The Eagles that didn’t fly

After an exhilarating 2-2 draw against South Koreans in Durban on Tuesday, June 21st, the Super Eagles were knocked out of the 2010 World Cup much to the disappointment of millions of Nigerians. Yet again the Eagles have failed to win a game at the World Cup or make it through to the knockout rounds. Recriminations are already flying, finger-pointing for Nigeria’s dismal outing at the Mundial. Things would have been different had the Super Eagles had the rub of the green in South Africa but it seemed that Lady Luck did not favour the Nigerians.
I am going to dissect the Super Eagles’ performance at the World Cup and possibly highlight the turning points in the Eagles’ fortunes.

Pre-World Cup Preparation
The Nigerian FA are notorious for their tardiness and shoddy preparation for major football tourneys. The so-called ‘Fire Brigade’ approach came to fore once again; rushed preparations without careful and considerate planning has always been the bane of Nigeria football. Coach Lars Lagerback was only appointed by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) in February this year and the Swede barely had a month to familiarise himself with the players before the World Cup. Credit must be given to Lagerback for his squad selection despite a very short time with the players.

After a narrow 0-1 loss to Diego Maradona’s Argentina, Dickson Etuhu in an interview with the BBC complained bitterly about playing at altitude and lack of training at altitude. It will only make sense for a team gunning for glory to acclimatise with the conditions they will be playing in good time. Why did the Super Eagles have their training camp in the Swiss Alps in the Northern Hemisphere when the tournament is to be staged far below the equator? A training camp in South Africa should have been ideal from my point of view. The players would have acclimatised easily rather than popping into South Africa four days before the tournament kicked off. The NFF should take a cue from their South Korean counterparts; the Taeguk Warriors had training sessions in SA prior to the World Cup. The Taeguk Warriors obviously acclimatised better than the Eagles as evident in their performances.

Professionalism or lack of it
With utter disappointment and regret, the lack of professionalism amongst the Eagles is simply appalling. These players call themselves professional footballers but seem to lack the basic knowledge of the game. Nigeria’s group opener against Argentina was littered by ‘foul throws’ by the Eagles. Come on! This is the World Cup! It is the highest level you can play football yet the Super Eagles lack the knowledge of what a ‘foul throw’ entails. If possible, the Eagles should be taken to the classroom and taught the basic skills, rules and regulation of the beautiful game.

The now infamous ‘Red Card’ incident involving Sani Kaita is another example of lack of professionalism in the team. Kaita should know very well that shoving an opponent is a bookable offence lest trying to trample on him. Kaita looked flummoxed when referee Olegario Benquerenca showed him red, but it is the rule of the game and it was a red card ‘well-justified.’ The 1-2 loss to Greece is now history, no thanks to Kaita’s ‘rush-of-blood-to-the-head’ moment. The Eagles battled with ten men for over an hour and in football terms, that’s a pretty long time to play with a man down. Lack of professionalism cost the Eagles maximum points in that match.

Poor defending
Poor marking was a recurring decimal in all three games the Eagles played in South Africa. Against Argentina, the Super Eagles conceded the game’s lone goal from a set-piece; a corner kick by Juan Sebastian Veron floated into the Eagles’ penalty box and Gabriel Heinze beautifully headed home unchallenged. Should you take a look at Heinze’s goal against Nigeria, you will notice how pedestrian the Nigerian defence were. None of the Eagles in the box made an attempt to clear the initial cross from Veron, the Eagles were all guilty of ‘ball-watching,’ perhaps they were transfixed, rooted to the ground whileLionel Messi and co did maximum damage. Heinze’s seventh minute goal eventually turned out to be the game winner.

The Nigerians were also undone by two set-pieces against the Koreans. One should expect the Nigerians to use their height as an advantage over the shorter Koreans but the Eagles never exploited that advantage. Once again a free kick from the left, floated into the box leaving the Eagles flat-footed and an easy tap-in for Lee Jung Soo at the far corner of the goal post. Then Park Chu Young’s curled free kick round a not-so solid Eagles’ wall sailed through into the net giving the Koreans a 2-1 lead few minutes into the second half. Lapses in concentration by the Eagles defence were obviously exploited by the Koreans to Nigeria’s eventual elimination. Lesson learnt: set-pieces should be properly defended, while balls floated into the 18-yard box shouldn’t be allowed to land before they are cleared.

Poor Finishing
The Super Eagles are the most culpable of sides in the first round of the World Cup in missing goal-scoring chances. The main culprits include Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Obasi Ogbuke and Uche Kalu amongst others. Nigerians need not be reminded of Yakubu’s miss only from three yards against Korea or Obasi’s fumble against Greece. I don’t doubt the quality of the Super Eagles forwards but their finishing leaves a lot to be desired. Had the Super Eagles taken chances that came their way against all three Group B opponents, the scenario would have been totally different. As evident in football, you will be made to pay for missed chances sooner or later. No one can lay blame on the Jabulani for such profligacy in front of goal; football is all about taking your chances when the opportunity presents itself. After all said and done, the Super Eagles should have been more clinical in their finishes and spared the nation heartache.

It is not all doom and gloom for Nigerian Football after all. There are few positives to take from the World Cup; the team created lots of scoring chances. They had the fighting spirit that has been missing in the Nigerian game lately. I reckon the Super Eagles would have done better had Lagerback got a longer period with the team. It is time to revamp the NFF, give Lars Lagerback a long term contract and the Eagles will take flight once again. Not long now, let’s wait and see!