According to Manchester City loanee Samir Nasir, manager Pep Guardiola’s secret to getting the best from his players is to prohibit them from having sex after midnight.

Nasir out on loan to Sevilla from the Etihad outfit after playing just 15 minutes of Premier League football under Guardiola says strict lifestyle and dietary regime, according to the manager helped him bring the best out of Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandoski.

“Relations must be before midnight. Even if you have a free day the following day,” Nasri told L’Equipe du Soir when asked for one of Guardiola’s secrets for getting the maximum from his stars.

It’s so you can have a good night’s sleep, even with the medication available here for longer sleep hours. He told us this is how he managed to get the best out of Messi and Lewandowski, and for them to avoid the maximum number of muscular injuries.”

“He suppressed many things that were in the kitchen,” Nasri said. “With Guardiola, on the first day of training, you know how you should play, how to squeeze and also how to stand off the ball. The next day, you have videos for everything that you have to do.

“He will not bully you, but he will do everything to make you progress, to get you to know you how to position yourself and how to play. He’s a picky person.”

Per a report on the official website of World Football governing body FIFA by some of their experts in World Cup Qualifiers, the Super Eagles of Nigeria are odd on favourite to qualify for Russia 2018 from group B of the CAF qualifying series.

The report done after the latest round of qualifiers in Africa reckoned that Nigeria has the greatest advantage in group B, after winning their first two games in the qualifying series.

Super Eagles started the qualifying series with a 2-1 win away to Zambia and consolidated their grip on the leadership position of the group, with a 3-1 win over Algeria last weekend.

As it stands now, Nigeria won’t be in action until August next year but FIFA experts believe, victory over Cameroun in both ties could see Nigeria through to the World Cup, if results elsewhere favours them.

” It’s not yet over in group B, but a Nigeria win over Cameroun in both legs of their next game will move them to twelve points, which could be unassailable if the result of Zambia and Algeria goes in their favour”.

” If any of Zambia or Algeria fail to get maximum points from their next game and Nigeria succeeds. The best they will end up with is 10 points while if Cameroun lose both ties against Nigeria best they will end up with is 10 points as well”.

Super Eagles legend Austin Okocha who also doubles as the uncle of Alex Iwobi has revealed how the 20 year old learnt the rainbow flick skill, he displayed during Nigeria’s 3-1 win over Algeria.

The World Cup 2018 qualifiers played in Uyo had Austin Okocha in attendance, and he was the cynosure of all eyes when his nephew pulled the skill he is well known for during his playing days.

While at Bolton Wanderers, Okocha grabbed the headline after using the rainbow flick to leave Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour in his wake at the corner flag.

Chants of Okocha rents the air after Iwobi replicated same skill and the former captain of Bolton Wanderers has spoken out about how his nephew learnt the skill.

“I didn’t teach him. Maybe he saw the one I did, but I’m sure he must have seen other players do it too. The boy is special and he is still developing. We are lucky to have him.”

Arsenal 20 year old forward Alex Iwobi has for the first speak on the rainbow flick skill he performed while on international duty with Nigeria, in the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers tie against Algeria.

The forward showed off his quick feet in the first half when he raised the ball over the head of an Algerian defender, bringing back memories of his uncle Austin Okocha who was famed for perfecting the skill.

After the game which Nigeria won 3-1, Iwobi spoke to Kwesesports and revealed the inspiration behind it, as well as his overall performance in the game.

“I definitely saw that Jay Jay flick,” Iwobi said. “But I learnt it myself from just playing around in my club and watching players like (Alexis) Sanchez and Neymar do that stuff.”

When it comes to things like that I never really think about it. If it happens, it happens. Didn’t know it would go viral, “My performance was okay. It was just average, and I think I can learn from that. But as a team it was a great performance and I’m happy we won.”

Emmanuel Babayaro has taken a swipe at Nigerian coaches using Gernot Rohr’s bold stance in team selection as a yard stick for his criticism.

Rohr has taken some unpopular decision which has yielded fruits for the Super Eagles in the three games he has handled the team. He has reduced Ahmed Musa, the vice captain to an impact substitute while in the last game he played Kenneth Omeruo at right back.

Omeruo although started his national team career at right back, he has since evolved into one of the main stay of the team in central defence in the last three years, but Rohr shifted him back to right back against Algeria in preference of the duo of William Troost Ekong and Leon Balogun.

Also in the tie against Algeria, Kelechi Iheanacho was selected by the manager to lead the line at the expense of Brown Ideye and Odion Ighalo, who were both unused substitute in the 3-1 win for Nigeria.

” Do you think an indigenous coach can make such decision?, certainly not. None of them can be bold enough to change the dynamics of the team playing personnel. Rohr is clearly showing how much we have missed a foreign coach”, he told Owngoalnigeria.com.

” Rohr is not afraid of taking risk, most foreign coaches are like that, our indigenous coach should borrow a leaf from the German and play players based on the demands of games and tactics and not on reputation”.

