Keshi explains Victor Moses' absence

Burkina Faso thanks for that last minute egualiser, we made my day..hope you gets the maximum points on your next group game..

Burkina Faso to reach the Final, I bet on it

that's an excuse and i don't buy it coach

i think is a very flimsy excuse for you to drop your best striker on the bench throughout the game. only you know your selection criteria. as far as am concerned keshi is NOT a coach he is just a gambler who knows the poloitics better than more qualified ppl like Siasia.

WHO CARES....if you use Moses or not the fact of the matter is NIGERIA is not gonna make it on Group Stages.
LASTLY Burkina faso can you please BEAT this Ethopians o ka re ba thoma go PHAPHA....this skinny things.

LAST BUT NO LEAST To DRUGIES AND HUMAN TRAFICKERS:

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My take on the game between Nija and BNF is that Keshi was either blind to notice that his lineup was entirely screwed or some players such as Ogude and the rest were imposed on him.
If Efe did not get sent off, Ogude would have been sent off. Thanks to blind Keshi, he realized that Ogude was lucky to remain on the pitch until he was substituted.
We could have done better than that. I liked Emenike-Ideye combination. But if we have to play twin strikers, there is no need to play Ahmed Musa, who hardly helped Efe or Elderson by tracking back. Moreover, we do not have tall strikers who can capitalize on balls floated into the box aerially.
With Emenike-Ideye combination, I wish that someone like Moses could play behind the two strikers; Moses is able to track back into the midfield and defensive line, if needed.
I will play Nosa and Onazi to play from the tip of our box to the tip of the opponent’s box, as box to box midfielders (hei!!!, how I wish Joel Obi was in the squad).
Nosa can track back very well and he is not shy to tackle. His only problem is that his decision making is very poor, in terms of when to hold the ball and release the ball. Onazi did put up an impressive performance when he came in.
Efe tried his best in a position that he is not familiar with. Let us take our mind back to Beijing 2008. Efe played as the holding midfielder in that tournament, that is why he plays better as a central defender. Efe cannot play as a winger, he is too tall and sluggish to run on the touch line. I will prefer Omeruo in that position to Efe.
To me the defense tried, if not for the absence of the midfield, we could have scored more goals.
Mikel must be allowed to anchor the midfield. He was voted the man of the match for a reason.

Burkina Faso made my day ,what a goal

Super chickens

Nigeria hold the record for being the most decorated team in AFCON and the most bad starters of the tounament's history.
Those South African who are happy with Nigeria's draw have demonstrated their inferiority complex already...
A team like the one we saw yesterday with what we have in the researve bench is aboved first round exits... Zambia will be at the reseaving end on Friday...
You are only hated when you are a succeess story, nobody has time for failures. What a way to ginger us...
Is it not better to draw Burkina faso than Ethiopia or Cape Verde in any tounament?
Is that why the organisers of the tounament denied Nigerian access to view AFCON so as to use the absence of our referee to officiate like what we saw yesterday?...
It is too early to talk about who will exit or stay... For a reminder we have lost all our opening matches in the three last tounament that we have won bronze.. And in 1990 we lost 5 - 1 and still won silver... Infact we have played badly in all our first games from 2000 to date...

@Achilonu.
I agree with your comments. However, a professional player like Efe should know how to play through a game with one foul. The second foul was unnecessary and uncalled for. Nosa should have enforced himself more. He should be the one to play behind Emenike and Ideye. The problem with this team is that they failed reorganize themselves when they went down to 10 men.
I hope you are the one that went through Govt College Umuahia or Ibeku High school.
SUYA.

Nigerians commenting on this page should stop bringing Siasia into this. A man who relegated Bayelsa and JuTH respectively...played badly with Hearthland... And picked 2003 already made under 17 to 2005 under 20... Failed in Egypt and even failed to qualify to Afcon in 30 years of Nigerian history should come Near Nigerian job..
If we are talking about coaches Ahmodu is the real hero..his two world cup tickets were gotten under hate, rejection, etc but still qualify in an unbeaten fashion. He moved Nigerian Ranking from 34th from July 2008 when he was given the job to 15th and best in Africa when he was fired by collective evil of Nigerians... God is simply punishing us..
Those who are calling for Siasia should give him their home states teams.... It is in Nigeria that the wrong people are honoured... We know how to confuse ourselves with unnecessary pressure...
One contracdiction is the way we supported teams like Chelsea with their bad play last season and hate Ahmodu results oriented pattern..
Must Nigerians understand the pattern or the secrete of coach's style of play...? Are we all coaches?
I am tired of these stupidity...
Why can we look at the politics in the game and the psychological frustrations suffered at the hand of that Angolan referee yesterday...

