The Nigeria Super Eagles overcame the Antelopes of Ethiopia in a very tough world cup qualifier match that potended to be a banana peel for the Super Eagles. The African Champions versus the Minnows of East Africa. A typical David vs Goliath story. It had upset written over it. Fortunately, they were able to rise to the occasion and secure a 1-2 victory over their Ethiopian counterparts.

After every encounter, there are usually lessons learnt- a sort of post-mortem to be conducted to find weaknesses to hide or strengthen, subtle nuances to explore and a general paragon for the larger community to imbibe.

7. Yekini Reborn?

Nigerians have been yearning for a replacement for the goals-father Rashidi Yekini. And now finally have found a reliable goal scorer in Emmanuel Emenike. He is just coming off a successful African Nations, where his goals were instrumental to Nigeria lifting the cup and at the same time, he ended up as the tournament's goalador.  In the Feneberche forward, the Super Eagles not only have goal scorer, but a world class finisher.

6. Moses and Oduamadi are light-weight.

The inclusion of  Moses and Oduamadi in the starting lineup indicated a very attacking side and signaled Keshi's intention to win the tie on Ethiopian Soil. Ultimately, the Super Eagles won the match so mission accompanied coach, one might say? 

Not exactly. The tie could have easily have gone beyond Nigeria on the balance of play in the opening hour. The Antelopes outplayed their Nigerian opponents for long periods and had they buried the numerous chances that came their way, it could have been different blog post I would have been writing. The blame could be put on selection of the duo of Moses and Oduamadi. 

Not taking anything from them, these are great players especially Moses who the Ethiopia paid closer attention to, after his brace ended their AFCON adventure earlier in the year.

The rule of the thumb in away encounters is to slow down the pace of the game and do anything to take away the wind from the sails from your hosts.

The game changed when more physical players in Nosa and Ideye were brought in for the duo.

5. Goal Line Technology: Where art thou?

It took Frank Lampard's none goal at the 2010 World cup to convince Fifa and its affilates that goal line technology is sorely needed to help the match officials in their duties. 

The fast pace of the game accompanied by its very high stakes have  conspired to make referees jobs' an impossible one. As in other sports such as NBA, NFL or Tennis, who have adopted video technology such as Hawk-Eye to resolve disputes, is essential to ensure the credibility the sport. And most importantly, determine that the  right Winner won! Removing the human element, many have argued will rob soccer off its charm or slow down the game. That element is one, match-fixers exploit. Its removal can only good for the enterprise. The margins between teams nowadays is so small that minute details really matter to decide who is the victor. A champion must be undisputed for the good of the game. Only video technology can ensure this.

A more reasonable argument to the goal line technology debate, is that such a decision will have to be globally applicable and less endowed regions of the world might not be able to afford it. Thus not meet up with the standard. Well, lets get started then.

4. Mikel's Best Position 

At Chelsea, he is a defensive midfielder, covering the back four and hardly venturing forward. Known for the sideway passes, and close ball control.  In the Green-White-Green of Nigeria, he surges forward, makes runs and seeks to open opponents' defenses.  What a contrast of playing styles for different teams. Even at that, those two extreme positions are not Mikel's best positions.

Mikel is more of a Riquelme-type player. He is not one to be shackled with the sole responsibility of protecting the defensive quartet. Nosa and Onazi are much more accustomed to that. He is best at delivering telling balls from deep in the midfield to racing forwards. I reckon he should play as just one of the central midfielders. Not the anchor of the defense nor the maestro orchestrating the attack.

3. The Difference between Big and Small Teams.

What is the different between "small" team juxtaposed with a more experience team. Skills? More stamina? Perhaps, it is better finishing? Well, they all count. In my opinion, the major difference between teams of varying strengths or even a very closely matched battle amongst peers is, a wait for it, Conversion of Set Pieces. 

Think about it, free kicks and corner kicks are opportunities to take an unchallenged goal attempt at your opponent's posts . Little wonder, teams that have mastered the art of converting dead ball situations always succeed in tournaments. The German machine, Brazilian teams comes to bear. Whenever they are backed into a corner, a successful set piece conversion comes to save their blushes. 

In this match, Nigeria were so wasteful with dead balls thus invited endless pressure on themselves. The Super Eagles had a lot free-kicks but they all amounted to nothing. This is one area, Nigeria needs to really work on, in order to take their game to the next level.

