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.