, and the Kenya debacle!
- Details
- Category: Sports
- Written by ODEGBAMI
- Hits: 634
I can’t seem to be able to get away from thoughts of November 14. That is the day the Harambee Stars of Kenya, the minnows of Group B, will file out in the high altitude of Nairobi to attempt to put a halt to Nigeria’s dream to be one of the countries to play in the first World Cup to be hosted by an African country. From public comments it is clear that most Nigerians have given up on the hope of their team making it to South Africa and are, indeed, already preparing for life in the aftermath of the team’s ouster. Qualification or not what is also now clear to Nigerians is that all is not well with Nigerian football and that the results since the series of matches started have not been reflective of the country’s true capability considering the country’s place and achievements in the world. I can understand the frustration of Nigerians as they wonder how in the first place we got ourselves into a situation that our fate lies not entirely with us but with the result of another match some hundreds of miles away from Nairobi. Having said that it is important to remain focussed on the Nairobi match and pointless and even dangerous to spend any time considering what would be happening in Maputo where Tunisia would be playing the game of their life trying to stop Mozambique from beating them and qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations as a result. As important as that match is to Nigeria’s eventual qualification, it is more important first to work out how to go past Kenya. Can the Eagles pull it off? That’s a question that often angers me these days!
Who are these Harambee Stars to start to give us sleepless nights? Why would Nigerians think that the Super Eagles will not prevail over a team that has never beaten them before in a competitive game played anywhere? I stand to be corrected and I need to check my records to even be sure, I believe that no Nigerian team, at any level, has ever been beaten by a Kenyan team. The Kenyans before now have never ever been a threat to Nigeria. Why would they be this time? The present fear is a result of their impressive performance in the first leg in Abuja. They were a team that worked hard but were very inefficient. They caused the present scare when they created some good goal-scoring chances in the early part of the match, even hit the crossbar once, and made the Eagles’ defence look rickety several times during that encounter. In the end, although the Kenyans lost badly by three goals, they left a good impression that now makes Nigerians fear for the return-leg in Nairobi. Another source of concern derives from the anticipated effect of the Eagles playing at high altitude. That should ordinarily not be much of a worry since altitude has never stopped Nigeria in the past from dealing with Kenya. I recall several matches I played under that condition in the past and how we overcame the challenge it posed. It has been scientifically tested and proven how best to significantly reduce the effect of altitude on athletes. The simple answer is for a team that does not have the luxury of time (not less than about 10 days or so to get well acclimatised) to do a quick dash into the environment, perform almost immediately before the body-rhythm changes and get out! Trying to acclimatise within a few days is a catalyst for disaster. Incomplete acclimatisation due to inadequate time takes a heavy toll on the body mechanism. So, the present position of the NFF is correct, to move the Eagles to Nairobi on the eve of the match from Nigeria. The effect of high altitude would be minimal and even if the team loses (God forbid) it would not be as the result of lack of acclimatisation. We have done that through the years and it has worked every time! It is only proper to make this clarification. Acclimatisation, as effective as that may be, is impracticable within the few days the players are released by their European clubs.
It is a good match strategy that will be key to this match. That requires good coaching and good players. It requires a deliberate cautious play, maximum utilisation of set pieces, avoiding unnecessary tackles and not being recklessly ambitious. That way there is a real possibility of the Eagles ‘stealing’ a victory from Kenya.
The players must believe without an iota of doubt that they can do it and will do it. They must play deliberately to keep off the Kenyans from sight of their goal as they come buzzing around them like bees even if these bees have little capacity to sting! That is the job of a good and experienced psychologist who must start working on the players the moment they assemble in Nigeria.