2. Ideye is more Robin than Batman

It seems Ideye Brown's best position is behind the main striker. That is where he really shines when he is played in that position. He struggled in the Confederations Cup were he was played as a the top striker. Maybe it is a coincidence. Either way, Ideye seems to have developed a good understanding with Emmenike, which will only help his cause for more playing time in the Super Eagles starting eleven.

1. No more Minnows 

There are no more minnows in African Football. Think about  it, board room maneuvers robbed Cape d'verde, Libya off a place in the final playoffs. This is very good for the continent.

Player Ratings

• Vincent Enyeama 
- Had a good game, bar the dodgy goal that he was conceded. 2.5/5
• Azubuike Egwueke - 
Contributed to the defensive responsibilities.
 2.5/5
• Ambrose 
-The Celtic defender was his usual solid self but the attacking part of his wing back play was absent. 3/5
• 




Godfrey Oboabona - Easily how best defender. The no nonsense defender showed his temperament of the field. 3.5/5
• Uwa 
Echiejile-Debuted well in right back but once again did not offer anything going forward. 2.5/5
• 




John Obi Mikel 
-Came alive in the second half after Nosa came in to share in defensive duties, thereby freeing him to dictate the play. 3/5
• 




Ogenyi Onazi - The combative midfielder put it his usual shift in blood and tears. 2.5
• 




Victor Moses- Picked out by the opposition as the star man, Moses could not escape the special attention, the Ethiopians 
put on him. Faded out of the match as it wore on. 1.5/5.

• 




Ahmed Musa - Was a constant headache in the second half. Missed a glorious chance. 3/5
• Emenike - Man of the Match . Took the game by scruff of its neck and brought Nigeria level out of nothing. And scored a smash and grab winning penalty. 4/5.
• Nnamdi Oduamadi - His anononmity is only rivalled by his wastefulness in front of goal. Missed a glorious chance in the first half. Lucky to have remained on the pitch for an hour 1/5
• Substitutions
• N. Igiebor 
- changed the match in my opinion. The Hard tackling defensive foil, freed Mikel to do what he does best.
• Ideye 
- Replaced Victor Moses.

Anno Domini, the latin phrase that refers to the  "Year of the Lord" is used as reference point in the Gregorian Calendar to illustrate a time period using the birth of Christ as a focal point. Anno Fergie might as well be used to refer to "the period of Sir Alex Ferguson", a colossal figure who "reigned" as the undisputed Knight of the English premier league for 27 years. As Manager of the Manchester United a.k.a The Red Devils, he saw to the dethronement of eternal rivals,  The Reds, Liverpool FC , from their perch on top of English football and a haul of 38 trophies.

It was not always an all conquering performance. He had to endure four barren years before an F.A cup victory in 1990 saved him from the sack. Those were the days, when Managers were given time to build teams. Also, he had battles with Arsenal's Wenger and was almost put in his place by the enigmatic "Special One". 

Unfortunately, these are the shoes, the new Manager David Moyes hopes to fill when Sir Alex, as he is fondly called, decided to retire at the end of 2012/2013 season. Questions were asked if the former Manager of Everton, a club with modest ambitions, could handle the high pressure and lofty expectations that comes with being the Manager of the third richest club in the world?

Hitherto, Moyes has never won a single trophy. The excuse handed out, is that it was an achievement, just to take a club with such a small budget to be within the reach of winning.

Fast Forward to the start of the 2013/2014 season. After five matches played, Manchester United led by Moyes had lost to Liverpool, its fiercest rivals, drawn with Chelsea in a drab 0-0 match and got humiliated 4-1 by their city neighbors, ManCity.

It seems, it is all unravelling for Moyes.  Well, to be fair no. You see, his predecessor also suffered humiliating losses to Mancity,  most notable, the "Why always me?" Balotelli's inspired 6-1 drubbing at Old Trafford, of all places. And Manchester United were usually slow starters, who end up finishing strong towards the end of season. As some of his critics point out, Man United was one of the richest clubs in the world throughout his reign, yet could only manage to win two European titles.

Another point that might be contributing to the hysteria is that,  unlike in previous seasons, were there was just one main rival to the crown, this season, one can sense a genuine challenge from six clubs, making the stakes much higher. Fans believe that any slip could be fatal to title chances. Hence, more pressure on Moyes.

