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Super Eagles’ preparation for the 2012 Cup of Nations’ qualification matches is beset with problems

The Super Eagles, the nation’s senior team, had played friendly matches in preparation and are almost within sight of qualifying for the tournament to assuage the thirst of many Nigerian soccer lovers for the African Cup of Nations trophy in the 2012 edition. But latest developments are making this aspiration a slim possibility.

Some crucial players are missing from the squad due to injuries while others are at loggerheads with the coaching crew. At the same time, the coaching crew is having problems with some players who  arrived in Nigeria but refused to report at the team’s training camp.

Last week Monday, only John Mikel Obi, Chelsea and Nigeria’s defensive midfielder and Victor Anichebe, Everton and Super Eagles’ striker, were in the team’s camp though the side was billed to depart for Antananarivo, Madagascar’s capital, the next day. Obinna Nsofor and Emmanuel Emenike who both play in Russia, were said to be in the country but were not seen at the Transcorp Hilton hotel camp of the Super Eagles. The inadequate number of players forced the coaching crew to cancel its training session last Monday. “Won’t this sort of behaviour affect preparations and fuel indiscipline in the team?” a source close to the team wishing anonymity said.

Obi was overwhelmed by how well Nigerians rallied to his side when his father was kidnpapped and said it has given him a fresh perspective on how Nigerians cherish him. “Sometimes, in some situations, you don’t know people that love you. But when things happen, you know those that really care and love you. This situation really taught me a lot, I felt that Nigerians were really concerned and I don’t have the words to thank them enough,” adding, “I love my country and will always do my best, and anytime I am fit and ready, I will always come down and play. That is why…I was one of the first to come here and I will do my best all the time because this green jersey means a lot to me.”

Earlier, Dickson Etuhu, Fulham FC and Nigerian player, exhibited a different sort of sentiment. He turned down the invitation extended to him to play against the Argentines in London before it was postponed due to the London riots. Etuhu took this decision because it was a late invitation extended to him after Nsofor and some other Nigerian players could not secure English visas to enter the country for the friendly match. Though Samson Siasia, chief coach of the Super Eagles, apologised for the late invitation later, Etuhu’s future in the team is uncertain. “I can’t say for now,” he said, refering to Etuhu’s place in future assignments.

The Super Eagles’ preparation is also being challenged by the run of injuries that has befallen some top players. Kalu Uche and Daniel Shittu would be missing in action when the national team, the Super Eagles, play away to the Barea of Madagascar, September 4. This increased the tally in the number of key players who would be unavailable for the 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifying match in Antananarivo to five.  Taye Taiwo, Osaze Odemwingie and Chibuzor Okonkwo were earlier injured.

Siasia is particularly saddened by Odemwingie’s injury. “We were all sad to hear about Osaze’s injury, and we wish him the very best in his recovery because he is an important player for us,” Siasia said. He consoled himself with the fact that he already has a big squad to accommodate such contingencies.  Later, the chief coach and former Super Eagles international, announced that Emmanuel Ekpo would replace the West Bromwich Albion striker.  “Hopefully, we can avoid further injuries as we prepare for these two games,” he said.

This wish remained unfulfilled because Yusuf Ayila joined the list of injured players last Tuesday. This is blamed on the bad state of the pitch at the Abuja National Stadium. The defender turned on a hole in the pitch while controlling a ball and strained his groin, leaving him unable to walk to the ambulance by himself and he had to be carried out of the pitch. The Dinamo Kyiv defender was taken straight to the hospital and the initial prognosis estimates he could be out for about six weeks.

Isaac Promise and Gege Soriola were also reported to have replaced Uche and Shittu, respectively. “Danny Shittu has withdrawn with a dead leg he got while playing for Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday against Rochdale.  He has been replaced by Gege Soriola,” Colin Udoh, media officer to the Super Eagles, said.

But there are concerns over whether these players who were added to the main team at the last minute will blend well with the team.  Fabio Olanipekun, veteran sport analyst and retired sport presenter, with Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, foresees no problem with the situation. He is sure of victory because the team is being coached by Siasia who in the last five years had consistently shown successful results because he had amassed a vast network of new talents worldwide. He is familiar and conversant with their styles of play. Therefore, he can safely call upon them in emergency situations like the Super Eagles just had. Though fitting into a playing pattern is a technical issue, Siasia’s rich reservoir of players are professionals in Europe and can easily adjust to any pattern of play within even two days.

Joe Erico, former Super Eagles’ goalkeeper and ex-coach of the senior team, agrees that the Super Eagles has a strong possibility of defeating Madagascar because the team boasts of new and young talents that can produce positive results. Like Lanipekun said, Erico also pointed out that the Barea of Madagascar are not a strong football nation capable of upsetting Nigeria even though football is unpredictable nowadays. Besides, the Madagascar football authorities have decided to field their U-23 side against the Super Eagles in the qualifying match in order to prepare them for the 2014 Africa Cup of Nations. They are already conceding defeat to the soccer might of Nigeria and are looking to building a team for the future.

Akin Osakulere, a sport lover, however, still has some misgivings. Seasoned players like Fernando Torres, Michael Ballack and Thierry Henry had problems adjusting when they joined new clubs. “These are seasoned professionals yet they still lag behind before adjusting well to the playing pattern of their new sides,” he said, adding: “The handlers of the Super Eagles had displayed such pattern before and it did not work otherwise we would not still be struggling to qualify for the competition at this stage.”

The match is a must-win for Nigeria if it must qualify for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations. Super Eagles are second behind Guinea with seven points from four matches, three points behind Guinea which is leading Group B. Guinea also played against Ethiopia in another qualifier same day.