For the first time since 2005,i wept because of my National team.
Our defeat to Argentina was extremely painful and hard to take but we have to move on.
Kudos must be given to the NFF because for the first time,they were able to get their acts right and we hope that such will become a norm in our clime.
PREPARATION FOR QATAR 2022 SHOULD COMMENCE.
FIFA has programmed everything for the next 4years at least,from the programmes for referees to fixtures for lowly ranked teams before the big guns join in the race.
The various African football federations won't do much but the major actors are the players and Coaches.
Olympians prepare themselves for four(4) years minimum for them to win a medal.
The elimination of Senegal and Nigeria were painful but avoidable but lesson must be learnt.
North Africans relies so much on Lasers,Flares,Fire-Crackers,Playing football at nights,Intimidating fans and many others to rule Africa but they were battered in Russia.
Senegal and Nigeria showed that West Africa is the real deal when it comes to African football.
THE ROLE OF THE PLAYERS.
Many will agree with Coach Gernot Rohr that we were not ready to shake the world but we could have done better.
1.Failure to qualify for 2consecutive Afcon robbed most of the players in the Super Eagles cadre some top international footballing experience.
Players like Uzoho,Ebuehi,Iheanacho,Iwobi,Balogun all belong to that category.
The World Cup was just a learning stage for most of the players.
2.Fitness:It was so glaring that some players were not ready to compete on the World stage.
Ogenyi Onazi was one of our best performer in 2014 but became over-fed suddenly and the matches against Poland,Serbia and England exposed him and he fell out of favour for selection.
3.Consistency : It is the World Cup and the Round of 16 seperated boys from men.
Cristiano Ronaldo,Romelu Lukaku,Harry Kane are consistent goalscorers and it paid dividend on the grandest stage of them all.
The performance expectations at club level have made some of these players to put themselves in top shape and they are ever ready to conquer.
No wonder our striker could not put away a golden opportunity because he was so used to drought.
Playing in Champions League Finals gives you an edge over satisfied campaigners in lower leagues.
4.Avoid Distractions : It is very hard to handle fame especially in Nigeria.
Many will wish to be like you,associate with you but will get you out of your way.
Alex Iwobi was reported to be clubbing at 2a.m on a matchday few months ago.
Kelechi Iheanacho is my favourite player in the Super Eagles but i must confess that Kelechi has been distracted and as a result failed to raise his game in the last 2-3years.
There is power in company,Learn to swag with hard-work.
90% of the girls admiring you are GOLD distractions,it is even better to marry early than to be womanizing and lose focus.
Rapor with the right people,never be satisfied by your current achievement!
Do extra training
Extra tricks produce extraordinary results
When things are not going well,the adrenaline pops and your silent practice could be the difference.
History will repeat itself again if we fail to do our part as professional footballers.
Miracle won't happen if you fail to plan and work towards it implementation.
I wish i can work as an adviser to few professionals & upcoming players toward getting them ready to shake the world in 2022 and beyond.
I am not satisfied with our traditional failure despite our abundance talents.
Talent is not enough.