As it is during the year of our Lord, so it is in the time of Fergie. The shroud of Sir Alex is hovering around Old Trafford, providing extra scrutiny for Moyes. Most pertinent question asked at every turn is, "What will Ferguson do"?

The answer to that is, "That is irrelevant". In my earlier post, I opined that this was inevitable. Controversially, if I might add, that the statue of Ferguson on the ManU bench "guaranteed" 15 points on the league table. Moyes is yet to gain such clout but while he is at it, he might consider bringing creative midfielders and replacing the aging legs of Rio Ferdinand.

How Moyes handles the pressure, will determine the duration of his tenure as Manchester United Manager. He has accomplished much with a smaller team like Everton, taking them to Champions League and an F.A cup final. Now he is in a different challenge. He is expected to win and not just participate.

ManU faithfuls could help cushion the effect of the poor start to the season, if only they will heed to the advice of Sir Alex, who so eloquently put it, "Your job is now to stand behind our new Manager".

A maiden Premier League goal from John Obi Mikel goal helped seal a 2-0 victory for Chelsea over hardworking Fulham.

Oscar broke the deadlock just after half-time with a three-yard tap-in after a goalmouth scramble, while Mikel's landmark goal came with a fine volley six minutes from time.
This victory will hel lessen the pressure on Morinho after seeing his team go three matches without a win.

Gareth Bale turned up for his first day at the office and was warmly welcomed by the man he has replaced as the world’s most expensive footballer.

Perhaps conscious of Bale being seen as a pretender to Cristiano Ronaldo’s crown in the Spanish capital, Real Madrid made sure there was an early display of a united front as Bale was greeted by the man he referred to as ‘the boss’ in his presentation last week.  

The two galacticos shook hands in a heavily staged ‘chance meeting’ in the club car park.

It is the picture Real president Florentino Perez has been desperate to see ever since Barcelona unveiled £48million Brazil star  Neymar as Lionel Messi’s sidekick.

Bale arrived in Madrid yesterday morning and was driven to the same city-centre hotel where his coach Carlo Ancelotti is staying.  

He will live there until he sets up home with his family in the same La Finca private estate that is home to Ronaldo.

Ancelotti emerged from Bale’s new temporary home just before the Welshman was driven up by club delegate Javi Coll. 

The former Real Madrid basketball player has been employed for so long by the club to help English-speaking players settle in that he remembers David Beckham finding his feet in the city in 2003.
Bale was then driven to Real’s Valdebebas training complex, where Ronaldo was waiting to  welcome him. 

Source: MailOnLine.com

Rafa Nadal lifts the trophy.

Looking fit as can be and maybe even better than ever, the No. 2-ranked Nadal pulled away from No. 1 Novak Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 on Monday in a taut, tense US Open final for his 13th Grand Slam title.

"Very, very emotional, no?" Nadal said during the on-court trophy presentation. "Probably only my team knows how much (this) means for me."

They started in sunlight and finished at night, a 3-hour, 21-minute miniseries of cliffhangers and plot twists and a pair of protagonists who inspired standing ovations in the middle of games.

"Probably nobody brings my game to the limit like Novak," said Nadal, who collected $3.6 million in prize money, including a $1 million bonus for results during the North American hard-court circuit.

There was no quit in either of them, during points that lasted 15, 25, even more than 50 strokes. Those rallies went so long, rarely over when they appeared to be, and spectators often shouted out during the course of play, prompting Nadal to complain to the chair umpire.

This was their 37th match against each other, the most between any two men in the Open era, and Nadal has won 22. It also was their third head-to-head US Open final in the last four years. Nadal beat Djokovic for the 2010 title, and Djokovic won their rematch in 2011.

They know each other's games so well, and play such similar hustle-to-every-ball styles, but in the end, it was Nadal who was superior.

"He was too good. He definitely deserved to win this match today and this trophy," Djokovic said. "Obviously disappointing to lose a match like this."

Rafael Nadal capped a sensational 2013 with his second US Open title.
Nadal improved to 22-0 on hard courts and 60-3 overall in 2013 with nine titles, including at the French Open, which made him the first man with at least one Grand Slam trophy in nine consecutive seasons. The 27-year-old Spaniard's total of 13 major championships ranks third in the history of men's tennis, behind only Roger Federer's 17 and Pete Sampras' 14.

