Keshi and the curious case of the 35 men to list

Nigeria...
is a hot bed of talent and to choose from that talent is not an easy job especially putting up with politics, enemies of progress and pressure.
The nff have asked keshi to pick 35 men which fifa will later ask to widdle down to 23 to be handed in to the nff next week and which will release the beauty or the beast either in his camp or with the fans.

Keshi is known for his favour of youth but also his ability to be unorthodox and spring surprises and with the list i expect some surprises.

I have said once and i will say again i called for uchebo's inclusion and many fans agree that his inclusion was right and he has added something different something new and we are itching to see more( watch out Scotland)
But literally no-one except keshi anticipated one or both these [layers actually getting called up let alone game time again mexico. They will be expected to be in the 35 list even though balogun is recovering from injury many of us saw potential and plus he spoke to our souls with his warm presence and his patriotic musings.

Attack

Some may think attack is spelt emenike in nigeria and that all we have to do is utilise him. Others are like we need reinforcements in case he gets [insert argument here]______
But then who do we invite in this short space of time and we must have a balanced team not just strikers. Keshi i also see is favouring utility players and if we take players who can only play one function what is to be made of them especially if they are only back-up.
This has been the argument against uche from some sections

But some say that one function is more than enough and that we should find away to incorporate it into the tactics and strategy. But the thing with players they are also people not just chess pieces to be thrown about for the caused and sacrificed for potential advantages. So will the player really be willing to be just a wild card a trick a back-up plan for the coach and can the player handle that pressure to hone all their skills into that one half chance or so. Remember the yakubu miss and how he was vilified afterwards.

I still don't know how he missed. Keshi knows he needs alternatives (plan b through zee if you will) but he needs devotion and he needs the element of surprise on his side.
Keshi has been experimenting with fluid formations where players can interchange roles but has he found the right personnel.

The Sunday Mba effect

I think this is what keshi is looking for a player who is under the radar and can produce magic, many believe Mba can possibly still do it and that being in the third tier of french maybe a blessing in disguise in some way.

1. Regular football
2. Regulated (European way) football
3. Test
4. Still under the radar to an extent
5. But can be checked upon for progress

But how many players are capable of this effect?

Ejike 

Some believe he is the man especially after his chan displays. Could be a possibility since he was player of the tournament and scored some fine goals. See how you wish the big boss kept him out of the limelight which was the mexico match. Is the big boss keeping him up his sleeve does he have the Sunday Mba effect?

Imoh

Has he got the potential to be the new uche? Some people actually think so he is nimble quick and is one of the countries top scorers and i have to wonder why keshi decided to give him so little time. Though in that time he did manage to trouble the Mexicans a few times.Scotland may be our chance to see if he can carry the scoring burden with emenike.

Musa
when he clicks for nigeria it will be devastating mark my words.
The pace, the pace and the pace!
If he can pretend that he is in russia whilst he is in brazil and relax and play his football he could be devastating for defences.
Getting that scoring touch is what nigerians are asking for and our psychologist have to break through to musa and get him to play the way we know he can.
The world cup could be one hell of a stepping stone for ahmed and could change how we see him.
Keshi i see is trying to do to musa what he did with mikel and tap into that reservoir of potential rich yet unused.
I remember his goal during qualifying against malawi i think and i was like that is the real musa right there but in the national colours i have not seen it since.
The way he confidently ran into space and expertly without a worry (in a crucial time i might add) dinked it over the keeper so classy so pristine and ran off to celebrate.I was like I see big boss, I see.

Many are saying play him behind emenike or perhaps give him a free role.
I think musa needs to look at the legend henry and rethink his approach to the wing and perhaps combine it with being a forward.



Moses/Musa
Same name spelt differently.
Moses tormented mexico so bad the Mexicans could not stop giving him plaudits.
I will say it now controversially he is world class.
He has the poise the guile the skill the flair a okochaesque potential.
Ask the Ethiopians!
He i repeated tormented them and i say now watch out Scotland after being in the wilderness/exile/liverpool bench
he will come back a different player.
Ruthless i think what has been holding him back is that he is in essence a nice guy i think Pharaoh aka rodgers has or will have torn that out of him.
He will now be looking for blood every time he hits the pitch.
He has just like his name sake gone from being prince to being in the wilderness in such a short space of time it is spooky.
Moses I believe will do miracles at the world cup, yes miracles.

