Malawi vs Nigeria: Previews via video highlights

From the video highlights it seems it’s the Harambee Stars who had clear chances. We need to work on our defending.

The server keeps on going down. Too much traffic?

Chris, seeing is believing.

“Had it been that Chiukepo was fit and available for the game against Kenya, surely we would have won because Russell [Mwafulirwa's] final touch was awful. He strugled to press the ball even in one-on-one situations with the goalkeeper” – Malawi Coach Kinnah Phiri.

How many one-on-one situations were there? The only one I saw is on 0:13/2:62 (of the second video) but there were 3 defenders behind the keeper. Even the best strikers in the world fail to score when one on one with the goalkeeper. By the way, which is easier, trying to score from the charity spot (penalty kick) or trying to score when one on one with the goalkeeper during normal play. I think leaving Mwafulirwa on the bench (against Nigeria) will be a mistake. We need a Plan B. If sexy football will not be potent we’ll need to make lots of crosses for Mwafulirwa to head home. Against Kenya, most of the “shots on goal” were through headers.

We really need to work on our defending (including goalkeeping). We’ll need to hustle hard if we need to win this game.

As my boy Ace Hood choruses:

Same old s…, just a different day
Out here tryna get it, each and every way
Momma need a house
Baby need some shoes
Times are getting hard
Guess what I’m a do

Closed mouths don’t get fed on this boulevard

Posted from  United States

“Nigeria have always been a better side on paper but in reality, I think this is just an ordinary Super Eagles at the moment. We have to attack throughout – and we have to push the Nigerians to the limit and get a quick goal that can unsettle them.” – Malawi Coach Kinnah Phiri told BBC Sport.

“All we have to do is work and make corrections from the game against Namibia and that is it,” Nigeria Coach Stephen Keshi told BBC Sport.

Malawi stand in captain Moses Chavula as quoted by Nation Sports: “It is not easy beating a team of Nigeri’a status but that does not mean we can not beat them. We have confidence that we can do well on Saturday”

Malawi midfielder Joseph Kamwendo as quoted by Nation Sports: “Of course they are considered one of the best continental forces but we are not moved. We are prepared to fight our lungs out tomorrow.”

Malawi goalkeeper Simplex Nthala as quoted by Nation Sports: “We know that Malawians have lost faith because of our recent unimpressive results but I want to assure them that we’ll not let them down on Saturday. We are aware that a draw will not be a good result for us and we are aiming for a win.”

FAM President as quoted by Nation Sports: “With due respect to Nigeria, I believe we can win on Saturday.”

But what makes him so confident when the Flames have struggles against minnows such as Tanzania, Chand and Zanzibar?

“Well, our home record is impeccable, that is the key aspect despite the fact that we are playing a continental giant. I believe that we have a new team that has proved that it can cope with play playing away. What more playing at home?”

Super Eagles, be afraid, be very afraid.

Posted from  United States

People on the ground, did this really happen?

Hostile Malawi fans harass Eagles
MTN (08 jUNE 2012)

Nigeria’s World Cup qualifier against Malawi begun in earnest Friday evening when some irate fans nearly disrupted the Eagles late training.

Eagles coach Stephen Keshi had insisted on arrival for his players to have a feel of the Kamuzu Stadium pitch despite the fact that the 2:30pm time scheduled for it had lapsed.

He led the team to the arena at about 5pm Malawi time and 4pm Nigerian time, by which time it was already getting dark in Blantyre.

The coach and his players however braved the odds and trained nearly under the dark, no attempt was made by the stadium officials to switch on the floodlights in the arena. But as if that was not enough, some rough-looking fans stormed the training pitch and attempted to harass Nigerian players but were prevented by team’s security chief Gideon Akinsola; camp commandant, Lt. Col Rabiu Yandoto and team psychologist Robinson Okosun, who momentarily assumed the duty of a security detail for the period that the shouting match lasted.

It was only after the Nigerian officials resisted, that a policeman sauntered into the pitch to ask what the problem was.

The fans kept shouting that it was their country and their stadium and nobody can stop them from entering the training arena, which looked like the FIFA Goal Project site in Abuja. They were however prevailed upon to let the Nigerian train but they went and laid siege for the team to finish training with one of them saying they will with deal with the Nigerians after training.

After just 30 minutes Keshi decided that the team has had enough, because it was becoming very dark and stopped the session that was watched by NFF general secretary Musa Amadu and technical committee chairman Chris Green.

