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Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Concerns For Nigeria Ahead Of World Cup 2010

Most pundits, certainly in this country, seem to think that Argentina and Nigeria are the two teams most likely to qualify from Group B . And on the surface, this appears to be a strong possibility. Nigeria have more 'star' names than either Greece or South Korea and have a number of established Premier League players, such as Kanu and Joseph Yobo.

However, Nigeria coach Lars Lagerback (owner of one of the world's finest names) is concerned that his main players are not starting enough matches for their club sides and therefore won't be up to speed at the 2010 World Cup Finals.

Strikers Kanu, Yakubu and Obafemi Martins are not getting regular starts with their clubs, and the problem isn't just limited to their star names.

This concern is compounded by a feeling that, because the Nigeria domestic league isn't producing sufficient talent for the national squad, they will fall foul of Greece - half of whose squad comes from the Greek League. Indeed, six of Greece's squad come from Panathinaikos.

That argument is put far more persuasively than I can right here and if you are a Nigeria fan (or a gambler looking to bet on them to qualify), then I suggest you read it and think again.

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Digg!

posted by mark_s at 1:08 PM

1 Comments:

Anonymous Ted said...

From what I saw of Nigeria at the African Cup of Nations, they didn't look that impressive. The Super Eagles don't have a particularly tough draw in South Africa, but I predict that Argentina and Greece will progress from Group B.
http://worldcupcollege.com/2010/04/12/nigeria/

8:06 PM  

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