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00:00 If the performance and result against Saudi Arabia is a rehearsal of what is to come in
00:04 the game against Mozambique in the World Cup qualifiers and even Afcon in a couple of months
00:09 time, then we have a lot to ponder about for the Super Eagles.
00:13 Right here is our video and it's a preview of the game against Mozambique.
00:18 My name is Ayomede Shotoba and this is The Nutmeg on Guardian TV.
00:27 And it's my pleasure to have with me here Olani Adiola, my long time friend.
00:31 We finally made it to a show together.
00:35 It's been a while, it's been a long time coming, Ay, and I'm so glad to be here.
00:39 And let's talk football.
00:40 Yes, and where better to start than the game against Saudi Arabia.
00:44 You saw that performance and maybe you were impressed or not, I do not know.
00:49 But there are definitely talking points, most importantly the goalkeeping situation.
00:53 To be sincere with you, the goalkeeping situation was one that gave me a headache because eventually
01:00 this is a friendly.
01:01 All of us, we know what Francis Ouzo can do.
01:06 All of us know.
01:07 Like, what happened against Saudi Arabia was a reminder of what is Karpi Gulov.
01:11 We know.
01:12 It was a friendly game.
01:13 We didn't want him, we didn't need him there.
01:16 We needed someone else.
01:17 We needed an Adil Ede.
01:20 Someone who hasn't been given enough minutes in the colours of the Super Eagle.
01:24 Someone who has not really proven himself.
01:26 Let me ask you though, what do you think is a long lasting solution?
01:29 Because obviously we've tried different, most importantly we've tried players from abroad
01:34 when it comes to this goalkeeping situation.
01:36 Do you think we should, you are talking about Adil Ede for instance, and at least there
01:39 will be up to 20 goalkeepers, two from each team in the Niger Premier Football League
01:45 that you can count on.
01:46 So what do you think is the way to go as a lasting solution to the goalkeeping problem?
01:50 Because since Enyama we've not had any safe sense of security there.
01:54 I hate to break it to people listening, those who are strongly on the side of bringing in
02:00 local players from the NBFLC, we all know why in ourself.
02:05 The Nigerian Professional Football League can't produce a goalkeeper of the calibre.
02:10 Oh you think so?
02:11 Yes I do.
02:12 But Enyama came from?
02:13 Enyama came from.
02:15 Enyama is when the league was competitive enough.
02:17 Let us be sincere ourselves, when did we get to the stage of major competitions in CAF?
02:22 It probably came from when the league was a major place in African football where we
02:28 are playing the best football that Africa had to offer.
02:32 Not now where we are playing catch up to the likes of Tanzania and Co.
02:35 And that's where the big problem is because if the international exports that we have
02:40 can't deliver, how are we going to bank on the local exports to deliver?
02:44 That's up in the air for debate, let's move on.
02:46 We know the opponents that we'll face in the African Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast
02:51 next year.
02:52 Ivory Coast by the way are hosts, we are tied with them in Group A alongside the Guineas,
02:57 Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea.
02:59 And what do you make of as an early prediction for that group?
03:03 Early prediction, we are getting out of that group.
03:05 Like I don't know, OCPSL with all the amount that you have made, I'm begging you, you have
03:09 to leave that group.
03:10 But the bigger picture is when we leave the group, what's there for us?
03:14 We have battle ready teams like Senegal, Egypt waiting for us, Algeria right there, Morocco
03:19 right there.
03:20 These are the teams that we should be seeing ourselves up against.
03:22 Ivory Coast is going to give us a very big test.
03:24 They have players like Warriors, the likes of Nicholas Jackson, the likes of…
03:30 Sadio Mane.
03:31 Yeah, Sadio Mane also for Senegal.
03:32 I mean these guys are the poster boys of African football at the moment.
03:35 They are coming up against players that are proving themselves big time on the stage.
03:38 Nigeria, since we won the competition in 2013, it's been a very, very rough patch for us.
03:45 We've not been able to perform at the big stage.
03:47 We need to prove ourselves.
03:48 Getting out of the group stage should not be a problem.
03:51 Anyway, let's move away from that.
03:53 The most important aspect of this episode is the preview against Mozambique.
03:59 And of course, they have to prove themselves today, getting a win.
04:03 It's just a friendly, yes.
04:05 But I mean, after that, we've seen a lot, we've learned a lot.
04:09 What do you think they should be doing better going into this game?
04:11 One thing is sure, Mozambique are no pushover.
04:15 People don't, you might not know, but I will tell you that Mozambique are a very strong
04:19 team that have also secured qualifications to the Afcon.
04:23 And they didn't do it in a worrisome format.
04:25 They did it in a very easy way.
04:27 They made life easy for themselves.
04:29 They are a very physical team.
04:31 They play as a team.
04:32 They are very compact defensively.
04:35 If you are looking for a physical Africa team, Mozambique is as physical as it can get.
04:39 And our players will definitely suffer.
04:41 Expect those body, they are going to suffer.
04:44 But I believe the quality of the team should come through.
04:47 Yes, Victor Osime, unfortunately, won't feature in this one.
04:50 But we are covered.
04:52 Victor, Boniface is...
04:53 Yes, looking like it.
