11 March 2011
Nigerias Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia, has shown his hand with his 24-man squad for this months Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Ethiopia he wants to attack and attack.
A striker in his hey days, Siasia has promised to get the Eagles again playing the robust attacking brand of football that got the world talking at the 1994 World Cup.
That could well as explain why his squad is loaded with as many as 10 strikers.
Besides out-and-out strikers like Obafemi Martins and Peter Utaka, he has picked players who can play on either flanks Ahmed Musa, Osaze Odemwingie on the right wing, Victor Anichebe and Nnamdi Oduamadi on the left.
However, eight years on, Solomon Okoronkwo has yet to fulfil the huge promise he first showed as a junior international.
He has been a great servant of Siasia, beginning with paying his way to feature in a 2005 African Youth Championship qualifier against Burkina Faso in Ibadan and going on to score the match winner.
Sadly though, Okoronkwo has since failed to make the grade at German club Hertha Berlin and a stint at Russian club FC Saturn was anything but successful.
Last year, he made a below-par senior international debut against South Korea in a friendly.
He is now trying to find his way back in western Europe with Norwegian club Aalesund.
Sochaux striker Brown Ideye has banged home 10 goals in the French top flight this season and he deserves to be considered for the Eagles ahead of Okoronkwo.
It is in defence though that questions have to be asked about the quality and balance of Siasias call-ups.
Siasia himself has admitted that the defence of both his B team as well as the full team have not given him cause to cheer.
I was not fully impressed with the defence. We need to work more on this area. The defence fell flat in the second half and the two defenders failed to mark the Sierra Leonean who scored their goal, the coach offered immediately after the match against Sierra Leone.
That could well explain his dropping of the much-hyped Michael Odibe and Oluwafemi Ajilore, who was the teams ball winner against the Leone Stars.
Nigeria have produced some top-class central defenders like Godwin Odiye, Christian Chukwu, Stephen Keshi, Uche Okechukwu and Taribo West.
But lately we have lacked quality at the heart of the defence.
Skipper Joseph Yobo will now have a new partner in central defence against Ethiopia. This is most likely Ayodele Adeleye and their combination away against Tunisia in Tunis in a 2010 World Cup qualifier was good, before Adeleyes blunder against the Carthage Eagles in Abuja came close to stopping Nigeria from the World Cup.
Hard working Efe Ambrose, who can play either in central defence or as a defensive midfielder, has improved in leaps and bounds and could well the joker for Siasia.
The fullbacks are predictable Taye Taiwo and Elderson Echiejile on the left and Chibuzor Okonkwo and Olubayo Adefemi on the right.
Taiwo and Echiejile are no longer commanding starting places at their European clubs and it is expected that after the Ethiopia clash, Siasia will spread his dragnet far and wide for other fullbacks on either side of the pitch to also stake their claim in his team.
Warri Wolves Chimezie Mba would be a good option.
In the middle of the park, the Eagles are rather thin on defensive midfielders Mikel is the only established international in the squad to win balls for the Eagles against Ethiopia.
Both Obiora Nwankwo and Ambrose are yet to be capped by the full international team. Siasia has already raised alarm over the availability of Mikel and should he again stay out, the coach will have to throw either player into the deep end. That may be a big gamble.
Siasia ought to have put behind the World Cup red card of Sani Kaita because not only the player most apologetic about that episode, he knows what Kaita is capable of.
It is equally unfair for Siasia to talk about Kaita in the same breath as Yakubu Aiyegbeni because while Kaita has played under him for over six years, he has yet to work with The Yak.
On March 27 in Abuja, the long-suffering fans expect the Eagles to attack Ethiopia and score goals. But what would be even more satisfying would be a solid team display from defence to attack, like the good old 90s.
Who should be in?
Brown Ideye (Sochaux/striker)
Sani Kaita (Iraklis/midfielder)
Dickson Etuhu (Fulham/midfielder)
Who should be out?
Solomon Okoronkwo (Aalesund/striker)
Fegor Ogude (Valerenga/midfielder)
Nnamdi Oduamadi (AC Milan/left winger)
Siasias squad:
Goalkeepers:
Vincent Enyeama (Hapoel Tel Aviv/ISR), Dele Aiyenugba (Bnei Yehuda/ISR)
Defenders:
Chibuzor Okonkwo (Heartland), Ayodele Adeleye (Metallurh Donetsk/UKR), Taye Taiwo (Olympic Marseille/FRA), Olubayo Adefemi (Skoda Xanthi/GRE), Elderson Echiejile (Sporting Braga/POR), Joseph Yobo (Fenerbahce/TUR), Efe Ambrose (FC Ashdod/ISR)
Midfielders:
John Mikel Obi (Chelsea/ENG), Obiora Nwankwo (Parma/ITA), Joel Obi (Inter Milan/ITA), Fegor Ogude (Valerenga/NOR), Kalu Uche (Almeria/SPA)
Forwards:
Obafemi Martins (Birmingham City/ENG, Ike Uche (Real Zaragoza/SPA), Ahmed Musa (VVV Venlo/NED), Osaze Odemwingie (West Bromwich Albion/ENG), Obinna Nsofor (West Ham/ENG), Victor Anichebe (Everton/ENG), Peter Utaka (Odense Boldklub/DEN), Solomon Okoronkwo (Aalesund/NOR), Ekigho Ehiosun (Warri Wolves), Nnamdi Oduamadi (AC Milan/ITA)
