After France, Eagles ready to devour Kenya

Abuja- If there is one match that the Super Eagles Coach, Shuaibu Amodu, could conveniently sleep in the dugout while his boys sweated it out on the pitch, it is today’s match against Kenya’s Harambee Stars in the 2010 World Cup qualifying match.

Clearly, the Kenyans have been at the receiving end of history.

In nine meetings dating back twenty-eight years, the best the Kenyans have managed is a measly draw with the Eagles romping home to victory eight times. In the main, the Kenyans have scored four goals and conceded 23.

Aside, Kenya’s poor record against Nigeria, the Eagles performance against former World champions, France on Tuesday night in Saint Etienne indicates the Kenyans may be in for a roasting. It was top of the drawer performance the Eagles put, beating France 1-0 courtesy of Joseph Akpala’s 32nd minute strike in their first meeting ever.

Hungry players

The team comprising hungry players, took the match to a French side parading its full squad. For a long time in living memory, the Eagles played with purpose and panache. Their performance recalled to memory one night thirteen years ago, when Nwankwo Kanu led the U-23 to dramatic 4-3 win over Brazil in the semi-final of the Atlanta 1996 Olympic football tournament.

With exciting young talent like Ikechukwu Uche, who was clearly the best player on the field on Tuesday, Dele Adeleye, Adefemi Olubayo and Joseph Apkala, the Eagles announced to the world that despite recent reversals, they still had fight left in them.

Hey’s tall ambition

Despite the odds stacked heavily against his side, Harambee Stars of Kenya coach, Antoine Hey, is attempting what many Nigerians consider impossible. The 38 year-old coach is sounding a warning to Amodu and his boys that victory for Nigeria is not given.

He told a Kenya newspaper recently that he target haul of points this June . He is looking forward to a four points haul-one from the match against Nigeria and three from the match against Mozambique later this month.

“If we cannot get the four points to revive our World Cup hopes, then we have to settle for an Africa Cup of Nations place otherwise the focus is to play for the World Cup,” Hey said.

Hey is pinning his hopes on a clutch of foreign-based players like McDonald Mariga (Parma), Patrick Oboya (Siad Most), Willies Ochieng (Finland), Robert Mambo (GIF Sundsvall, Sweden) and John ‘Mo’ Muiruri (FK Moss, Norway), Dennis Oliech (AJ Auxerre), Musa Otieno (Santos SA), and Antony Origi among others.

Many Nigerians consider that task clearly herculean particularly as the Harambee Stars only in March this year, fell 1-2 at home to Tunisia in their first match of this second qualifying phase of the 2010 World Cup. Again in all their four meetings in Nigeria the Kenya had not failed to secure a draw but lost three by 3-0 and the remaining one by 3-1 margin.

“We will beat the Kenyans by a comfortable margin in Abuja. They are not the kind of team we should lose sleep over because they are no match for us,” says Olufela Bank-Olemoh, a sports analyst and publisher of a Lagos-based weekly football paper.

Ndubuisi Okosieme, a former Eagles player who scored Nigeria’s opening goal against the Harambee Stars in a 3-0 win at the 1988 Nations Cup in Morocco, agrees.

“The Kenyans should not be a problem for us. We have always overcome them even on their home soil. In Abuja and with the quality of players we have, they do not stand a chance of creating any upset.

He adds that the Eagles should expect a very physical match given that the Kenyans are young and strong. “I think Amodu should pay equal attention to skill and fitness. The Harambee Stars are used to the kind of weather they will face in Abuja and unlike teams from North Africa, will not wilt under the intensity of the afternoon sun,” Okosieme said.

Taking charge

Amodu has been keeping mum about today’s match. Harangued by Nigerian football fans for the failure to seize the moment in Maputo and inflict defeat on the Mozambicans on March 29, the Eagles handler is keeping his plans for the match close to his chest.

With two international friendly matches against Ireland and France in the last one week, many feel that by now he would have firmed up his game plan. The squad he has called up for the encounter gives an impression that the Eagles helmsman wants to hit the Kenyans where it hurts.

In addition to regulars like Osaze Odemwingie, Nwankwo Kanu, Joseph Yobo, Ikechukwu Uche, Austin Ejide and Vincent Enyeama, Amodu has invited young and exciting players like Joseph Akpala of Club Brugge and Michael Eneramo of Esperance of Tunisia and top scorer in the Tunisian league this season.

Bank-Olemoh believes that with players of this quality, Nigeria will not only beat Kenya today but go ahead to qualify for the World Cup despite trailing Tunisia at the moment.

“I think what is needed is leadership. There is a way Amodu can give leadership and he will turn things around. Look at Barcelona; last year they ended up empty-handed because leadership was lacking, but today with the right leadership we can see what they have achieved.

“I think Amodu can help himself by fielding the best players available to him. I think a player like Getafe’s Ikechukwu Uche should play. Joseph Akpala is another player that I like. I couldn’t understand why we had a player like him on the bench against Mozambique and Amodu failed to use him when things were not going well,” he stated.

Keeping a level head

For Joseph Erico, the match in Abuja today is as good as won. Erico, who was one of Amodu’s assistants when he was coach of the Super Eagles in 2002 before falling out with the NFA, believes that what Amodu and his boys really need is presence of mind to get the job done. He says Nigerians have not been fair to the Eagles coach and his players.

“Amodu and his players should not be distracted by comments concerning their recent performances particularly the last two friendly matches. It is bad when people speak derogatorily about the players, especially when they use terms like ‘tired legs’.

“In any human endeavour there must be the big boys who occupy such positions by virtue of their experience and achievement.

We must learn to give our players their due. Some of them have made huge sacrifices for this country and we must appreciate that,” Erico said.

Indeed, for Amodu to scale through this present hurdle and prepare for the Tunisian challenge in Rades, Tunisia, later this month, he needs to do more than refuse to be distracted. After the performance of his players on Tuesday, the expectation of some Nigerian football fans is that he should keep faith with the squad that beat France in Saint Etienne.

“There is no need changing a winning team. The boys who beat France in the friendly match are players who are ready to play and that is what we need right now. Amodu should field them against Kenya on Sunday. We don’t want big men who will be thinking about their club careers or girl friends in the middle of an important match, said Mike Okafor, a football fan based in Lagos on Tuesday after the match against France.