Nigeria Without Old Super Stars
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The current Nigerian squad is missing some of the superstars of old in Rashidi Yekini, Peter Rufai and Jay-Jay Okocha, while there is no player that hits the international headlines like Samuel Eto’o and Didier Drogba. But does this make them a better team?
The Galacticos of Real Madrid found out that you can assemble the best group of players possible, but if they play like individuals, success will be hard to find.
Indeed, it may be true that the very fact that this current Nigerian group has no genuine superstar means that the 11 men on the field are more reliant on each other, and therefore more inclined to play as a group.
It also makes them in a way more difficult to play against as there is no central point of focus for opposition teams to target.
Looking at the stats shows how this current side works as a team unit. Just one goal conceded in nine qualifiers to date is an incredible effort (and that was an own goal by Joseph Yobo!) and only a group of players who are filling both attacking and defensive roles can put together a run such as that (indeed, the side has conceded just five goals in their last 20 matches including friendlies).Critics will point to the fact that they failed to score in their away 2010 World Cup Group B qualifiers in Mozambique and Tunisia, but the fact remains they failed to concede either and those away points will be crucial if they manage to overhaul Tunisia at the top of the pool.
Indeed, the crucial match-up against the Atlas Lions in their 2010 World Cup/Africa Cup of Nations Group B encounter gives the Class of 2009 the chance to put one foot in South Africa.
Should they win, they will have their destiny in their own hands with a home match against Mozambique and an away trip to Kenya to come.
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Nigeria coach Shaibu Amodu comes in for some shameful criticism from Super Eagles fans, who feel a foreign coach is needed for the national team by virtue of the fact he is, well, foreign.
But that will always be the case with some Nigerian fans, who are star-struck by the names the Nigerian FA could hire – Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard to name just two.
It comes back to the central point – would these star names bring any further success to the side than the hard-working Amodu, who most ironically, is hounded by fans for being Nigerian. The complete opposite of xenophobia.
It will be tough to win over those Nigerian fans for whom ‘bling’ matters over substance, who crave a world superstar over a team who can give them success on the world stage. But a win over Tunisia in Abuja on Sunday will be a start.
Have Your Say: Is Nigeria a better team without it's former super stars?