The referee wanted the game to end in a draw and he really got it. We play into his script.

I'm beginning to have the feeling that Siasia is either writing comments here or mandated proxies to do so for him because I don't see the business of a Siasia and the draw we played last night. Keshi is in charge and the earlier we appreciate that the better. We're still in it, this is a tournament, all we need do is encourage our boys to up their game because they are reading us. Putting them down at this stage won't do. Keshi need to add Ogenyi Onazi to support Obi and Igiebor in the middle. Emenike should spearhead our attack because he can hold the ball and he's bullish. I expect Keshi to do the right thing by our defence. It's now clear that Obaobona holds the ace there. Yobo either up his game or be benched. Against an experienced Zambian side I expect Keshi to lay the burden of the on Obi and Emenike.

I hope Moses is not fit for Zambia game, but whatever Sunzu will make him stretch the muscle again, he runs too much like a chicken without a head and will probably pull the muscle in the 5th minute.

Even if Siasia is writing stuff here, he has the right to do so. It's obvious that this team cohesion and team play is rubbish compare to Siasia team. I have said it several times that Nigeria has past the level of going to a Nation cup for participation sake. The Eagle play Yesterday is shameful, NFF and Keshi, should be happy now, NO TEAM COHESION, NO LEADER OF THE TEAM, NO TECHNICAL INPUT FROM THE BENCH AND THE SUBSTITUTION IS TOTAL RUBBISH.

EXCUSES, EXCUSES, EXCUSES.....

uzo

South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt & Cameroon days are over, they only have history!

Ivory Coast 1-1 Togo : Halftime

Nigeria played better, the pitch is bad and they couldnt influence the game as much as they would have loved to, further more we had more clear cut chances, the finishing would have have seen burkina loose by 3 goals on a different day, burkina had one good player and that was pietrotio(cant spell) aside that we lock them down and move well all of the team are fast and strong, yobo a bit sluggish but hopefully he will pick up, and the team need to press more when they defend, they did really well tracking back however, lots of positive, the goal was just a blot and even with 10 men, burkina did not deserve it.

@ Azeebi or whatever you call yourself siasia was the last coach before keshi just like largerbeer was the last coach b4 Siaone. it is only natural that you compare the immediate past with the present. your choice of words leaves much to be desired. you sound as if you have a monopoly to knowledge and your right of expression superseeds others.
your trying to rubish siaone's records does not stop any objective observer from seeing that keshi lacks the technical abilities which siaone has in aboundance. even Amodu's selection would have won that match with ease. keshi din't make any single correct decision in that match from his team selection to his changes. with all the camping they could not produce any form of cordinantion. i just hope that keshi with all his predjuces of trying to freeze all the siasia \"boys\" out of the team will allow him do the right thing in the next match. please my guy allow ppl to express their own opinion just like your doing. super eagles will win the next match

This had been Nigerian style of play right from our falling days. Play very impressive football like men, but end it all like women. Absolutely, nothing has changed. Part of the reason for bringing on Keshi is to fix the Nigerian defence. After one year if he didnt do that what happens? We never lacked good strikers, we lacked good defenders.

As I said before, I will give my final accessment of this Couch and this side after our second match with Zambian team. Hands to Heart still crossed, watching and waiting.

NIGERIA will improve

@ stanslinks, I WILL STICK MY HEAD OUT AND SAY NIGERIA WILL WIN THEIR NEXT MATCH. I do not care if it is Zambia or Ivory Coast they will play better, be more focussed and win.