I saw the way he was twisting Mexicans like burrito wraps and he will do the same to scotland I have seen with my own eyes him do it to Italy.
Keshi must now channel it into pure ruthlessness and to such an extent it just kills of games.
He also must add scoring but consistently to his game like he has with assists.

Ideye
Many forget he did do the business to mexico when we last played them and i must say now the same psychologist that will do musa needs to also pay ideye a visit. Ideye i feel as well is getting overwhelmed by the occasion and need to drop his niceness at the door and be ready to see the opposition fans cry. We know he has positioning, we know he can link up with emenike and we know he can score, he just has to do it.
He for me is emenike part 2 with the ability to switch with him in the fluid system and who can forget that side flick assist he did for emenike in afcon.


Osaze
Should he be called up?
I don't know, yes he is scoring goals and some fine goals i might add but is it enough?
I have had a soft spot for him and he seems to have bridged the gap and he does have quality and i do think keshi will put him in the 35 man list.

The team does need people who will shoot, i remember ogu's goal against mexico came from said position. Adding another marksman to the team might not be bad the Nigerian balotelli if you will.
I would prefer him to uche since he is versatile and may be easier to fit into our system.

 v 

I believe these players are fighting for the same spot.
Yes aluko has been talking to bbc as often as uche's name has been posted on the internet but he is trying to be relevant.
Obinna is fighting for the role of set piece specialist, who can forget the goal he scored against kenya to kill the game and with such class.
But before or since i have not seen that poise and when he came on against mexico he seemed a spent force and in reality he is not fighting to start games.
He is not fighting to start games for his club or his country he is merely trying to be in the squad and is that worth giving him a spot.
Aluko it would be nice to see a new face and to see if he could be the "third man" but also he can fight for a starting berth and is a set piece taker for his club.
My problem is hunger and grit also there is the injury problems.
I watched a recent game of hull and he could not get in the game at all but he did whip in a good few balls which is why i believe he should be in the 35 man list.


igboananike
the man who likes to somersault

I saw his youtube reel and he looked ok but so did ujah and akpala and that was a failure and could he squeeze into the 35 man possibly we know keshi has tricks but i don't know.
We must be wary of players forcing their way into the team via i will switch allegiances but i would not be totally against his inclusion he does remind me of a bony who is doing well in epl.
But keshi has in the back of his mind yes players may be good but being thrown in the deep end aka the world cup could be damaging for him and for the players themselves.
Scoring goals is a start not the end of the conversation there is also the team chemistry to think about and too many new players in the fold could unbalance it or could help on the flip side.


Obasi

Late emergence

he is back and playing even getting time in the champions league.
Could he sneak into the 35?
I think keshi would want him there so possibly a yes....
Also his inclusion would swing more fans in his favour without problems for himself.
He is perhaps more to keshi's liking than osaze because of osaze's jekyll hyde persona.
Welcome him yes skills poise and he has even scored a goal recently in the bundesliga.
Possibilty i give this a moderately high rating..


anichebe
has been a back and forth thing of the last few weeks
has keshi or has keshi not spoken to him
but i think he will be on the list

1. Finding form
2. Scoring goals
3. Scoring important goals
4. Long stretch of fitness
5. Important player in current club
6. Getting game time

Ticks many of keshi's boxes plus he is experienced and can possibly fill the dike void.

Midfield



Joel obi is the most requested player by nigerian fans, yes more than uche. I and many others would love to see him don the shirt again and wrestle with this "third man" conundrum.
Him getting game time finally at parma is music to our ears and him getting into the 35 would be a
symphony to us.  Picking him would have all nigerian bloggers and writers falling over themselves but will keshi do it?
I have yet to see him play for parma but it would not hurt him landing in the squad (of 35)

1. Getting game time
2. Utility player
3. Fan favourite
4. Answer to potential creativity questions
5. Experienced 

Mikel the heart of the super eagles

he will be possibly the joint first name with enyeama on the list

He will be looking to shine and we saw him do so in the confederations cup

i cannot wait to see him unbridled and dictating play

azeez

He will be in the 35 man squad 

and i think keshi has plans for him 

though he was a bit overwhelmed in the mexico game

he provided sparks

1. positioning 
2. potential
3. attacking threat

Yes he missed his chance to score but the fact he was there points to good things.

i look forward to seeing what he can do.

haruna 

his name has cooled as of late but in a few articles i have heard the big boss refer to him by name

so possibly he is long awaited arrival may be on the cards

"third man" may be his mission

many fans will also be happy

will this one of keshi's many surprises

defenders

Otigba

will he get the call finally?

i really don't think so 

but then the whole balogun thing makes me wonder

would we accept him sure

If he does people may be singing his name in the streets..

possibility for me is low but who knows.