It was then that the stadium officials switched on the floodlights in the stadium, but Keshi resisted taking his wards back because of the long trip the players just went through.

But the fans still laid siege and it took about 10 minutes for a combined team of policemen and some Nigerians resident in Blantyre to convince them to allow the Super Eagles out of the stadium and back into their bus.

When the team got to its Sunbird Hotel abode, Keshi said he expected such mind games and urged the players to be prepared for more of such antics from the fans of The Flames.

“We will do our best to make Nigerians happy at the end of the day,” he vowed.

Who is to blame for all this?

Nigerians mum on itinerary
Daily Times (6 June 2012

NIGERIA’S Super Eagles, who face Malawi in World Cup qualifier this Saturday, have been playing hide and seek on their itinerary but FAM says it had taken its own initiative and found out that the team might arrive Thursday.

FAM general secretary Suzgo Nyirenda said the Nigeria Football Federation had not yet communicated on the team’s travel arrangements.

The GS said the association had to take its own initiative to find out when the team is arriving.

“From the look of things, the Nigerians might arrive either Thursday or Friday. It seems they are travelling on a chartered airplane,” he said.

“We have been writing them to give us their programme but they have not yet responded and we found out this information through our own initiative.”

Although Fifa rules stipulate that the visiting team should be responsible for their travel and accommodation, the host football association is responsible for the team’s security and any emergency.

Nyirenda suspected that the Nigerians were trying to play mind games ahead of the second World Cup qualifier.

Did the Super Eagles give notice?

“no attempt was made by the stadium officials to switch on the floodlights in the arena”

The reason the game will kick off at 2.30pm is because they don’t want to incur floodlights costs and also because power goes on and off almost everyday although the motto of the electricity company is “Power All Day, Everyday”

“Eagles coach Stephen Keshi had insisted on arrival for his players to have a feel of the Kamuzu Stadium pitch despite the fact that the 2:30pm time scheduled for it had lapsed”

Why did they arrive a day before the match? Super Eagles just repeating the mistakes from the Ethiopia match? “…Take Nigeria’s last competitive game on the road to Ethiopia. I am told that the trip was planned; correct that; expected to be a four and half hour direct flight, leaving Nigeria at 7pm and arriving Addis Ababa, at 2am local time, Ethiopia being 2-hours ahead of Nigeria. This would’ve allowed the players a 6-8 hour rest before the match. Except that nobody appeared to reckon with Air Nigeria bringing an aircraft which needed refuelling enroute. So rather than fly four and half hours direct to Addis, the team first flew nearly four hours to Entebbe, spent over an hour and a half on the ground, then nearly two hours to Addis (Link). The rest is history….” – TONY

Posted from  United States

T.I.A?

Namibia suffer two hour flight delay ahead of Nigeria game
2 June 2012

Namibia suffered a two hour flight delay as they left Lagos for Calabar on Friday ahead of Sunday’s opening 2014 World Cup qualifier against Nigeria.

The Brave Warriors arrived in Lagos on Thursday night and were supposed to depart for Calabar, the Cross River State capital, aboard an Arik Air flight scheduled for mid-morning on Friday.

However, the airline announced that there would be a 30-minute delay due to crew change at the old domestic arm of the Murtala Muhammed Airport.

There was further delay to their departure when they finally boarded an hour later due to the air traffic control’s system problem.

The plane finally took off in the afternoon, two hours and 15 minutes behind schedule and arrived in Calabar 55 minutes later.

Unruffled Namibia coach Bernard Kaanjuka told Goal.com that they were not too happy with the arrangement for the trip as they expected to have been flown to Calabar on Thursday night.

He said, however, that this would not affect the team’s spirit as they look to upset the Super Eagles in Sunday’s game.

“I’ve been working as a coach for 20 years all over Africa and I know how things work, this will not affect us,” Kaanjuka told Goal.com.

“We will do our first work out at 5pm today (Friday). But first I need to get my players good food because the breakfast they had was poor.”

The Brave Warriors are ranked 120th in the world, far below their opponents who are ranked 63rd.

Posted from  United States

I can’t wait for the match. I am failing to sleep. I will be at the gate 4 hours before kick-off.

Izeki i hear u broda. This game should be a thriller. If Malawi opens up too much Nigeria will make them pay but Malawi cannot afford to just to “try” at goal they have to be assertive and even yes try and dribble in the box to try and get a pk.

Posted from  United States