Nations Cup Fall-Out: How Amodu Got Himself Sacked

It is only true to say that now-sacked coach of the Super Eagles Shuaibu Amodu was under immense pressure for the larger part of his times on that job. Indeed the job of the super Eagles Chief Handler is a hot job, and even hotter to keep. Even despite arguably enviable results (going a whole year of at least 10 competitive games without a single loss), the man was highly criticized, and was never able to convince the larger (or perhaps louder) sections of Nigeria’s football community and press who kept screaming “Sack him, Sack him”.

Indeed Amodu did set at least three (3) records:
• He is the only indigenous coach to ever qualify Nigeria for the World Cup
• He is the only coach (indigenous or foreign) to have done it twice
• He is the only coach who went a whole year of competitive games (at least 10 of them) without a loss
But some sections of Nigeria’s sporting press and community (who actually seem to be louder) adamantly felt unconvinced.

With this background in mind, there is a level of awareness I expected Amodu to have had. Yours sincerely actually wrote an open letter to Shuaibu in December 2009, he actually fell into some of the dangers I warned him about. Amodu should have known that with the level of success (so to say) he attained, and that his critics were never convinced, and kept calling for his sack (which they didn’t get because he had good results on his side), he should have known that anything less would actually result in those critics having their way and having him sacked, that any show of failure would make the “sack him” voices overwhelming strong, and that indeed he would be sacked! So he should have done all not even to keep that level of seeming success but to improve on it. That was the only thing that would silence his critics. But did he do enough to improve on his then level of success?

Amodu Is The Architect Of His Own Fortune
Indeed your sincerely was among the very few Nigerians and writers who openly spok and wrote that Shuaibu Amodu should be left on that job to take the Super Eagles both to the Nations and World Cups. And I strongly and straightly charged Amodu to take and do his job PROFESSIONALLY. With the appropriate level of professionalism, I was sure he could succeed. But did Shuaibu Amodu follow that wise counsel?

Honestly, and for the first time, I’ll say this: I wasn’t impressed by the way Amodu executed the Nations Cup. He made and had obvious errors and flaws, in fact, things I didn’t expect from a coach of his stature by virtue of his long years on this job both locally and outside (at least 20 years). Indeed, it seemed like he didn’t know the job, or that I hugely overrated him.

For example:
• Why does it take Amodu well over 70 minutes to make a substitution when it had become obvious that things weren’t going his team’s way from the first minute of the 2nd half (as was clearly seen in the Egypt game).
• Why does Amodu keep starting Yakubu Aiyegbeni despite the guy’s obvious lack of form?
• Why does Amodu find it had to substitute Yakubu or keep him on the bench? Was he afraid of the guy as was his predecessor, Christian Chukwu?

Let me say this (and that on record) that Yakubu Aiyegbeni is a big waste of space and resource in and to the super Eagles. That guy doesn’t deserve even an invitation to the team, or being on the substitute bench. (it is on record that well before the Nations Cup, in December, I had written the same thing about Yakubu). It is a big insult to this country whenever Yakubu starts in the Super Eagles line-up. The impression is that he is the best we have got. The question we are to ask ourselves and Amodu should ask himself is this: Is Yakubu the best striker (or is he even among the best strikers) we have now? It will be a great shame to this country if he is. I’m not being critical or negative, but I can fairly say that Yakubu was useless whenever he was on the pitch at Angola 2010. Yet Amodu kept using him like a man without initiative or alternative, I am surprised.

Amodu’s Shocking Statement On the Local-based Players
I was amazed when I heard the statement Amodu made on local-based players on the eve of camp opening en route Angola. Amodu blatantly said, the local-based players were merely training materials, that they couldn’t be good enough to make his team, or match the foreign-based ones. I was in a state of shock and bewilderment for 2 reasons:
1. I had already spoken, written and published articles about him (i.e. Amodu) that he was good enough, and that he should be left to do his job.
2. The second and stronger reason was that Amodu’s own success started in the local scene with BCC Lions of Gboko in 1989.

