What Did We Learn From Brazil

Nigeria’s participation in the FIFA 2013 Confederations Cup has come to an abrupt end but the gains and pains still resonate in the minds of sport loving fans. One of our greatest undoings at the tournament was our inability to score goals; this bizarre disability has got us wondering where all our Nigerian attackers have gone. In 2002 Nigeria went for the African Nations Cup tournament with 8 established strikers, with the likes of Osaze and Yakubu utilized at the flanks to compensate for the low numbers in the midfield positions. Currently, Nigeria has got the likes of Ikechukwu Uche, Uche kalu, Obafemi Martins, and Victor Anichebe to name a few, and yet unrecognized national figures such as Chris Ujah, Brown Ideye and Ahmed Gambo made the list of strikers for the tournament in Brazil. It was therefore unsurprising when these mediocre finishers could not even pass the ball into to the opposition’s net. This mistake must be corrected if we intend to make a bigger statement in the World Cup qualifiers, and indeed the World Cup itself, which will be held at the same venue. The midfield is not looking bad, but we need skillful midfielders who can create space and feed the attackers well, John Mikel Obi preformed excellently, given the role he played for Nigeria in the defensive and attacking midfield position, the latter which he never does for his club side, yet he was able to distinguish himself in a match that paraded masters such as Xavi and Iniesta. The stakes have never being this high for the country to perform at the upcoming World Cup given our discouraging performance at the Confederations Cup. Some are already clamoring for the head of the coach for the group stage exit from the tournament instead of assisting the coach with quality scouts that will ensure we don’t have a shortage of quality players in necessary positions. Though Keshi made a big blunder using such a tournament to try out new strikers, let’s not halt the progress of our beloved team. Remember, ‘you don’t build a fortress in a day.’ By Martins Okafor