The cynical Nigerian will still take away a few misgivings from Nigeria’s result against Cameroon on Sunday.
1. Two of the three goals came after the recklessness of Stephane Mbia, which earned him a red card in the second period.
2. It was only a friendly; against an Indomitable Lions side, that’s at its weakest in a long time.
However, this insinuation misses the point.
Beyond the raw value of the result in terms of team-building, its biggest impact was- igniting the fizzling faith of the Nigerian public, in the Super Eagles.
Going into next month’s World Cup qualifier against Swaziland (or Djibouti, if you believe in the near-impossible), it was vital to have a positive mental image of the team, to see that they have the capacity to play coherently.
It buys Sunday Oliseh a little more time with the millions of inherently impatient Nigerians.
Much has been made about his Uefa certification, but the worry has always been whether or not he possesses the tools to transmit his ideas and know-how to the players, but last weekend’s display goes some way in allaying those fears.
Has Nigeria’s performance earned Oliseh time with an expectant public?
Considering the fact that teams under construction rarely exhibit the consistency Nigerians demand, it would not be at all surprising to find the Super Eagles struggle against Swaziland or Djibouti next month.
It may be viewed as a retrogressive step, but it’s simply a reflection of the difficulty that comes with team-building.
In that regard, it was a pleasure to see that some of the players/backroom staff recruited for the process, have begun to look the part.
Lively winger, Moses Simon was full of running, especially in the first half when he seemed on a mission to take-on Cameroon’s left back.
Some of his efforts were a tad overzealous, and his game still lacks the required finesse, which made him gas out as the game wore on.
This was not helped by Elderson Echiejile’s ultra-conservative positioning, hanging back rather than moving forward to offer support and open up space for the Genk FC winger.
Simon was a lot quieter in the second period, but was on hand to score the game’s second: a swift counter-attack that saw Ahmed Musa lob the ball to find him.
It was the sort of pass one might have expected from John Obi Mikel, who was at his controlled best. It is unlikely he will ever be able to seize a high-tempo game by the scruff of the neck, but when Mikel is in a football game, few can replicate the melody of his movement.
Here, he strummed placidly on his guitar and the Cameroonian midfield danced in the moonlight of Brussels.
He also did not shirk his defensive duties, impressively dropping into the defence-line to snuff out a counter-attack after Leon Balogun had brought the ball out of defence.
It was quite the sight; Balogun running downfield from centre-back.
It would have been fitting if his pass at the end had come off. The Mainz FC player was irrepressible and unflappable in defence as well as accurate with the ball at his feet.
The absence of Kenneth Omeruo through injury and Godfrey Oboabona through diplomatic red tape may prove to be the proverbial blessing in disguise.
After failing to impress at right-back, Balogun appears to have found a home at centre-back. For the first time since making his debut for the national team in March 2014, he looked perfectly suited to this level.
The same could be said for Oliseh: finally, he looks like a man who belongs at the helm of the Super Eagles.
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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija
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