So how can a local coach who started here at the local scene come to be making such a claim that local players are not good enough to make his team, and that they are only training materials. Some of these players have played and won the African Champions League, some of them have been runners-up, some of them were silver medalist at the Beijing 2008 Olympic football even. Are those the players an indigenous coach (for that matter) should talk low upon like that? Moses Kpakor (player of Shuaibu Amodu’s BCC Lions in 1989-91 was part of Westerhof’s Super Eagles at the time). Obviously, most of these guys would have made far better contribution to the team that the likes of Amodu’s Yakubu and Nwaneri!

Yet Amodu’s foreign legion were humbled and hammered by a largely home-based Egyptian team. Egypt’s starting line-up of eleven against Nigeria had nine out of the eleven as local-based players in Al-Ahly, Zamalek, Ismaila, only 2 of their starting line-up (Mohammed Zidan and one other) were Europe-based.

Amodu Shouldn’t Pass The Buck
Amodu as the Chief coach and Team Manager is absolutely responsible for the Super Eagle’s poor showing at the Angola 2010. he shouldn’t pass the buck elsewhere, not to the players (it is his duty to field the best and the best only), or the F.F. or whoever. He had everything in resources, players and motivation for them to have made the best, but didn’t.
But should Shuaibu Amodu have been sacked after the Nations Cup, and at such a time as this? This may yet surprise some, but my firm answer is NO! (That is a story for another day)! But have you noticed how the touted replacements are distancing themselves from the job? The Louis Van Gaals, Guus Hiddinks, Pete Taylors, Giovanni Trapatonis have all blatantly rejected the job, some of them have even gone to pick other jobs, what does that tell you?

EXPERT VIEW ON YAKUBU AIYEGBENI

Yakubu Aiyegbeni started this Nations Cup 2010 in Angola as Nigeria’s top striker, he started on the line-up in the three opening games of the group stage against Egypt, Benin and Mozambique respectively. Yakubu played full game against Egypt (though he largely played nothing except for a cross he made from the right o Obasi and Kalu, which narrowly missed target), was substituted in the Benin and Mozambique games.

Actually, I’m surprised that Nigeria’s coaches keep fielding Yakubu. We could observe and examine Yajubu’s impart in the Super Eagles on all matches he has ever played, but I’ll only talk on his import and impact in the four Super Eagles matches he started in group and quarterfinal stages of the Nations Cup. The summary is this, and I say it on record: in the Super Eagles, YAKUBU Is terribly low on productivity and results, and has failed again and again to justify his place in this team. Another thing is this, Yakubu has been extremely overrated and overhyped in some sections of the Nigerian sporting press. In fact, it seems he owes his prior entry into, and continued presence in the Super Eagles to those sections of the press.

These are some common traits that have characterized Yakubu’s game, and more so in this very Nations Cup in Angola as shown in the Super Eagles’ games in which he was given more than enough chance by the coach to prove his mettle. These are some of Yakubu’s highlights:

• Gives away his balls very cheaply
• Passes and controls balls poorly
• You can’t see him dribbling menacingly past opposing defenders
• You can’t see him firing goal-threatening shots (or even any shot at all)
• You can’t see him getting opposing defenders to commit fouls and blunders
• The worst is the kind of goal-begging chances made for him by teammates which he misses
• How about his size (big belly and backside)

A World-class Team Needs World-class Players

At the level of playing for a world-class team like the Super Eagles, and given the quality of players fighting for shirts, you would expect that players of the very highest quality and performance would ever star or start in this team. This is a team that should have no place at all for any mediocre. Only the best among the best should even be on the bench, not to talk of starting the game.

The way Yakubu gives away neatly made balls (by his teammates) tohis opponents is appalling to say the least. For example, in the Super Eagles’ third game at the Nations Cup against Mozambique, Yakubu played for over 60 minutes of the game before he was substituted. In that game, Yakubu received 14 balls from his teammates (these are balls that really got to him within the game), among those, on only occasions did he made good use of the ball or pass to his teammates for further play, on the nine other occasions, he either miscontrolled, mispassed, or just blatantly gave the ball away in waste to his opponents. This analysis could be investigated by simply playing back that video. This means 64% of the time, Yakubu wastes or balls given to him by his teammates. Is this the quality or performance you want from the top-striker of the team that is supposed to be of the highest standards in Africa and the world at large? And the issue is this, it’s not that that was an off-day performance for him (even the very world-class strikers such as the Ronaldo Lima, C. Ronaldo, Alberto Torres, Sam Eto’o all have their off-day periods sometime), for Yakubu, that is continual performance and result over time now! But the big riddle is that the coaches continue to use, and will not even substitute him within a game.