"Thirteen Grand Slams for a guy who is 27 years old is incredible," said Djokovic, who owns six himself. "Whatever he achieved so far in his career, everybody should respect, no question about it."

Source:http://espn.go.com/tennis/usopen13/story/_/id/9656100/2013-us-open-rafael-nadal-bests-novak-djokovic-title-caps-stellar-13

Watch out when you make Serena mad. Wiliams seemed to decide to get down to business. She was visibly fired up. She won the next three games including a break in Azarenka’s serve, taking the first set 7-5. Williams attacked with sheer power rather than finesse, her best approach with the windy conditions still bothering her.
The winner of the first set has gone on to win the last 18 championships. It would be no different this year, but it was a long hard fight.
Williams broke Azarenka’s serve in the first game of the second set. Azarenka is no quitter, but the shift in momentum was obvious. Getting whipped with service aces between 114 and 119 miles per hour will shut anyone down. The second break for Williams came when Azarenka double faulted on her serve.


Victoria Azarenka serves against Serena Williams during the women’s singles final of the 2013 U.S. Open tennis tournament Sunday. AP Photo/Charles Krupa
It seemed over at this point. But Azarenka fought her way back, with help from a few unforced errors by Williams and her own excellent play, especially when coming to the net. From a 4-1 deficit, Azarenka brought the set back to 6-6, then won a close tiebreak to take the second set. Once again the wind got into Williams’ head, and her frustration was distracting her.
It came down to the third set, and again came down to unforced errors. Azarenka let Williams get a service break in the fourth game due to unforced errors. Williams  regained her edge, and delivered her hardest service ace of the match in the fifth game of the third set, 126 miles per hour. Azarenka did it again in the sixth game, double faultng to put Williams up 5-1 and serving for the match.
Williams won the game, set, match and America’s championship, 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-1 in two hours and 46 minutes. It was the longest women’s championship match since the tournament has been keeping track, 1980.
After congratulating Azarenka, Williams shouted in triumph to the crowd. It is Williams’ fifth U.S. Open singles title, third Grand Slam title this year, and her 17th Grand Slam title overall in singles. She is the oldest U.S. Open women’s champion just shy of her 32nd birthday. She won $2.6 million in prize money, plus another $1 million for placing first in the Emirates Bonus Challenge.
After warm applause from the crowd, Azarenka told Mary Carillo of CBS, “It is a tough loss. But to be in the final against a tough player who deserves the win is incredible. We fought hard.”

Serena Williams shows her fifth U.S. Open women’s singles trophy to the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. Photo: Associated Press, David Goldman.
Williams told Carillo after the match “I definately felt the love, so thank you all so much. It’s an honor to play in New York.” Turning to Azarenka, Wiliams said “Vica is such a great opponent, such a great fighter … It was never over until match point.”

Source: http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/sports-around/2013/sep/8/us-open-tennis-2013-serena-williams-wins-photos-su/

Is there a more divisive character in world soccer? Apparently not. Suarez, L'enfant terrible and football genius tells a Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde story. From the bitings, hand balls and diving accusations to sublime skills, goals. This has become the spilt personality of soccer's prodigal son.

Any other player who has gathered such negativity around him, would have been let go by the club.

Even the drama of wanting to leave for Arsenal during the transfer, only reinforced the club's desire to retain his services. Such is the importance and regard, Liverpool have for Saurez. And I will explore why.

1. Free Kicks

Other than Gerard, Suarez is the main danger from set pieces for the Reds. Notching up wonderful freekick goals last season. The ones he scored against  Zenith st. Petersburg comes in mind.

2. 110% Commitment

Call him what you like. Nobody can doubt the energy, desire and all round commitment that Suarez brings to the Liverpool cause. His energy galvanizes his team mates in more action. 

3. Backup for Sturridge

Right now, the new boy Daniel Sturridge is the Kop's favorite. Notching the vital goals so far. But any team is stronger with Suarez sitting on the bench, providing an option for the manager, in case Sturridge's form drops or he gets injured.

4. Not just Goals, but High Conversion rate.

Suarez converted 16/30 “big chances” for Liverpool last season in Premier League play. That’s a conversion rate of 53%. (7amkickoff) The highest in the league last season. If you prefer goals, then 19 goals, one every 117 mins.

5. Merchandizing

Clubs still need fans to buy merchandise and fill the stadium seat. Suarez is a crowd puller and mostly for the right reasons.