Lessons of Catalonia friendly

It was one of the few matches lined up for the Eagles as they round up preparations for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa. Although the highly rated match ended in 1-1 draw, the Super Eagles were able to banish the ghost of a similar friendly match five years ago when they […]

It was one of the few matches lined up for the Eagles as they round up preparations for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa. Although the highly rated match ended in 1-1 draw, the Super Eagles were able to banish the ghost of a similar friendly match five years ago when they were whipped 5-0 by Catalonia.

Coach Stephen Keshi has since been hailed by many pundits including the chieftains of the Nigerian Football Federations, NFF, for starting the game with predominately home-based players against a star studded side. At least seven of the eleven players who started the game were drawn from the Nigeria Premier League.

Rangers of Enugu new signings, Chigozie Agbim, Sunday Mba, Sunshine Stars Solomon Kwambe, Godfrey Oboabona, Warri Wolves Azubuike Egweuke, Heartland’s Benjamin Francis, and Ejike Uzoenyi started the match. It was an opportunity for the home players to stake claims for shirts ahead of the 2013 AFCON.

It is no longer news that within the first 45 minutes of the opportunity given to them by Keshi, some of local players failed to justify the confidence reposed in them. For players like Kwambe, Francis, Uzoenyi, and Mba, it was a bumpy ride. It will therefore take a miracle for them to be in South Africa.

However, for the trio of Agbim, Oboabona and Egweuke, it was fair outing considering that they saw full ninety minutes of action and used the opportunity to lay claim to shirts in the defence line of the Eagles team for the Nations Cup.

The lessons remains that most of the home lads still need exposure as a big stage like the Nations Cup may be too big for some of them to perform creditably. This is not an attempt to undermine their chances of making the 23-man list for the Nations Cup.

It was not only the home lads that faltered as even some foreign based players struggled to justify their rating. Although it may be argued that Brown Ideye who has been a regular scorer for his club and Fengor Ogunde failed to shine because they played alongside the home-lads in the first half, they did not make personal efforts as the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Radamel Falco would do in similar circumstance.

Brown and Ogunde were not the only less than impressive guy on the night as the introduction of other Europe based stars like Ahmed Musa, Ikechuwkwu Uche, Emmanuel Emenike in the second half did not cause the necessary bite upfront.

However, most football analysts are of the view that the  Super Eagles once again proved that the re-building being orchestrated by Keshi is likely going to produce results in future. After initial panic by the players obviously as a result of the intimidating profiles of some of the Catalonians, the Eagles settled down to play with some degree of confidence in the mid-field and attack.

As the NFF president Alhaji Aminu Maigari said, the players showed the required hunger and determination to make a statement even on the big stage. If not for the tenacity which Nigerians are known for, the goal the Eagles conceded early into the match could have sapped their confidence and ultimately wrecked their chance of coming back into the match.

The lesson the Eagles must have learnt is never to give too much respect to opponents. The penalty which Gonzalez converted in the second minute of the match came as a result of unnecessary tension and panic in the defence line. The moment the defence anchored on Oboabona and Egweuke managed to overcome the fear, it was able to contain the tricky Catalonians.

Some of the football pundits who spoke to Shot! on the international friendly have hailed the boys for not stooping too low to be flogged by the Puyols and Xavis of Catalonia. Former Super Eagles winger, Tijanni Babangida said the result is good for the Eagles who are preparing for a major tournament.

He, however, called on Keshi to immediately adjust the team’s mid-field as he observed that the unacceptable habit of giving out the balls in the midfield created opportunity for the Catalonians to keep the defence under pressure.

“It was not a bad result for the Eagles. It will boost their confidence especially as the result is against a European side. The result will surely make the boys believe more in themselves.

“My only observation is that in the second half, the midfielders easily gave the ball away and that made way for the Catalonians to make deadly incursions. You will agree with me that in the last quarter of the match, there was so much pressure on the Eagles defence”, he said.

Former Super Eagles goalkeeper and assistant coach, Joe Erico said the Eagles showed enough determination because they wanted to prove that they can hold their own against the best players in the world.

He, however, called for total concentration on the part of the players and members of the technical crew.

“I rate the players highly. Before the match, I said it was not going to be easy because I am a Nigeria and I believe in myself and Nigerians. Moreover, it was a case of a nobody trying to prove that he is a somebody.

“The lesson for the players is that they must improve on their level of concentration. I am talking about individual concentration and collective concentration. If they can concentrate and avoid making costly mistakes, they can go places.

“I am happy with the performance of the boys. They made me happy and I can say if given the necessary support, they can go far at the Nations Cup”.

For Flamingoes assistant coach, Mansur Abdullahi poor finishing was the bane of the Eagles against Catalonia. He also said the players need to improve in the area of communication as he noted that on several occasions, two players went for the same ball.

“I think the Eagles did well to draw that match but there are rooms for improvement. The players must work hard on their finishing and there must be better communication. On several occasions, I saw more than a player going for the same ball.

“I also want to encourage the defenders to embrace zonal marking and effective coverage. Although, they showed lack of confidence in the first half. I can say the Eagles are flying again”.

Coach Stephen Keshi has not hidden his satisfaction with the performance of the Eagles but going by the performance which the team put up, it can be said it is not yet uhuru. The obvious lessons of Catalonia friendly must be learnt and quickly too. And to prove that the lessons have been learnt, the Eagles must show more confidence and better organization in the defence as they take on Cape Verde and Angola on the road to South Africa.