The great strikers of the today’s world are high-efficiency strikers, strikers that score one out of one chance, players who make the best and precise use of every ball that comes to them, near 100%-efficiency players and strikers, that is what the Super Eagles need. Not players who waste 9 out 14 balls passed to them as their usual performance in the team. That by all fair standards is a poor performance.

That is why the Super Eagles have greatly missed Julius Aghahowa, Aghahowa does not need a chance before he scores goals, he chases balls, charges defenders and goalkeepers, and aims the net at any minute opportunity, that was why he scored many goals out of obscure and remote balls or chances, that is what a striker is, not the one who gives away begging chances which the team many never see the like of it again till the end of that match.

Yakubu never threatens defences and goalkeepers, he just dnces up and down the pitch, showing and shaking his big backside. Be never fires shots, doesn’t dribble past defenders, wasted a begging chance made for him by the midfield against Benin (one-on-one with the keeper), wasted another such in the 38^th against when a Mozambican defender gifted him with a loose ball.

Yakubu has been playing in the Super Eagles since 2002, has scored 16, about 6 of which are penalties won by his other teammates. I have lots of respect for the Super Eagles coach Shuaibu Amodu (and his assistants too) but it beats my imagination why he still prefered and started Yakubu, he is in the best position to explain or defend his selection, and I make no intention to challenge that. But obviously, if I were the coach, Yakubu could never even make my 33-man team list.

See the change wnen Yakubu was substituted for Obafemi in the Mozambique game, see the result, effect, improvement, the question then is why does it take them so long to remove Yakubu even when his game is obviously unconvincing? Someone opined that when Yakubu is playing, the Super Eagles are actually playing ten against eleven. But conceptually, if you really look at it, when one person is wasting the effort of the other 10, you are no more 10, you are actually less than 10, that waste is a minus, a negative, so conceptually, it is no more ten against eleven, it is less than 10 against 11. That for sure is not a good omen for a team aiming to dominate the continent and the world.

Honestly, I believe it is a big insult to the population of this country when Yakubu starts in the Super Eagles line-up, it means such an underperformer is Nigeria’s best. It’s funny and absurd. Think of the quality of talents who play in the Brazilian team, such quality of our indigenous talents are the ones who should be in our national team. Think if Yakubu were Brazilian, would he be picked for the Brazilian national team? Never! It’s high time the Super Eagles got potent and effective weapons as strikers, not the like(s) of Yakubu Aiyegbeni. That is up to the coach if they must do well in the Mundial South Africa 2010.

Who Should Be Held Responsible For The Super Eagle's Loss To The Pharaohs?

The Nigerian bench didn’t make a substitution until well over 70 minutes. That leaves one in a big state of shock given the quality of players on that bench who could have been called upon to salvage the situation. Players like Osaze, Martins (though there were conflicting reports on his fitness), Kanu, Nsofor, any of these players could have come in (and that well on time) to salvage that attack before it got too bad, and by the time Kanu came in, it was Mikel who was substituted, Yakubu and Kalu who were obviously having a poor game especially the former were left playing.

Nsofor also came in late (over 80 minutes into the game) for Kalu, (Yakubu still left aimlessly roaming up and down the pitch), but he (Nsofor) made some impart, he created space for himself and fired two shots within few minutes of entry, one went off target, the other on target but saved by the Egyptian goalie, El-Hadari

So the question is why did it take so long for the Nigerian coach to make his first substritution when it was obvious that the game was not going his way? why did it take so long for the Nigerian coach to bring in an Nsofor till it was too late? Why did he leave a non-performing Yakubu playing for 90 minutes? Surprisingly Yakubu kept being started in the next two games, and the quarterfinal, as much as he continued his lack-lustre and uninspiring performances.

So the Super Eagles lost to an obviously better and more balanced Egyptian side. Egypt went on to win 3:1. This was how the Eagles though started the game well, but ended up poorly in the first game at the 2010 Angola Nations Cup. Amodu hereby makes his first loss in the team—Mixed impression from the Eagles and their handler, Amodu!

