No Longer at Ease.

So much for the blind optimism exuded in my preview. I must however point out that I have always expressed little confidence in Berti Vogts's coaching ability. In this respect, my prognostications are just that—prognostications are, after all, made not on the basis of some scientific or methodical analysis but on auguries. In this case, it was a combination of some wistful timeline augury and faith in what the players were capable of achieving in spite of the coach. In reality, there is only so much that these players can do. The rest is a function of proper tactical preparation and unless they are getting that, they can never live up to their true potential as a team.

Nigeria beat the Republic of Benin Squirrels 2-0 in the final group game to edge through into the quarter finals of the ongoing CAN in Ghana. A modest success which maintains our record of progressing beyond the first round in all CAN finals we have been at since 1976 bar the Libya ’82 edition. Unfortunately, we were never masters of our own fate from the moment we were defeated 1-0 by what, to many sound judges, is the current best team in Africa, Ivory Coast, and then could only muster a sterile draw with the Eagles of Mali who frankly carried more threat and paraded an offense which appeared more potent than ours. Our immediate fate rested eventually on whether Mali and Ivory Coast would come to a Francophone accord, with both teams guaranteed a quarter final placing with a draw of any sort. In this respect, Ivory Coast’s comprehensive 3-0 dismissal of Mali allied to our much-needed 2-0 win over Benin has seen us qualify –by the skin of our teeth –through a back door somebody forgot to lock.

Given our shambolic performances since the tournament began –overawed by Ivory Coast, outfinessed and outhustled by Mali—we do not look like the imperious, dominating Nigeria which fans of African football have grown accustomed to. In his first two games, the mundane, defensive-minded approach which was simultaneously bereft of high-level organization, which Vogts has became all too apparent. Obi’s deployment as a shield for the defense means that we lack the creative flair upfield that is a prerequisite for slicing open defenses, and Obi emphasized this by burying a header and then carving Benin open for Aiyegbeni to score the winner. On that evidence, I would deploy Obi in a more forward role and place the robust Olofinjana, all-action Etuhu or cultured Eromoigbe in the holding role. But I’m not Vogts.

The Mali midfield ran us ragged in the opening exchanges, showing a level of commitment and athleticism which initially befuddled us. They drew us into their harum-scarum game plan when a past Nigeria would have put their collective foot on the ball and knocked it about to knock the stuffing out of them. Some of our players appeared to be playing scared: scared to be caught in possession, scared to take risks, scared to make the purposeful and intentional attacking passes, opting too often for the hopeful ball upfield to Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Obafemi Martins, both of whom disappointed to varying degrees. Martins’ first touch has never been top class, and as I’ve noted time and again, he is at his best in the hand-to-hand combat of the penalty area rather than fielding long passes and holding the ball up, which the heavily criticized Makinwa is better physically capable of. Unfortunately our attack has not been constructed to play to their strengths, nor has Makinwa ever appeared to have received instructions to stay central and hold the ball up. As for Aiyegbeni, in the beginning, he was the only player with the confidence to hold the ball and run at Mali’s defense, and this arrogant quality is a must for all strikers. Unfortunately his decision making wasn’t always the best. As the game progressed, Obinna Nsofor and Osaze Odemwingie also came into their own with their willingness to hold the ball and run at the Malians. When Nsofor and Odemwingie were inexplicably substituted, our attack sputtered to a halt.

High level organization for me means that the side has a collective awareness of teammate positioning and passing outlets under pressure. I can bang the ball upfield to so-and-so and know how he wants it to land and exactly which side he wants it—think of Leeds United in their glory days under Don Revie, with their center-forwards Mick Jones and supersub Joe Jordan creating outlets for their defense from pressure; then juxtapose that to the aimless long balls which were immediately claimed by the Mali defense to launch fresh attacks. As a defender, I can make a tackle and clear the ball somewhere and know that a teammate will be in the vicinity to claim or challenge for the ball –think of Louis van Gaal’s disciplined Ajax Amsterdam combination of the early to mid 1990’s; and juxtapose that to Yobo’s clearance that led to Kalou’s winner. I can come under pressure and know that there is an opening for me to pass the ball forward through to a teammate who has dropped back to receive it –think of France under Henri Michel at the 1986 World Cup; and juxtapose that with the countless unconstructive clearances from our defense. In short, none of these qualities were apparent in any of the games we’ve played in this first round.

For me, there is no quality Nigeria team right now. We have some good players, first class players, first rate players and some up-and-coming youngsters with promise. But that’s about it. We will have a team in my eyes when we can play as a collective applying the individual talent of each player to the common group task and objective; and defense, midfield and offense interlock seamlessly, with smooth transitions and players can turn deep defense into sudden penetrating attack with one killing pass.

In my eyes, a top quality team properly so-called is one wherein the players:
(a) are deployed in the positions wherein their skills can best be maximized;
(b) are constantly on the move within assigned spheres of offensive and defensive responsibilities with license to roam for support play;
(c) have a common ethos of possession being nine-tenths of the law –put your foot on the ball, control it, and pass it around however the circumstances of the game and your talent dictate;
(d) create and finish a plethora of scoring openings;
(e) keep it tight at the back.

Nigeria under Vogts doesn’t qualify under these standards.

It all begins with the defense: Yobo is a solid defender, but his first instinct is to play the long ball rather than the constructive pass characteristic of the likes of Stephen Keshi, Uche Okechukwu, Chidi Nwanu and Uche Okafor before him. If the pass can be made, and it is not being made, we must know why. If it is not being made because it cannot be made, then we must also know why.

Actually there are so many “why”s. From the Mali game alone, these questions were asked:

Why is right-back Nwaneri constantly drawn central, leaving a huge gap on the flanks?
Why was there nobody to cover for Nwaneri whenever he went upfield?
Why was the midfield unable to create chances for the offense over 2 games?
Why did Taiwo elect not to have a go at goal throughout the Mali match?
Why were Nigeria overawed by Ivory Coast at all?
Why is Obi wasted sitting in front of the backline when his passing talent can tear open defenses?

Berti Vogts knows what Berti Vogts thinks. At least Berti has a sense of self-preservation as the relatively attacking deployment against Benin showed.

On to the quarter finals, where we meet hosts Ghana in Accra. Ghana have ridden on a tidal wave of frenzied home support to amass 9 points from 3 games, and the Black Stars will be confident coming from their 2-0 win in their last group match over one of the pre-tournament favorites, now-eliminated Morocco.

Although we have held the Indian sign over Ghana for about 10 years now, the Black Stars routed a makeshift Nigeria side 4-1 in a friendly in Brentford last year, and are definitely a side on the rise with top class performers amongst Europe’s top sides, including the formidable Michael Essien. In Essien, Sulley Muntari and Asamoah Gyan, they have probably the midfield of the African moment. Vogts looks set to be the first Nigeria coach since Otto Gloria and Gottlieb Goller in 1982 not to reach the semi-finals. At least he can claim to have gone one better than the duo by qualifying for the quarter finals. Nonetheless, given the criticism of the AKE Trio (that is, Shaibu Amodu, Stephen Keshi and Joe Erico), Christian Chukwu and Austin Eguavoen for only achieving 3rd place classifications in successive tournaments, a mere quarter final finish by Vogts will qualify as an unmitigated failure.

With their rising profile, an attack that is clicking; the massive home support and high expectations, a Ghana win will be on the cards, but there is an old saying, as old as the beautiful game itself: Football is not mathematics.