This is a match that must be played with experienced players and not one for unnecessary experimentation. The only allowable ‘experiment’ would be the introduction of a creative midfield player that has been absent in the team up till now. Otherwise the Eagles must be drawn from the array of well-tested and well-rested players particularly those that think they have let the country down in the past and need this as their lifeline to regain a place - Chidi Odiah, John Utaka, Michel Obi, Taiye Taiwo, Daniel Shittu, Ogbuke, etc! - players with plenty of experience! The redemptive spirit should be their ultimate incentive, not the promise of a ‘big’ bonus that has failed so far to motivate these already super rich players! I have learnt from recent matches and findings (thanks to the private education I received from Ikeddy Isiguzo who brilliantly explained it all to me) that the promise of ‘big’ match bonuses to the present-generation of players no longer works as an incentive for them to play with deep commitment to their country. The ‘big’ bonuses are actually peanuts to the players, think of it! This is not the era of the Keshis, the Finidis, Amunekes and so on that were the first set of Europe-based professionals influenced and affected by the poverty-mentality of African players and for whom money was a powerful and effective incentive for performance. That is now in the past. For the present-generation players, with the kind of weekly wages they are earn in their clubs, national team bonuses look like change money. We must look for a new kind of incentive to drive them to play and want to die for country! That’s why national pride, international honour, recognition and prestige, must return to the team, and drive the players to want to serve their country!
Between psychology, good tactics, experienced players, a quick in and out dash to Nairobi, personal challenge, national prestige, the fact that no Nigerian national team, high altitude or not, has ever lost to the Harambees stars (and any Kenyan team for that matter), and even a weak Eagles that have not lost any match in the qualifying series and are unlikely to do so against the weakest team in the group, Nigeria will come away from Kenya victorious!
Kenya has never beaten Nigeria. They cannot start now even if the match is played in their President’s bedroom. Let us assemble players who see this and want to uphold it. Both countries do not belong to the same football league. It is a matter of national pride and honour now. We must assemble a team, give them a good psychologist to drill it into their psyche why they must go to Kenya, damn the effect of altitude, damn the result of the match in Maputo, damn the matter of monetary bonuses, shun any fear of losing and teach the Kenyans a lesson they will never forget! After that we can look at the direction of Maputo to find out how badly the Tunisians have fallen and whether or not we are set for SA 2010!!
Articles
The Super Eagles, and the Kenya debacle!
Category: Sports Written by ODEGBAMI Hits: 634
I can’t seem to be able to get away from thoughts of November 14. That is the day the Harambee Stars of Kenya, the minnows of Group B, will file out in the high altitude of Nairobi to attempt to put a halt to Nigeria’s dream to be one of the countries to play in the first World Cup to be hosted by an African country. From public comments it is clear that most Nigerians have given up on the hope of their team making it to South Africa and are, indeed, already preparing for life in the aftermath of the team’s ouster. Qualification or not what is also now clear to Nigerians is that all is not well with Nigerian football and that the results since the series of matches started have not been reflective of the country’s true capability considering the country’s place and achievements in the world. I can understand the frustration of Nigerians as they wonder how in the first place we got ourselves into a situation that our fate lies not entirely with us but with the result of another match some hundreds of miles away from Nairobi. Having said that it is important to remain focussed on the Nairobi match and pointless and even dangerous to spend any time considering what would be happening in Maputo where Tunisia would be playing the game of their life trying to stop Mozambique from beating them and qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations as a result. As important as that match is to Nigeria’s eventual qualification, it is more important first to work out how to go past Kenya. Can the Eagles pull it off? That’s a question that often angers me these days!