But i would like to see him paired with omeruo a youtful partnership for now and the future..

Keshi I have got your back

Many people forget this^^^

or try to play it down but the fact remains Nigeria are continental champions.

This is then the part where enemies of progress and their kind come out to condemn the competition and so forth.
There are so many factors and angles we can come forth to justify the point.
From numbers to even fifa rankings even with supposed diminished quality it would not immediately tip the cup in Nigeria's favour and there are many teams going to the world cup who are not continental
champions and have not been ever or for quite some time.

Also i must address it now the critics and the uncle tomish nature of some writers of supposed Nigerian persuasion is becoming a travesty. Division is of no help and it is the same people who are agents of chaos who are clambering for people been labelled chaotic and divisive to the team.


Keshi
i will be the first to commend him on his resolve and he is exactly what Nigeria needs.
Many of these internet coaches would of done an Osaze if they had to endure what Keshi has.
Being fired at from all angles from players turning against you, to your own federation openly believing you will fail(Ivory coast game).
The thing with Keshi is that he could walk any time and become a coach of a nation getting paid more than he is now, with better backing and perhaps a hero's welcome.
The famous saying is that a prophet is not appreciated in his own town and that can be said of some corners of supposed Nigerian fanbase.
With regards to Keshi he has helped usher in a new age of football in Nigeria and with change there is always resistance.
Where youth is being ushered in and the home based players are having a say in the team again
for the time of the internet coach is over, where any player playing Europe is given a pass to walk into the national set up ( no matter what division or if they are still in form).
Many people are criticizing Keshi for his disciplinary approach to players but competition is what we need and people are acting like he is the only coach doing so.

When tevez has been shutout and many know of his quality and it has been reported with France's winning team that they left out stars such as cantona and ginola going in to that world cup.

Also another issue being addressed is the thing with the bench but is Nigeria the only nation with players on the bench is not dzeko mostly on the bench or hernandez/kagawa. So you see this is a problem for many nations and not one to talked down the national team over. That is the price that can be paid playing in a foreign league or with inept managers.
The question is how to deal with this situation and keshi is of the mind that with the little tourney before the real thing he can go through a set of games to get them quickly up to speed.

http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/4082/editorial/2014/03/26/4675814/world-cup-2014-a-checklist-for-stephen-keshi?ICID=CP_777

In response to this rubbish article^^
a rebuke disguised as help or a compliment is not needed or what Nigeria or African teams need.
How does he repeat weaknesses and profess more weaknesses than strength and bring up his colonial mentality of needing a foreign coach.
Did African teams not do that before the last world cup and fail miserably and yet this obvious tactic to stall improvements is still jokingly being made.

Africa and African football is not an exception to being omitted and being down spoken that we need people in our own camp doing so. I am also tired of this European worshipping do they not have the most amount of places available and some teams claiming world cup places or high finishes in a world cup, the question should be asked who or how many teams where playing.

Qualification spots by continent[edit]

The table below lists the numbers of spots allocated by FIFA for each continent in each tournament. No spots for a continent, such as in the case of Oceania prior to 1966 and Africa in 1950, do not indicate an exclusion of those continents by FIFA, but rather that no country of those continents made an entry to the aforementioned Cups.^[1]

A large part of the African territory lived under colonial rule during part of the 20th century, mainly the first half of the century. By 1954, only 3 African countries were affiliated to FIFA: Egypt, in 1923, Sudan, in 1948, and Ethiopia, in 1952.^[2] Sudan and Ethiopia made entries for no Cup prior to 1958. Egypt made entries for the 1934, 1938 and 1954 Cups, though not for the 1930 and 1950 Cups. Though an African country, Egypt entered in 1938 and 1954 into the European group, therefore the table below indicates no data about Africa for these 2 Cups.

Places in the intercontinental play-offs count as 0.5 spots. Numbers in bold represent the winners of the intercontinental play-offs. "+C" denotes an additional spot for defending champions. "+H" denotes an additional spot for hosts.

