By Onochie Anibeze
Two reports thrilled me this week.
The first was from Simon Kalika. It was on their perception of what Eagles should look like on the field. The second was from his boss Samson Siasia emphasising what Kalika had said.

They talked modern football. They perceived it, preached it and I hope they will practice it and execute it. They begin with Ethiopia on Sunday. I’ll be in Abuja to watch them execute it. From football point of view, I know that they will struggle to execute 50 percent of what they said.

If they do so Ethiopia will be down by not less than two goals. In subsequent times they should be able to qualify for the Nations Cup and World Cup if they effectively put in 60 per cent of what they have preached.

A 70 percent of it can get them into the semi-final of the World Cup. And from that stage anything can happen. Please, I’m not dreaming yet. I’m going this far for I know what these two gentlemen have said. It’s classical football of highest order. It’s like singing song with the ball.

I know that it is not just the way to play but also the way to win.  You don’t need super stars to adopt this approach and win.  Players of average talent can beat any side in the world if they play 80 per cent of what Siasia and his deputy Kalika have said. |Any team that exceeds 80 per cent of this will be world champions forever.

Read what Kalika, the Dutch said:
“When we are in possession, we will open up the pitch by playing the wing play by the line and with a high ball circulation, we would try to bring out our crosses and score goals. We want to play with a lot of movement, with a lot of speed coupled with a lot of runs on the wings.”

“This is how we want to play not only against the Ethiopians but even if we play against world champions Spain. This time around we don’t want to fall back.

“We don’t want to play defensive football as well as counter football. We want to put high pressure in our play to shock our opponents. The moment the other team is building, our defenders are building too. That is chasing the ball already.

“So, we need to try to build our own attack as well as try to score goals. The AC Milan winger Nnamdi (Oduamadi) is a very skillful player and Ahmed Musa too. These players need the ball to destroy teams.

“We want to play attacking and aggressive football. Any match we play now, we are going to play with wingers who will attack with a lot of guts.”

“We are no more playing with a diamond midfield with a number 10, but we are playing with two central midfielders so that we can attack with four players.

“With a diamond midfield, it becomes very difficult if you have two top strikers with a number 10 and also to be in control, you have five players in front of the ball. So, we are playing a new system to put pressure on our opponents. You want to fight for the ball as well as engage in counter attacks.

“In the first half against Sierra Leone, it worked perfectly well with flashes from some players. In the second half, we changed a lot of players and it wasn’t as good as the first half.

“But with this new system we created like six open chances in the first half although we scored only two goals. I am not talking about half chances, but clear chances.

“We could have scored like six goals in the first half. Imagine if we keep training on this system, it would be great and the results would also be great.

If teams play like this opponents will not exist. I think Kalika was carried away and spoke more like a knowledgeable fan. It’s more like a fine television talk and better said than done. Certainly, there will be opponents and I don’t see players remaining in opponents half without falling back to defend. But I quite understand that he meant a lot of pressure football.

I’m an apostle of pressure football and I wish Eagles can play 70 per cent of what Kalika is preaching. Since they have agreed on pressure football, they have to get the players. They need young players, players with pace and vision. They need players who, deep in their half, can give a 40 meter pass and it will drop in front of a mate already on the run.

It is about going forward and never passing the ball back unless it is absolutely necessary. I don’t see the likes of Mikel Obi fitting in if they play what they preach and run for 90 minutes. I admire Kalika talk but I hope that his emphasis on wing play does not mean playing two wingers to remain on the lines. He knows better.
Siasia also gave a graphic description of his dream Eagles:

“I would like to see players who will play for 90 minutes without getting tired; players who will run, keep possession of the ball and attack all the time.  We need players who will be proud to wear the national colours and play as if their lives depended on the outcome of the match. I would like to see them mobile and determined.”

The men in charge have spoken. They have a good keeper trainer in Ike Shorunmu. They begin on Sunday in Abuja after which they play Kenya on Wednesday. If Eagles execute what they have said Nigerians can begin to dream and dream big too.

Let’s see how it goes in the next two years or more. We should see some of these elements in the team soon but they need time to really develop the type of pressure football they have preached. Let’s see the sign first. It begins with Ethiopia.