04:54 I mean, lovely goal, a striker's goal, centre forward kind of thing.
04:57 I like the fact that we have a lot of options.
05:01 I also like the fact that Ause Pesero is trying to play attacking football.
05:05 But we've not won a friendly under Ause Pesero.
05:08 Our place in the FIFA rankings is also a concern.
05:11 Maybe not the highest in terms of priorities right now.
05:14 But also, we've not won a friendly since 2019, Adi.
05:18 This is a must win, isn't it?
05:21 First of all, it's something that we can win.
05:23 And what's painful is the fact that we have to go back to 2019 when we won against Egypt
05:29 1-0.
05:30 That was the last time we recorded a friendly win.
05:33 Ause Pesero should take this result seriously.
05:35 Yes, you have been winning competitive games.
05:37 But the friendly games should also give us an insight into what to expect.
05:41 Against Saudi Arabia, the insights were not good.
05:43 You were considered by a goalkeeper, Aula...
05:46 Two set-piece situations.
05:47 Two set-piece situations.
05:48 The timing of the set-piece...
05:49 Yeah, you came back.
05:50 Then in the 90 minutes of additional time, the last minute, a foul, an unreasonable foul
05:58 by Aribo.
05:59 Yeah, just on the edge of the box.
06:01 I mean, it makes it easy for the opposition to choose where he wants to do and do the
06:05 damage.
06:06 There's one thing to play friendly and lose the friendly.
06:09 There's another thing.
06:10 The friendly should give an insight into what to expect from the team.
06:12 So you are telling me, even to take a ticket away from the Saudi Arabian game.
06:16 I would say that when the game gets very serious or when the going gets tough, I can't bank
06:22 on the players to keep going.
06:24 Because eventually, they are proven to crack.
06:26 I would take you to 2019 against Algeria.
06:31 In the half-con.
06:32 In Marist Free Kick.
06:33 That was Daniel Akweyi.
06:34 It was Akweyi.
06:35 But it also just shows a pattern there.
06:39 That the team can crumble when under pressure.
06:42 It's really painful.
06:43 I think that the game against Mozambique, we need to win and we need to win well.
06:47 Something I thought about in the game against Saudi Arabia is, normally, there will be different
06:52 phases of play.
06:53 You will have your own spell in the game.
06:55 You will have to bear your own chances.
06:57 Mozambique definitely will have their own spell in the game as well.
07:01 And the defence, doesn't the defence kind of worry you?
07:05 We've talked so much about the goalkeeper.
07:06 Especially at this level, you consider that most of them don't have that experience.
07:09 Talking about the defence, I feel for me, we are still covered to some extent in defence.
07:18 We have the likes of Omeru to call for big games.
07:22 And Semiah Jai also trying to...
07:25 Kavin Bassi.
07:26 Kavin Bassi for me, I'm not a big fan.
07:27 He's always shaky.
07:28 He's a suspect.
07:29 Kavin Bassi for me...
07:30 He's always like a bomb ready to explode.
07:31 We have, exactly, a Maguire.
07:32 And to be fair to him, no, I'm not going to join you in that.
07:37 I'm not going to be part of that.
07:39 I never said he's a Maguire.
07:40 See, I've not said he's a full-fledged Maguire.
07:41 I said he's a Maguire.
07:42 Own up to your words.
07:43 We have someone that I really like from the ranks, Osai Samoa.
07:49 Yeah, I mean, yes.
07:50 The two full-backs, we have to mention.
07:52 Bruno Onye Machi.
07:53 Onye Machi, lovely.
07:54 I'm really proud that he has been given the opportunity to the national team.
08:00 That one, Sertud, you see the goalkeeping situation?
08:03 I don't.
08:04 Let's go back to that.
08:05 No, I want to go back to it.
08:06 See, we have three options.
08:07 And do you know how bad it is?
08:10 We have a goalkeeper that, as I last said, was second choice to a team in Cyprus.
08:16 We have another goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye, that has not played for club and country for
08:19 over a year.
08:20 Then we have someone that plays in Israel that has not been tested.
08:25 These friendly matches should be the opportunity for us to see what he's capable of.
08:31 One thing I know about Adeleye is, Adeleye can use his feet.
08:35 He's an onana.
08:36 He can play with the ball.
08:37 You're just mentioning some men.
08:38 But can he keep the ball out of the net?
08:42 Can he perform the major function of a goalkeeper?
08:46 I might have been facing a lot of shots in Israel, but I've not seen him in the colours
08:50 of the national team.
08:51 This is a chance to see him in the colours of the national team.
08:54 Osoho is Okiawa number one, but he is too comfortable.
09:00 We have to bring things to a close somewhere around here.
09:02 Thank you very much.
09:03 And we do hope and wish that they win against Mozambique.
09:07 This is us wishing them the very best of good luck.
09:10 Thank you very much for watching another episode right here on the North Meg.
09:14 You can follow our content on Guardian Nigeria by subscribing to this channel.
09:18 And also you can tap the notification bell so you always get notified of our new videos.
09:24 Thank you very much again.
09:25 Thank you Ade.
09:26 I would love to do this again with you many of the times.
09:30 See you next episode.
09:31 [Music]