Places allocated for continents

Continental zone	1934 (16)	1938 (15)1	1950 (13)2	1954 (16)	1958 (16)	1962 (16)	1966 (16)	1970 (16)	1974 (16)	1978 (16)	1982 (24)	1986 (24)	1990 (24)	1994 (24)	1998 (32)	2002 (32)	2006 (32)6	2010 (32)	2014 (32)	2018 (32)	2022 (32)
Africa	1	0			0.53	0.54	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	3	5	5	5	5 +H	5
Asia		1	12	1		0.54		1	1	1	2	2	2	2	3.5	2.5 +2H	4.5	4.5	4.5		H
Oceania	0											0.5	0.5	0.255	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5
Europe	12	111 +C+H	72 +C	11 +H	9.53 +C+H	8+4 2×0.5	9 +H	8 +C	8.5 +H	8.5 +C	13 +H	12.5 +C	13 +H	12 +C	14 +H	13.5 +C	13 +H	13	13	H
North and Central America and Caribbean	1	1	2	1	1	0.5	1	1 +H	1	1	2	1 +H	2	1.255 +H	3	3	3.5	3.5	3.5
South America	2	1	4 +H	1 +C	3	3.5 +C+H	3 +C	3	2.5 +C	2.5 +H	3 +C	4	2.5 +C	3.55	4 +C	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.5 +H
Total	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	24	24	24	24	32	32	32	32	32	32	32

If we scrutinize the listing look at 1966 out of 16 teams competing having 9 go to Europe and in 98 out of 32 teams having 14 and many are trying to ludicrously judge the entrants from the different regions.
Many will claim south america different from the rule but have they not been mainstay in the tournament from the beginning and how many countries are in south america compared to Europe if anything to those European worshippers they should be ashamed how has Brazil got the most world cups with the amount of teams Europe has afforded themselves.

Also many forget that this is Nigeria's 5th world cup 2 good 2 bad so previously we have been getting acclimatised to the tournament.

With going into to much controversy, Europe worshipping must end and this is what Keshi is ushering in for this is what has been available in the south american play because they have won a W.C and have been there since the beginning.
With regards to federations Asia and North America are in the same boat of breaking the stranglehold and views pressed upon them. For consistency helps build a foundation to spring forth from for the touchy subject of nationality is one which affects these federations the most. Many of you will think Asia really but if we think about it from the internet coach perspective Australia or England the latter would quickly be chosen.
U.S.A or Germany the latter would be chosen but there is always exception to the rule

Julian green being an example.
But Nigerians and Algerians have been on many aside of being dumped for teams of a mainstay standing Sidney snake sam comes to mind off of the top of my head.
Football is a sport played on the pitch but also on paper for many internet coaches have already assigned the world cup to a specific team and assigned the position of teams without a ball being kicked. But the magic of football lies in the fact that who knows what will happen think of France's rise and fall and Senegal's quarter final run.


Many would of claimed like that Senegal had no world class players and no threats and would crash out in the group stages but went on to shock the world. But that was only the paper side of football the hot air and gas portion the praising of players playing Europe. When it is called the world cup not players who play in Europe cup and that's why I loved the tournament the chance to see players i would not be able to see because of the Europe monoply of the teams to watch.
How many players has the world cup made European or otherwise?

So as supporters or writers we must get behind our team and not air out our dirty laundry all the time like we don't have clean clothes.
Have we forgotten that we have been unbeaten for so long and that former world cup winners had a tough time against our b team who just landed in the country to play and we could of won the game.
Also that other nations speak of us as a power house yet we do not build upon doing so, does not England not rest on letting people know they won a world cup.

In conclusion is class dependant on ability or ability being seen with many eyes to be hyped beyond recognition or just playing for a team in Europe. In the World cup we must play our football with our team and our tactics. Some players will miss out that is a fact and we must not let it detract from our efforts or goals. Many are asking for uche or osaze to be in the team.

Personally I wouldn't mind osaze back but i will not shed tears if he misses out and keshi is as shrewd as nick fury there are more at stake here then what is on the pitch. There is politics also to deal with and viewpoints of African teams, coaches and managers. Also in regards to the article above Nigeria do have secret weapons in the age of information which is the npl and he has been investing in it.
Also he has not played to full strength in friendlies or in the confeds to conceal his plans and intentions.
Many would of not noticed like against mexico dismantling a winning team to conceal weapons and playing players not in the place many were asking for. Hype does not help one win a battle or war and keshi for me is more of a strategist than people give credit for keeping cards close to his chest.
Like with the balogun affair or the uchebo call up no body anticipated such moves.
He prefers to be the underdog a bit like mourniho so do not read to much into the friendlies. Also he has instilled in the team if you cannot win then draw mentality which may be very useful in the later stages of the cup.

Lastly Nigeria on getting out of the group can get very various favourable draws to potentially get a deep run.