My conviction arose from seeing the mistakes he made on the team selection. Once those are corrected, Nigerians wont believe it is the same team. Keshi is stubborn so he insisted on Ogude and Efe as Right back when he had a better option. lets hope he starts with

OMERUO YOBO OBOABONA ECHIEJILE

OBIORA MIKEL IGIEBOR

MOSES EMENIKE MUSA
SUBS

ONAZI, IKE UCHE, IDEYE

LAST comment by Slyman

Hey guys, I took out time to see all the games in this AFCON so far and I see quite a few sides that can match these Eagles in terms of attacking fire-power. The game against Burkina Faso was quite comforting, they couldn't come at us with any large scale stuff except for the occasional crosses and longshots which honestly our defense dealt with quite easily. The only real problems were Yobo in defense and the poor input from the technical bench.
That being said, I see the Eagles going all the way to atleast the semis.

@Slyman I share your sentiments bro.

Also anyone noticed Mikel is finally beginning to live upto his potentials. I thought he was on fire yesterday.

@laomedon, Mikel won man of the match, he was clearly outstanding, long accurate balls, occasional precise surge forward and positioning. You can clearly diffrenciate between natural talent and acquisition. Mikel should just leave Chelsea and join a club where he can comfortably express himself. I still maintain that Keshi is not my fovorite but the Eagles had a good game. If SE can be clinical in finishing against Zambia, they might win comfortably, it all depends on the coach's formation.

It is very Clear now why Keshi moved the last two friendly matches indoors and out of site, he knows that by doing so many of us will not be able to critize him, he knows fully well the mistake that he has done and he refuse to walk back from it,and by the time he gets to SA it will be overly too late for anything to be done, I have said it hear that to be a good coach u need to know how to listen, I'm not judging Keshi based on what I saw yesterday but I judging him on his one year as our coach, and I will say am not impressed. His track record of coaching is not a good one either, coach Togo & Mali they never got out of the group stage and if we are not careful we are heading the same way.

The SE need a new captain, for our next match yobo dose not have an idea the duties of a captain, when u notice that the ref is not doing his job, it is the duty of the captain to confront the ref and point out any regularities, yesterday it was mikel that was doing so, yobo let the ref get his way with Nigeria, and for that I blame him for the red card that Nigeria got, when u see as a captain that efe Ambrose is having a difficult time handing the striker is either u overload that position or u change the defender that can match that very striker. This is what Peter Odemwingie has been talking about, that we need a captain that be a leader off and on the pitch.

Enyeama actually was tested just once and some people say the Burkinababes were fantastic? The Eagles actually controlled the game my only disappointment were Yobo, he doesn't deserve to wear that armband anymore he lacks composure and was actually the weak link in that defense, Musa displayed naiveity maybe this been his first AFCON but I think it has more to do with intelligence. Ike Uche was a disappointment. Keshi killed Ambrose by playing him as a RB, the guy is not and has never bn a wing player he plays in the middle either as a midfielder or defender. It would have bn better he kept him on the bench. Oboabona plainly showed he has a big heart and he has a future in that team. Ambrose was just unlucky because the first card was clearly not a foul, he did not challenge or even attempt to make a challenge on that strange looking fellow, the second card was just fait acompli this is no excuse dat he could learn to be more composed. Ogude was too physical but he did his job and Onazi who replaced him was nowhere to be found. Ogude actually gave Mikel more confidence than Onazi because he was breaking up play notwithstanding his roughness but Onazi got lost in the game. Maybe an Obiora, Mikel, Nosa midfield will do better. I won't mind if any of the home based plays ahead of Musa if Moses is not fit. Musa is just speed without thinking let him go back and study Ribery, Robben and maybe Walcott and learn how to cut in, make diagonal runs, when to hold on to the ball(his first touch was poor), when to fall back.

Vincent Enyeama
Chigozie Agbim
Ambrose Vanzekin

Joseph Yobo
Onyekachi Apam
Dele Adeleye
Efe Ambrose
Juwon Oshaniwa
Taye Taiwo
Elderson Echiejile

Obiora Nwankwo
John Obi Mikel
Nosa Igiebor
Rabiu Ibrahim
Ahmed Musa
Obinna Nsofor
Victor Moses

Osaze Odemwingie
Brown Ideye
Obafemi Martins
Emmanuel Emenike
Ike Uche
Chinedu Obasi

Now that's a team that deserves to be in this tournament.