Respected and well travelled Algerian journalist Raidi Mazher says coach Georges Leekens is right, when he said Kelechi Iheanacho’s movement in the box allowed Victor Moses to wreck havoc.

Moses scored a brace in Nigeria’s 3-1 win but the coach of Algeria believed it was the constant running through spaces by Iheanacho that allowed Moses, the time and space to score both goals.

His views have been corroborated by Mazher who was in Nigeria for the game, and he gave a detailed breakdown of how Iheanacho movement in the box wrecked his team in a chat with Owngoalnigeria.com.

” Leekens is right, all three goals scored by Nigeria wouldn’t have been possible if not for the tireless running by Iheanacho. He attacked all available spaces, and dragged the defenders out of their natural postion” He told Owngoalnigeria.com.

” The first goal scored by Nigeria. He dragged two defenders and one of them stuck out a foot,which deflected the ball into the path of Victor Moses to score from the space left open by the defenders who went with Iheanacho.

” Mikel’s goal was started by him. He picked the ball in the box after a well timed run from behind. Two defender couldn’t keep up with his pace and when he returned the ball to Iwobi. The defenders out of their position were slow in moving out before Etebo spotted Mikel for the second goal.

” When Ahmed Musa peeled away from the right for Nigeria’s third goal, Iheanacho attacked the first pole and took two defenders with him, the space vacated was used by Moses to good effect. So you see Leekens is right”.

Spanish La-Liga giants Valencia will be keeping a close eye on the poster boy of Nigeria Rio 2016 men’s football team Ogenekaro Etebo, during the course of the season in Portugal.

Etebo plays for newly promoted Portuguese top division side CD Feirense, and Valencia will be sending scouts to watch him play once he is fully recovered from the hamstring injury that kept him out of Nigeria’s final three games at the Olympics.

A deal for him in the future looks more likely, if he impresses the scout of the team that is assigned to Portugal to make checks on him.

Owngoalnigeria.com exclusively gathered from sources in Spain, that the 20 year old who scored four goals in Nigeria’s opening Rio 2016 game against Japan is also on the radar of several teams in Europe.

However CD Feirense have made it clear, that he won’t be sold this season as they want to keep him, to help them do well in their first campaign in the top flight of Portuguese football.

The former Warri Wolves forward joined CD Feirense last season and scored once from the 4 games he played before the end of the season.

The final destination of Nigeria Under-17 World Cup winner John Lazaruz could be in Italy with Torino as the right full back has absconded from Portuguese side Boavista, where he was due to have trials.

Owngoalnigeria.com can exclusively report that the highly rated teen defender arrived Portugal few weeks ago but left the next day even before the start of trials,

His destination was unknown until he posted pictures of training with Serie A side Torino on his snap chat account few days ago.

He is presently training with the U-18s of the team that presently has Joel Obi on their books, but the intermediary who arranged the Boavista deal has threatened to block any transfer to Torino, even if he scale through the trials.

” We will use him to teach other Nigerian players a lesson, this is not the end of it. We are waiting for those who took him from Portugal to reach out to us. If they don’t do so in few days time, we will do the needful”, he told Owngoalnigeria.com.

English Championship player of the month Sone Aluko is eager to hear from new Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr over his international future, hoping his recent fine form could earn him a recall.

The last time he played for Nigeria was during the ill fated attempt to qualify for the 2015 cup of nations, in a tie against South Africa, a game where he scored both goals for Nigeria.

Aluko who now plays for Fulham was Voted Championship player of the month for October after a string of impressive performances for the Cottagers.

He is hoping it could get the attention of Rohr after conceding that being a squad player at Hull City harmed his international career under previous coaches.

“International career? It’s not over in my head. But the last coach to pick me passed away. The new coach doesn’t know me as a person or a player, so it’s only now I’ve got a chance to show what I can do”, he told Get West London

When you’re on the bench at Hull you aren’t going to get picked for a national team. If I keep playing well then maybe my chances will come again. Sure it’s been frustrating, but now I’m in a good place, my career can kick on from here.

A member of the Super Eagles of Nigeria says the current success the Nigeria senior national team is enjoying under German coach Gernot Rohr is down to his man management skills and not tactics.

Since the appointment of the German coach the Super Eagles have won the three games they have played under him in convincing fashion, especially the weekend win over Algeria.

While most Nigerians are giving Rohr credit over his tactics and technical inputs in the games he has handled the team. A member of the team thinks otherwise.

” It’s not all about tactics, every other coach that I have played under in my stay in the national team is very good when it comes to tactics. Baba (Rohr) has a different approach when it comes to handling players”, he told Owngoalnigeria.com.

“The indigenous coaches who have handled the team lord themselves our us but Baba (Rohr) has a different method. His ways of communicating with players makes one feel we are both complementing each other.

” That said he talks to almost everybody, jokes with all and doesn’t make mockery of his players in public. When Austin Okocha came into our close door training, instead of ignoring him like most local coaches would do, he addressed us in front of him, duly giving him the respect and praises he deserves”.