Alba wrote:As for Naija, one thing I will say is that they have a solid defence compared to Ghana and CIV. I wont even mention Cameroun. Hiyo yao ni mzaha. This makes sense since Stephen Keshi was one of the best defensive stoppers in Africa in the 1980s. Maybe even the best.
One aspect that differentiates this Naija team from what they had in the 1990s is the lack of confidence to take on defenders and run at them. Victor Moses was in the box with only one defender between him and the goal. If this were Amokachi or Okocha or even Yekini circa 1994, he would have taken on that defender, beat him and scored or at least forced a penalty. Instead Victor Moses tried to force a pass to a double marked defender. Amokachi on the bench may have been shaking his head.
African teams have lost their mojo. This is what used to make African teams difficult to deal with. Do you remember the hedex that Khalilou Fadiga and El Hadj Diouf gave people in 2002 ? Hiyo imepotea. Although there were a few flashes from Osaze Odemwingie today
Soccer standards in Africa have regressed. One can only look back with nostalgia to the heady days of Amokachi, Okocha, Kanu, and Oliseh for Nigeria.
Cameroon had Milla, Makanaky,the Biyik brothers, Kunde, etc.
The likes of Egypt, Algeria & Morocco weren't too shabby either.