Mozambique vs Nigeria match preview | The Nutmeg - video Dailymotion

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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]

Mozambique vs Nigeria match preview | The Nutmeg

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