I know I am a very tough critic of Keshi, but I must say that I lowered my expectation so low that the Eagles actually impressed me. The comments have been biased against them for one reason. They did not old out to get tat victory. This time, I hope they convert their chances so we will not need to break out the calculator for permutations. As for the South Africans, we were one second away fom victory. We were much better than you.

Keshi should remember he chose those boys and he should count on them to deliver. We wanted Osaze on the team. He said no. So now that Moses is injured, Osaze would have been helpful. Keshi chose Ejike in place of Osaze, why does he not trust Uzoenyi enough to start in place of Moses?

Keshi, none of the teams in this tournament has been out of this world or spectacular. So go there and grab it. It is yours to lose. Slyman

I know I am a very tough critic of Keshi, but I must say that I lowered my expectation so low that the Eagles actually impressed me. The comments have been biased against them for one reason. They did not hold out to get that victory. This time, I hope they convert their chances so we will not need to break out the calculator for permutations. As for the South Africans, we were one second away fom victory. We were much better than you. Sorry, but we are not in the same class.

Keshi should remember he chose those boys and he should depend on them to deliver. We wanted Osaze on the team. He said no. So now that Moses is injured, Osaze would have been helpful. Keshi chose Ejike in place of Osaze, why does he not trust Uzoenyi enough to start in place of Moses?

Keshi, none of the teams in this tournament has been out of this world or spectacular. Even the Ivory Coast looked jittery in defence. So go there and grab it. It is yours to lose. Slyman

It is only those who knows nothing about tactical football that will speak evil about samson siasia, Keshi has nothing in stock that will take nigerian football to the next level. If u are talking about siasia handling club football then go back to the under 20s, both the african championship and the world cup, the eight nation tournament which he won, the under 23s, how he used the same team he used to prosecute the 2005 under 20 world cup with the men football olympic tournament in 2008 three years later and how almost all his players made the super eagles. And let me remind you how he already had an okonkwo on reserve to replace a taiye taiwo and the lad ended up shining briliantly with a superb goal against belgium. Let me also remind you of how samson siasia singled handed source for fund to prosecute the men football olympic finals.
Samson siasia, was only told that he was gonna handle the home base during the wafu cup and only took charge of the team with three days to the championship and he led them to the finals. Go and check out all the games samson siasia handled when he was in charge of the eagles and i dare u to compare them with what keshi has done so far. Let not forget that samson siasia was rebuilding then and we already lost a game before he took charge. I heard someone mentioning amodu, let me remind you that the main indiscipline with the super eagles started in 2002 nations cup with amodu in charge with led to the disbandment of the sunday oliseh led eagles. Let me also remind you that the pattern of nigerian football changed when amodu took charge and now Keshi has adopted the same style.
Samson siasia almost brought back the wing play of football in which westerholf and bonfere joe introduced into our game which gave nigeria a glorious name and this was evident when we trashed kenya 4-0, ethiopia 3-0, argentina, 4-1 and mauritius 2-0 in their own backyard but the short sighted men in d glass house kicked him out bcos we drew 2-2 with guinea as if the best coaches in the world has never drawn a game. Abeg, all u that understand the game of football and it's tactic need not to exchange words with those that speak against sia1. obinna nsofor in an interview last week said samson siasia is the best nigerian coach he has ever worked with and lots of nigerian players i believe will say same thing if they asked them d same question.

Sampson Siasia, the man who relegated Bayelsa and JUTH in the local league...played badly with Heartland... And picked 2003 already made under 17 to 2005 under 20... Failed in Egypt and even failed to qualify to Afcon in 30 years of Nigerian history, now paying people AGAIN to post comments for him to be rehired? Hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!

MR BIG BOSS,could you pls unleash wonder boy MOSES against this zambians who thinks they can play soccer, if Nigeria wants Victory against zambia GOD and Victor is the only way.

I don't know why some guys hate Ogude ? That guy is an enforcer and in some matches, a no nonsense enforcer is always needed to bully the opposing team. I wish the Eagles well in their match against Zambia.
If Moses is not fit, lets not take any risk