So How Did The Pharaohs Then Have The Upper Hand Over The Super Eagles?

The Egyptians were clearly more tactically discipline in seizing the chances they got. Our Super Eagles should learn to take their chances when they comes. This team needs a strike force (i.e. strikers) of extremely high efficiency. Strikers that score one out of one chance, or even half a chance. That is what produced Nigeria’s only goal in this match midway into the first half by Chinedu Obasi. That was Nigeria’s first real foray into the Egyptian defence. Obasi ran on the Egyptian defense, created his first shooting opportunity and fired his canon into the Egyptian net corner. It was a really beautiful goal.

The Eagles made other shooting chances, but the shooters were shooting poorly, the worst culprit being Kalu Uche (he had two shooting chances which he wasted wide on both occasions). This is the problem with the Super Eagles, they make many chances, but score few goals, in short, they have not got the high efficiency that is required in modern football, modern football is not your possession, it is your efficiency in goalscoring. But the Egyptians were wiser, they would always seize theirs when it showed up, because you don’t know when another would come.

The Super Eagles Remain Weak Toward Counter-Attacks

Nigeria’s lost goal resulted in the Egyptian scored goal. Nigeria made an attack foray into the Egyptian area, resulting in a shooting chance for Kalu Uche, he blasted wide. Before you know what was going on, within split seconds, the keeper played the goalkick to his midfield player, the player sent the ball straight to Meteeb who easily beat Yobo’s off-side trap, beat Enyeama the keeper, and slot the ball into an empty net. It was so fast that the whole super Eagles midfield, defence and goalkeeper were caught absolute napping. Even the camera people too because they were still showing Kalu’s miss when Meteeb was dribbling past Enyeama. That is the level of tactical discipline of the Egyptians.

Particularly, the Egyptian goalie, El-Hadari is great at setting up such counter attacks either with his goalkicks or with his ball throws. He regularly did, even in their subsequent games against Mozambique and Benin respectively, he continued to use this to rattle their opponents. If the Super Eagles could work more and close this great weakpoint of theirs, the better for the team. On the other hand, our own super Eagles are poor at setting up such kind of counter-attacks, they would rather be passing the ball around and back when they should have taken their opponents by storm in a lightning-speed counter-attack as the Egyptians do.

The Pharaohs Exploit Defensive Errors

The Egyptian scored goal in the opening minutes of second half was clearly more preventable than the first. Our defenders (Nwaneri and Taiwo) are purely to blame. The long ball came from the Egyptian midfield to Mohamed Zidan, Zidan and Nwaneri chased the ball. Actually Nwaneri was better positioned to reach the ball before Zidan, but the sloppily allowed Zidan to outrun him to the ball. Skillful Zidan beautifully controlled and laid a soft and perfect pass to his on-rushing teammate who blasted a canon which Taye helped by deflecting it away from the reach of goalie Enyeama. Pharaohs are 2:1 up with few minutes of second half.

A footballer is supposed to play facing the ball and his opponent. Taye chose the other way (i.e. to back the ball and his opponent), that resulted in the Egyptian second goal. If Taye were facing the ball, he would have blocked that ball either with his head or chest, and then even if the ball had gone past him, golie Enyeama was well-positioned to stop that shot, it sure wouldn’t have entered.

The more credit to the Egyptians, they showed and proved their sharpness in front of goal. They don’t wait for a second chance before they punish their opponent with a goal, every chance is taken, unlike the arrowhead of Nigeria’s attack, Yakubu (balls and goals waster-per-excellence).

Then Nigeria’s Attack Went Dead

Yakubu started as pointman of the attack in this game. He was totally and absolutely not in the game. The only serious thing he did was the cross he delivered in the first half of the match from the right which narrowly missed Obasi and Kalu. Any other thing he did was showing poor ball control that always end him up dispossessed of the ball, passing the ball to his opponents, wasting build-ups done by his teammates, haplessly running up and down the pitch dancing and shaking his big belly and backside. That was pretty what he did for the rest of the tournament.

The result was that the Egyptian defence had a field day with little or no trouble to worry about. Then at a time, the Nigerian attack went totally dead (many thanks to Yakubu). Yakubu surprisingly played all the 90 minutes of the game.

