Sports
Can Iwobi Become Nigeria’s Undisputed No 10 ?
One has to go back to the 4-0 pummelling of Cameroon during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers to find the last time the Super Eagles produced a dominant display at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium.
The exact scoreline was repeated against Libya in the crunch 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Uyo, and even though it was not a completely commanding performance, despite Odion Ighalo stealing the headlines with his hat-trick, it was Alex Iwobi that stood out in Uyo as the team’s creative force.
It was suggested prior to kick-off that coach Gernot Rohr should start Iwobi in the number 10 role if a 4-2-3-1 formation was employed, and that was exactly how the German tactician utilised him.
It proved to be the masterstroke.
Rohr has previously employed captain John Obi Mikel in that position, and he certainly thrived in the 3-1 routing of Algeria and the 4-0 routing of the Indomitable Lions, in which he scored.
However, Mikel is not much of a creative player, as he is used more as a defensive midfielder at club level.
Kelechi Iheanacho is the other man to be employed just behind the centre forward, but he has endured nightmarish performances in that role, so much that his worth as a football player has been questioned.
This is where Iwobi comes in, and it is no surprise that he was so much at ease on the pitch in Uyo and Sfax, Tunisia.
The midfielder was able to control the tempo of the game, link up well with the attackers, with his vision contributed to Ighalo’s second goal. He almost provided left-back Jamilu Collins with his senior debut international goal.
Indeed, Iwobi’s passing accuracy and involvement in the game were so awesome that Nigeria would have put more goals past the Libyans were it not for wasteful play from Ighalo and Samuel Kalu.
It was certainly the kind of performance that suggested that the nephew of Jay-Jay Okocha is the right man for a central role, rather than the wide positions he’d been occupying previously.
This is not to say that the 22-year old is not a good wideman, his performance against Zambia in the World Cup qualifiers is testament to that, but Iwobi saves his best performances when playing the No. 10 role because it gives him the chance and space to express himself on the pitch.
He had previously played in this role in the 2-1 pre-World Cup friendly defeat by England at Wembley.
The Super Eagles were trailing 2-0 at the break and a change in tactics by Rohr saw Nigerians dominate and take control of the second half. Iwobi was in the thick of things as the playmaker, and it was no surprise that he got the consolation goal.
If there had been more time, Nigeria could have clawed their way back into the contest.
The evidence suggests that Iwobi will only show his best as a No. 10, where he can also get the most out of the players around him.
Even his recent performances for this club Arsenal is an indication of his potential.
The hope is that Rohr realises this.
The former Burkina Faso gaffer has been known to be heady with his selections, picking players who have little or no input such as Elderson Echiejile and Ogenyi Onazi.
However, having softened his stance in recent times, it will do a lot of good and be to the benefit of Nigeria if he does likewise with Iwobi. Fayiga writes for goal.com
Kunle Fayiga
The Nigeria Football Federation has defended the recent quarter-finals draw for the 2025 President Federation Cup, saying it was conducted in line with best global practices.
A member of the NFF Executive Committee Board, George Aluo, stated that criticism over venues for the quarterfinals was unfortunate.
Going by the fixtures released on Saturday by the football body, Abakaliki FC will take on Nasarawa United in Benin, Wikki Tourists will clash with Ikorodu City in Bwari, Abuja, Akwa United and Kwara United will fight it out in Enugu, just as Area 3, Abuja, will host the encounter between Rangers International and Plateau United. All matches are scheduled for May 3rd for the emergence of semifinalists in a leg affair.
However, there have been criticisms over the Ikorodu United vs Wikki Tourist tie billed for Abuja, with a section of the press saying the venue is skewed in favour of the Bauchi team.
Aluo, also the Chairman of the Nigeria National League (NNL), said: “Some of our media men need better education, and newsmen should not be like the fans out there on the streets. In the English FA Cup, it is always a one-legged pairing that can see a club like Arsenal host Manchester United at home”.
A new contract that will see Act Sports Di Oyibo Limited managing the career of Nigerian teqball specialist, Victor Oyemade, has been signed in Lagos.
The deal gives exclusive rights to Act Sports to manage, and exercise power of attorney over issues relating to the player’s welfare as it concerns his transactions, engagement for professional, promotional, sponsorships, endorsements, and exhibition purposes.
In signing the document, both parties also agreed that proper safeguards would be put in place to protect and promote the player’s interest at all times.
Director of Act Sports, Di Oyibo Limited, Pastor Samuel Robinson Oyibo, excited about the deal, said it would benefit both parties in the area of spreading the message of the sport, as well as laying a firm foundation for his new client’s future.
“Teqball is one of the world’s fastest-growing ball sports, and Victor Oyemade is the face of the sport here in Nigeria and Africa. That is why we are excited about this partnership that gives Act Sports official authorisation to manage his career, just as it will lay the foundation for its rapid growth in our country,” Pastor Oyibo said.
Oyemade was no less excited about the deal, saying it would help his growth in the sport.
Coaches of Nigeria’s U-18 and U-20 women’s handball teams have released their final lists of 14 players ahead of the IHF Women’s Trophy Zonal Phase, which will be held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, that commenced yesterday to end 24th of this month.
The two teams have been training at the Rowe Park Sports Centre, Yaba, Lagos, for close to two weeks and departed for the competition on Thursday.
Coach John Uzor of the national U-18 team has included Omole Joy of Defender Babes and her sister Omole Shola alongside Ojie Princess of Funad Academy alongside right back Faisat Balogun in the mix while Success Duru, Chetachi Ngaodurubie of COAS Babes and Sharon Okonkwo make the cut, amongst other players.
In the U-20 team, Coach Shittu Agboola has largely stuck with the players he has been grooming since their U-18 days. The team is led by Captain Chidera Ogbusimba alongside, her Rima Queens teammates the Samuel Sisters, Amina Mohammed and Joy Peters.
Israel-based Rahima Bello, Kehinde Babatunde of ASPAC HBC of Benin Republic and Esther Mathew, who is also based in Benin Republic, keep their places.
Coach Shittu believes his team will make Nigeria proud just as they did previously at the U-18 level.
“I am really upset that Taiwo Babatunde will not be part of the team for this competition as her school, Yaba College of Technology, insisted that they will not release her for national service because of examinations.
“We did everything humanly possible to secure her release and they didn’t care that it is a national service for the interest of Nigeria and the growth of sports. We have other players who are also students and they got a release from their schools but for no tangible reason, Yabatech refused to release Taiwo despite the fact that we did everything possible to secure her release. It’s sad and I hope the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Sports Commission will work in tandem so that schools will support our goal in making Nigeria proud in sporting events”.
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