Who are these Harambee Stars to start to give us sleepless nights? Why would Nigerians think that the Super Eagles will not prevail over a team that has never beaten them before in a competitive game played anywhere? I stand to be corrected and I need to check my records to even be sure, I believe that no Nigerian team, at any level, has ever been beaten by a Kenyan team. The Kenyans before now have never ever been a threat to Nigeria. Why would they be this time? The present fear is a result of their impressive performance in the first leg in Abuja. They were a team that worked hard but were very inefficient. They caused the present scare when they created some good goal-scoring chances in the early part of the match, even hit the crossbar once, and made the Eagles’ defence look rickety several times during that encounter. In the end, although the Kenyans lost badly by three goals, they left a good impression that now makes Nigerians fear for the return-leg in Nairobi. Another source of concern derives from the anticipated effect of the Eagles playing at high altitude. That should ordinarily not be much of a worry since altitude has never stopped Nigeria in the past from dealing with Kenya. I recall several matches I played under that condition in the past and how we overcame the challenge it posed. It has been scientifically tested and proven how best to significantly reduce the effect of altitude on athletes. The simple answer is for a team that does not have the luxury of time (not less than about 10 days or so to get well acclimatised) to do a quick dash into the environment, perform almost immediately before the body-rhythm changes and get out! Trying to acclimatise within a few days is a catalyst for disaster. Incomplete acclimatisation due to inadequate time takes a heavy toll on the body mechanism. So, the present position of the NFF is correct, to move the Eagles to Nairobi on the eve of the match from Nigeria. The effect of high altitude would be minimal and even if the team loses (God forbid) it would not be as the result of lack of acclimatisation. We have done that through the years and it has worked every time! It is only proper to make this clarification. Acclimatisation, as effective as that may be, is impracticable within the few days the players are released by their European clubs.
It is a good match strategy that will be key to this match. That requires good coaching and good players. It requires a deliberate cautious play, maximum utilisation of set pieces, avoiding unnecessary tackles and not being recklessly ambitious. That way there is a real possibility of the Eagles ‘stealing’ a victory from Kenya.
The players must believe without an iota of doubt that they can do it and will do it. They must play deliberately to keep off the Kenyans from sight of their goal as they come buzzing around them like bees even if these bees have little capacity to sting! That is the job of a good and experienced psychologist who must start working on the players the moment they assemble in Nigeria.
This is a match that must be played with experienced players and not one for unnecessary experimentation. The only allowable ‘experiment’ would be the introduction of a creative midfield player that has been absent in the team up till now. Otherwise the Eagles must be drawn from the array of well-tested and well-rested players particularly those that think they have let the country down in the past and need this as their lifeline to regain a place - Chidi Odiah, John Utaka, Michel Obi, Taiye Taiwo, Daniel Shittu, Ogbuke, etc! - players with plenty of experience! The redemptive spirit should be their ultimate incentive, not the promise of a ‘big’ bonus that has failed so far to motivate these already super rich players! I have learnt from recent matches and findings (thanks to the private education I received from Ikeddy Isiguzo who brilliantly explained it all to me) that the promise of ‘big’ match bonuses to the present-generation of players no longer works as an incentive for them to play with deep commitment to their country. The ‘big’ bonuses are actually peanuts to the players, think of it! This is not the era of the Keshis, the Finidis, Amunekes and so on that were the first set of Europe-based professionals influenced and affected by the poverty-mentality of African players and for whom money was a powerful and effective incentive for performance. That is now in the past. For the present-generation players, with the kind of weekly wages they are earn in their clubs, national team bonuses look like change money. We must look for a new kind of incentive to drive them to play and want to die for country! That’s why national pride, international honour, recognition and prestige, must return to the team, and drive the players to want to serve their country!
Between psychology, good tactics, experienced players, a quick in and out dash to Nairobi, personal challenge, national prestige, the fact that no Nigerian national team, high altitude or not, has ever lost to the Harambees stars (and any Kenyan team for that matter), and even a weak Eagles that have not lost any match in the qualifying series and are unlikely to do so against the weakest team in the group, Nigeria will come away from Kenya victorious!
Kenya has never beaten Nigeria. They cannot start now even if the match is played in their President’s bedroom. Let us assemble players who see this and want to uphold it. Both countries do not belong to the same football league. It is a matter of national pride and honour now. We must assemble a team, give them a good psychologist to drill it into their psyche why they must go to Kenya, damn the effect of altitude, damn the result of the match in Maputo, damn the matter of monetary bonuses, shun any fear of losing and teach the Kenyans a lesson they will never forget! After that we can look at the direction of Maputo to find out how badly the Tunisians have fallen and whether or not we are set for SA 2010!!