The question is what was the coach doing?

NIGERIA VS EGYPT: MIXED IMPRESSION IN SUPER EAGLES FIRST MATCH; A MATCH OF TWO HALVES.

The super Eagles of Nigeria were drawn in the Group C of the African Cup of Nations 2010 in the Angolan city of Benguela with group rivals Egypt, Benin and Mozambique. The first game with Egypt on January 12 proved to be the most difficult of all. This is because of the quality of opposition. The Egyptians though largely reported in the press and broadcast media to be depleted due to  absence of key players such as Mohammed Aboutreeka, Mido, Zaki, etc due to injuries, proved to be as strong as ever. Honestly, technical and tactically speaking, against the Eagles, and the two other subsequent group rivals, the Egyptians didn’t look any bit depleted. Their tactical discipline and technical quality remained as efficient as ever. The pharaohs don’t seem to be fading out at all as is being touted by some sections of the sporting press.

With star players such as Mohammed Zidan, Meteeb, Gomaa, Capt. Hassan, the goalkeeper El-Hadari who is great at launching some very dangerous counter attacks (such as the one that caught Nigeria’s midfield, defense and goalkeeper helplessly napping in the 40th minute and resulted in the Egyptian equalizer), honestly, the pharaohs remain a great side. I sincerely believe it may be unfortunate and a big disservice to this continent Africa, that such a great side will not be at Africa’s first indigenous hosted World Cup in South Africa 2010.

This is the kind of opposition Nigeria found itself with in its first game at Angola 2010. where the eagles prepared enough for such a tough opposition. The rest is history now, our darling Super Eagles were convincingly beaten by the more prepared, more tactically and technically sound Egyptians pharaohs.

Why were our Super Eagles so convincingly beaten by the Egyptians? Where the Eagles really bad on that day? Was the Eagles starting line-up good enough? Was the formation of Coach Amodu proper? Then why that embarrassing defeat? This are our pertinent questions?

Actually on that day the Eagles weren’t totally bad (I would say). In fact they started the game better than the Egyptians, only if they had kept the momentum through out the game. First of all, let’s talk about the starting line-up, and the formation.
Goal: Vincent Enyeama
Defense: Yusuf Mohammed, Joseph Yobo, Obinna Nwaneri, Taye Taiwo
Midfield: Mikel Obi, Dickson Etuhu, Yusuf Ayila
Attack: Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Chinedu Obasi, Kalu Uche
This was Coach Amodu’s starting line-up in his very first game at the Angola 2010 Nations Cup. Clearly, this is a 4:3:3 formation, capable of transforming into 4:4:2 or 4:5:1 depending on the flow of the game. Honestly, this line-up and formation was a very strong one (except perhaps for one factor—Yakubu—which I’ll talk about later) if nothing, at least, with the start of the match. That was why the Super Eagles matched the Pharaohs in the first half of the match. Some have crucified Amodu for starting with two defensive midfielders (Etuhu and Ayila). That criticism is absolutely wrong. That is not the point fro which to criticize a coach, the biggest coaches and teams also do that. It’s not wrong, and it brings them results since they know what their match plan is. So why is it wrong when Amodu does it. So that is not the point for us to criticize Amodu. We’ll criticize him later. So the Eagles starting line-up and formation against Egypt’s Pharaohs we must agree was a strong one.

Another thing is this, the Eagles under Amodu have proved to very susceptible to counter attacks (as clearly shown in the World cup qualifying series against Tunisia and Mozambique in Abuja), and even in this game against Egypt. Fielding a formation of two defensive midfielders is a way of curtailing such vulnerability, so there is no error in that, rather, it is supposed to be a paying and profitable decision—with a good match plan that is. Besides, the two defensive midfielders fielded (Ayila and Etuhu) are each known to be strong on the offensive too (Ayila is known to have scored goals before in the Super Eagles).

However, there was a major weakpoint and loophole in that team on that day, it showed itself as the game progressed, and in two subsequent group matches against Benin and Mozambique, and further in the championship. This loophole was no other than Yakubu Aiyegbeni, we’ll talk more about him later.

So in the first half, the Eagles played a balanced game, even getting the Egyptians to struggle on some occasions, and making chances of their own.