Wednesday, January 16, 2008

“Eagles Favourite” Analyst

As Africa prepares for the 26th MTN Cup of Nations, hosts Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon and Mali have been widely tipped as favourites for the tournament.
However, according to Nigerian newspapers, there is a quiet confidence in Nigeria that the Super Eagles will be a formidable contender for the cup following the successful qualification campaign under veteran coach Berti Vogts.
The Super Eagles will not have long to wait to prove themselves since they have been drawn in the tournament’s Group B, dubbed “group of death,” with two other favourites Mali, and Cote d’Ivoire, as well as Benin.
Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire will go head-to-head in the group’s opening game in Sekondi.
“We know we have been placed in a tough group and we must win all our group matches to ensure that we are well prepared for the knockout stages,” said Vogts when the draw was conducted last October.
“We’ll have to concentrate and prepare well for the tournament. These will be key to our success if we are to win the title,” he said.
It is a fact that there are more African soccer players plying their trade in Europe than ever before, but Nigeria has rather more than fair share and the composition of the Super Eagles will definitely reflect this.
The English Premier League hosts Nigerian stars John Obi Mikel in Chelsea, Obafemi Martins in Newcastle United, Nwankwo Kanu and John Utaka in Portsmouth, Sunderland’s Dickson Etuhu, Joseph Yobo and Victor Anichebe (Not invited) are plying their trade with Everton FC.
But it is not just in England that Nigerians are making waves.
Getafe’s Ike Uche is a promising player in Spain’s La Liga and striker Mannaseh Ishiaku of MSV Duisburg (Bundesliga) is being tipped as the next big thing in Germany.
Chievo Verona’s Obinna Nsofor has long been linked with other Serie A clubs, particularly Fiorentina, while Taye Taiwo and Peter Odemwingie are already showing a strong presence in France’s Ligue 1 and Russian Premier League side Lokomotiv respectively.

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